Vipani is a result of my lifelong experience of being a farmer and working with farmers whose hard work and desire to prosper are hampered by a marketplace that does not work for the them.

Thomas George, Vipani Founder

Vipani is a fairly new and revolutionary non profit orginization founded in 2004. We are a group of

people dedicated to helping those living in absolute poverty through the Vipani Method.

With a dedicated local staff, hardworking management and an inspiring CEO, we are

working to help the poorest of the poor establish a life of permanent prosperity.

About Us

Our Mission, Our Vision

MissionVipani’s mission is to enable even the poorest of farmers to overcome poverty--

permanently. We do not give anything for free. Instead, we help even extremely impoverished farmers access everything they need to farm their small plots, pay for all costs and make a profit. We believe that every poor farmer has the capacity for enterprise; what is required is a marketplace

where their enterprises can turn a profit. When the marketplace works for the poorest, it works for all by building a prospering communities from the

grassroots.

VisionProsperous rural communities throughout the developing world

The Problem:

90 % of the world’s poor, live in rural areas. The majority are extremely poor farmers who are not reached by anti-poverty measures such

as microcredit or technology.

Because of this: • They face multiple challenges that cannot be helped by any one measure• They live in hopelessness and desperation, lacking sufficient food, money or assets• They live a life that is neither valued nor dignified by themselves or others• Their capacity to contribute to society is not valued by themselves or others• They are rarely trusted by others, and they are hesitant to trust others• They are dejected and rejected, and live in a space excluded from the rest• They have little say on the outcome of exchanges of goods and services they make with

others

The Big Picture

Imagine for one minute that;You live in absolute poverty. You, your spouse, and your 6 kids have one meal a day, but not on a regular basis. With no education and no assets, you resort to subsistence farming in order to put some food on the table. However, since you lack the funds to buy good seeds and you have no prior education on farm management, every harvest ends poorly. You try again next season, but bad weather, invasive pests and fluctuating market prices cause yet another mediocre harvest. This cycle seems endless, and despair sets in as your children get sicker and never get the chance to go to school.

This is what it is like to live under the poverty line in rural communities. Only we can help them.

Farmers Here and ThereHere:• Access to knowledge and technology• Access to secure and stable markets• Loans and funds available to increase

production

There:• Limited or no knowledge or technology• No access to stable markets• No capital to get started/improve production• No way to break the cycle of poverty

Enter Vipani

Step 1: Building a team to build a future- Our team in Kenya is made up of local people that are educated and stand behind the Vipani method.- Crop doctors educate and guide the farmers to ensure that pesticides, fertilizers, and farm management are working towards a successful harvest. - Unit managers, accountants and assistants make sure that everything runs smoothly

Step 2: Indentifying what will sell- We farm green beans which are easy to grow and have a high profit margin- 1 kg of bean seeds can yields an average of at least 300kg beans

Enter Vipani

Step 3: Ensuring a successful harvest- Crop doctors are educated in agronomy and soil science - Responsible for up to 80 farmers - Oversee correct use of pesticides and fertilizer- Ensure that beans will be up to buyer’s standards- Convey their skills and knowledge to the farmers

Step 4: Bringing together farmers, buyers and suppliers- In order to create a stable market place we have built a relationship with KHE, the farmers and the local supplier of seeds and farming equipment- Through this we make sure that there is a stable, profitable market for the farmers to have access to.

Impacting Farmer’s Lives Since 2004

BEFORE• Renter• Mud house/roof• Kids not in school

– Can’t afford school uniforms– Have to work to support

family

• No medical care• Walks 3 miles for water• Can’t afford meat • Sick spouse can’t work

AFTER• Land owner• Concrete house with metal

roof• Kids attend school• Access to medical care

and medicine• Has a water pump• Owns livestock• Meals include meat• Spouse works

Increase in Daily Disposable Income

$0.00

$0.50

$1.00

$1.50

$2.00

$2.50

W/o Vipani 250kg Yield 300kg Yield 350kg Yield

Daily SalaryWorld Poverty Line

Vipani Cost Model

• One Farmer:– Cost per farmer for production input is around $45 per batch

• Money for seeds• Pesticides• Fertilizer(2x)• Advisory • Spraying• Grading

– Harvest time is concluded after 70 days• 250kg yields $101 profit/batch for farmer

– 351% income increase

• 300kg yields $129 profit/batch for farmer – 450% income increase

• 350kg yields $158 profit/batch for farmer– 550% income increase

Vipani Cost Model

• One unit– Cost $1500/month to maintain and operate

• Unit Manager• Unit Manager assistant• Crop doctor• Office/accounting• Collection center rent• Utilities

Meet Geoffrey Maina - 2004Has two jobs, is hard-working……but not a great future• Five kids• Wife chronically ill• A single rented room• Walks miles for water• Day-time farmer• Night-time tailor• Protein-deficient• Kids not in school• Living off 44 cents a day

..who will fall deeper

into poverty…One of

millions…

A Permanent Path to ProsperityFarmer Geoffrey Maina

Joined Vipani November 2004

Farm profits $2,500 in 2007

New assets •Owns 1000 m2 land • New concrete home• Several pigs• Water pump• Cell phone• Wife sells vegetables•Children are attending school

Local: The Key Vipani Advantage

• Everyone involved is local – Understand the local economy

• Buyers, suppliers, customers– Educated about local growing conditions and crop

cycles– Easily adaptable to any impoverished community– Flexible, relationship-based “on the ground” programs

• More effectively meet individual farmer’s needs• Able to adapt to changes - weather, illness, births deaths, etc.

Vipani brings it all together in a lasting structure that enables everyone to prosper - especially the farmers

How Vipani is DifferentVipani Others

Focused on the poorest, hard working farmers and their families

Focus on the less needy that already have some level of success

Farmers become self sufficient Short-term impact as long a donations keep coming

90% success rate Lower long term success rate

Candidate farmers must meet initial and ongoing ‘work success’ criteria

No recipient success criteria

Takes farmers beyond subsistence -- continued 5X growth after 3 years

Short-lived success - steady decline or failure after donation dollars run out

Providing a program, which requires hard work and dedication , with proven short and long term results

Handouts that do nothing in the long run

Local Vipani staff on performance-based incentive compensation

Overhead costs not tied to performance

Ripple through and revitalize the local economy - from the farmer’s children to the local supply chain

Focus is hand-crafted gift items that go out of fashion or can be mass produced - not on farmers or the sustained health of the immediate local economy

Why Donate to Vipani

Millions of Geoffreys to Reach

We need your support, today!

2004 2008

Vipani Founder, Thomas George

• Born and raised in a small-farm family in Kerala, India• Ph.D. in agronomy and soil science, University of Hawaii• Past 5-years at Stanford University• 15 years in international agriculture; research, extension,

loan appraisal, technology transfer; several countries; many honors and awards

• Founded Vipani based on lifelong experience of being a farmer and working with farmers whose hard work and desire to prosper are hampered by a marketplace that does not work for the them

Get Involved

Donations– So we can continue to help thousands that

otherwise will continue on in the endless cycle of poverty

– Enable families to buy medicine, children to go to school, and every human to have at least one meal a day

Visit us at www.vipani.org