Kembé Chicken Farm in Haiti
Overview
Category: Agriculture/Farming
Event: Global Social Business Competition 2012
Website: www.kembe.nl
Team: Kembe Foundation
Project Status
Gros-Morne, Haiti
Gros-Morne is a growing community of the struggling working class and subsistent farmers located in the Artibonite department of Haiti between Gonaives and Port-de-Paix. Gros-Morne has a growing population of about 125,000 incorporating eight communal sections. Thisarea has to deal with numerous struggles but the most prevalent ones revolve around the issue of food resources, work availability and thus a self-sustainable economy. To form a sustainable solution for this situation, Kembé decided to start a social-entrepreneurial project. After setting up the business, it will be released, as it is self-sustaining.
After substantial research, it was chosen to set up a chicken farm. This business was chosen from from a number of potential projects, including growing mushroom and a handicraft business.
A chicken farm in Haiti
Currently, eggs are massively imported from Dominican Republic. Additionally, eggs are very nutritious and the hens can be sold after they are too old for egg production.In order to improve access to this good, the Kembé Foundation will set up an egg laying facility to house 1500 hens producing an average of 1200 eggs per day. This would account for about 15% of the current market and give local merchants a cheaper and more convenient alternative to their current supplier.
Business rationale
Currently, all eggs are produced and imported over bumpy roads from neighboring country Dominican Republic. Since our eggs will be locally produced transportation costs and risk of damage will be decreased. Additionally this project will work with the local community in general to educate and improve the poultry market as a whole in Gros-Morne. The market for this basic good is huge, and given the dominant position of the Dominican companies, margins are high. Consequently, profit potential is huge.
Benefits
First of all, our farm will provide jobs to 5 employees to service the hen house. Moreover, an independent sales force will be created of around 50 vendors to distribute our products. This sales force consists of currently unemployed people (unemployment rate of around 80%). Given that the average household in this region of Haiti consists of 8 members (including grand parents to support), Kembé may have an direct impact of up to 450 people. Additionally, the enterprise will have positive impacts upon surrounding agricultural businesses as, for instance, byproduct of corn production may be used to feed the chicken. This results into additional income for surrounding corn farmers.
