GreenPath Food: Green Marketplaces and Permanent-Agriculture Systems for Smallholder Farmers
Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.
Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?
Financial Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?
Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?
Founding Story
Team
Funds for NGOs newsletter
Co-Founder, Director of Operations
No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action.
While working at Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) I drove the development of the Ethiopian Soil Information System (EthioSIS). EthioSIS became a 60-person operation, deploying 7 teams to all corners of the country to collect soil samples with the goal of creating one of the most detailed national-level soil maps in the world. During this period I created a soil tracking system from scratch, developed data flows, and oversaw the installation of vital equipment. I both lived in rural settings participating in physical activities while also preparing presentations for the ATA's CEO and the Minister of Agriculture, covering the entire spectrum of the project work.
Following this initiative, I was asked by the ATA's CEO to launch a new ICT for Agriculture team within the organisation. Here, I pioneered the design of the Ethiopian government's first free phone (IVR) and text-message based information system for smallholder farmers. Last year this system received over 1 million call ins from farmers.
These are two highlights from a career that I have dedicated towards improving the lives of low-income families through my work in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Malawi and Tanzania. I have learned a tremendous amount about East Africa as a region, and agriculture as the occupation of most rural populations.
Our formal advisory board consist of Mirafe Marcos (Deputy CEO of the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency), Joseph Shields (CEO of EthioChicken and Partner at Flow Equity), Eliot Coleman (Leading sustainable farmer and author), Avihai Ilan (Leading fruit tree agronomist) and Eden Getachew (Governance Advisor, Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative)
Our international partners consist of MIT's D-Lab, Public Service Center and Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship, and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
Our Ethiopian (or Ethiopian-based partners) consist of the Government of SNNP Region, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), SOS Sahel Ethiopia and the Butajira Center for Horticulture Excellence.
Our retail partners consist of 4 domestic and international food retailers.
Our pro-bono legal teams consist of lawyers from the Harvard Transactional Law Clinic and the Michigan Law Clinic.
We also continue to interact with a number of current and former angel investors and venture capitalists based in East Africa and the United States, providing our management team a strong set of advisors on specialist topics when required.