Why Greenhouses?
Affordable Greenhouses have the potential to revolutionize the agricultural landscape for smallholder farmers in communities around the world. Greenhouses are permanent glass or plastic-covered structures that allow farmers to grow vegetables and fruits year-round through mechanically controlled temperature and irrigation systems. To use a greenhouse, farmers simply plant their crops (as they would in an open field) under the greenhouse where the microclimate is much more favorable for plant growth. While greenhouses are not a new technology to Africa—large-scale commercial farmers use them quite frequently to boost year-round productivity—our research on materials, design concepts and construction processes in the US, Kenya, and Tanzania have contributed to an innovative product that creates value through its low-cost and accessibility to small-scale, rural farmers.
Food Security
HESE Affordable Greenhouses provide shelter from both the heavy rains and scorching sun, and decreases likelihood of crop failure from the heavier monsoons and drought. Greenhouses are usable year-round and provides a more controlled environment for agriculture, reduces water consumption, and ensures crop production despite seasonal fluctuations in weather. Being able to cultivate crops year-round guarantees greater food security and simultaneously ensures that users have a decreased risk of unemployment and urban migration. Urban migration triggers a complex cascade of social challenges in urban as well as rural areas.
Low-Potential Land Cultivation
The greenhouse reduces water losses in plants by up to 30% by reducing the process of evapo-transpiration. Also, the water use per unit yield could be lowered by up to an additional 50% by the usage of a drip irrigation system inside the greenhouse. This water reduction allows the user expand their definition of cultivable land from the high- and mid-potential zones to areas that were previously deemed unsuitable for cultivation. Farmers are then enabled to expand their customer base to regions that are presently thought to have low potential for cultivation.
Large scale industrial investments in agriculture continue to happen, but to address the root of the problem, it is essential to target smallholder farmers. Thus, there’s a pressing need for a grassroots level approach.
Affordable, Durable, and Expandable
Important differences between the Affordable Greenhouses and greenhouses currently available in the market include:
More specifically:
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Access to expert agents after greenhouse sale, with advisory roles related to agronomy, nutrition and market linkages
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Total cost under $500 with locally-sourced materials, with the exception of special plastic glazing
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Portable and expandable design, enabling farmers to increase size of greenhouses as profits rise
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Two-day construction by two people, trained using a highly-visual builder’s manual
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Five-year lifespan
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High social impact market segment, including subsistence farmers, mostly women, living on less than US $2/day
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Address the problem of seasonal unemployment with year-round crop growth, with higher profits during the off-season
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Crops reduce growing time by 30%; tomatoes that take 3 months to grow outdoors can be grown in 2 months in our greenhouses
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Crop yields increase by at least 300%
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Water consumption can be conserved by up to 60%
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Return on investment is 4-6 months
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