SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CREATION.
brief: To create a self sustained social enterprise to help resolve a real world issue at a part of the world affected by climate change.
My Roles:
Brand Designer
Product Designer
Business Creator
Tools Used:
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Timeline & team:
12 Weeks
Individual
Intro.
Biofutcha is a Australian-based non-profit organisation that aims to reduce & reverse the adverse effects of climate change upon Maize agriculture in Malawi.
Agriculture plays a crucial role in the economy of the nation and plays an important role in their longevity. We aim to reinforce this sector with a sustainable future and lift these people above the $2 a day poverty line.
We are introducing a way for Malawian farmers to turn their corn waste into a super compound called Biochar which has the ability to create a self-sustaining agricultural society with more job opportunities and gives them a practical, low cost, sustainable and profitable alternative to burning their waste which has many health and environmental consequences.
Mission Statement.
Our mission is to empower Malawi to break away from being an aid dependent nation and allow them to independently grow free of doubt and become a thriving, self sustained nation.
The Problem.
The Problem.
Malawi is a small but densely populated country in east Africa and is on the forefront of the fight against climate change.
The nation is feeling widespread threats to economic growth, long-term prosperity, as well as the livelihoods of an already vulnerable population as climate change brings a variety of new challenges to agriculture which is the backbone of the country’s wealth and future.
Maize also known as “corn” accounts for 70% of available agricultural land and is an enormously important crop. But its future is threatened by warming temperatures, increasing droughts and other recurring threats brought on by climate change.
As 90% of Malawians are employed in agriculture any change to this sector has a domino effect upon all parts of the country which only exacerbates the nations wide poverty and hunger crisis.
Over the last 2 decades, agriculture productivity has been erratic due to weather variability, declining soil fertility and outdated farming technologies.
With a nation on the brink of starvation, a worsening economy every year and maize yields expected to decrease by as much as 80% by the end of the century, a strong social enterprise that capitalises upon their abundance of maize and plays into their strengths of agriculture is essential for the nations future and longevity.
The Solution.
The solution.
Corn also known as “Maize” is by far the most dominant crop produced in Malawi, occupying more than 70% of available agricultural land and is critically important to the livelihoods of majority to Malawians.
Just 37% of the total corn crop is harvested. The remaining 63% is waste that is normally burnt before planting.
We are going to use this abundance of corn waste and convert it to a compound called Biochar. We will use a business model that capitalizes on the self-interest of the very people it is trying to help who invest in their own project to better their own lives.
The social enterprise will work as a non for profit cooperative as well as a market connector and a fee for service provider in teaching farmers how to make Biochar, pay them for their services, then package, brand and sell the product to overseas markets.
We will be using a circular economy business model which refers to a systematic approach to economic development designed to benefit all society, business and most importantly the environment.
Our main impact as a social enterprise and most important part of our business model is for each bag of Biochar sold. 1 bag of Biochar is donated back to the farmers who need it with the end goal to have Biochar soil across all of Malawi’s agricultural land.
Theory of Change.
SHORT TERM OBJECTIVES.
LONG TERM OBJECTIVES.
Biochar.
What is biochar?.
Biochar is a super charcoal made by heating any biomass - for example, corn cob without any oxygen.
It is an extremely beneficial type of soil for crop growing which allows crops to thrive and can increase crop yield by upwards of 300%. It is easy to make and doesn’t require machinery meaning it can easily be produced to Malawi providing extra employment for struggling farmers.
Moreover, it is listed as one of the top five natural climate change solutions in a 2019 intergovernmental report.
Farmers using it as soil amendment will benefit for:
Bigger yields
Richer & healthier soil
Better water retention
Stronger plants
Higher fertility
Less labour
Stays in the soil for thousands of years
How will the Social Enterprise work?
Business model.
Contrary to the standard social enterprise business model that requires large inputs of outside cash as well as being heavily reliant on community and volunteer workers.
This business model instead puts the trust in the very people its trying to help which creates a real incentive for farmers to join the business model.
Without this focus on outside start up cash and volunteer workers, the social enterprise can instead focus its time on its role in the 4 main stages of the value chain being input providers, processors, retailers and re-investors.
Branding.
Product / Packaging Design.
Feasibility.
Evaluation of Sucess.
Evaluation of Success.
The success of Biofutcha’s strategy’s and business model will mostly be seen after a year of operations as our main goal of increasing the agricultural output can be achieved once Biochar soil is planted across all of Malawi.
As each bag of Biochar is sold, 1 bag is given back to the people and as this soil is spread across multiple communities a domino effect will occur where the amount of poverty will decline due to an increase in crop yield which will not only increase the amount of food but also increase the economic output of the nation.
True success lies within creating a society that is no longer dependent on third party aid, instead self sustained farming communities with the ability to provide for themselves and who continue to work with the Biofutcha enterprise and expand to the rest of Africa.
Concluding summary.
Throughout this project I learnt everything that goes into creating an effective and sustainable circular economic business model that is not designed solely for profit. Instead, a cause driven model designed to help a group of people where in this case they truly need it.
In researching the issues Malawi is faced with and how agriculture is essentially the only industry they have to make a living from. I needed to find a way to use this industry to be apart of the solution.
Once I came across Biochar everything came together, from how it was easily made from corn waste with limited startup resources and all the positive impacts it can have to farmers, society and the planet. It is because of this I believe I have created the strongest social enterprise for Malawi’s declining agriculture due to the constant pressure of climate change.