university of cincinnati iit roorkee paul donley kumar animesh
DESCRIPTION
A Sustainable Business Collaborative. University of Cincinnati IIT Roorkee Paul Donley Kumar Animesh Paul Gordon Krishna Chaitanya Bandi Claire Haynack Jubin Mohapatra Elana Pentelnik Ashmeet Singh Professor Mentor Ratee Apana Charles O’Neil. BACKGROUND. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
University of Cincinnati IIT Roorkee
Paul Donley Kumar Animesh
Paul Gordon Krishna Chaitanya Bandi
Claire Haynack Jubin Mohapatra
Elana Pentelnik Ashmeet Singh
Professor Mentor
Ratee Apana Charles O’Neil
A Sustainable Business Collaborative
Acara Challenge Focus: FOOD SECURITY
“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. “ 1996 UN World Food Summit
BACKGROUND
Problem Statement Small farmers in India have
difficulty in cost effective farming due to small field size.
Crops in India don’t grow to full potential because the soil is depleted from over-farming one type of crop.
Many farmers lack knowledge of more innovative and beneficial ways to maximize crop yields.
BACKGROUND
Social Ramifications of Current Farming Methods Farmers are in substantial debt due to
lack of proper crop yield. Indebted farmers have committed
suicide due to the inability to repay their loans.
The practice of raising cash crops has left scarce nutritional resources for the farming families, resulting in hunger and starvation.
BACKGROUND
Solution – The practice of the Three
Sisters planting method is a traditional farming method rooted in Native American culture. It is common in the United States, is not known on a global scale.
The Three Sisters is a symbiotic grouping of certain plants that maximizes yields while replenishing the soil.
SOLUTION
Sister Seeds PlantsSisterSeed’s farming method consists of a mound of soil with the follow plants Corn – provide pole for beans to grow Beans/Peas – replenish soil Cucumbers - natural dirt anti-erosion
system, and protection (prickly vines) Onions- deter pests and bugs
SOLUTION
Charba, IndiaClick icon to add picture
• Population:10,000
CUSTOMERS
Customer Analysis – Charba• Mostly rural farming village• Average family is 10 people• 5-25 acres of land per family• Average farmer buys 50% of seeds each
year
CUSTOMERS
Benefits of SisterSeeds for Farmers
Food security and diversification of food source
Ability to keep cash crop along with food crops
Increases crop yield Replenishes soil for years to come Save money on fertilizers and pesticides Less fear of cross-pollination “Seed loan” option
CUSTOMERS
Business Summary - Mission
To improve the livelihood of farmers in Charba by providing
the education and the resources necessary to achieve
proper food security. We seek to accomplish this by
implementing the “Three Sisters Farming method” and
selling quality seeds in the preferred quantities based on
farmer’s needs.
BUSINESS PLAN
Implementation Plan PHASE 1: Trial Phase
GOAL: creating buy-in and building seed bank.
PHASE 2: Full Scale Implementation GOAL: building customer base,
creating employment, payback investment
PHASE 3: Expansion GOAL: maintain customer base, new
expansion
Trust
Loyalty
Growth
BUSINESS PLAN
Phase 1: Trial Phase Offer trial packets of seeds to farmers
which include educational materials on the three-sisters method
Lease plot of land for seed bank. Create own three-sisters garden on plot of land to demonstrate idea
Employ village worker to maintain seed bank and plot of land
Buy and sell produce for villagers
BUSINESS PLAN
Trail Phase - Brochures Proposed design: a three-fold
“brochure”, image based, on the “How To” process of implementing the Three Sisters method. The interior fold-out will feature a step by step illustration that will visually show planting to growing to harvesting and the benefits of each stage.
BUSINESS PLAN
Sketch-up of Brochure
BUSINESS PLAN
Phase 2 : Implementation
Sell prepackaged packets of the three-sisters seeds (enough for 1000 m2).
Create “seed loans” to farmers by offering seeds at a discounted price in return for seeds after harvest.
Maintain fair pricing structure that benefits both us and farmers (no hidden costs)
Employ worker to run seed bank and increase education
BUSINESS PLAN
Phase 3: Future Growth Expansion into selling other seeds for
farmers Education on other growing methods to
increase crop yield Growth to other cities
BUSINESS PLAN
Initial Investment2,500 USD needed
Cost of trial packets Machinery for seed conversion Cost of obtaining a plot of land Initial seed purchases
FINANCIALS
Pricing Structure Pricing structure incorporates
approximately 15% markup on seeds from the purchase price to consumer sale
Achieved through: Bulk purchasing power Farmers selling back seeds
FINANCIALS
Return on Investment
0 1 2 3 4 5
-$3,000
-$2,000
-$1,000
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
Return on Investment
Year
Break even after year three Positive cash-flows after year one Largest threat in sensitivity analysis is
customer buy-in
FINANCIALS
SWOT AnalysisSTRENGTHS• Increases crop yield• Employment creation• Food security and
diversification of food source• Replenishment of soil• Trial opportunity for farmers
WEAKNESSES• Getting buy-in from farmers• Maintaining customer base• Little revenue in first year
OPPORTUNITIES• Loan/Micro-financing • Growth to other cities• Expansion into selling other
seeds • Selling produce for farmers
THREATS• Weather patterns and water
reliability• Farmers will reuse their own
seeds instead of rebuying• Low buy-in from farmers
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sustainability
Farmers will need to repurchase at least 50% of their seeds each year to avoid cross-breading (seed depletion).
We can continue to offer competitive pricing through our seed buy-back program
Community presence through seed bank and land lease
FINAL THOUGHTS
Conclusion
SisterSeeds has the opportunity to improve the quality of life for farmers in India through education and the introduction of more sustainable growing methods.
Supporting SisterSeeds will help ensure that food security becomes a reality.
FINAL THOUGHTS
THANK YOU
Any Questions?
FINAL THOUGHTS