An Overview Of Our Solution
In a maximum of 875 characters, please give an overview of your entry including the problem, the solution and actions implemented.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Africa
General Information
Organization type
Société
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Deserts
Forests
Freshwater
Grasslands
Oceans/Coasts
Population impacted
190 million Nigerians
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
33-million hectares
Production quantity
82.5-million Litres
People employed
5 people
Solution
Describe your solution
Our Organic Tea Liquid Fertilizer is addressing the problem of low fertilizer usage and depleting soil fertility in Nigeria by being the affordable and accessible solution to local Nigeria farmers.Our product has been designed to be a sustainable alternative to the Chemical based fertilizers (which are mostly imported).The Primary social impact of our business is the fact that with this product, Nigerian farmers can now feel secure that their fertilizer needs can finally be met sustainably and affordably as opposed to what obtained in the recent past. We have also so far distributed at least 400-litres of the product to several economically disadvantaged farmers who have also validated its efficacy and gone ahead to make purchases of the product. African soils also benefit from this nutrient-replenishing feature of the product. By making the product the most affordable fertilizer in the market, we are ensuring that Nigeria's food security ambitions will be achieved much sooner than anticipated, as more farmers can now experience bumper yields than never before, earn more income to uplift their standards of living, as well as produce more for the society.Organic Tea provides other elements than N-P-K to the soil and plants, e.g additional elements and Nutrient properties it contains (besides Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium [N-P-K]) include Calcium, & Magnesium. Additionally it has a strong termite repellant.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
The vast majority of Fertilizers in the country are imported by some major companies in the sector. A few companies produce fertilizers locally but have to import their raw-materials and often times can't meet demand. Also, unfortunately, most of these major players in the Nigeria fertilizer industry prefer to sell their products to the government than directly to the farmers. They do this because the Nigerian government usually buys fertilizers from them and subsidizes it to the farmers. However, this inefficient system has continually deprived most Nigerian farmers who are meant to be the beneficiaries of such subsidies from the subsidized fertilizers as a result of corrupt practices by government officials who are supposed to be in-charge of making the fertilizers available by distributing them to the farmers. Consequently, the farmers end up not getting the subsidized fertilizers or when they do get them it arrives much after the farming season is over and at often at above the subsidized/market prices.To address this we intend to take our product directly to Nigerian farmers by creating a wide distribution network.So far we have two distributors in Nigeria and are eager to increase this.In partnership with the Osun state government of Nigeria, we were provided with a network of farmers associations and co-operatives in the length and breath of the state, which enabled us to interface with the farmers and introduce the product to them. Consequently, we were able to give out free samples to a total of 400-farmers, a gesture we will be repeating from time to time. We intend to replicate this model in other states in the country as this has generated encouraging sales and revenues.This product is also ideal for Earthen & Concrete fishponds.The CEO is also a member of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and the Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioners of Nigeria (NOAN).
External connections
In partnership with the Osun state government of Nigeria, we were provided with a network of farmers associations and co-operatives in the length and breath of the state, which enabled us to interface with the farmers and introduce the product to them. Consequently, we were able to give out free samples to a total of 400-farmers, a gesture we will be repeating from time to time. We intend to replicate this model in other states in the country.This product is also ideal for Earthen & Concrete fishponds.The CEO is also a member of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and the Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioners of Nigeria (NOAN).
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
African soils are fast losing their fertility due to several practices and farming methods including the use of Synthetic/Chemical Fertilizer & overuse of the same land without replenishing its nutrients. Organic Tea Liquid Fertilizer is the solution to this ( http://www.middlebrookfarms.com.ng/fertilizer.html ).When added to the soil this product exponentially increases plant height,stem girth,number of leaves & fruits of crops.This unique blend also greatly improves N, P, K, Ca, and Zn tissue nutrient concentration in crops to guarantee a bumper yield.The product is 100% Organic, and comes in 1-Litre containers which when diluted with 75-Litres of water can cover 1-acre of farmland.
Describe the context in which you are operating
Nigeria has a land area of 91 million hectares (ha), of which 86% (or 78.5 million ha) is cultivable; of this cultivable land, only about 33 million ha are currently being utilized for farming activities.Nigeria’s 16 million smallholder farm families own an average of 1–2 hectares of land each.While the agricultural productivity of other developing countries has increased, yields across most of Sub-Saharan Africa have remained stagnant.Even within Africa the differences are pronounced: cereal yields in South Africa average 4.4 metric tons per ha (MT/ha), whereas Nigeria’s average cereal yield hovers around 1.6 MT/ha.One reason for the poor yields in Nigeria is the condition of the soil, which is deficient in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur, as well as the micronutrients that support healthy crops. Sustainable fertilizer use that replenishes the soil is one way to combat this problem and improve yields, but Nigeria’s fertilizer use is among the lowest in the world at 5–10 kg/ha, as compared to roughly 50 kg/ha in South Africa.The total potential demand for fertilizer among farmers in Nigeria is currently estimated at 3.5 million MT per year. However, supply of fertilizer to farmers is estimated at only a fraction of this potential (0.6 million MT in 2010, or 17% of demand) leaving a market gap of 2.9 million MT per year.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
The most significant improvement to biodiversity by this product is its ability and efficacy in restoring and replenishing soils that have been damaged by excessive uses of chemical fertilizers. Because the product is rich in the micro-organisms that recycle organic matter, it boosts the nutrients more available to plants, resulting in a stronger, healthier soil.
Water
Water retention is higher and better as the product also acts as a soil conditioner
Food Security/Nutrition
With a healthier soil farmers experience bumper yields which translate to increased income.
Economic/Sustainable Development
With a replenished soil, the farmers are guaranteed a more consistent and sustainable source of income as they can now reuse their farmlands and soils for longer periods and make more money.
Climate
Because our product is Organic, it is safer and healthier for the environment, the soil, and consequently the foods that are grown through such soils
Sustainability
The sustainability of this business is dependent on market-based revenues.This business has the potential of revolutionizing food production in Nigeria if supported with the requisite financing that would enable it scale and make maximum impact.Even if we can't meet the market gap of almost 3-million tonnes of fertilizer in Nigeria, there's vast opportunity in scaling enough to fill some of that gap and earn impressive revenue.
Return on investment
So far it has cost within $10,000 to implement our activities so far, 90% of which have been from personal and family funds. So far we reckon that it is a profitable and viable venture with a very large market, but to scale adequately by reaching more people we require more funding.
Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
There are other organic liquid fertilizers in other countries, especially North America and Europe, however, due to import costs and affordability, they aren't easy to come by in Nigeria (the most populous country in Africa). Add to that the current economic recession that is being experienced by the country which has triggered a forex scarcity making hitherto ubiquitous imports extremely scarce. Our main competitors are majorly local synthetic/chemical fertilizer manufacturers who also import their raw materials, and other major fertilizer importers.Following is a list of the major ones:Golden Fertilizer Company Ltd.,TAK Agro Fertilizer & Chemicals, Notore Chemicals Industries.