Baobab for nutritious security: Improving rural livelihood and climate adaptation
Project Developer
- Green Stewardship International
Size
- Micro
- ($24,350)
Maturity stage
- Requires incubation
Country
- Ghana
Financing mechanism
Contact
Daniel Kwame Debra
Link
Environmental benefits
The baobab tree is able to withstand fire and drought because of its strong trunk, which may contract during the dry season in order to conserve water during the rainy season and absorb water during the wet season. This makes the species more adaptable to restoration measures.
Community benefits
The production of powder from baobab fruit will draw attention to the tree and encourage communities to view it as a valuable resource, leading to the domestication of the species in their landscapes, particularly on farms. The raw material will be responsibly sourced from rural community people especially from farmers to improve their household income without cutting down the tree or harming the environment. The production of grafted seedlings and deployment to fruit collectors will increase the naturally regenerated population which will ensure a sustainable supply of raw materials for our company in the future.
Business model
The company needs an investment of $24,350 to get the business going from equity financing (seed capital). This covers the variable and fixed costs of the first year of business. A large sum of the investment goes to the acquisition of the machinery and marketing costs. Another part goes to the buying of the raw materials, the baobab fruits. We want a fair price for the farmers. It is more expensive to buy dried baobab fruits, but it is more lucrative to buy dried fruits than to undertake the drying process ourselves. Agriculture has contributed to the baobab population’s decline, exacerbated by climate change, hindering natural regeneration and population growth. The concept is to initially source baobab fruits from small-holder farmers, deploy grafted seedlings to fruit collectors for farm restoration and later establish a grafted baobab plantation. The business will take advantage of AfCFTA by using a trade map to identify demand before product export. The business is developed towards achieving the UNSDGs goals 1 and 15.