Takachar: Freeing rural farmers’ unhealthy dependence on expensive imported fertilizers
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
Kevin
Kung
Takachar
, MA, Cambridge, Middlesex County
, NA, Kibera Slum, Nairobi
18-34
Male
Less than a year
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Operating for less than a year
Access to supply chains, Access to technology, Access to economic opportunity.
Takachar is the second generation of the charcoal project developed at MIT's D-Lab, which has been implemented in about 20 developing countries, such as Haiti (66 workshops, 1000 producers), Rwanda, China, and Niger. In Jan 2012, Takachar's "dry run" charcoal-making pilot in Rumuruti was highly successful: since then, the project has taken off in two villages (about 2000 people each), creating 20 new jobs (to replace illegal logging). Recently, Takachar and the Rumuruti Forest Association received a US$37500 UNDP grant, a major component of which is to expand the charcoal project to 7 other villages around Rumuruti, consisting of 19000 houses. In Kibera, since June 2012, Takachar has been working with the Zulu Youth Group to sort organic waste and make charcoal, with exciting initial results. The production of charcoal briquettes has already started, currently at 10 kg/day. After we optimize the charcoal binder, the product will go to market at the end of 2012.
Our project will fully engage existing/new local entrepreneurial groups in Kibera's waste management. Currently, many local groups are under-capacity which means that the members need to find other odd jobs to supplement their income. By 2013, our partner group's work will require 25 full-time members, as opposed to the current 15 part-time members (covering the waste management of 250 houses). By 2014, there will be 250 more job opportunities via local groups or Takachar, managing the waste of 5000 households.
At this scale, we can properly manage 10 tons/day of urban waste in Kibera, triple the income of the members of the partnering entrepreneurial groups, mitigate 8 tons/day of greenhouse CO2 equivalent, and save 3500 trees/year.
Fully implement the waste-sourcing model with one pilot local entrepreneurial group (Zulu Youth Group).
Complete mapping the collection routes and engage in conversation with the group regarding potential expansion.
Discuss and potentially improve on the waste collection pricing structure based on the spatial distribution of income.
Complete the piloting of small-scale charcoal production, focusing on optimizing the briquette properties for marketability.
Extend our waste management service to 2000 households in two villages in Kibera.
Identify (or form) 3 more local waste-managing groups in the targeted catchment area and work with their specific needs.
In partnership with CFK, undertake a massive community marketing campaign (door-to-door, community forums, SMS, etc.)
Raise sufficient funds (US$50000) to construct a centralized charcoal production facility with a 1 ton/day capacity.
We are partnering with Carolina for Kibera (CFK), a well-respected Kibera-based NGO that has access to a network of local groups in its "Trash Is Cash" program, which has waste management as their top priority. CFK also regularly holds community forums/door-to-door campaigns, which we can use for publicity/marketing. We partner with the Nairobi Fab Lab to develop technical/engineering designs together in the local context. We have also collaborated on a research protocol with Dr. Gichuhi's group at the University of Nairobi, which is interested in monitoring and evaluating our impact.
From our experience with different charcoal projects, we can also offer consulting (a) for groups wanting to start their charcoal projects from organic waste, or (b) for existing projects to use our lab set-up to characterize their briquettes for emission safety. We have already collaborated on a consulting project with the Inter-American Development Bank in Haiti, with revealing results.