Volunteering in Kenya
This is a story about my International Citizen Service Entrepreneur (ICSE) Volunteering Experience and working at a social enterprise specialising in hydroponic farming in Nairobi Kenya, 2014
Highlights
In the fall of 2014, I was chosen to take part in a new and innovative volunteering program called the International Citizen Service Entrepreneur (ICSE). I was assigned to work in the Democratic Republic of Kenya in East Africa. This program, sponsored by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and managed by Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) and other established charitable and voluntary organizations, aims to address poverty in some of the world’s poorest communities by providing support to entrepreneurs and small businesses in developing countries. The program places a strong emphasis on business and equips volunteers with the skills they need to make a positive impact.
Figure 1. Staff at Hydroponics Kenya. ©Sergiu Jiduc, 2014
My work placement was an innovative small medium social enterprise which was dealing with the manufacturing, installation and marketing of simple, affordable and commercial hydroponic farming systems. The company, called Animal Mineral and Allied Limited, operated in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and employed about 14 people (Figure 1). During the three months that I spent at the hydroponics company, I designed successful branding, marketing, customer service and business strategies and represented the company at numerous conferences and public events including at the United Nations Office and Word Bank Business Incubation Centres in Nairobi. Some of the most notable outputs of my direct involvement with the company included a 50% increase in sales, a reduction in advertising and marketing expenditures of about $1700/month, a new user-friendly website and social media pages and a substantial expansion of the clients and collaborators network. Ultimately, I contributed to the development of the company, which in turn resulted in more added value to the local agricultural community. Last by not least, the work experience contributed directly to my personal development, improving both my hard and soft skills. The mutual beneficial collaboration stands out as an example of a successful international and sustainable development story where the north and the south meet to generate value and opportunities.
Figure 2. My surrogate family: left to right: Andrew, Tamara, Grace and me. ©Sergiu Jiduc, 2014
My accommodation in Kenya was provided by a host family, which was supported financially by DFID and VSO and in turn by the fundraising that I carried out before the departure to Kenya. For three months, I lived with a surrogate family composed of the mother (Edith), father (Nelson), brother (Andrew), sister (Tamara), housekeeper (Grace) and my national volunteer counterpart (Teresa) (Figure 2). My family members were hospitable, intelligent and professionally successful individuals that very engaged with their work and passions. Under these circumstances, living with a surrogate family was a pleasant and enriching experience. I had many long and philosophical conversations about life, society, and the universe with my surrogate brother and numerous business, political and economic oriented debates with my “adoptive” mother. Grace was a truly hard-working woman that has never ceased to impress me with her household skills, whereas Nelson was an energetic and very righteous individual. Tamara, my young surrogate sister has proven to be an incredibly intuitive and intelligent girl that has already explored several western societies including USA and Switzerland and shared several liberal views. With such an inspiring and open family, cultural differences did not consist of a hard challenge and through open communication, any issues were resolved quickly.
The programme as a whole was a brilliant opportunity to expand my horizons, develop new or existing skills, help underprivileged communities and encourage active citizenship and sustainable initiatives.
Hydroponics Kenya
The company I was assigned to work at, Animal Mineral and Allied, was a young social enterprise based in Nairobi. Social enterprises are businesses that trade to tackle social problems, improve communities, people’s life chances, or the environment. They generate revenue from selling goods and services in the open market, but they often reinvest their profits back into the business or the local community.
Animal Mineral and Allied, more colloquially known as Hydroponics Kenya, is the pioneer initiator of hydroponic farming technology in East and Central Africa. The company specializes in the manufacturing, installation and marketing of customized hydroponic fodder and vegetable systems to help small and medium holder farmers have access to a high quality, cost-effective and sustainable way of farming.
Hydroponic farming entails growing crops using mineral nutrient solutions in water thus reducing the need for soil. This modern and innovative farming technology is resilient to climate change, provides superior nutritional value and faster growth at a limited cost of input. According to the Kenyan company, hydroponic systems are the most efficient method of both fodder and food crop cultivation in the world because they use only one-tenth of the water that conventional agriculture uses, implying that no water is lost through evaporation and only a fraction of minerals. The systems also use only a third to about a quarter of the space that traditional agriculture uses. Hydroponic barley fodder, for example, grows within just 7 days whereas vegetable crops grow at a thirty per cent faster rate and create little or no waste to contaminate the environment. Many farmers worldwide currently believe that hydroponics will power all of the world’s food production shortly, and thus resolving the global food crisis.
Figure 3. Peter Ceghe, CEO of Hydroponics Kenya checking out the quality of barley seeds. ©Sergiu Jiduc, 2014
Peter Chege Gichuku (Bsc Analytical Chemistry, University of Nairobi) is the founder and CEO of the company, which he established in 2004 following a period of working in a pharmaceutical company in Nairobi. Initially, Peter focused on supplying farmers with conventional nutritional supplements to enhance animal outputs. Throughout the years he learned that many farmers incurred high costs for animal fodder and that the quality of animal fodder and vegetables was often not satisfactory. Moreover, plant diseases, climate change and population growth all raised important questions regarding food and water security in the country. To address these problems, in 2013 the company started producing hydroponic systems, which enabled farmers to grow quality animal feeds at low cost, while also provided them with the opportunity to grow all sorts of vegetables apart from tubers irrespective of environmental conditions.
The competitiveness and innovation of Peter’s social enterprise are best shown through his greenhouses that maintain the right temperature without any thermostat or electricity needed. The secret lies in using photochemically treated aluminium trays to grow fodder, which inhibits the growth of fungus and the incidence of other pathogens (Figure 3). The temperature and humidity inside the hydroponic fodder system are controlled using only a hydro-net and a hydro-cloth, to ensure higher growth and the best nutritional value possible. The greenhouse is also constructed with a water circulation system that facilities water recycling, which in results in lower water usage compared to conventional farming solutions. The company sells complete hydroponic and vegetable systems, while also providing farmers with formulated hydroponic nutrients, seeds and seedlings. In addition to supplying greenhouses and nutrition to farmers, the company offers training and demonstration of the hydroponic systems at their office in Zambezi, Kikuyu, Kiambu County, Nairobi. Peter Ceghe established a training facility with full functioning animal feed and vegetable hydroponic systems along with both livestock and poultry that is only fed with products derived from the hydroponic system
Figure 4. Schematic diagram of the hydroponic closed system used by Peter for growing barley fodder
The basic concept behind hydroponics fodder is unlocking nutrients from 30% digestibility to up to 85%. This is due to the activity of enzymes produced by the seed after soaking. These enzymes can convert more efficiently carbohydrates to sugars, proteins to amino acids, and solid fat to lipids from the seed. Moreover, the enzymes produce highly efficient hormones, growth promoters, vitamins and minerals. The role of hydroponic nutrients is to increase protein content in the crop from 9% to 25%. This is brought by the nitrogen component of the solution, which is converted to protein by the activity of enzymes. Scientific studies showed that 1kg of green feed is nutritionally equivalent to 3 kg of lucerne. Moreover, the protein content of oats increases from 8% as a grain to 21% as an eight-day-old green feed. The germination of barley/oats seeds activates certain enzymes that in turn change the starch, protein and fats in the grain into simpler forms in the plant. Starch is changed into soluble sugars, which are generally better utilized in the rumen. The digestible fibre content of the green feed rises from 4.2% to 9%.
Overall, hydroponic systems can be classified into two main categories: a) open system and b) closed system. In the open system, the nutrient solution is mixed and applied to the plant as required, instead of being recycled. Examples of some open systems are growing beds, columns made out of tubular plastics or vertical and horizontal PVC pipes, individual containers e.g. pots, and plastic sacks. In the closed system, on the other hand, the nutrient solution is circulated continuously, providing the nutrients that the plant requires. Examples of closed systems include floating roots, nutrient film technique (NFT), plastic or polystyrene pots set up in columns.
My Work at Hydroponics Kenya
Figure 5. United Nations HQs in Nairobi. ©Sergiu Jiduc, 2014
My work at the hydroponics enterprise begun with a research and planning phase, whereby I researched all aspects of the company including the marketing strategies, sales figures, financial data, the performance of employees, the main competitors, partners, collaborators and suppliers to find the weaknesses and strengths of the company. Additionally, I carried out independent research on the processes and different models of social enterprises to better understand the business, marketing and branding process and therefore to be able to provide accurate and meaningful support. The next stage consisted of strategy development. After identifying key challenges and strengths of the enterprise, I developed a plan with clear aims and objectives reflecting what needs to be done and how. These objectives included: improve customer service, start an online marketing campaign, craft a new branding for the company, expand the client and collaborator network and increase company exposure. The last two steps of the plan consisted of implementation of the strategies and evaluation of results.
Figure 6. Peter presents his products at the United Nations conference on agriculture and food security. ©Sergiu Jiduc, 2014
One key and enjoyable activity that I carried out was networking and speaking at various public conferences, trade fairs and public presentations where I represented the company and its array of products and services. Overall, I participated at five major events, where for a cumulated period of over 18 days, I discussed with hundreds of interested individuals and potential or confirmed customers and collaborators. The most important event I participated at was hosted at the United Nation (UN)’s Office in Western Nairobi and was entitled “The International Share-fair on Rural Women's Technologies” to Improve Food Security, Nutrition, and Productive Family Farming (Figure 5). The event was memorable as I had the opportunity to meet important personalities and organizations such as the Presidents of the African Union, UN Women Branch, Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agriculture Development. During the three-day workshop, delegates celebrated the Intentional Day of Rural Women and the World Food Day through open discussions on matters such as the role of rural women in agriculture, food and nutrition security and farmer research link-ages. Some key issues raised by the UN committee included: i) the importance of African women in ensuring family nutrition and household food security and ii) the numerous constraints women continue to face in accessing appropriate finance and farming technologies. Additionally, it was suggested that Africa needs to increase food production by 200% by 2050 to meet both local and exports needs. This daring objective can only be achieved through the direct investment in innovative farming technologies, removal of gender-related barriers, and empowerment of women in agriculture. These investments will, in turn, lead to an increase in agricultural productivity, enhance livelihoods and improve household nutrition.
The hydroponics company was a key player at the UN event, due to the numerous benefits the hydroponic technology offers to agriculture and household nutrition. Many attendees were fascinated by “our” products and offered their support to promote the company. Other public events that I participated at included: the Nairobi International Trade Fair, the 6th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture, the Growth Africa Investment Event, and the Scenario Planning Workshop at the
Figure 7. Hydroponics Kenya website. ©Sergiu Jiduc, 2014
Agricultural Information Research Centre. One particularly exciting event was held at the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC), where the company is currently incubated. The World Bank President, Dr Jim Yong Kim, visited the KCIC, during his official visit to Nairobi and inspected the products and services marketed by the hydroponic company. It was a great pleasure meeting this inspirational character, a fact that proves the great opportunities for increasing volunteer exposure the ICSE programme offers. The Kenya Climate Innovation Centre is a World Bank infoDev initiative, the first in a global network of CIC's being launched by infoDev to support the development and scale-up of locally relevant climate technologies.
Besides corporate networking and public speaking, I also performed small market research using an effective feedback form and online means to identify the main customer profiles of the company and understand how to design the communication and marketing strategies. A key problem I identified in the company was the poor customer service of employees. As a means to resolve this issue, I designed a customer service guide and a full training manual, which was implemented to improve the customer – employee experience. Another important issue I identified in the company was the lack of any form of online marketing, a rather powerful marketing tool in our modern times that cannot be neglected. I rectified this issue by crafting an online marketing strategy focused on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus and a new business business-oriented address, where I quantified the company’s list of clients and collaborators. I also maintained a continuous dialogue with the company’s customers via e-mails, responded to queries, received feedback and informed them about the company’s products, services and offers. Additionally, I designed newsletters and multimedia material, which in turn I shared with the growing online audience. Most importantly, I designed a new user-friendly website with integrated plugins such as SEO. I also performed several training sessions with farmers at the company's office in Nairobi, wrote a grant application, coined an investor pitch presentation and slightly adjusted the company's business model and value proposition. Last but not least I developed a new photographic and graphic identity for the company, which is now successfully used in online marketing endeavours. The biggest achievement was the construction of a new branding strategy, which incorporated all relevant aspects regarding the visual and verbal identity of the company, promotion, advertising and communication strategies, customer relationship and suggestions and directions for future development. The preliminary results of my direct involvement in the company indicated an increase in sales of about 50% in November and an increase in online derived costumers by 160%.
Personal Development
The ICSE Kenya Programme was a brilliant opportunity to assess and develop both my soft and hard skills. It allowed me to explore and discover hidden qualities and skills which otherwise would still be covered with a thick layer of mystery. These were my main aims in this volunteering experience and the experience has proven to be successful in meeting my personal development goals. There is a strong focus in volunteering programmes on effective communication, leadership and teamwork, skills that I have considerably developed during the various activities I took part in Kenya both as an employee at Animal Mineral and Allied Hydroponics and team leader for the media subcommittee. Dealing with people is not easy and I learned this during my previous expedition projects in the high and remote mountains of our planet. The programme advanced my adaptive capacity and tolerance to adversity in the work environment. I believe I now have an improved awareness of how to use my personality traits and interpersonal communication skills effectively in the work environment to perform tasks successfully.
Figure 8. Blending in with the Kenyan culture. ©Sergiu Jiduc, 2014
Furthermore, thanks to the mentoring of my employer, Mr Peter Chege, I gained a better understanding of the enterprise process, primarily how to coin a business idea, business model, value proposition and perform cost-benefit analyses to facilitate investment and corporate partnership. I expanded my knowledge of climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions, with various examples in the food, water and energy sectors. Last but not least, I massively expanded my professional network, with contacts in the United Nations Branch of Africa, World Bank Organization, Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture, Kenya Climate Innovation Centre, Business Incubation centres such as Growth Africa, Micro-finance institutions and other enterprises operating both locally and internationally.
Of a more specific nature but equally important I considerably improved my hard skills related to i) marketing ii) branding and developing the identity, vision, mission and values of a company iii) web-developing; iv) publishing various information through newsletters; v) writing, editing and disseminating information and communicating it effectively through media platforms to large audiences; vi) crafting business pitches and investor presentations and performing cost-benefit analysis; vii) researching the market and performing a customer segmentation research and company user profiles, viii) understanding customer – employee – company relationship and crafting customer service guides to be used by employees; ix) understanding the art of corporate networking and developing an eye for spotting business opportunities and collaborations, and x) getting accustomed to the business jargon and using it appropriately.
a) In terms of community impact, there was a considerable increase in people’s awareness concerning the functionality of hydroponic farming technology, its benefits and how to implement it. Farmers in Kenya will continue to learn about hydroponic farming thanks to the online marketing campaign I initiated. I believe this, in turn, will lead to long - term improvements in farmers' livelihoods, particularly family nutrition and incomes. The potential for hydroponic farming in Sub-Saharan Africa is massive and if we are to increase food production globally by 70% by 2050 to feed the 9 billion people of our planet and mitigate or adapt to the diminishing freshwater resources, we need to promote clean, efficient and innovative food technologies such as hydroponics. I believe I contributed substantially to this scope. Furthermore, my collaboration with Mineral and Allied has led to a direct improvement of their brand, marketing, customer – employee – enterprise relationship, employee motivation and customer service, corporate networking and ultimately to an indirect increase in their sales. Overall, I provided Animal Mineral and Allied with an example of good work practice and the adequate business framework that can be used for further improvements.