Vivus

Combining agricultural crop and residue transportation with organic waste processing
Green Technologies
Accra
Ghana

VIVUS has developed an innovative rural transportation system enabling the efficient collection of small quantities of crops and agricultural waste in remote areas. The initiative then sells the crops in urban centers and converts the residues into biogas and fertiliser. Vivus combines three value chains in an innovative fashion: - Rural transportation: Selling pushcarts and bicycle carts and establishing an on-demand mobility services system. - Food crops: Collecting and marketing produce from smallholder farmers. - Agro-residues: Collecting and selling organic waste as a fuel source, and working towards setting up a biogas and fertiliser plant. Crops are transported to urban centres and sold to retailers and organised groups of female vendors. Residues are converted into fertiliser and biogas for electricity, cooking or use as fuel gas. 

Eco-Inclusive Impacts
VIVUS enables the efficient collection of small quantities of crops and agricultural waste in remote areas. The initiative then sells the crops in urban centres and converts the residues into biogas and fertiliser.
  • Increasing farmers' incomes by buying crops and residues, indirectly benefiting 1,200 family members.
  • Providing individuals with carts and other transportation, freeing up women and children from their physically demanding, time-consuming head-carrying duties.
  • Using emission-free carts and bicycles aids social and economic development without having a negative impact on the environment.
  • Spearheading agricultural residue recycling from smallholder farmers explores the untapped potential for resource efficiency.
  • Aiding the economic development of remote communities by creating access to affordable transportation.
  • Integrating smallholder farmers into the food crop and agro-residue value chains.

 

Partners

This initiative works to establish an innovative shared-infrastructure service for rural farmers, providing cargo bikes for the collection of crops as well as agro-residues which are converted to renewable energy sources such as biochar, charcoal and biofuels in a facility also set up by the initiative.

Vivus Ltd. develops the rural transportation system, collects and markets crops and agricultural waste.

Esoko Co. provides the software solution for a mobile-phone-based information system for crop farmers and vendors.

Ghana Bamboo Bikes develop the bamboo cargo bicycle.