The Songhai Experience
To become an entrepreneur in a challenged economy requires passion and leverage; not all budding entrepreneurs get this leverage, and might have to go through the proverbial carmel needle hole! For these guy,here is their story.
The fellows of the harambe Incubator for Sustainable Agricural and Rural Development-HISARD- embarked on the much envisaged training visit to the Songhai Integrated Systems on the 18th to 24th of October 2009.
Information about the Songhai centre
The fellows were given an orientation tour by Mr. Pascal Jabee. The centre started in port novo in 1985 with a 1hectare plot of land and over the years has grown from that to 17hectares. The Songhai centre has sites in the northern parts, 240ha, the central part 300ha and the western parts of the republic, 30ha.
The centre gets its name from the flourishing agriculture of the Songhai Empire of the 15th century.
The five-day visit to the Songhai Integrated Farms in the Republic of Benin has been a mot revealing experience; the Songhai farms being unique in the sense of the zero emission research initiative (minimal wastage).
The Songhai experience has proven that agriculture is a beautiful profession; another seemingly obvious feature of the Songhai Integrated systems is the use of locally sort materials is the different stages and phases of production.
The week long visit has further strengthened an undying resolve to bettering th agricultural sector.
The aspect of Songhai farms that really fascinated me the most is the Zero Emission Research Initiative policy of the farms, in which there is zero to minimal wastage. This system employs the conversion of plant and animal waste to compost, maggot and fish meals and Biogas, ensuring that there in maximal utilization of the resources.
Another fascinating aspect of the Songhai centre is the concept of training in learning by doing; an idea cherished and practiced by the Boy scouts. The staff and trainees of the centre have a daily routine of; resume at you unit by 7:30am, work till 9:45am, have breakfast at 10:00am, resume at your unit at 10:30am, work till 12:45pm, have lunch by 1:00pm, take a break till you resume at 3:00pm, and work till 6:30pm, go for dinner at 7:00pm and close for the day; ad infinitum.
The value chain of the Songhai Integrated Systems spans across the primary production phase (crops- animals), secondary production phase (processing and storage) and the tertiary production phase (commercial, / marketing).
Raw materials from the primary production are stored and processed into finished products and marketed by the commercial departments. In the chain, waste materials are collected to produce compost (organic manure) and biogas for cooking within the farm center.
The chain is simple but comprehensive. There is really no obvious aspect of the chain unattended to; however, the efficiency of the process can be improved upon by using more state of the art equipment in the juice processing plant, e.g. corking the bottles, placing labels, arranging in crates, etc.
The Songhai centre creates private value by the comprehensive staff training, internal raw materials production, which saves cost, having accommodation facilities within the farm and collaboration with the government of the republic.
For social value, the Songhai centre provides agricultural trainings for the citizens of the republic at no physical cost. The centre also provides quality fruit drinks and syrups, improved cereals and vegetables. The centre has also facilitated a thriving market for people of the republic.
The Songhai centre employs the services of Agricultural Economists, animal scientists, crop production and protection experts, agricultural extensions officers, soil scientists, marketers, accounts officers, ICT experts, hospitality managers, and engineers/technicians.
The production process of the Songhai centre, being an integrated system, and actively a training and research centre will have the plant breeding, cultivation, protection and other plant related researches and training by the plant scientists or crop production and protection experts.
The animal related processes, production, breeding and selections are taken care of by the animal scientists.
The aspect of management, marketing and other control functions are taken care of by agricultural economists.
For effective running of the Songhai centre mechanical and fabrications department, the service of technicians and agricultural engineers will be employed.
Soil scientists will actively be involved in soil tests, so as to determine the areas that best suits a particular crop type and the necessary improvements. The service of a soil scientist lso comes handy in the manufacture of compost.
For communicating the results of research and on-farm training, the agricultural extension expert is necessary.
As an integrated system, the Songhai centre’s ICT department and internet café will have to be managed by experts, to ensure regular update of the organization’s website and internet server.
The accommodations and lodging centers are better manage by hospitality managers and the services of experts in family nutrition and consumer sciences experts will be taken care of.
The level of technological innovations at the Songhai centre is commendable, and more obvious in the secondary production process. The equipment are fabricated within the Songhai centre. However, some are imported.
The centre makes use of locally made ovens and water filters made of clay, locally made poultry cages of bamboo, and locally made storage facilities.
The locally fabricated equipment however serves the purpose for which they are made and are easily replicated by small/medium start-up entrepreneurs.
Units visited during the training
Agriculture is a practical profession. The implication of this is that little will be gained at any agricultural training without active participation on the process.
At the short but revealing ‘entrepreneurial’ training visit to the Songhai centre, training was carried out in the following units, and fellows were actively involved in the processes;
- Compost unit: Learnt how to make compost (organic manure)
- Market Garden: requirements and technicalities of planting vegetables. Cabbage, lettuce, carrots etc.
- Broiler unit.
- Yoghurt and milk production unit.
- Fruit juice processing: learnt how to produce mango and baobab juice, how to cork and pack the juice in bottles.
The training has really opened a lot of opportunities in agricultural food chain that can be harnessed and exploited as an agri-business entrepreneur.
