Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
SOLUTION CATALOGUE
Food
U N L E A S HA GLOBAL INNOVATION LAB FOR THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTS GOALS
EXECUTION PARTNERS
All solutions presented in this catalogue were developed by teams of talents during the UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017 in Denmark. All teams are responsible for the content and correct description of their solution and have agreed to have their solutions published by UNLEASH.
002
All pictures © Astrid Maria Rasmussen (@astridkbh)Except p. 5 © UN Photo/Cia Pak
CONTENTINTRODUCTION TO THE UNLEASH INNOVATION LAB
FOODMost Collaborative Team - FarmazonGold Winner - Doti GoldSilver Winner - The Milky Way to Development and Waste ReductionBronze Winner - HarvestHub
Tech4NoWasteHub and Spoke for Farmer FolkBird‘s Eye AgricultureCasemo Foods - Coco-Peat ProcessingSankofa Urban RootsBetterBoxKeep Cool Inc.LOOP - Rewiring Food WasteSampurna Farms - Agriculture motivated by HealthTraffic Jams - Breakfast on the goJust FoodFEED.MEWasteFoodFightersFoodLyncSocial Food Inc. - Feeding Healthy DreamsUnwasteAgrizon - The modern connection between knowledge, services and farmsTechnoSavaF.spotSahara Fruits
www.unleash.org
004
006008014 020024
030 034038042046052056060064068072076080086090094098102106110
On the 25th of September 2015, the 193 member states of the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Development Agenda titled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The agenda comprises the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the Global Goals, consisting of 17 goals and 169 targets aiming to make the planet a more sustainable place.
The SDGs were adopted after the Millennium Development Goals, which were eight goals to be reached by 2015. While the Millennium Development Goals were mostly designed to improve life in developing countries, the SDGs are designed to “leave no one behind”, which means that the targets should be met by all member states, no matter their economic, social or environmental position.
The 2030-Agenda is the largest global partnership agreement and development plan for the planet ever made. The goals ultimately aspire to create a better, more inclusive and more prosperous world by 2030.
UNLEASH is a new, global initiative that brings together 1,000 young academics, intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs and tech experts annually. Each year they will be tasked with developing innovative and practical solutions to the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The first UNLEASH took place in Denmark, in three main locations; Copenhagen, Folk High Schools in the country side, and Aarhus. The talents worked in teams and were taken through an Innovation Process where they co-created the solutions found in this catalogue.
UNLEASH Lab 2017 worked with seven themes that relate to the SDGs: Education & ICT, Energy, Health, Food, Sustainable Consumption & Production, Urban Sustainability, and Water.
INTRODUCTION TO THE UNLEASH INNOVATION LAB
F O O D004
Food
FarmazonFarmazon is an e-commerce platform that aims at reducing inefficiencies in agricultural value chains by linking smallholder farmers to buyers, agricultural advisers, input suppliers and transport providers. It is unique for info-knowledge facilitation at community level. The business will sustain itself through subscription and transaction fees and by selling data to donors and governments. We are a diverse group of young entrepreneurs with an extensive network of smallholder farmers in Kenya and other parts of the world. After piloting in Kenya, we aim at scaling up to other countries.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Help with fundraising or investment 2. Access to legal and accounting resources3. Access to corporate partners
CONTACT
Most
Collaborative Team
PROBLEM
Across Africa, South America and Asia, smallholder families are struggling to make more productive use of their farmland. Most are currently unable to produce enough to feed their families an adequate nutritional diet, or to sell in the market and generate sufficient income.
The unattractiveness of the sector coupled with population growth leads the youth to abandon rural areas in quest for income opportunities in cities.
The World Bank estimates that Africa alone has the potential to create a trillion dollar food market by 2030, if African farmers can increase their productivity and link to the formal markets.
Over the last 10 years, development programmes have increasingly been adopting a ‘value chain’ approach, which addresses the full range of actors from producers to consumers.
Despite these efforts, gaps in agronomic and market information are still causing serious value chain inefficiencies, leading smallholders and other actors in the value chain to miss income opportunities.
SOLUTION
By overcoming the communication barriers along the agricultural production and supply value chains the power of ICT is leveraged to empower farmers and jumpstart rural commerce to tackle poverty and address food security.
Farmazon is a modular e-commerce platform designed for smallholder agricultural communities in the developing world.
The platform facilitates information exchange and trading between agricultural producers, buyers, village agriculture consultants, input and service companies and, storage and logistics providers through the use of smart phones and/or mobile phones.
We will work with groups of farmers, meaning that not all farmers need to own an internet-enabled phone to be able to benefit from the platform.
F O O D F O O D008 009
INNOVATION
Flexible delivery mechanisms: A flexible platform enables Farmazon to be accessed by greater than 80% of the population.
Self-selection and evaluation: In order to build confidence into the platform user profiles are created that include peer-review evaluation systems, similar to those employed by Ebay.
Integration across the value-chain: Existing systems principally focus on the facilitation of sales, yet value chain facilitation is needed to enable these communities to thrive. Critical links in the chain include agronomic extension, access to farm inputs and logistics.
The power of connectivity: Facebook, Ebay, and Amazon have clearly demonstrated that connecting various people who share similar interests can change the world.
Bargaining: In many rural market systems, the process of supply and demand agreements has broken down due to the various distortions introduced through multiple layers of middle-men.
IMPACT
Our solution will contribute to SDG target 2.3.2 by increasing income of small-scale food producers, majority of whom are women.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Agricultural Development strategy cites that participatory and customized rural advisory services, can drive 30-40% productivity gains and technology enabled market linkages can translate those productivity gains to 50-60% increase in income.
With capacity building (with a climate smart focus) and market linkages that Farmazon facilitates we will help transform smallholders into self-sufficient small businesses and boost rural economies.
Over the 24-month pilot phase in the Kenya horticulture sector we aim to impact 300,000 farmers in the first year and grow this to 1,000,000 by the end of the second year.
Across the globe 500 million smallholders exist, we home Farmazon will positively impact the lives of those who use it.
Most
Collaborative Team
NEXT STEPS
Pilot financing:Start-up capital is required to translate ideas into scaleable businesses. We would like to be linked to the UNLEASH network of actors and firms willing to invest in innovative business concepts.
Connections to the ICT community: For our solution to be viable we have to have access to human resources with skills in the technology sphere. We would like to be linked with the UNLEASH community who have expertise in developing technology systems and platforms in the developing world.
Structure:Set up a company in neutral territory with tax friendly laws for startups e.g Mauritius, that we all own, that develops the platform and licenses it to different companies that implement the solution in various countries.
The other option involves setting up a company and original founders sitting as directors and a CEO is hired along with the operational team.
Fundraising:Farmazon plans to raise $300,000-500,000 to operationalize its solution. Funding options include; grants, investors etc.
GEOGRAPHY
Farmazon will be implemented in Kenya.
Two key members of the team already work and live in Kenya giving us an edge in implementation currently with the others based in Rome, Nepal and Rio.
F O O D F O O D010 011
Doti GoldDoti Gold is a for-profit organization that transforms food waste to gold (animal feed and fertiliser) using the black soldier flies. Doti Gold will produce more affordable inputs mainly proteins for fish and bio fertiliser for crops contributing to farmers‘ livelihoods. Urban and rural households will have access to affordable and nutritious food including proteins from fish and chicken contributing to zero hunger.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice / feedback - implementation strategy 2. Help with fundraising or investment 3. Access to corporate partners
CONTACT
Gold Winner
PROBLEM
The sad twisted irony of the world today is that we produce enough food, but 1/3 is wasted - yet hunger persists.
Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing rapid urbanization yet non-performing agriculture creates food insecurity and socio-economic imbalances.
For instance in Nigeria, up to 12.5 million tons of food waste end up in landfills annually whereas 7.1 million people are severely food insecure among them at least 1 million children who suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
The capacity to respond to these needs is dimishing due to rising costs of farm inputs that is dependent on import. For example, fish farmers are facing critical challenges in meeting the protien requirements for the fish feed and spend up to 70% of the farm running costs.
Can we upcycle food waste into farm inputs, especially animal protein for fish/poultry feeds and bio-fertilizer for crops, towards achieving zero hunger?
SOLUTION
The Doti Kit is a handy, low cost, easy to operate black soldier fly farm suitable for localized conversion of waste on farms or at the community level to feed and fertiliser.
It is a proven biotechnological solution that transforms “food waste to gold”.
It harnesses the unique capabilities of the black soldier fly to convert waste into insect protein, growing up to 1,000 times in less than 3 weeks.
The solution is two pronged:
B2C: Develop and deploy “Doti Kits” that empower small holder fish and livestock farmers and unemployed youths to convert food and organic waste to fresh larva and bio-organic soil enhancer.
B2B: That converts bulk waste from households, factories, food service organizations and farms into bulk protein meal, and bio-fertiliser.
This aspect involves three basic steps: • Aggregation of food waste • Breeding larva • Processing into protein meal and
bio-fertiliser. fish and livestock feed producers, seed and fertiliser distributors are the primary customers.
F O O D F O O D014 015
INNOVATION
The science of farming black soldier fly has been proven and exists on a global scale. Typically, the process is performed at a commercial production scale in a factory.
Our market research shows that the kit system we have developed does not exist – the capacity for farmers to install the kit as a remote/isolated system is a new concept.
Currently, there are no large-scale black soldier fly poducers in Nigeria.
Competitors on a global scale include AgriProtein (South Africa) and EnviroFlight (USA).
The solution has not been implemented in Nigeria yet because prior to the recession that started 2 years ago, the fish and poultry farmers had the capital to import fish feed. Once the recession hit, farmers started to look for less expensive alternative means of acquiring the feed supply.
As such, although the market demand for the product has existed for a long-time, the conditions are now right to introduce the product to the market.
The innovation is economically replicable and satisfies a specific need.
IMPACT
Doti Gold will have multidimensional impacts:
• Food secure households in rural and urban areas with better access to affordable nutritious food throughout the year, including proteins from fish and chicken
• Profitable fish, livestock and crop farms that generate higher income for small holder famers and boost local economies
• Smallholder farmers relying on locally-produced and affordable agricultural inputs
• Sustainable urban and rural communities that work together in virtuous cycle for sustainable production and consumption
• Sustainable cities with reduced of CO2 emission
• Sustainable poverty reduction through empowerment of the poorest men and women of urban and rural communities
Doti Gold will directly contribute to achieving nine SDGs (1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13 and 17) from ending poverty to zero hunger, including gender equality, decent work and economic growth, sustainable cities and communities, sustainable production and consumption to life below water and partnerships.
Gold Winner
NEXT STEPS
Step 1: We will start by prototyping 50 kits in Nigeria in partnership with USAID, farmers associations and distribute them to focus group users consisting of various customer types, in order to verify the design, the use and get customers’ feedback
Step 2: Adjusting design and use of kits and produce 5100 kits for sale in the first 18 months. To supply eggs to customers, we will set up a breeding facility that produces 1 ton of eggs in 18 months.
Step 3: Feasibility study and market research to map actors of waste management and farm inputs actors, and potential partners in order to assess commercial feasibility of the B2B model.
GEOGRAPHY
The team consists of 6 members. One member will be completing an MBA program in Barcelona, Spain (until Dec. 2017). Another will be in South Sudan. Another will be returning to Ghana. Another will return to work in Rome, Italy. And the final two members will be returning to work in Nigeria.
F O O D F O O D016 017
The Milky Way to Development and Waste ReductionA simple, practical and scaleable solution that will help standardise the post-harvest stage of milk production for smallholder farmers in emerging markets. Giving confidence to companies investing in the dairy industry, and ultimately enabling smallholder farmers to increase their income, feed their community and know that their delicious and nutritious milk is not going to waste.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice/feedback - technical advice and business plan2. Access to corporate partners, particularly in the dairy industry3. Help with travel for the team to meet up
CONTACT
Silver Winner
PROBLEM
Worldwide 200 million tonnes of milk is lost at post-harvest and distribution stage. At the same time, 795 million people suffered from undernourishment in 2014-16.
In developing regions (i.e. sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia) the lack of refrigerated storage facilities, a consistent cold chain for transport and inadequate hygiene conditions during milking and in transport leads to 16-20% milk waste.
Milk spoilage occurs when containers for transporting milk from farms to collection centres are variable, unclean and lack well-sealed lids. After travelling long distances by foot to collection centres, farmers‘ milk is tested and often rejected. Dairy companies feel unable to invest in unreliable sources, or feel the need to spend time and income driving vehicles to individual farmers.
As a result, the milk supply in these countries does not meet the emerging market demand, and there is an undersupply to communities - especially children - of a highly nutritious source of protein, minerals and vitamins.
SOLUTION
A two-unit system solution.
First, a new design of standardised stainless steel milk cans, lightweight and ergonomically designed for easy carrying, with a tight-sealing lid and able to be cleaned effectively with no internal crevices susceptible to microbial growth leading to milk stones.
Second, to install a solar or biogas powered cleaning and sanitation unit at milk collection centres. Here milk cans are washed with soap, rinsed with water and sterilised with steam using a pressurised hand-held nozzle.
The containers are then sealed before farmers return home with cleaned and sealed container, ready to re-fill. This prevents microbial and physical contamination, thus ensuring less waste, higher quantity and quality of nutritious protein, and assurance for dairy companies working with dairy co-operatives and collection centres.
F O O D F O O D020 021
INNOVATION
The system is a simple and robust solution that can cope with harsh conditions in the target countries. Its simplicity makes adoption by farmers and co-operatives very likely.
Competitve solutions are mainly aiming to establish a functional cold chain or provide cooling devices (e.g. biogas powered milk chillers on farms). So far none of them have been successfully implemented as equipment might be over-specified and/or too expensive for small scale farmers.
IMPACT
We are creating impact for the small-scale dairy farmers, by increasing their income due to higher sales of safe milk. This improves the living standard of the farmers‘ family.
In the long term, the increased income allows the diary farmers to invest in their farm (i.e. increased feed quality, more sanitation measures, more cows).
We create impact for dairy firms and cooperations by guaranteeing a high quality assured milk that can be used for the production of dairy products.
We reduce milk waste during transportation and more milk reaches the processing plant. Greenhouse gasses per liter of milk are reduced as efficiency is increased.
SDG goals: 1: No Poverty, 2: Zero Hunger, 3: Good Health and Well-being, 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and 17: Partnerships for the goals. are applicable to this case.
SDG indicators:2.1.1, 2.2.2, 2.3.1, 2.3.2, 3.9.2, 8.5.2, 12.3.1, 17.16.1 and 17.17.1 can be used to measure the succes of the solution.
Silver Winner
NEXT STEPS
Contact and look to partner with co-operatives and NGOs working in Ethiopia.
Design a prototype container and washing system, along with more detailed costings.
Pitch to representatives from the dairy industry, looking to add value to their development work in emerging markets
Run a pilot scheme in an area with 10 villages.
GEOGRAPHY
The team members come from the United Kingdom, Germany, Egypt and the Netherlands.
The team will be based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
F O O D F O O D022 023
HarvestHubHarvestHub connects farmers in Tanzania to post-harvest services including storage, processing, transportation, and direct connections to markets. Leveraging existing USSD technologies, high mobile phone penetration and mobile money services, HarvestHub will allow farmers to contract services on demand, and pay for the exact time and duration they need. By giving farmers a range of options post-harvest, HarvestHub will reduce food loss and improve farmer livelihoods.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice / feedback – business plan2. Advice / feedback – technical advice3. Advice / feedback – implementation strategy
CONTACT
Bronze Winner
PROBLEM
An estimated 20-50% of food produced in Sub-Saharan Africa is lost post-harvest along the agricultural value chain between the farm and the consumer. This contributes to both loss of income to farmers at the economic margin and undermines local food supplies.
Technologies to prevent post-harvest loss (PHL) exist. Solutions include traditional storage warehouses, solar-powered cold storage systems, drying technologies, hermetically sealed feed bags, grain silos, and new innovations are entering the market regularly.
However, farmers and aggregators with perishable or surplus agricultural products often lack access to these technologies, primarily due to cost and accessibility. There is a clear and unacceptable gap between existing solutions and the farmers and aggregators who need them.
Addressing this gap fills a clear market need and will prevent overall food loss in Sub-Saharan Africa.
SOLUTION
HarvestHub is a digital ecosystem connecting stakeholders across the agricultural value chain to prevent post-harvest loss (PHL).
The system capitalizes on the high mobile penetration of Tanzania (approximately 80% of households) and the common use of mobile money services.
The digital platform utilizes USSD for farmers using a basic mobile phone, as well as mobile application and internet interface.
The service allows owners of PHL technologies (warehouses, cold storage facilities, dryers, vehicles for transport, etc.) to rent, via a pay-as-you-go model, their services and facilities to farmers and aggregators.
It also provides farmers an option to sell products directly to the market, providing greater control over quantity and price.
Finally, it allows farmers to connect with one another for potential group-buying of these services or group sales.
Overall, HarvestHub provides a holistic solution to reduce food loss, improve farmer livelihood, and better stabilize the food supply.
F O O D F O O D024 025
INNOVATION
It is clear that storage and other post-harvest technologies reduce food loss and increase farmer incomes. While post-harvest loss technologies such as warehouses or cold storage exist, they are not well utilized by small-holder farmers due to a lack of access and affordability.
Our solution connects farmers to these services and allows them to “rent” these services at an affordable rate and only as they need them (i.e. renting cold storage for one week).
The digital platform further connects farmers directly to the market and to one-another for group purchase services.
Finally, the collection of data on the demand for these post-harvest services will help spur new investments.
While there are other services in East Africa directly connecting farmers to markets, and one connecting them to warehouse storage, there is no comprehensive platform, nor is there one which utilizes the pay-as-you-go model to bring down the overall cost of these services.
IMPACT
HarvestHub has the potential to significantly reduce food loss in developing countries, while also increasing the income and livelinhood of small-scale farmers and agricultural workers.
There are 11.3 million agricultural workers in Tanzania, accounting for 78 percent of the labor force. Of these workers, approximately 4 million smallholder farmers, our of whom 85% live below the poverty line. HarvestHub has the potential to make a profound impact on the lives of these workers and their families.
The digital platform will mainly contribute to a SDG 12.3.1 by reducing food loss in developing countries.
The solution will also contribute to SDG target 2.3.2 by increasing income of small-scale food producers.
Bronze Winner
NEXT STEPS
We plan to conduct on the ground market research in Tanzania to assess supply of service providers, demand for services, and willingness to pay.
We will continue consulting with experts and stakeholders in order to develop a certification process for service providers.
Additionally, we are working on a prototype of the platform on both USSD and online. From there, we will conduct field based user testing to see how farmers and service providers react to the platform. We wil then pilot the solution in one or two districts in order to assess demand
We are currently discussing a potential collaboration with the ”Farmazon” UNLEASH team.
GEOGRAPHY
HarvestHub will be implemented in Tanzania.
Current locations of the HarvestHub team members are as Tanzania, the United States of America, Senegal and Czech Republic.
F O O D F O O D026 027
Tech4NoWastePost-harvest food losses in developing countries reach an average of up to 40%, mainly due to poor or non-existent storage infrastructure and technologies. A critical location for food loss is open-air markets where >80% of all fruits and vegetables produced in Kenya are sold. Our solution to minimise the loss is a non-electrified storage hub. It follows a pay-as-you-store shared model, allowing the market traders to preserve their good by leveraging cost-efficient bio-tech, flexible and shared economy storage technology.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Help with fundraising or investment2. Advice / feedback – technical advice3. Access to corporate partners
CONTACT
[email protected]: Tech4NoWaste
Shortliste
d
PROBLEM
At least 40% of food produced in developing countries is lost before reaching the consumer.
Lack of access to cold chain technology is one of the major reasons for post-harvest losses. This high loss of produce translates to a poverty cycle for farmers and small traders who suffer from minimized profit from their harvests and sales.
Horticulture is the 2nd largest sub-sector in Kenya‘s agriculture sector, accounting for 12 tons of produce annually. 90% of these fruits and vegetables are sold at local open-air markets, where at least 30% of produce is lost. This loss has been largely attributed to absence of adequate and affordable storage infrastructure, limiting how much produce traders can sell before it goes bad.
Meanwhile, research institutions and other organizations continue to develop cheap bio-technological preservation solutions that never reach the commercial market due to lack of sustainable payment models that could allow them to deploy these solutions profitably and sustainably in developing countries.
SOLUTION
Our solution is a shared non-electrified storage container, providing pay-as-you-store ‘locker rooms’ at market places in developing countries.
Our storage hubs allow traders to store fruit and vegetables that remain at the close of the markets, that would otherwise get spoilt, in a hygienic, technologically advanced space with preserving bio remedies non-reliant on electricity and cold storage.
The solution allows farmers and traders at markets to take advantage of a shared economy model, hence bringing down the cost of accessing the facility while allowing for optimized sales of their goods due to preservation facilities.
Moreover, this model enables research institutions to commercialize advanced natural bio remedies that can extend agricultural produce shelf-life to be availed to farmers and traders through a ‘plug-and-play’ approach.
The units will be piloted, tested and subsequently distributed through a franchising scheme to local entrepreneurs, who will be responsible for running the containers i.e. renting the lockers out to traders in the markets. We will, then, support the maintenance of the containers and the bio-remedy.
F O O D F O O D030 031
INNOVATION
Tech4NoWaste delivers three key innovations in one solution:
1. We provide a shared storage space that can be kitted with food preserving bio-remedies on a pay-as-you store model for storage in centralized markets. This essentially allows traders to afford spaces while allowing them to only incur the cost only when they actually use the space.
2. The solution provides a ‘plug-and-play’ model through which institutions that hold innovative technologies can commercialize their technological solutions and adapt them for low-income economies in Africa, developing Asia and Latin America.
3. We develop the first units ourselves and subsequently franchise the units to allow for an easier and scalable deployment. We plan to deliver our units to local entrepreneurs who understand these markets, hence ensuring scalability and sustainability of the solution.
IMPACT
Our initiative aims to address SDG 1, 2, 7 and 12. The impact derives from extending the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables by 7-14 days and targeting an average of 40 traders per container per day.
It has potential to contribute, inter alia, to: ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns by reducing post-harvest losses (SDG indicator 12.3.1 Global food loss index);
Reducing the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty (SDG indicators 1.2.1. and 1.2.2.), by Increasing incomes of small-scale food producers, including women and indigenous peoples;
Ensure secure and equal access to markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment (SDG indicator 2.3.2 Average income of small-scale food producers);
Reducing the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to waste management;
Facilitating access to clean energy technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology (SDG indicator 7.a.1.).
Shortliste
d
NEXT STEPS
The team plans to finalize the design of the project, including a more detailed business model and a state-of-the art business plan.
This would allow us to reach out to potential business partners and providers (universities, local enterprises, local authorities, development agencies, NGOs, etc.) and phase out the pilot and implementation phase also in light of the identified risks and related mitigating measures.
GEOGRAPHY
Currently the team is based in Europe and East Africa, with two members living in Rome and Copenhagen and two in Nairobi and Hawassa.
All the team members are motivated to follow up on this initiative, and they would be willing to relocate if required.
F O O D F O O D032 033
Hub and Spoke for Farmer FolkAn innovative ‚hub and spoke‘ model tying together two proven businesses in a newly-deregulated landscape while leveraging modern technology to solve for small-holder farmer income inequalities. This model is unique in its low-cost, quick tunaround approach - connecting community hubs with end markets. An additional Impact Fund set up using mandatory CSR requirements ensures longevity and scale.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Help with fundraising or investment 2. Advice / feedback - business plan 3. Access to corporate partners
CONTACT
Shortliste
d
PROBLEM
We are addressing the global challenge ‚No Poverty in emerging economies‘.
The following issues led us to this specific problem framing:
1. Small Indian farmers are receiving lesser value for their products due to a multiple middle-man nexus
2. Currently, 60% of small scale farmers in India lack direct acess to markets
3. High numbers of farmers’ suicides are reported yearly in multiple states of India due to low returns on favorable crop (supply chain losses)
4. Increasing number of non-performing assets for agricultural loans – governments forced to waive out agricultural loans
5. Increasing rate of migration from rural areas to urban cities
The farmers are paid 50% of their revenue upfront.
The solution is improving the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers.
SOLUTION
The solution is to increase income for small and marginal farmers in India.
The solution proposes directly linking small famers to consumer markets and reducing the price cuts by middle men (an average 4 individual entities) in the supply chain.
The harvests are transported by piggy-backing on existing goods transport systems, such as Last Mile Delivery.
INNOVATION
Our solution innovates in two aspects:
1. Facilitating the application of CSR for corporations, therefore accelerating positive economical impact through the increase of small farmers income.
2. Creating public community centers for agregation, grading and packaging of farmers products.
What makes it possible for us to do this in 2017 versus 2010 is:
• Deregulation • The commoditization of Last Mile
Delivery • Modern technology
communications • 2014‘s new CSR mandate
We are unique in setting up a low-cost model that is connecting both ends of the value chain thus ensuring a steady stream of business to our model.
All other models have either been too capital-intensive for scale, or prone to government inefficiencies.
F O O D F O O D034 035
IMPACT
The solution is improving the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers.
SDG indicators:1. Proportion of population living
below the national poverty line, by sex and age
2. Proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
3. Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status
4. Growth rates of household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40 per cent of the population and the total population
NEXT STEPS
We‘re currently gearing for hypothesis-testing and pilot roll-out contingent on initial capital investment and partnership connects.
With two of five members already residing in India and familiar with the agri-space, a first step would be in-depth primary research and current-practice baselining, followed by a pilot hub in a conducive villagecity cluster.
Implementing and testing the robustness of the business model is key before tackling questions of scale.
GEOGRAPHY
The target market is Bombay, India.
Shortliste
d
F O O D036
Bird‘s Eye AgricultureLow-cost tool to help farmers undertake and finance agroforestry projects and precision agriculture to increase productivity and efficiency. Partnering with allies to support farmers, using open access and paid platform for data sharing. We already have widespread interest from pilot partners. The solution benefits farmer communities, sustainable environmental outcomes and data generation and sharing for agriculture and environmental services. Looking for 30,000 USD to build MVP and pilot in Central America.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice / feedback - business plan2. Help with travel for the team to meet up3. Access to corporate partners
CONTACT
Shortliste
d
PROBLEM
The productivity and efficiency of farmers is undermined by a lack of actionable data/information, adequate extension services/technical assistance, affordable inputs/training and appropriate technologies.
Smallholder farmers are responsible for 80% of local food supply, but can face yield gaps of up to 76%. This limits their capacity to feed the world, provide vital ecosystem services (ES), and ensure dignified and sustainable livelihoods for themselves, their families and communities. Smallholders and indigenous peoples are especially hindered; both are integral parts of local value chains, food security and economic welfare.
Even relatively easy to implement and low-cost measures to increase efficiency and productivity such as appropriate crop distribution, early action on disease/plague control and targeted use of fertilizer can prove out of reach.
Farmers need appropriate technology, training to use it and a platform to connect to extension services and affordable inputs.
SOLUTION
The solution is a low-cost, remote-sensing monitoring tool helping farmers undertake agroforestry projects and precision agriculture.
It is a transition technology in form of a modified, lightweight camera attached to a balloon taking aerial photos. Plant health, crop distribution and rough biomass estimates to track carbon sequestration are obtained from images.
The solution is part of an ecosystem; implemented in conjunction with input or extension service providers that build on the information we provide. Data collected from farmers enable them to accurately track their contributions to ES, making them candidates to receive payments.
Free general information from the data will be provided to potential allies, making farmers more attractive partners, and specific information at a cost to actors interested in it for commercial, monitoring, evaluation or learning purposes.
It is a first step technology which can be further developed for new applications with users.
F O O D F O O D038 039
INNOVATION
This solution is unique, because it fills an information and need gap with a technology that is more affordable and better suited to the tech literacy of smallholders, and is a suitable first step into remote-sensing for precision agriculture by small and medium sized estate farmers. This technology is still in the R&D phase with no direct competition.
Competitors use substitutes like drones to capture images, which are not suitable to smallholder farmers due to their high cost, impracticality (difficulty in splitting images and charging), and regulatory barriers. Satellite is another substitute, but very expensive, not precise enough at smallholder level and difficult to obtain consistently.
The challenges are finding low-cost training methods to develop adequate tech literacy of farmers, building trust in communities, proving value upfront b/c benefits are long-term and positioning this solution as an anchor for the broader ecosystem of technical assistance and input providers.
IMPACT
This solution has the potential to bridge agricultural and environmental information gaps suffered by approx. 500 million smallholders in developing countries.
The solution relates to SDG 2, Zero Hunger, because it can help improve farm productivity and incomes, strengthen local food security in communities and ensure sustainable food production.
It impacts SDG 15, Life on Land, by reducing land degradation and decreasing dependency on chemical fertilisers.
The solution has the potential to help the 1.6 billion people who depend on forests for their livelihood, and 70 million indigenous people, in agroforestry and forest maintenance. This addresses SDG 15, to sustainably manage forests, and 13, Climate Action, by providing better monitoring for decision-making, for example on carbon sequestration and watershed management.
By providing a base for collaboration between diverse partners it contributes to SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals.
Shortliste
d
NEXT STEPS
1. Develop prototype for an online platform to leverage information and insights gathered through the technology, connecting users with potential allies and partners, bridging gaps with regards to adequate extension services/technical assistance, affordable inputs/training.
2. Continue working remotely to strengthen the business plan to deploy and scale up the solution, and to design-implementation plans for funding.
3. Pitch the solution to further pilot subjects, especially in the forestry space (already secured willing pilot subjects in agriculture).
4. Discuss with potential corporate and NGO partners for more feedback and exploring potential partnerships.
5. Coordinate a team meet up —probably in Central America — to fine tune the solution, business model, plans for funding, implementation strategy and carry out pilot initiatives with users in both categories (smallholder farmers – small and medium sized estate farmers).
GEOGRAPHY
The solution is first to be piloted with a concrete commitment from estate farmers and/or potential NGO partners who work with smallholders.
The location of this pilot will depend on partner availability, but most likely in Central America, where team members have strong existing relationships.
Core team members live in Australia, Nicaragua (with high mobility within Latin America), Thailand and the United States of America.
F O O D F O O D040 041
Casemo FoodsCoco-Peat ProcessingKilifi County on the coast of Kenya, one of the driest regions in the country is known for water scarcity and high rates of poverty. Coconut is the primary cash crop for Kilifi and 13 other districts in Coastal Kenya, which collectively produce an annual 20,000 MT of coconut husks, but only 25% of the value from these trees is captured. Casemo Foods aims to locally process waste from coconut husks and transform it into coco peat, a high-value, low-water growing medium for horticultural farmers. Coco peat is a soil-less growing medium produced from coconut waste. It holds 10 times more water than soil and is resistant to pests and diseases.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Help with fundraising or investment2. Access to legal and accounting resources3.Help with travel for team to meet up
CONTACT
[email protected]: Casemo FoodsYoutube: Casemo Foods
Shortliste
d
PROBLEM
20,000MT of coconut husk waste is produced annually, its either burnt emitting carbon into the atmosphere or frequently disposed in open dumps, slopes and landfills.
Another problem is poverty and lack of job opportunities. The rate of poverty in Kilifi County stands at approximately 57% .
A majority of the population are youth who are unemployed. Families cannot afford basic utilities hence there is no disposable income for development, resulting in a vicious cycle of poverty.
SOLUTION
Casemo Foods aims to process coconut husk waste into a growing substrate, coco peat, for use by horticultural farmers.
The coconut husks are crushed into a fine powder that is used a soil substitute. Cocopeat is highly desired by the large floral companies in the county who are already paying extra to have it imported from foreign countries.
The production process also produces a by-product, coir fiber which is purchased by doormat makers and mattress manufacturers globally.
INNOVATION
In horticulture, cocopeat is recommended as substitute for peat because it is free of bacterial and fungal spores, and is sustainably produced without the environmental damage caused by peat mining. Being a good absorbent, dry cocopeat can be used as an oil absorbent on slippery floors.
Cocopeat has high lignin and cellulose content which makes it ideal for growing mushrooms which thrive on cellulose.
Vermiculture: cocopeat makes a great bedding material for worm bins and increases worm growth by 25%.
The competitors are companies that currently import coco peat from India and Sri Lanka.
There is one local competitor in this space: Cocoponics. Amiran(K) Ltd is a supplier of a substitute product that is mined from lakes and bogs in other regions: peat moss. Coco peat importer and peat moss prices range from ksh60-80 per kg (wholesale price) and retailing at ksh100-160 per kg .
Cocoponics Prices: Ksh52 per kg
Projected sale point for Casemo Cocopeat: Ksh48 per kg
F O O D F O O D042 043
Shortliste
d
an experienced labor task force has been selected to help the company achieve its goals through quality control.
All that is missing is the first coconut processing machine then KEBS can issue the Standardized Mark of Quality on our products.
We have arranged sales meetings with eleven flower farms who are interested in testing and placing a purchase order to buy our peat.
GEOGRAPHY
This solution will be implemented in Kilifi County, Kenya. James Kapombe Kasemo serves as the CEO and the remaining members are currently serving as consultants and advisors.
IMPACT
This solution has the potential of making a positive impact on:
SDG 1: 500,000 smallholder coconut farmers in Coastal Kenya where poverty index is 57% (Kilifi). There are currently no local options to sell their coconut husks for extra profit and much goes to waste.
SDG 5 and 8: Local women in Kilifi county looking for sustainable jobs. Placing coconut husks in the crushing machine and spreading out the coco-peat to dry is a very manageable tasks and provides a new source of income for women looking to support their families. Casemo Foods will be an strong source for local jobs.
SDG 2, 6 and 12: The long term reach of the Casemo Foods Production Services in Coconut will be the over 4 million horticulture farmers in Kenya who are looking for a sustainable growing medium that can help reduce water usage by 90% and have faster crop development.
NEXT STEPS
Casemo Foods already has registered the organization as a business, owns a factory premise and five acres of land for operations, and there is a committed team ready to get started.
We have also received the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) standards on coco peat production furthermore
F O O D 045
Sankofa Urban Roots3 million rural people migrate to cities every week leading to increased pressure on employment. However, in developing countries’ mega cities, there is potential to use urban spaces to create job opportunities. Sankofa Urban Roots is transforming urban spaces into vibrant gardens employing low-income population. We design, install and maintain urban gardens for restaurants and hotels who want immediate access to high value produce while having a social impact.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice / feedback - implementation strategy 2. Help with travel for the team to meet up 3. Help with fundraising or investment
CONTACT
Shortliste
d
PROBLEM
Global population will reach 9 billion people in 2050. According to the UN, in 2050, 70% of the world’s population will be living in cities.
In the next 30 years, 3 million people will be migrating from rural areas into cities every week.
In Asia and Africa, rapidly growing small cities are expected to absorb almost all the future urban population growth of the world.
This increases pressure on employment when the ILO estimates that over half of youth in developing countries are unemployed, underemployed, or inactive. Plus, majority of jobs are in the informal sector with low-productivity businesses that are unable to provide subsistence level wages.
There is an untapped potential to use under-utilized urban spaces to create job opportunities for this population and encourage agri-business in the cities.
SOLUTION
Sankofa Urban Roots is a company operating in mega cities in the developing world and dedicated to converting unused urban space into vibrant green urban gardens (e.g. rooftops).
Our social enterprise has a twofold mission:
1. To provide agriculture jobs and training for low income population,
2. Allow businesses to produce their own specialty herbs, differentiate themselves from competitors, reduce carbon footprint linked to transportation and increase social impact through a triple bottom line approach.
Sankofa Urban Roots in partnerships with designer, agronomist and educational institutes, offers a complete concept-to-completion service including all aspects of design, advising on planning, structural and garden building requirements, horticultural advice including specifying and supplying plant and employing farms.
F O O D F O O D046 047
INNOVATION
Speciality culinary gardens have been successfully installed by various design companies in developed countries although not many companies have ventured into this area in developing countries.
Roof Top Republic urban farming is one of the most successful social venture established in Hong Kong promoting urban farming and sustainable living. They install the urban gardens to achieve their aims of bringing farming into the city.
We bring innovation to the set up by promoting the creation of job for rural migrants with agricultural skills and bringing a new food culture into the city.
We also build capacity by training these rural farmers in skills required for maintenance of modern urban farming spaces and provide them with new skills and employment oportunities. We inspire them to learn new methods and support them to become agripreneurs.
We grow Food and People. We are Sankofa.
IMPACT
Our company seeks to create new jobs in growing urban cities that promote a triplebottom line approach to economic growth.
We seek to provide marginalized communities with jobs that directly involve them with having a positive impact on their city. Urban farming is widely recognized as a sustainable solution for providing much-needed fresh produce in growing urban centers. This is where Sankofa Urban Roots comes into the picture.
We allow businesses and organizations to grow highquality and nutrient-dense produce on site, all while supporting our company‘s commitment to social and environmental impact. Companies would be reducing their carbon footprint by localizing production, but even more, this growing movement would promote local food culture.
Moreover, our company is dedicated to training agripreneurs and allowing people from the lowest sector of the economy to have the skills and experience necessary to live well within these ever-growing urban environments.
Shortlist
NEXT STEPS
Our team needs to identify local partners in Lagos, Nigeria, particularly within the agronomy and business sectors.
We need to identify potential clients (hotels/restaurants) and have a proof of concept ready to demonstrate the value we can add to their restaurant. This would require us to rent a small space in Lagos and set up a sample kit to grow some initial high-quality herbs and microgreens.
Furthermore, we need to do some consulting with local business specialists so we can fine-tune the details of our business model based on more accurate local data.
We need to find $60,000 to initialize our venture and be able to cover the costs for the 6 first months of operations.
Additionally, we would like to visit urban farms in both developed and developing countries to do some case studies and learn from how various urban farms operate (logistics, finance, technology, barriers, water constraints).
GEOGRAPHY
The target market is Nigeria.
Team members are located in India, Morocco, China, Cote d‘Ivorie and Ethiopia.
F O O D F O O D048 049
BetterBoxEvery year Nigerian smallholder farmers produce more than 2 million tonnes of tomatoes, worth 1.86 billion euros. However, not all of the produce can be sold; 875 million euros worth of tomatoes are lost between the farmgate and market. The product, BetterBox, is a durable, biomaterial based box that prevents damage in perishable crops by protecting them from the vibration and heat created during transportation. BetterBox can be loaded, transported and unloaded in the same way farmers have been doing for generations, easing adoption. The use of biomaterials minimizes the ecological footprint, and BetterBox can be produced at comparable prices to conventional plastic boxes. Our product is marketed and sold directly to farmers or farmer cooperatives
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Access to networking events2. Help with fundraising and investment3. Access to co-working space
CONTACT
Shortliste
d
PROBLEM
High post-harvest loss of vegetable crops is a major issue in many African countries.
Poorly maintained roads and poorly designed boxes make transportation a major source of food and income loss. Wooden boxes are current used by smallholder farmers to transport perishable crops from farm to the market.
In Nigeria, 2 million tonnes of tomatoes are produced annually, but up to 45% of production is lost due to damage incurred during transportation.
Two major causes of transportation-related losses are mechanical damage and excessive heat buildup.
90% of tomato production in Nigeria comes from smallholder farmers who are highly dependent on agriculture to feed themselves and their families. These farmers currently lack the time, expertise or resources to tackle this issue, and thus product losses during transportation persist.
SOLUTION
Our team designed a new packaging box aimed for high-quality transportation of fresh produce: BetterBox.
BetterBox is made out of innovative biomaterials that are affordable, durable and easy to handle. Designed based on insights from smallholder farmers in Nigeria, our box helps reduce mechanical damage to the tomatoes due to vibration and shocks on bad roads.
Additionally, by enabling the free circulation of air between the boxes, excessive heat buildup in the trucks in which the tomatoes are transported can be mitigated, preserving tomato quality.
These features enable BetterBox to reduce tomato loss during transportation, increasing income for smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
F O O D F O O D052 053
INNOVATION
BetterBox is made out of a new, innovative biomaterial, making it cheap, durable and easy to handle.
BetterBox is designed to address smallholder farmers’ needs by mitigating two major factors that contribute to losses during transportation: heat buildup and mechanical injury. The interlocking structure of BetterBox enables free circulation of air between boxes during transportation, dissipating excess heat and decreasing vibrations that causes mechanical injuries. These advantages are accompanied by an affordable price for the farmer, estimated at 5€ per box, which is comparable with the price of existing, basic plastic boxes with no additional functionality.
The competitors are box manufacturing companies that produce ordinary wood and plastic boxes for transporting fruits and vegetables. Currently offerings of basic plastic boxes do not offer features like BetterBox, with their functionality limited to improved stacking and uniformity. They also have generally lower durability when compared to traditional wooden boxes.
BetterBox is the first solution to simultaneously address the problems of heat buildup and mechanical stress during transportation. The introduction of novel materials which combine renewable feedstocks with mechanical properties comparable to traditional boxes enables eliminates barriers which prevented adoption of similar products in the past.
IMPACT
BetterBox will have direct impact on reducing post-harvest loss of perishable crops, potentially by up to 75%. This could increase the income of small-holder farmers by thousands of dollars a year, with minimal changes to existing infrastructure or farming practices. This additional income can enable farmers to make long-overdue investments in other parts of their operations, securing their futures and the futures of their families.
BetterBox also improves resource efficiency, by ensuring the productive factors (arable land, inputs, labor) required for the cultivation of tomatoes actually yield useful results.
This solution contributes to a number of SDGs, including no poverty; zero hunger; industry, innovation, and infrastructure. These impacts can be measured through changes in the proportion of the population living below poverty levels and rate of increase in household income in areas where smallholder vegetable farming is prevalent.
Decreases in food security and improvement in dietary quality due to wider availability of nutritious vegetable products is another potential indicator of the impact of BetterBox.
Shortliste
d
NEXT STEPS
We want to further develop BetterBox and try to raise funds for the design of the initial prototype that will enable us to test the product.
We want to further assess the market and the optimal implementation for the box. We can do this by applying to different programs and organizations dealing with SDGs and agricultural development in developing countries.
GEOGRAPHY
The initial target market is Nigeria.
The team comes from Israel, the Netherlands, Finland and Canada.
F O O D F O O D054 055
Keep Cool Inc.Keep Cool Inc. is the provider of affordable convenient cooling service for smallholder vegetable farmers in Sub-Saharan African countries. The mission of the company is to reduce food loss between harvest and market. The reduction of food loss during storage and transportation will increase the farmer‘s income, and the young entrepreneurship developed in the system will encourage young people to engage in agricultural business in an innovative way. Over a hundred million of farmers could benefit from this system.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice / feedback – business plan2. Advice / feedback – implementation strategy3. Help with fundraising or investment
CONTACT
Shortliste
d
PROBLEM
Smallholder farmers produce over 75% of the world’s food and feed about 3 billion people. Any losses incurred by small scale farmers directly impacts the food market and industry in turn affecting a large number of consumers.
According to Global Food Losses and Food Waste by FAO (2011), post-harvest losses typically occur soon after harvest. Inadequate storage cause moisture buildup thus attracting pests and reducing the amount of edible crop available for consumption.
In Sub Saharan Africa, 54 million tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables are lost per annum, which account for 49% of the harvest.
Most solutions that are put forward to address the post-harvest losses are focused on large scale farmers as it is more economical to produce for these farmers.
Providing small scale farmers with a simple and affordable cooling system for fresh farm produce will significantly reduce the amount of food that is lost on the farm.
After receiving the information (time, location, variety, and quantity ), the center will forward the necessary information to the nearest „Keep Cool Young Entrepreneurs“ (KYE). The KYE will then go to those villages and deliver the vegetables to the market.
The farmer will go to the market by their usual transportation or go with the KYE with additional fees.
The KYE lease/buy the refrigerated „veggie tricycle“ from our company. He will earn the money back by working in the system (transport produce and farmers, other refrigerated services for the farmer, etc) and using the vehicle for other services (i.e. providing refrigerated service in local market or restaurants).
SOLUTION
Each farmer receives a pot-in-pot cooling device from the refrigerated „veggie tricycle“. During harvest, the farmer packs fresh vegetables in the pot-in-pot. When he harvests enough produce for sale, he or a village as a whole would send an SMS to our ICT group.
INNOVATION
The solution‘s integrated cooling storage with cooling delivery, and incorporated young entrepreneurs.
The competitors are stationary cooling system.
IMPACT
This solution has the potential of making a positive impact on millions of smallholder vegetable farmers in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.
The following SDGs are targeted:
F O O D F O O D056 057
NEXT STEPS
Carrying out surveys to our potential customers.
Improving our business model and pot-in-pot system based on the survey.
Then fundraising becomes the biggest next step.
After that, we could implement the solution in selected test areas.
GEOGRAPHY
Keep Cool will first launch in Kenya, Benin and Nigeria.
The team is located in Nigeria, Kenya, Indonesia, the United States of America and Benin.
1. No povertyIndicators: Income generated and paid to young entrepreneurs; previously unemployed person get jobs; Current income status of smallholder farmers improved, as a result of reduced losses.
2. Zero hunger (food security)Indicators: Reduction of food losses during storage and transportation;
8. Good jobs and Economic GrowthIndicators: Number of youth/persons trained on the job and employed; Potential new business created from this system.
Shortliste
d
F O O D058
LOOPRewiring Food WasteSaving just one-fourth of the food currently lost or wasted globally could provide enough to feed 870 million hungry people in the world. LOOP shifts consumers “end user” behavior related to food waste by providing a platform that enables and empowers individual consumers and restaurants to repurpose their uneaten food for a benefitial use, creating more sustainable consumption patterns and lowering non-efficient carbon emissions.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice/feedback – business plan2. Access to incubators 3. Access to legal and accounting resources
CONTACT
[email protected]@tufts.edu
Shortliste
d
PROBLEM
Saving just 25% of the food currently lost or wasted globally could provide enough to feed 870 million (M) hungry people in the world.
In Western economies, more than two-thirds of food loss comes from households and foodservice, amounting to more than 145 M tonnes. Each time food goes uneaten, the resources and their environmental impacts are wasted too. In North America, the per capita food wastage footprint is twice that of the developing world.
Imagine if this waste didn’t exist. That we could actually make use of what we make and potentially start to produce less as we get smarter? What if we could use what we waste to help others?
This project aims to shift consumers “end user” behavior related to food waste by providing a platform that enables and empowers individual consumers and restaurants to repurpose their uneaten food, creating more sustainable consumption patterns and lowering non-efficient carbon emissions.
SOLUTION
LOOP is a social service platform that enables households and restaurants to repurpose food that would have been refuse, and by doing so can help people in need, improve the environment, and earn money.
LOOP’s platform allows for ordered pick-up of unused food, which is then assessed and categorized into: people, animals (non-food), or “unfit for consumption” (fertilizer). This is then re-distributed by purpose and sold at discounts or market prices (people/animals), or marketed as organic food-waste-fertilizer.
Profits are partly payed back to households who can select cash withdrawal or charity donation.
Restaurants will save money on refuse bills and get our sticker for marketing.
The platform offers user statistics such people fed, money earned, waste points vs neighborhood, region or country (gamification, ongoing engagement).
Further, it will become the leading knowledge sharing platform for limiting food waste e.g. tips for cooking smarter or changing shopping behavior.
F O O D F O O D060 061
INNOVATION
LOOP combines social interaction, monetary incentives, and an ultra convenient pick-up and distribution system. Hence, our solution uniquely emphasizes behavior change and ensures that the resources & emissions from food production & distribution are not squandered. No other company exists that targets these multiple factors.
By partnering with existing distribution and manufacturing businesses, we can minimize capital investment and leverage the core competencies of professionals while focusing on engagement, enlistment and the social platform.
Increasing eco-anxiety and awareness of food waste along with shifts in regulatory structures as seen recently in California and France, make right now the ideal moment for a product that allows individual contributions to solutions for these issues as well as contributing to solving the SDGs.
IMPACT
We are promoting responsible production and consumption patterns by shifting consumer behavior and ensuring that former waste has a beneficial use.
LOOP will be crucial to achieving the UN’s target goal of halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030. Our primary indicator of success will be the global food loss index.
In addition to increasing sustainable consumption patterns, LOOP will help end hunger – supporting the UN’s target of ending hunger and ensuring access by all people to food.
Currently in the U.S. where we are launching, 1 in 7 Americans are in need of food.
Shortliste
d
NEXT STEPS
1. Contact potential logistic partners to learn more about cost structures
2. Contact and establish partnerships with city of San Francisco, California and relevant government agencies
3. Design and conceptualize LOOP platform and app.
4. Legal due diligence on European economies to check feasility of household-to-household. It should currently be possible in Italy and the UK, however Denmark and Germany etc. requires deeper investigation.
5. Final business case and feasibility analysis
6. Investigate opportunities for crowdsourcing in seed capital stage and start contact with potential seed investors
GEOGRAPHY
LOOP will launch in San Francisco CA, with on the ground support from one local team member.
Other team members will engage remotely from Denmark, Brazil, Cameroon/Kenya, Nigeria and Israel.
F O O D F O O D062 063
Sampurna FarmsAgriculture motivated by healthSampurna Farms is farm to table, scaled for social impact. It works to customize the foods grown on farms to match the most critical nutrition needs of a community, and offers a marketplace for the two to come together.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Help with fundraising or investment 2. Advice / feedback - business plan 3. Advice / feedback - implementation strategy
CONTACT
PROBLEM
Over 50% of women in India suffer from at least one form of malnutrition, which means when these women give birth, their children are also malnourished and robbed the opportunity to ever reach their full potential. This vicious cycle negatively impacts health and productivity, thus perpetuating poverty.
One critical cause of malnutrition is lack of access to quality, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, which is the situation for millions of women around Mumbai.
Simultaneously the local farms that have the potential to produce these nutrient-rich foods cannot afford to take the risk and lack the support required to diversify their production.
What if these farmers were instead encouraged to prioritize the nutrition of India‘s most vulnerable population?
Health care providers will be able to write „prescriptions“ for their at-risk patients, directing them to the convenient farmacy offering high quality fruits and vegetables, dense in needed vitamins and minerals.
SOLUTION
By developing the model for farmers to transition their farms to „farmacies“, we offer them the opportunity to participate in the end of malnutrition in India.
Sampurna Farms will provide farmers with the training, tools and secure market required for success. In cutting the supply chain down, we are able to offer farmers a higher price for their produce and ensure it gets to those who need it most.
INNOVATION
The uniqueness lies in the connection of two previously separated sectors - health care and agriculture. By linking them, we take the problem of one and make it the solution of the other.
Competitors include other farmers markets and produce buyers.
While others have recognized the value in „prescribing fruits and vegetables“ as a way to improve diets, it has only been done in more developed countries thus far - as the separate silos are much more complicated to break down in the developing economies.
IMPACT
First and foremost, we are reducing malnutrition for Mumbai‘s current and future generations, thus stopping the cycle and offering exponential impact.
We are also generating better jobs for Indian farmers, whose diversified farms inherentily minimize the environmental harm and provide an improved livelihood.
While this stretches across several SDGs and their indicators, the
F O O D F O O D066 067
NEXT STEPS
We plan to continue working on this initiative.
One team member will finish her Master‘s Degree at Tufts University and work on the implementation strategy from the health care provider‘s perspective.
Another team member will be back in Mumbai, continuing her work as Director of THRIVE garden design studio, and making partnerships for this project.
GEOGRAPHY
The target market is India.
Half of the team is located in the USA (Boston) and half in India (Mumbai).
ones that can most clearly be used to measure success include 2.1.1, prevalence of undernourishment, 2.3.2, average income of small-scale food producers, 2.4.1, proportion of agriculture area under productive and sustainable agriculture, 3.2.2, neonatal mortality rate.
F O O D068
Traffic JamsBreakfast on the goTraffic Jams (TJ) delivers healthy, tasty, ready-to-eat breakfast to young professionals on-the go in fast-growing cities of developing countries. We get them food directly to their cars while stuck in traffic. Users order on our mobile app and learn nutritional info. Less than 20 mins later, a deliverer on motorbike is at their car window.
TJ designs menu with local chefs and nutritionists, creates B2B market for restaurants to make breakfast in down time, and builds network of deliverers.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice/feedback – technical advice 2. Help with travel for your team to meet up3. Access to corporate partners
CONTACT
[email protected]: Traffic Jams by Urban Food Guerillas
PROBLEM
Millions of working professionals in mega-cities of developing economies, such as Beijing, Lagos and Mexico City, are adopting eating habits that lead to diet-related diseases.
Part of the problem is the time constraint: terrible traffic jam and endless over-time are making the busy work life even more stressful, without time to buy and eat. Another part of the problem is the shortage of healthy food options and the domination of fast food chains, salty snacks and sugar drinks.
In Lagos, 40% bankers are overweight and can spend up to 3 hours on one-way traffic every morning. In other mega-cities, McDonald’s is currently the largest breakfast provider for locals.
To fight the growing diabetes and obesity, food system must be disrupted by offering more healthy food options and more in-time delivery solutions.
Existing food delivery pays little attention to breakfast, healthiness, or traffic time. We need a new system to meet the healthy breakfast demand of working professional on the go.
SOLUTION
Disrupting urban food systems and stimulating local food movements in mega cities requires innovative platforms to create new markets for food entrepreneurs and to make better choices accessible, appealing and convenient for consumers.
Traffic Jams is a platform to deliver healthy, tasty, ready-to-eat breakfast to working professionals stuck in traffic in bustling cities. Customers choose from the menu (mobile app), learn nutritional benefits, indicate approximate delivery location (pre-identified traffic hotspots), and check out (mobile payment). 20 minutes later breakfast is delivered to their car window using a GPRS system and license plate number. The menu is designed by chefs, farmers and nutritionists.
Breakfasts are prepared by strategically located restaurants during downtime (B2B suppliers). Delivery personnel have their own motorbikes and make a day’s wage (2 hours, 20 meals per morning).
The TJ platform guarantees quality and safety, efficient logistics and timeliness.
F O O D F O O D070 071
INNOVATION
Getting Hungry? Stuck in Traffic?
Traffic Jam disrupts the food delivery market by bringing healthy breakfast box to people on the go.
Traditional models deliver take-away to the offices and homes of stationary users, mainly during lunch and dinner. Competitors (UberEAT, Deliveroo, Jumia) offer O2O platform, organize delivery fleets and charge commission fees from restaurant. However, TJ seeks untapped market opportunities with fourfold innovation.
First, TJ delivers to the doors of cars and on-the-go users who are stuck in traffic and have limited food access.
Second, TJ captures a higher margin by taking partner restaurants as suppliers and opening their B2B market during non-peak hours.
Third, TJ collaborates with chefs, farmers, nutritionists to stimulate and satisfy demand for fresh, healthy, local food.
Lastly, logistics target traffic hotspots for lower cost and last mile bridging.
Standard food quality, precise tracking and fast delivery for moving users are main challenges.
IMPACT
Our solution, Traffic Jams has the potential to meet breakfast nutritional needs of over 2 million young working professionals in Lagos. This initiative addresses SDG 2, 3 and 8.
With indicators 2.1.2, 3.4.1 & 8.5.2, Traffic Jams aims to create a conscious shift to healthy dietary patterns starting with breakfast, the most important meal of the day.
Our app is created by an experienced user designer to develop nutritional awareness of each dish (particularly in nutrient balance – identified to be necessary in Lagos by our nutrition expert via a visual pie chart.
Delivery personnel who use their own motorbikes would be hired and they can make a day’s minimum wage in 2 hours. This will provide decent work and inclusive economic growth for food entrepreneurs and delivery drivers who are treated fairly.
Ultimately, our solution aims to anchor a food movement that will empower food entrepreneurs and farmers to change the food system to the benefit of consumers’ health.
NEXT STEPS
1. Continue working remotely to strengthen the business plan, deploy and scale the solution, and to design-implement funding plans.
2. Seek technical advice and feedback especially on the technological and logistical components, also potential corporate partners.
3. Coordinate a team meet up to fine tune the idea and plans, to set up a pilot in Lagos testing consumers’ attitudes towards breakfast delivery, healthy food and prices, also other key users’ attitudes towards the proposed platform, as well as viability of circumventing traffic to reach customers safely and on time.
4. Carry out surveys before and after the pilot targeting potential customers and other key users.
5. Create-validate ideas to adapt the solution to other markets (Bangkok, Mexico City, Nairobi, Rio), like answering how to leverage the existing informal commerce at traffic lights in Mexico City, and opportunities like delivering healthy pre-prepped meals to customers in evening traffic during their return commute.
GEOGRAPHY
Traffic Jams will be piloted in Lagos, Nigeria, Cities that are candidates for replication include Bangkok, Mexico City, Nairobi and Rio de Janeiro.
The solution is backed by a global team with deep understanding of emerging markets. Team geography includes Africa, Asia and Latin America; all offer attractive markets.
There are team members who are based in the UK/US/EU or have strong ties there.
The team is culturally, geographically and linguistically adaptable and mobile.
F O O D F O O D072 073
Just FoodJust Food is a sustainable development solution that can influence millennials to reduce their meat consumption by reshaping how grocery shopping is done. It is a business model that combines a tasting experience store, meal boxes and an online grocery hub-based delivery service. Furthermore, millennials are empowered through a crowdsourcing platform to influence for green product selection.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Access to corporate partners2. Advice/feedback – business plan3. Help with travel for the team to meet up
CONTACT
PROBLEM
Heavy meat consumption in developed countries causes a high carbon print and is one of the big contributors to climate change.
In addition, meat consumption contributes to health problems. It is therefore essential to cut down meat consumption in order to reach the SDGs affected by climate change.
Yet, the demand for meat is too high. Research shows that even though millennials are somewhat informed, there are still barriers to take action in form of lack of convenience and skills.
value chain for greener products.
Just Food can be a niche ”sub brand” to an existing super market chain, however, it should be branded to attract millenials to push forward ”the green wave”. Brand identity is therefore key for the concept to stand out.
SOLUTION
Just Food addresses the barriers of reduced meat-consumption through a redesigned grocery shopping experience:
Imagine that you go to a food store not to search, find, buy and carry home your groceries, but instead just to taste new flexitarian dishes and get inspired. If you like what you try, you can easily order a meal box to take with you or to be delivered at a hub near you. You can also purchase it later online where the full range of green and sustainable groceries make it easy to shop green.
If Just Food does not have a specific ”green” product it can be requested at the online web store and other consumers can then publicly vote for the product to be put in sale. This empowers consumers to pressure the
INNOVATION
Just Food is a new retail service experience where millennials are provided the convenience and tools to take action for a sustainable diet.
Crowdsourcing allows the millennials to set the agenda of how to sell convenience goods and therefore allows them to influence for more sustainable consumption.
Just Food innovates the retail service experience as we know it, by involving and empowering the green millennials to put downwards pressure on the value chain.
Second of all, the concept is innovative as it breaks with the traditional way of doing grocery shopping as you with Just Food go to a store for inspiration and you avoid all other hassle normally related with grocery shopping.
Lastly, the concept does not currently exist and would also in terms of unique branding redefine how grocery shopping is done.
F O O D F O O D074 075
NEXT STEPS
The plan is to research if any grocery chains could find interest in the concept.
The team would then perform market research and fine tune the concept, before running a test pilot with a grocery chain partner in Copenhagen.
GEOGRAPHY
Ideally, the test of the concept would take place in Copenhagen, Denmark.
One team member is based in Copenhagen, while another is based close by in Malmö. Other team members are based in the United States of America, Turkey and Finland.
IMPACT
As the solution addresses the barriers of reduced meat consumption it can help reduce meat consumption related to SDG 7 (climate change) and as a side effect it can also improve the diet and thereby health of consumers (SDG 3).
Furthermore, the solution can empower consumers to have greater impact on what products are made available for them to purchase. This can help push the green wave and it can also help supermarkets in aligning supply to the demand of the consumer, possibly improving SDG 12 (Responsible Production and Consumption), as it could potentially help hinder waste of resources.
The SDG indicators for measuring the impact are:
• Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP (12.2.1).
• Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP (12.2.2).
• Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease (3.4.1).
F O O D 077
FEED.MEWe are introducing FEED.ME, an application that connects home cooks with people looking for a convenient, delicious, and nutritionally balanced meal at an affordable price. FEED.ME is a social enterprise that fights the double burden of malnutrition (under and over nutrition) in Sao Paulo while providing economic alternatives and tools to home cooks.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Help with fundraising or investment 2. Advice / feedback - implementation strategy 3. Access to incubators
CONTACT
PROBLEM
The coexistence of undernutrition along with overweight and obesity, known as the double burden of malnutrition is a social problem growing at an accelerated pace in emerging economies due to lifestyles changes resulting in unhealthy eating habits.
Low and middle income households in urban settings are increasingly affected by this problem due to access (availability of healthy alternatives at an affordable price), education, time (longer hours spent at work & in the transportation).
The double burden can affect physical health, burden health systems with high cost & cripple a country growth due to productivity loss. In Brazil, more than half of the adult population & ⅓ of the children under 17 were overweight. Likewise, women of childrearing age and children under five are affected by iron and zinc deficiencies.
Brazil is the fourth biggest market for healthy foods in the world, yet high cost prevents middle class households from having access to convenient, delicious, and nutritionally balance
FEED.ME fights the double burden of malnutrition (under and over nutrition) in cities in urban settings while providing economic alternatives and tools to home cooks.
The app connects home-cooks with customers and tools including:
1. Access to tasty and affordable recipes created and back by renowned chefs, nutritionist, and food scientist.
2. A network of partner retailers carrying the necessary ingredients at lower price.
3. A network of partner food delivery companies that offer save packaging solutions.
4. Online courses on food handling and safety to meet Brazilian standards.
Customers can order from a home cook near them and the meal will be delivered to them through one of our partner delivery companies.
Customers can access reviews and nutritional information on the meals.
SOLUTION
FEED.ME is an application connecting home cooks with people looking for a convenient, delicious, and nutritionally balanced meal at an affordable price in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
INNOVATION
While there are other apps connecting home-cooks with customers, FEED.ME offers a unique set of benefits unavailable to our competitors.
These include: 1. A toolbox of healthy recipes that
are carefully created by a team of culinary experts, celebrity chefs, and nutritionists, so that the meals that the users get are indeed nutritionally balanced and tasty
F O O D F O O D078 079
2. The prestigue 3. The customer‘s nutritional
information of the meal in an understandable way;
4. It leverages the celebrity status of our partner chefs to increase adoption;
5. The recipe toolbox uses seasonal ingredients that are wholesome and are not damaging the environment;
6. We connect home cooks with a set of partners both food retailers and delivery.
Competitors prices are relatively high for the average middle class person and do not consider the nutritional design of the meal.
Alternatives such as LocalChef do not provide nutritionally balanced recipes and others like Livup provide healthy meals yet they are frozen.
• occupation, age and persons with disabilities;
• 8.5.2 Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
NEXT STEPS
Develop a minimum viable product and test it in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
GEOGRAPHY
The target market is Brazil.
Two members will continue to live in Europe (one in Copenhagen, Denmark and one in Milan, Italy). Two members will be in Latin America (one in Panama city, Panama and one in Sao Paulo, Brazil). A team member will return to Massachusetts, US and another one will finish her studies in New Delhi, India.
IMPACT
SDG 2: Zero HungerIndicators:
• 2.1.1 Prevalence of undernourishment;
• 2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)
SDG 8: Promote sustainable and inclusive growthIndicators:
• 8.3.1 Proportion of informal employment in non-agriculture employment, by sex;
• 8.5.1 Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by
F O O D080
WasteFoodFightersWe are presenting a solution to the problem of food waste in restaurants, focusing on the waste of raw food material, food not yet processed that restaurants discard due to poor forecasting of customers demand. We are seeking to establish a business to business (B2B) platform connecting restaurants that have an excess of raw ingredients, so that they can trade non-utilized items among each other and make a profit out of food that is potentially going to be wasted. A daily delivery run will be organized, so that restaurants that are in need of ingredients or want to get creative alternatives for coming days’ menu will get them at their doorstep. As a second layer of intervention, ingredients that are not absorbed as part of this exchange will be channeled to charities and food banks. A certification will be awarded to the restaurants that subscribe to the platform and join the initiative, and customers who are concerned about food waste and sustainability will have a chance to support this idea every time that they sit and enjoy a meal at one of their favourite eateries.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice/feedback on business plan2. Access to corporate partners3. Help with fundraising or investment
CONTACT
PROBLEM
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that approximately 30% of the food produced at the global level is lost each year before it reaches its final consumer.
While this figure refers to food production and supply processes in their entirety (“from farm to fork”), it is a known fact that food falls off the chain at each step of the way. This includes food loss, which occurs earlier in the chain and refers to food being lost or discarded in the post-harvest and processing phase, and food waste as such – which occurs at the retail and consumer level and is evolving into growing challenge, especially in developed countries.
At the same time that this impressive volume of wastage occurs, an equally impressive number of people do not have access to sufficient food to meet their dietary requirements.
According to FAO, about 795 million people out of a total 7.3 billion people in the world, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2014-2016. This accounts for one in nine people at the global level, and one in eight people in developing countries.
As responsibilities can be found all across the chain, all the stakeholders involved have a responsibility in assuring that more sustainable production and consumption patterns are followed.
SOLUTION
Our solution is to create a B2B platform connecting restaurants and enabling them to trade excess food at a reduced price. Quality and provenience of food traded on the platform will be certified by the supplier as it was when it was originally purchased.
Restaurants exchanging food will be confident that what they are getting will have the same standard as what they would have bought themselves using a certified supplier that they trust.
Before being accepted in the network, each restaurant will be checked according to safety and hygenical standards in preserving food. Food that is not absorbed within a fixed lead time by the transactions occurring on the platform will in any case be channeled to charities, using a similar approach to the one already being adopted by other start-ups and organizations.
The primary aim, will be to prevent excess food in the first place and eventually influence restaurants’ behaviour so that they can become more careful in their estimates.
Logistics and transportation will be taken care of through the platform, covering the costs with the fee applied on all transactions happening on the platform and with the subscription fee asked to charities. We could partner with a delivery service already running in the city or a possible transportation service on a volunteer basis.
F O O D F O O D082 083
INNOVATION
The unique and innovative aspect of our solution is its B2B dimension that will enable restaurants to mitigate financial losses, and the fact that its ambition in the medium to long term is to eventually influence the behaviour promoting sustainable patterns.
Our idea offers a different angle from which to tackle the issue of food waste, by focusing on the restaurants’ need to maintain an economic profit and moving on from this dimension towards the objective of achieving sustainable patterns of production and consumption.
Also, the solution differentiates itself from other similar initiatives working on waste that happens when food is already processed. We try to act “before waste becomes waste”.
Competitors would be start-ups that work in the redistribution of leftover food to customers (e.g. Too Good To Go, FoodCloud, We Food), as well as the several charity organizations, food banks and NGO that redistribute surplus restaurant food to low-income and indigent people.
IMPACT
The proposed solution will impact SDG 12 on Sustainable Production and Consumption, namely sub-goal 12.3 “By 2030, halve per capita food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses”. This sub-goal, however, is linked to an indicator that is considered imperfect, as it only covers the food loss dimension and does not cover waste – despite this dimension being clearly included in the subgoal.
The relevant indicator is in fact 12.3.1 “Global food loss index”. As discussion is underway to possibly fine-tune the indicator and add a dimension related to food waste, FAO has been designated as the “custodian” of the indicator for the time being.
The proposed solution will be fully linked to and have an impact on the “Save Food” initiative of FAO – which covers food waste at the retail and consumer stage, thus including both restaurants and final consumers, happening in both developed and developing countries.
The contribution of this solution to SDG12 will be measured by the volume of transactions happening on the platform, as well as on data on the volume of food that is eventually channeled to charitable organizations.
NEXT STEPS
The plan is to proceed with the implementation phase by conducting a market research among restaurant owners and managers, and by gathering larger feedback and information about the average weekly cost of raw materials supply and an approximate cost of raw materials wasted.
As a follow up to this phase, we will distribute to a sample of restaurants located in the same city district a flyer that describes the service provided by the platform, asking them to subscribe and organizing a trial of the service as a minimum viable product.
GEOGRAPHY
Two out of three team members are based in Italy, in the urban area of Rome and Milan area, respectively. The third team member is currently based in New Delhi.
F O O D F O O D084 085
FoodLyncFoodLync is a digital platform that provides a marketplace for suppliers to reclaim value for food that they would have otherwise thrown away. Suppliers input data into the platform on their excess food available. This information is given a secondary market for purchase. These end users include groups interested in new sources. We also get data on waste and combine it on a database. With this information we can give insights on food waste to a number of data consumers to empower data driven decision.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Access to corporate partners2. Help with fundraising or investment3. Advice / feedback - technical advice
CONTACT
PROBLEM
We are adressing the challenges with food waste in form of the lack of redistribution of excessed food from suppliers to B2B customers.
Everyday tons of food gets thrown away in the world. 62 million tons of food is thrown away alone in the US. New York city has a network of supermarkets amounting 8000 locations in the metropolitan area, despite large players have very delicate tools to forecast demand, in average each location disposes ¾ of a million dollar worth of food each year.
This food excess ends up in waste with a high environmental carbon print and additional cost related to properly disposing waste. At the same time the city has areas, that is in need for food.
Even though there is infrastructure and potential channels for transportation and redistribution of excessed food, there is no current information system in place, which matches the need for real time data.
SOLUTION
FoodLync wants to minimise as much waste as possible, so the excessed food that will not be sold by grocery stores, food service groups and restaurants will be sold to B2B customers and if they do not consume it, it will in the end become pet feed, fuel or compost.
FoodLync is a technology platform, that connects large suppliers of food e.g. supermarket chains to businesses with food deficit.
This platform also allows for a secondary market of food items which otherwise would be prone to waste. The suppliers will be able to maximize their profit by letting FoodLync facilitate the sale to the customers.
The platform possess vast versatility has rich value in the long term by offering very detailed big-data on food excess that will help companies, government and NGO with data driven decisions and create extremely detailed forecasts.
Our goal is to expand to other similar metropolitan areas around the world.
F O O D F O O D088 089
INNOVATION
Our competitors include organizations such as Food Cloud, which connects excess food with charity organizations. They operate refrigerated trucks to transport the food between locations.
A similar model of another competitor, Copia, hires food delivery workers to transport the food.
Our model however does not physically transport food. Our platform facilitates the transactions and transportation without the expenses of logistical equipment.
Another feature of our model that sets us apart from our competitors is our focus on data aggregation and our ability to share this data with government bodies and suppliers in the form of insights and benchmarking reports.
IMPACT
Food waste in industrialized countries accounts for the majority of the carbon and water footprint; large urban areas in developed countries are of particular importance to our enterprise since food waste is geographically concentrated in cities.
Moreover, the constant food supply of cities determines the usage of agricultural land and its inputs. In the short term our solution will help redistribute already existing food surplus, from high concertation areas to food insecure locations aiming at the SDG of zero hunger, particularly improving good health of susceptible populations (Indicator 2.1.2).
Moreover, our initiative will help provide safe and nutritious food in order to prevent double burden of disease. In long term, big-data collected through our platform will help forecast utilization and potential food waste in an extremely precise manner as well as create data driven policies at every level, aiming the SDG of responsible production and consumption (Indicator 12.1-3).
NEXT STEPS
Our team is very dedicated to the idea and we plan to move it forward.
We are aware that our business plan might face technical and legal limitations, few assumptions need to be corroborated on the field before launch.
Our immediate plan of action includes crowdsourcing to bulletproof platform development, compatibility through API, feasibility of using digital inventory records to create automated orders.
From the legislative side, we need to assess in detail which cities offer the best legal environment and policies to prevent food waste through redistribution and repurposing (alternate location Chicago and Toronor).
Similarly, we need to assess what economic incentives are offered by local governments for our enterprise.
We need to assess feasibility of using a joint venture business model to improve redistribution.
Finally, we need to discuss our strategy to engage large food suppliers and disclosure agreements with data.
GEOGRAPHY
The target market is the United States of America.
The team is based in Denmark, Canada, the United States of America and Panama.
F O O D F O O D090 091
Social Food Inc.Feeding Healthy DreamsMalnutrition persist among children in developing countries, while a big share of agricultural production rots in the fields due to seasonality. Social Foods Inc. will be created to provide women associations in developing countries with the technology and the practical knowledge to preserve the food that would otherwise be lost. This technology, initially based on simple solar drying, can be adapted and scaled to local context and product. Mothers will be able to preserve the surplus production from their fields, and use it to feed their families during the lean season. On the other hand, Social Foods will link this product to markets, purchasing from those mother associations, once adequate qualitiy control measures have been put in place. Dried fruits/vegetables are a key ingredient in the healthy snacks business, a market worth 25 billion dollars at present, and estimated to grow over 5.1% annually for the next decade. Social Foods already has a client: United Nations World Food Programme, who is interested in purchasing the product to supply their School Meals Programme: One of the largest social safety networks in the world feeding over 20 million children.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice / feedback – business plan2. Help with fundraising or investment3. Advice / feedback – implementation strategy
CONTACT
PROBLEM
Malnutrition persists among children in developing countries. Globally, 200 million children are undernourished.
This poor nutrition causes 45% of deaths among children under five years, meaning 3.1 million per year worlwide. At the same time, and in the same place, one third of vegetables and fruits produced every year in developing countries ends up rotting in the fields due to seasonality.
Limited access to foods preservation technology and knowledge at food producing areas in developing countries makes impossible to utilize those products later in time.
Financial capacity of smallholder farmers is too fragile to endeveaour into food preservation schemes/techology.
Moreover, under development is generally linked to gender inequality, as women are not given opportunities to study or to receive income.
Mothers will be able to preserve the food from their fields that would otherwise be lost, and use it to feed their families during the lean season.
On the other hand, Social Foods will link this product to markets, purchasing from the mother associations, once adequate qualtiy control measures have been put in place. Dried fruits/vegetables are a key ingredient in the healthy snacks business, a market worth 25 billion dolars at present, and estimated to grow over 5.1% annualy for the next decade.
Social Foods already has a client: United Nations World Food Programme, who is interested in purchasing the product to supply their School Meals Programme: One of the largest social safety networks in the world feeding over 20 million children in 60+ countries.
As an addition to the nutritional improvement impact this solution will provide, women will be empowered through this income generation.
SOLUTION
To create a social enterprise, that will provide women associations in developing countries with the technology and the practical knowledge to preserve the food that would otherwise be lost in their family/community fields.
The technology, initially based on simple solar drying, can be adapted and scaled to local context and product.
INNOVATION
New practical and inclusive approach of combining capacity building and easy access to the technology of food transformation for women, improving local food security and generating income opportunities.
Thanks to the low cost of the raw product – food that would rot in the fields otherwise - and a sustainable food chain, very attractive to the sensitized consumer, it will be feasible
F O O D F O O D092 093
to find a gap in the market.
There have been similar approaches that failed, because the business model was not properly designed, the knowledge transfer was not effective due to the lack of practical training and, more importantly, the technology used was too disruptive for the environment. Social Foods offers a business model tailored to this market.
Quoting Charlotte Sorensen, Manager of Affordable Foods division at Arla Foods „I had seen similar approaches, however the technology was always too complex for the user to learn effectively how to use it/maintain it. Solar drying is easily maintained and operated, and the business model seems in the right direction“.
Moreover, as a success factor Social Foods counts with an initial client, UN World Food Programme, who would be able to purchase product while commercial markets - and the necessary quality controls/procedures – are developed.
countries and the first client, United Nations World Food Programme, is present in all of them.
Apart from the nutritional improvement, one of the positive externalities of the project will be women empowerment (SDG 5), through income generation (SDG 10), financial resources, and practical knowledge transmission. It will also have a positive effect in the reduction of food waste (SDG 12, KPI 12.3.1 Global food loss index)
NEXT STEPS
Continue researching on the different project components, define business plan, identify ideal locations among the three countries targeted for initial roll-out, and seek for investors and potential clients.
GEOGRAPHY
Target markets include Benin, Burundi and Ecuador.
IMPACT
Reducing malnutrition rate amongst children in the most vulnerable areas on developing countries (SDG 2, KPI 2.1.1 Prevalence of undernourishment).
Due to adaptability and scalability, there are no major constraints to extend the concept to any developing country. Initial focus in Benin, Burundi and Ecuador, as the Social Foods Inc team counts on members, knowledge, contacts and experience in those
F O O D094
UnwasteUnwaste is an app that generates a standardized sustainability score based on users’ existing lifestyle apps and their own unique data inputs. The score, along with rewards from corporate and city partners (such as discounts and rebates), incentivizes the user to take specific action to achieve the SDGs, increase their score, and continue using the app. Revenue streams will come from the sale of user data and corporations looking to use the software to motivate their employees to achieve the SDGs.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Help with fundraising or investment2. Access to corporate partners3. Access to government partners
CONTACT
PROBLEM
How can we help consumers work toward achieving the SDGs using data and technology to influence individual behavioural patterns by making them more aware of how those patterns affect environmental externalities and personal costs, using food waste as an example?
The concept for Unwaste was developed from the insight that 53% of food waste in high income countries happens at the consumer level. It was determined that the main challenge with solving this problem is the tracking of the waste, as it requires the individual to record data on their waste. An incentive is required to convince people to follow & record their waste habits.
Currently, there is no way to track sustainability at the individual level. In Denmark only 13% know about the SDGs and that’s one of the highest awareness levels of any country.
In order to move toward achieving the SDGs, they must become more accessible. The score, with a rewards system, and a gamification system will create a movement around achieving the SDGs.
SOLUTION
By putting a numerical value on the behaviour of consumers related to sustainability, we can help consumers understand the importance of their actions.
Aggregating several different lifestyle apps will allow the user to see a full picture of their environmental impact.
By grading consumers on their actions, we also gamify achieving the SDGs, thus incentivizing users to want to improve.
Additionally, the user is incentivized to use the app through cost savings and perks they can earn through having a high sustainability score. These incentives are provided by the users’ company, or town, who are also able to save when the user acts more sustainably.
F O O D F O O D096 097
INNOVATION
There is no app that gamifies the SDGs, nor are there any apps that aggregate lifestyle data and use it to partner with corporations and other organizations in order to drive behavioural changes at the level of the end user.
One competitor, JouleBug, gives the user information on their sustainability but it depends entirely on user inputs (it’s not partnering with MapMyRun for example) and doesn’t offer quantifiable incentives to entice the user to continue to use it.
Because Unwaste will plan to plug in to the company resources surrounding HR, company happiness, CSR, etc. one could make an argument that those departments are our competitors.
However, we see it as an opportunity to help them be more organized, more data driven, and efficient at helping them accomplish their sustainability goals.
Actionable, community-focused, strong partnerships, fun, digestible, and data driven – these are the cornerstones of our innovative technological solution.
IMPACT
Unwaste primarily addresses the SDGs of Good Health & Well-being (through data collected from apps such as MapMyRun, and calorie counters), Affordable & Clean Energy (through data from energy bill and apps such as CitiBike), and Responsible Consumption and Production (such a data on a user’s food waste patterns).
The success of Unwaste at impacting the SDG can be measured indicators 4.7 and 12.8 by “ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles.”
By bringing the user’s attention to the SDGs, Unwaste also tackles indicator 12.5, “substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse” by giving the user recommendation of how they can improve their score.
Lastly indicator 12.6, “Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle” is targeting by corporate partnerships.
NEXT STEPS
We would like to secure funding and we will also pursue as many strategic partnerships with companies and governments, successfully leveraging the UNLEASH network and resources to the fullest potential.
Should we not get funding, one team member will take the idea to his VC contacts in Silicon Valley and raise an initial seed round. The team‘s design and data guru will work with a technical team (possibly with the Armenia SDG Lab) to develop an MVP.
Other team members will develop our partnerships in the US and Europe, and we will ensure our data is sophisticated and interesting enough to continually dazzle our users when we launch.
The feedback we have gotten is so positive that we are encouraged and motivated to see this through.
GEOGRAPHY
The team will be based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
F O O D F O O D098 099
AgrizonThe modern connection between knowledge, services and farmsWith the rapidly changing technology and the increasing effects of climate change, smallholder farmers more than ever need information and support services to increase productivity and produce more sustainably. Lines of communication from existing knowledge and these farmers are broken. So we propose an online platform called Agrizon that pays employees to offer technical farming assistance that smallholder farmers need by gaining comission on agro-insurance sales.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice / feedback - business plan 2. Help with fundraising or investment3. Help find computer programmer
CONTACT
PROBLEM
With the rapidly changing technology and the increasing effects of climate change, smallholder farmers more than ever need information and support services to increase productivity and produce more sustainably.
Agriculture extension services set up to provide this information and support are inefficient as there are too few extension officers and the ones that exist are not well incentivized to do their job well or efficiently.
The agents are informed sales people and at the same time training farmers to reduce their risks.
SOLUTION
An online platform called Agrizon powered by a network of community-based agropreneurs – or Agrizon agents.
Agrizon provides agents with multi -media training tools and technical assistance to share with their community. If they see a need they can pick up their smart phone and start filling the role of an absent extension officer.
The second part of the platform allows agents to make commission through selling agro-insurance to each person they reach. The more technical services they deliver, the more potential clients they have.
Agro-insurance is just an emerging market and a difficult one to tap in to for urban companies. These companies will benefit from partnering with us because our Agrizon agents will act as a rural distribution network.
INNOVATION
Our solution is unique because it combines ICT powered extension with farmer support services such as commission and mobile-based agro-insurance to create an incentivized and wholistic service for smallholder farmers.
Our competitors are non-profit organizations and public extension that provide age-old top-down advisory services through field-level extension agents who lack updated knowledge and provide only technical support.
Our innovation will not only provide efficient advisory services to smallholder farmers in Uganda, but also provide agro-insurance that will improve farmers‘ resilience to climate related shocks.
IMPACT
SDG Indicator 2.3.1, 2.4.1 Double productivity and income, increase area under sustainable production, increase value of production / labor unit.
Agrizon will assign carbon sequestration potential to each training on the platform. We will provide a higher commission rate to agents based on the type of trainings they share with farmers.
F O O D F O O D0100 0101
The idea is that these agents are incentivized to teach farmers to make compost and build healthy soil in place of applying fertilizers, for example.
As technology and business expands into every corner of this world, our company sets standards high for ecological practices and sustainable systems that can best adapt to climate change.
We can use agricultural development as a tool for conventional agri-business companies to profit, or as a foundation to propel us towards ecologically sustainable food production worldwide, dignity and prosperity in agriculture, and locally driven economic development.
NEXT STEPS
1. Register Agrizon as a social enterprise in Uganda.
2. Put together an implementation team including a developer.
3. Engage the Uganda Agriculture Insurance Consortium explore partnership options.
4. Establish the necessary infrastructure to run a company.
5. Develop the platform, identify, recruit and train a few Agrizon agents
6. Conduct a pilot.
GEOGRAPHY
The target market is Kampala, Uganda.
F O O D 103
TechnoSavaTechnoSava is a new profit making company offering a mobile processing technology (MPU) for cassava paste, targeting a market worth 1 billion USD/year for its first pilot. The technology runs on solar energy combined with biogas generated from waste of the cassava peels and water. The technology will be availed to remote farmers at a centralized location where farmers can bring their produce for sale. Technosava’s current management team consists of personnel with technological expertise and knowledge in the cassava industry, especially the Nigerian market.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice / feedback – business plan2. Advice / feedback – technical advice3. Advice / feedback – implementation strategy
CONTACT
[email protected]: TechnoSavaFacebook: TechnoSavaTwitter: @TechnoSava
PROBLEM
Postharvest losses of highly perishable crops such as cassava is a global challenge pertinent to food security.
Cassava is one of third most important source of calories in the world. About 800 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America depend on cassava for food and livelihood. Cassava derivatives are utilized worldwide in various industries including starch, bakery flour, textile, beer, etc.
However, 30-40% (80 million tonnes/year) of the crop is wasted post-harvest, due to deterioration if it is not processed within 3 days. Additionally, it is uneconomic to transport, given that it is 70% water that is of no value for processors.
Poor transportation infrastructure also makes it difficult to get the crop to processing plants before oxidation leads to deteriorated quality. An effort to solve this challenge with mobile processing units failed to scale up due to the cost and bulkiness of the truck to access the most remote areas where cassava is grown.
SOLUTION
To reduce postharvest losses of cassava, there is a proposal to provide an on-farm mobile technology (solar and biogas powered) for pre-processing of cassava into a low moisture paste that has a shelf-life of up to three months at room temperature.
The mobile will be availed at a central location where farmers in remote areas can bring their produce for sale.
Collaboration with local patterns will provide farmers personal information followed by sms notifications on dates and locations of the unit. This technology makes it possible for remote cassava farmers to access processing facilities and has a huge potential to reduce postharvest losses and enable farmers to earn returns.
Cassava will be bought from farmers and the paste sold to the local and international market.
Additionally, at full scale, the solution includes using cassava peels and waste water for producing biogas not only for the mobile unit but also for interested parties.
F O O D F O O D104 105
INNOVATION
The innovation is using biogas and solar power in a mobile processing unit, low cost processing equipment in small sized trucks to easily access farms, zero waste cassava processing where cassava peels and waste water will be used for biogas generation, and sms notifications will be used to sensitize farmers prior to visiting the centralized location where cassava sales and processing will be done.
Local patterns will provide information of areas where cassava farmers are most populated.
This solution positively impacts several SDGs directly (2 and 9) and indirectly (1, 6, 7 and 17). There is one competitor currently facing challenges to scale up due to bulkiness and cost of their technology.
The competitive edge of TechnoSava hinges on renewable energy, low cost equipment and small sized trucks, partnerships with local authorities, knowledge of the market and sms notification system.
IMPACT
The solution provided by TechnoSava has the potential of positively impacting lives of about 300 million people in Saharan Africa, and a total of 800 million people around the world.
These farmers are less resourced and located far from processing facilities hence they lose a lot of their produce because of the high perishability nature of cassava.
One of the main SDG indicator includes poverty reduction as farmers make returns on their investments which could have been lost due to the perishability of cassava.
The impact also includes enhancing partnerships and improving communication and collaboration with other role players in the industry.
The indicators that can be used to measure the success of our project includes; projected poverty headcount ratio at $1.9/day, prevalence of wasting in children (<5yo), renewable energy in final consumption, access to improved sanitation, reduced unemployment percentage, improved quality of the overall infrastructure and increased waste water treatment.
NEXT STEPS
During 2017, the plan is to refine the business plan, engage more with local partners and acquire information of location and contacts of farmers.
We want to establish relationships with more potential buyers and set agreements on quantity, quality, and frequency of product delivery.
We want to engage with partners for cost effective materials to design the processing unit; and fundraising.
In 2018, the first MPU will be operational and launched.
In 2019, lessons from the first trading year will be reviewed and strategic decisions considered for increasing number of MPUs in operation to 3.
By 2020, up to 5 MPUs should be operational and thereafter considering scale up to 10 MPUs followed by launching a franchise.
GEOGRAPHY
Technosava will be implemented in Nigeria and DR Congo and Benin, but team members live in South Africa, the Netherlands, Rwanda and Ghana.
F O O D F O O D106 107
F.spotF.spot is the fast food chain battling obesity and poor nutrition. We provide satisfying, affordable, and disruptively accessible meals. Our fast service vending machines (F.spot units) will hold warm, freshly prepared $5 meals designed by certified nutritionists and local chefs. Consumers open our mobile app, choose from a gallery of meals, and walk to their chosen F.spot unit for their recently delivered meal. F.spot is built on shifting power back to the community and addresses multiple SDGs.
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Advice / feedback – business plan2. Access to corporate partners3. Access to networking events
CONTACT
PROBLEM
Globally, more adults are now overweight (1.9 billion) than underweight (642 million).
The region with the highest overweight (including obesity) rates in adults is the Americas; around 70% of the population is overweight in Mexico and the USA, while 51% of the population is overweight in Brazil.
Moreover, these regions have significant portions of their populations living in urban zones. Hence, one way to achieve SDG 2 (improved nutrition) is to find solutions that tackle the root causes of overweight and obesity.
One of the major factors leading to overweight and obesity is healthy food being difficult to access by low-income individuals in urban zones, leading them to make unhealthy food choices that are cheap and convenient.
to choose nutritious food in an attempt to achieve SDG 2 and curb the obesity epidemic in the long term.
Features of F.spot:
• Healthy meals are warm and delicious.
• Healthy meals are affordable ($5 value meals).
• Meals created by local chefs.• Healthy meals are easily accessible
even for people working long hours.
• Accepts major forms of electronic payments, including food financial assistance platforms (e.g., Electronic Benefits Transfer cards, EBT).
• Complements existing nutrition intervention programs for low-income people, such as SNAP-Ed and the Thrifty Food Plan.
SOLUTION
F.spot is a meal accessibility service (MAS); providing consumers with healthy, delicious, accessible, and affordable meals.
It consists of: 1. A mobile app offering a gallery of
healthy and visually appetizing meals that consumers order from and receive a barcode;
2. F.spot units where consumers scan the barcode and collect their healthy meal.
3. F.spot aims to change consumer behavior by ‘nudging’ people
INNOVATION
Many nutrition intervention programs combating overweight and obesity focus on educating children, but this demographic does not have major contributions to food purchasing decisions. In addition, adult nutrition programs fail because they address nutrition from a solely consumption standpoint, and neglect enhancing taste and indulgent drivers to consumer food choices.
F.spot is unique because it empowers low-income consumers, who cannot access healthy food options, to take control of their nutritional choices and curb obesity in the long term.
F O O D F O O D108 109
We offer healthy meals through meal accessibility services which:
1. Present healthy meals in a visually appetizing fashion
2. Offer affordable healthy meals3. The platform accepts major forms
of electronic payment, including financial assistance platforms
4. Enhances nutrition policy implementation through consumer behavior change
Major competitors are fast food chains which serve low nutrient oriented meals.
F.spot will also partner with nutrition education programs to empower low-income consumers to choose healthy food.
NEXT STEPS
The timelines have not been established yet, but projected next steps are:
1. Focus group discussions (FGDs) with target consumers in urban zones to determine healthy food options and preferences, marketing approaches, price points.
2. Develop relationships with potential partners including service and product suppliers and potential investors.
3. Development of a marketing strategy specific for the target market.
4. Delivery of F.spot units to pilot site.
5. Implementation of scaled-up operations.
GEOGRAPHY
Solution will be implemented in two cities: Houston, Texas and Curitiba, Brazil.
The team is located in Romania, the Philippines, Lebanon, Brazil, Austriaand the United States of America.
IMPACT
F.spot contributes to improved nutrition (SDG 2.1) by facilitating access to healthy meals. We estimate an increase in sales of healthy meals by 20% in two years. F.spot contributes to improved health and well-being (SDG 3.4) through the effects of improved nutrition to mental wellness of the target consumers. We estimate an increase in happiness ratings by 10% in the first five years of operations.
Also, by changing consumer behavior, we expect a 5% decrease in incidence of overweight and obesity in the next 10 years.
F.spot contributes to reduction of food waste (SDG 12.3) by using food processing by-products.
F.spot contributes to partnerships for the SDG goals (SDG 17.16) by being a platform for collaboration towards a healthy and sustainable world among catering services, logistics agencies, meal accessibility developers, online platform developers.
F O O D110
Sahara FruitsMango farmers in Kenya are dealing with more than 40% of production losses due to lack of skills and few investment on useful inputs which leads to less profits. Only 55% of their crop is high enough quality to be sold. With bio-pesticides and orchard management, the high quality yield rate rises to 95%. Consumers want to know where their food comes from and how to empower the “fair-trade” and “organic” in a cheap solutions. Why can‘t we connect the users?
REQUESTS FOR NEXT STEPS
1. Help with fundraising or investment 2. Advice / feedback - technical advice 3. Access to legal and accounting resources
CONTACT
PROBLEM
One billion people live in extreme poverty.
In Kenya, 200,000 smallholder farmers record 45% loss in their mango produce.
Apart from the limited knowledge in improved production technologies and limited harvesting and post-harvest skills, small-holder farmers rarely apply optimal inputs attributable to high cost of inputs and inability of farmers to raise funds to purchase them. As a result, they have a reduced quality of their produce which consequently reduces their income earning potential.
There is however ample opportunity for wealth creation and redistribution among small-holder farmers.
A SWOT analysis by USAID-KAVES identified opportunities in growing domestic and export markets, value addition into other products, substantial installed capacity and improved varieties.
SOLUTION
Our solution is a gamut of interactive interventions organized around the aim of building a network of sustainable and economical viable smallholder mango farmers.
Our objectives are mobilizing, organizing farmers, providing skills and training. This is expected to enhance farmers‘ knowledge and production.
We aim to build a database on farmers trees journey and their production activities through a digital farm monitoring platform. This data will be processed into traceable profile of mango producers for consumers.
In the wake of the weak position of mango farmers in the value chain, we aim to purchase and export their produce in special markets taking note of the increase in market share of food produced in environmentally friendly way.
Smallholder farmers will benefit from a profit sharing system and increase their incomes.
We consider ouselves a for profit company with a big social empowerment model.
F O O D F O O D112 113
INNOVATION
The innovation in our solution is the one-stop shop which provides solutions in key areas identified as challenges crippling the mango production by small-holder farmers. Small-holder farmers are a unique group with perculiar needs.
Accordingly, solutions must be tailored towards their needs. We consider our solutions a niche market for small-holders. Stakeholders who may have qualified as competitors are collaborators.
This solution has not been done mostly probably because a model to effectively initiate and execute the idea may not have been developed.
Our innovation is that we integrate the mobilization and organizational of farmers with provision of skills and development, with movement towards sustainable and environmentally friendly farming into a digital monitoring/ traceability profile (collecting farmer data and tree profile).
We donate towards a farm activity through produce buying and exporting. Later on we ensure a profit-sharing with the farmers (at least 1%).
IMPACT
The impact we seek to increase the income of some 200,000 smallholder mango farmers and improvement in their standards of living.
Many rural communities in Africa are predominantly farming communities, a sustainable rural community will be one with decent work and economic growth (SDG 8).
An indicator will be the purchasing power of farmers, measured from their ability to procure inputs for production or an increase in domestic or household expenditure.
SDG 1 and 2, No Poverty and Zero Hunger could be measured from household expenditure and consumption levels.
A successful solution will also contribute to SDG 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
We foresee that processing companies will operate at 80%, at the minimum, of their installed capacity due to the increase in supply of high quality mango fruits.
NEXT STEPS
Our plan is to work vigorously towards initiating and executing our project.
We recognize that geographical locations may be a hindrance to our collective effort and role in implementing this project. However, we committed at the beginning of our group deliberations to work hard.
Given that a member of our team is running a business in the mango value chain, we hope to improve upon his business model with the spectrum of solutions we have described.
We will closely follow up with him and support the integration of the activities stated.
GEOGRAPHY
The target market is Kenya, Taveta region.
F O O D F O O D114 115
For more information, please visit:
www.unleash.org/solution-catalogue
![1 Introduction 3 4 Data Expansion by Synthesising Context ...Introduction Dataset Data Size ImageNet [1] 1,000,000+ MS COCO [2] 300,000+ BelgaLogos [3] 1,951 FlickrLogos-27 [4] 1,080](https://img.pdfslide.us/doc/110x75/5f17a768f2a47c780712287d/1-introduction-3-4-data-expansion-by-synthesising-context-introduction-dataset.jpg)
