Country of Residence
Nigeria
Age
17
Project title
Veyora Hydroponics solution
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
At Veyora, I'm building a digital-first hydroponics farming kit made from plastic waste(PVC pipes & disposable cups), I do this simply by converting PVC pipes into hydroponic farming kits,which promotes soilless farming and embeds the use of digital sensors like ESP32, water level & temperature sensors, whilst drivin a reduction in plastic wastes. Allowing households to grow crops safely indoors and within their compound using water efficient, nutrient reservoir and soiless farming technology.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://veyorahydroponics.simdif.com/
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Pilot-Stage (We’ve tried an activity or two)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
My founding story can be traced to growing up in a family of smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria, I started following my parents to the farm when I was 9, and by the time I was 12, i was actively involved in farming.But I had also experienced firsthand what it means when the farm is no longer safe.My brother and I were once on the farm when a minor disagreement with animal herders over our crops almost escalated into something much more serious and our lives were threatened. Although thankfully, through mediation, we were able to leave safely.But that experience stayed with me. I remember wondering: if farmers cannot safely access their farms, how do we expect them to keep producing the food we need?And this is not just my story, it's the story of millions of farmer's in Northern Nigeria, who struggle to access their farmlands and grow the food we need. That was where I began looking beyond conventional farming. I began asking: How can we create a safer way for people to grow food while giving some of this waste a productive second life?That question led to Vayora Hydroponic Kit farming solution!
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
At Veyora, We are addressing the growing challenge of food insecurity caused by unsafe and inaccessible farmlands, while tackling plastic waste through sustainable, technology-enabled urban farming. Our solution intends to solve 3 interconnected problems; 1. Limited access to farmland due to insecurity 2. Transitioning away from conventional farming system 3. Plastic waste management Dataphyte.com also reported a 47.2% decline in Nigeria's food production between Q1 2020 and Q1 2022, with insecurity including farmer-herder clashes and farmers' inability to access their farms identified among the factors contributing to the decline.So we face a difficult situation where we need more food, but for many communities, accessing the farm itself is becoming increasingly difficult and unsafe.That was where I began looking beyond conventional farming!
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
At Veyora, I'm building a digital-first hydroponics farming kit made from plastic waste(PVC pipes & disposable cups), I do this simply by converting PVC pipes into hydroponic farming kits,which promotes soilless farming and embeds the use of ESP32 as the brain controller & other supporting sensors (Water level, humidity &temperature sensors) These sensors collect and transmit real-time data to our digital platform(App) allowing users to monitor the condition of their crops directly from their smartphones, giving them greater control over their farms from wherever they are and allowing households to grow crops safely indoors and within their compound using water efficient, nutrient reservoir and soiless farming technology.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Considering we're at early stage, we envision our impact to; 1. To promote households farming & in-turn increase national food production in Nigeria. 2. To cut down plastic waste pollution 3. To promote safety in farming, because people don't necessarily need to go to farms. 4. Curtail food insecurity. 5. To drive employment opportunities for youths and women in our value can as they will serve as waste aggregators and logistical point of contact. 6. Promote SDG 1,2,12 &13 7. Eliminates the need to travel to distant or unsafe farmlands 8. Protects farmers from attacks, theft, or kidnapping Ideal for conflict-prone regions like the North central 9. To drive the intersection of plastic waste and agric tech innovation by repurposing plastic waste into hydroponics farming kits operating a circular economy model
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
My solution is tech-enabled via embedding the use of sensors like the ESP32 as the brain controller & other supporting sensors (Water level, humidity &temperature sensors) These sensors collect and transmit real-time data to our digital platform(App) allowing users to monitor the condition of their crops directly from their smartphones, giving them greater control over their farms from wherever they are. Also more importantly is the circular economy model of my solution in converting plastic waste and repurposing them in hydroponics farming kits. This is important for a nation like Nigeria, where the World bank had reported a 2.5 million tons of plastic waste discarded annually & leading to environmental pollution.
How many people are on your team?
2
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Martha Umahonlen: Co-founder & CEO Mary Umahonlen: Co-founder & Lead Operations & Marketing
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
1. Complete market research and direct field survey. 2. Continue to take direct feedbacks from first users of our product to help us further improve. 3. Complete our sales test phase with the milestone of selling our first 25 hydroponics kit. 4. Fully launch our solution and drive sales, promote SDG's, create employment opportunities across the value chain.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
1. Through community services 2. Through Clubs, farmer cooperatives & attending networking events. 3. Through practical workshop where people can see how the kit works & learn how to grow food at home. 4. Using Digital & Social media to educate people of our work & the intersection of using plastic waste for agri-tech innovation. 5. Through launching our volunteering program where youths can serve as aggregators, users or implementation Partners.
