One-line solution summary:
Recycling cattle dung in building a sustainable food supply system, poverty reduction and reclaiming Chirwa Wetland
Pitch your solution.
The pressure on agriculture to feed the growing population is so high and the growing in yield not meeting requirements. However, the development of all sorts of modern technologies to meet such demand has disrupted the ecosystem, destroyed soil structure and profiles, brought in effects on the environment and humanity both today and future generations. The developments poses a threat to future survival, the environment, and production. There is therefore a call for sustainable and climate smart agriculture with minimal or zero effect on the environment while increasing income and sustenance for the population meeting nutritive value requirements with low carbon production. Ranching has had detrimental effect on Chirwa Wetland, however can be used as a source of enterprise linkage while focusing on organic production for a shift towards low impact, diverse and nutritious diets including low carbon protein options, at the same time poverty reduction.
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Agriculture accounts for over 40 percent of the earth's land. This is coupled with the fact that over two-thirds of human water use is for agriculture. The need for increased production as a response for population increase, has necessitated adoption of modern technologies. However, with this pressure, livestock accounts for 40 percent of global emissions, mineral fertilizers for 16 percent and biomass burning and crop residues for about 18 percent. Agriculture is also responsible for up to half of all methane emissions. Though it persists for a shorter time, methane is about 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in its warming action and a major short-term contributor to global warming. However, farming can also be a sink for carbon. In 1997-99 an estimated 590 to 1 180 million tonnes of carbon were locked up in cropland soils alone, in the form of soil organic matter from crop residues and manure. If soils are well managed the locking up can be as much as 13 million of tonnes annually. Despite absence of data, it can be project that the effect of global warming on Lake Chirwa can be reduced to half if the suggested management is adopted.
What is your solution?
The project follows an enterprise linkage model, where animal production will be linked to crop production. The linkage will utilize animal waste in manure production in an environmental conservation way at the same time focusing on increased yield.It will support small-scale producers who are largely women around Lake Chirwa wetland with access to inputs, capital, and knowledge to improve yields while sustaining productivity of land and seas. Th desire is to contribute towards increased efforts to reclaim the wetland.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
The solution targets women within the wetland and focused on their knowledge on farming, and nutrition, business and marketing, and utilization of what they have. These women have been those who are largely regarded as poor, but have a potential to increase their health, nutrition, income, and contribute towards serving the environment.
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Support small-scale producers with access to inputs, capital, and knowledge to improve yields while sustaining productivity of land and seasExplain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge and your selected dimension.
Lake Chirwa Wetland has greatly suffered from the ills of humanity. It surrounds Lake Chirwa which is an inland drainage lake. The Lake has no outlet however with passing years the Lake is drying despite having more water from over four biggest rivers bringing water. Similarly catch from the Lake is going down and has wide spread poverty within Malawi calculated to be the highest (poverty incidence 80-100) with a short fall from poverty line of 32-40. Mlera project aims at providing a solution for the environment at the same time for increased income diversification with minimal environmental impact
Who is the primary delegate for your solution?
Harry Gerson Kamdima
What is your solution’s stage of development?
Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business modelIn what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Zomba, MalawiWhich of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new technologyDescribe what makes your solution innovative.
The innovation is utilizing locally available resources with Chisu grass as a main component in reduction of green house effects. It utilizes the linkage model which has a dual impact and benefit for both ranchers and farmers while saving the wetland.
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
The project has several technological aspects blended into one solution ranging from manure processing, to agro-production and processing.
Provide evidence that this technology works.
The manure production has been viable means for improving soil profile and structure. University of Nebraska has tried and tested it. https://water.unl.edu/article/manure-nutrient-management/how-can-animal-manure-help-my-soils-be-healthier-and-moremanure-help-my
Malawi since 2014 has strived to go into agroprocessing, and Harry Kamdima the CEO has been the person championing that. https://www.transtec.be/websit...
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
What is your theory of change?
The solution focuses on conserved wetland, improved nutrition, increased income, reduced poverty, reduced carbon emissions, increased knowledge, empowered communities, and resilient and sustainable food supply system and communities. The community is a viable resource to the change, the current needs a catalyst, the relationships a means, the external facilitation a conduit, and the knowledge, agriculture start ups, and community resources inputs for the change.
Select the key characteristics of your target population.
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
In which countries do you currently operate?
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
How many people does your solution currently serve? How many will it serve in one year? In five years?
Currently there is none, three months from implementation it will be twenty five, six months from implementation it will be a hundred, by one year over hundred only within Chirwa wetland
What are your goals within the next year and within the next five years?
SACRD will look for replication of the model within other projects with FAO Kulima Project, GIZ MIERA, and the other donors in agriculture both Malawi and beyond.
What barriers currently exist for you to accomplish your goals in the next year and in the next five years?
SACRD envisage financial and technical barriers for scaling up the project to other areas and countries.
How do you plan to overcome these barriers?
Financial barriers will be overcame through the already mentioned partnerships and linkages. SACRD will ensure dissemination of the results such that the model can be adopted with special recognition of SOLVE.
SACRD will ensure equipped personnel man the project and utilization of Government personnel for both growth and replication.
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofitIf you selected Other, please explain here.
Solution SACRD under the theme Agriculture, Environment and Livelihood. SACRD believes in transformative approach to agriculture and environmental management. It feeds into SDG Goal 1; End poverty in all its forms everywhere: Goal 2; End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture: Goal 10; Reduce inequality within and among countries: Goal 13; Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts: and Goal 15; Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
How many people work on your solution team?
SACRD committees four people to work on the solution
Lead- Harry Gerson kamdima SACRD CEO. He has been the UNESCO National Coordinator for Malawi on similar project.To work on full time
Thematic Lead- Engineer Marius Meli- SACRD Thematic Lead- Marius is an agrocutural processing engineer. To work on full time
Nutritionist- Naomi Mvula- Naomi has been the Head of Department for Lilongwe Universisty of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She is there to work on part time
Agronomist- Alfonso Tembwe- Alfonso is a retired Chief Agronomist for the Malawi Governmnet. To work on Full time
How many years have you worked on your solution?
Over 10 years on similar project not on this solution
Why are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
Lead- Harry Gerson kamdima SACRD CEO. He has been the UNESCO National Coordinator for Malawi on similar project. Harry is good at networking and strategic operation. He has facilitated a similar project for UNESCO and anchored the first Agro-processing curriculum in Malawi.
Thematic Lead- Engineer Marius Meli- SACRD Thematic Lead- Marius is an agrocutural processing engineer. He has vast expereince in valiue chain analysis and processing. He understand market linkages and the value additions.
Nutritionist-
Naomi Mvula- Naomi has been the Head of Department for Lilongwe
Universisty of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She has various publications on nutirion and will be critical for the training and development of low carbon products which have a nutritive value
Agronomist- Alfonso Tembwe- Alfonso is a retired Chief Agronomist for the Malawi Governmnet. He has trained many farmers and is still contributing the same under the GIZ Agricultural TEVET.
What organizations do you currently partner with, if any? How are you working with them?
Has no partner under agriculture but looking for some.
What is your business model?
In one of its studies SACRD realized that there is more value in the cops not emphasized for growing under the government supported initiatives as compared to the cereal production which has been emphasized. The challenge has been the nature of the produce and shelf life. For example, if a farmer produces tomato, green paper, onion, or egg plants, this farmer is far better off in revenue than the one who has produced maize. The starting point of calculation is crop population, then production period, harvesting period, nutritional value, and then proceeds. The figure below presents the argument. But how do farmers integrate the income projection for poverty reduction, food sustainability, and prevention of bio-diversity loss?
Tomato is the crop that has the highest potential, seconded by potato. Both of these grow within 3 month to maturity. However tomato can be harvested for over 1.5 months while potato it’s once off. Though this is the case in Malawi tomato being a perishable has been calculated to have 75 percent loss bringing potential income to MK10,500,000 close to the other crops but less than potato. How do farmers benefit from the same.
Mlera Project will support farmers with certified inputs for the agreed crops. It will support with how to grow and nature the crops to production for market using locally available resources for sustainability, like Chisu grass for green technology and utilization of the animal dung for humus which will improve soil structure and fertility.
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, or to other organizations?
Individual consumers or stakeholders (B2C)Why are you applying to Solve?
This innovation project that SACRD has developed aims at providing a solution for a low-carbon food supply system that provides nutrition with minimal environmental impact. It therefore targets the following:
D1. Support small-scale producers who are largely women around Lake Chirwa wetland with access to inputs, capital, and knowledge to improve yields while sustaining productivity of land and seas;
D2. Scale practices and incentives for larger farmers and ranchers to decrease carbon emissions, land-use change, nutrient runoff, or water pollution;
D3. Improve supply chain practices to reduce food loss, scale new business models for producer-market connections, and create low-carbon cold chains; and
D4. Promote the shift towards low-impact, diverse, and nutritious diets, including low-carbon protein options.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Please explain in more detail here.
SACRD goals emanate from its objective of establishment "A transformative approach to African Development" and "To bring a transformative mind set, view, and action for Africa through research, facilitation, promotion, and development of informed programs, projects, and solutions for Africa". The partnership goal for SACRD therefore is the betterment and transformation of Africa.
What organizations would you like to partner with, and how would you like to partner with them?
SACRD would like to partner with
1. SOLVE
2. MIT
3. UN (FAO, WFP, UN Women, or UNESCO)
Solution Team
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Harry Kamdima Mr., Souther Africa Centre for Research and Development
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Solution Name:
Mlera Project