By Joan Mbabazi
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| One of their metallic vertical kitchen garden. / Photo: Courtesy. |
However, despite remarkable improvements over recent years,
the agricultural sector still faces many challenges such as low levels of
productivity for both crops and livestock due to low input use, poor production
techniques and inefficient farming practices, according to the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
It is for this reason that two entrepreneurs decided to
initiate a firm to solve the above mentioned problems and strictly improve
modern farming.
Adrian Busingye, is the co-founder and CEO of a
Kacyiru-based Crown Agro Initiative, a youth led agro-business enthusiastic to
modernize agriculture.
The firm provides farmers and youth with agricultural
support services and application of new farming technologies.
Busingye partnered with his colleague Vincent Kirenga in
2019 to start a company that wasn't only aimed at improving farming, but also,
to attract agriculture tourism in Rwanda.
As one with background in the agriculture supply chain,
Busingye started procuring mangoes from neighbouring countries, but he realised
that there was a need for accessibility to good food. The entrepreneurs' first
product was to design smart backyard gardens for urban farms or urban homes.
That's how he and his colleague thought of starting a good
business concept as most of their clients were seeking more information about
agriculture. Even after creating backyard gardens for them, customers required
consultancy.
The two entrepreneurs started budding gradually, their most
focus was to equip people with smart agriculture tips and techniques.
With time, they employed experts who are assigned to
delivering agricultural services and products for their clients.
According to Busingye, the company designs systems that help
in the agriculture ecosystem, and also sell agriculture equipment, on addition
to offered services such as, greenhouse construction, smart market gardens,
agronomy services, seedling propagation, irrigation installation, agro-tourism,
agricultural consultancy, and agri-supply chain and marketing among others.
The company designs solutions for urban farmers including
providing services to specific farmers, NGOs that they influence to help other
farmers.
As a Small and Medium Size Enterprise, the co-founders are
passionate about selling what they have to make sure that the new ideas in the
agricultural space are taken up.
The company has been able to develop through the support of
government institutions, and Non-governmental organizations. They have employed
five full-time workers and 50 casual workers so far.
"We believe that everyone can be an agriculturalist
through using their knowledge, this is because agriculture is in need of every
kind of sector, whether IT, or marketing.
"Our aim is to make sure that youth are engrossed in
agriculture and farmers grow from traditional farming to modern and commercial
farming," Busingye states.
Like any business, they are faced with a number of
challenges, for instance, lack of enough funds to expand, but also, the public
isn't yet well acquainted with what they are teaching.
Busingye says that there is still a lack of professional
trainings, and business development. Since some of their products are imported,
the prices are a bit high for some clients to afford.
The businessmen's wish is to acquire funds to boost their
initiative so as to support farmers.
Their company develops projects that can enhance the
agriculture sector, they are yet to organize agriculture tourism that will
impel the public to join the trip to support farmers with access to the market.
The business personnel are also implementing one of their
projects known as 'Crown agro foods' that is purposed to drive their company
and a huge impact to the informal sector. The project is aimed at linking
farmers to food vendors.
"We want to manage the whole value chain to address the
fragmented value chain and organise it. Farmers don't have fixed prices, and at
times sell their products at a higher price to brokers and mostly lack enough
agricultural information
"We need to create access to fresh food to the food
vendors to assist in curbing post-harvest losses," Busingye said.