GreenWorks is Pioneering the Livestock Feed Revolution in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is mainly an agrarian society, with 70% of it's population directly dependent on the agriculture sector to make a living. Agriculture constitutes 18% of the national GDP and is seeing greater trides being taken to disrupt the conventional ways of farming and land productivity using digital technology. Sebastian Sibanda has stepped up with his innovative venture called GreenWorks which aims to assist farmers save money by providing fresh, nutritious and affordable livestock feed in the form of organic, GMO-free, pesticide-free fodder. GreenWorks uses vertical hydroponics farming which requires no soil, save for a water based, nutrient rich solution and adequate lighting to culture a protein-rich green fodder suitable for cows, goats, horses, as well as chickens.

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What was the idea behind GreenWorks?

GreenWorks was inspired by the second Sustainable Development Goal of ending world hunger by 2030. Food security is one of the greatest challenges facing the world right now. Animal protein is an essential part of the food basket and as a result, feeding livestock has become part of the struggle to feed a growing population using a shrinking food resource due to climate change induced drought and destruction of natural pasture caused by overgrazing. I was looking for a solution for my parents’ cattle at the farm, where there wasn’t sufficient grazing land. There was no feed for cattle and when I was doing my research I came up with this invention, which was used in Australia in 1932. I then adapted it to Zimbabwean conditions.

Why was the GreenWorks project implemented?

Greenworks was implemented to ensure that no farmer is forced to watch their livestock starve to death as a result decreased pasture land. The major objective of the company is to provide livestock farmers with high quality fodder all year round at an affordable cost while maintaining environmental sustainability by reducing land degradation through overgrazing. GreenWorks intends to develop 59 district centers to produce and sell livestock fodder to farmers across Zimbabwe.

What does GreenWorks do?

GreenWorks fodder is the first product of this nature to the Zimbabwean market. GreenWorks helps farmers make more money by providing fresh, nutritious, natural and affordable livestock fodder. We are growing this fodder at home in the garage, in what we call vertical farming. The fodder is new in Zimbabwe and it is drought resistant as it uses 20 litres of water to grow 300 kilograms of feed unlike other fodder that use 500 litres for 300 kilograms.The fodder will therefore assist farmers in times of drought as about 30,000 cattle starve to death yearly.

How does GreenWorks impact the community?

80% of cattle in Zimbabwe are located in rural areas and 40% of those cattle are in dry natural regions IV and V which are Masvingo, Matabeleland and Midlands. Providing affordable livestock feed will increase farmer income by 12% in those regions. There is also an opportunity for farmers to supply organic animal products to international markets.

What are GreenWorks’ most noticeable achievements to date?

GreenWorks has sold over 9 tonnes of fodder to 8 customers with 3 of them on contract. GreenWorks is an award winning startup and has received recognition from: First prize US$5,000 at 2019 Youth Connekt Bus Tour (Midlands), Best Agriculture Businesses at 2019 ZITF Innovators Forum, Best Green Technology Business at the 2019 CBZ YEP Awards and Top 5 Finalist at the 2019 ILO GreenEnterPrize Challenge.

What challenges have been encountered in building this startup?

Setting up hydroponics fodder production plants is capital intensive and as a result the main challenge GreenWorks has faced is securing investment capital. The second challenge has been gaining the confidence of farmers when introducing a new product that was new to the Zimbabwean market.

Any future plans for the growth of GreenWorks?

In 2020 GreenWorks will expand nationally by setting up 59 district centers that will bring this innovative product to farmers across Zimbabwe and Africa. In that period GreenWorks will also begin its African expansion beginning by setting up Rwanda in the second quarter of 2020.

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