2020 for All!
A Cause Where YOU CAN
Make a Difference!
Intestinal
Related Illness
V.A.D *
&
These Problem(s) We Can Solve! (the potential ~ 312 children saved per day!!!!)
(An outline of the solution is clearly defined below!)
* V.A.D.= Vitamin A Deficiency
Vitamin A Deficiency is the leading cause of
PREVENTABLE childhood blindness and increases the risk
of death from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea . .
ref: https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/vitamin-a-deficiency/
(February 2019)
V.A.D
(Vitamin A Deficiency)
Diarrheal Related
Illness
& edit
The Potential Solutions!
* Sweet Potato(Orange Flesh)- High in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Fiber, Choline, Potassium etc....
see Food Value Chart Here
A Diet Rich in
Sweet Potato*
Smart Farming **
6 Surprising Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes (Orange Flesh) (read more . . . )
1. Highly Nutritious
2. Promote Gut Health
3. May Have Cancer-Fighting Properties
4. Support Healthy Vision
5. May Enhance Brain Function
6. May Support Your Immune System
ref:
In Addition:
SWEET POTATO LEAVES are Vitamin K and A rich vegetable support for blood clot, heart ailments, bone density, brain health, gum health and inflammation.
**What is Smart Farming?
"Smart farming or Smart Agriculture is the term used to describe the adoption of modern information and communications technologies in order to enhance, monitor, automate or improve agricultural operations and processes." YES, we can (& need) to EMPOWER the small farmer!!
Large farms hire dedicated experts/specialists but small-farm success will depend on "virtual" experts that help make good decisions before failures occur.
The Sweet Potato Benefits:
UN: "...farmers across the globe will have to grow 70% more food in 2050 than they did in 2006 ..."
ref:
1 CUP = 769% of our minimum daily requirement!!!!
ref:
(10 2019)
"Vitamin A supplementation:
High-dose vitamin A supplementation helps maintain strong immune systems and can reduce all-cause mortality by 24% and cases of diarrhea by 15%. Children between the ages of 6-59 months should be protected with 2 high-dose supplements of vitamin A every year in countries with high under-five mortality or where vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem."
The University of California, Davis is a great resource,we established:
The Total Solution: (Sweet Potato)
Smart Farming + Diet = a major V.A.D. Answer!!!
"According to the World Health Organization (WHO) an estimated 250 million preschool children are Vitamin A deficient. An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 of Vitamin A deficient children become blind every year, half of them
dying within 12 months of losing their sight."
(May 2019)
ref:
(2019)
"Hidden Hunger - is a lack of vitamins and minerals. . . occurs when the quality of food people eat does not meet their nutrient requirements . . ."
Haiti
Cameroon -------
To meet this challenge, we will need BOTH large farms & small farms. Smart Farming may be one of the answers that the small farmer needs! Cloud-based controls & expert advice can help their success!!
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V.A.D
Diarrheal Related
Illness
&
Sweet Potato
Smart Farming
Philippines (1)
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We Address 7 Goals:
"The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. Click on any specific Goal below to learn more about each issue."
Haiti (2)
Our Sweet Potato farms are thriving:
1. Philippines:
Our Alignment:
3
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is also a source of knowledge and information, and helps developing countries in transition, modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all. (Read More: . . )
6 Surprising Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes Read more . . . (see #'s 2 & 4 below)
1. Highly Nutritious
2. Promote Gut Health
3. May Have Cancer-Fighting Properties
4. Support Healthy Vision
5. May Enhance Brain Function
6. May Support Your Immune System
A quote from a recent
UN report stated:
"...digitalization has the
immense potential that could
deliver around $100 trillion in
value to business and society
over the next decade . . ."
ref: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=20000&nr=4316&menu=2993
While this # ($100 trillion) may be mind boggling, it does show the value & need to (at least) explore the 17 UN Goals. Our push towards smart/precision farming of sweet potatoes is only 1 example.
Sustainablity* = Smart Farming =
CONSERVATION?
One very important talk (to continue) with the N.R.C.S (Natural Resources Conservation Service) was that Smart Farming (along with good financial controls & reporting) may be 1 KEY to the success of farming - Smart Farming will certainly help CONSERVE conventional farming resources. Any failure of farms negates any & all conservation efforts.
A program that helped small-scale farmers in Mozambique grow vitamin A-rich orange-fleshed sweet potatoes cut rates of children’s diarrhea by 40 to 50 percent, according to a new study. (read more …) Did you know the greens of the sweet potato are as rich in nutrients as spinach & kale? Nutrition education: read more
Great Example of Education
(SCM - the management of the flow of goods and services) & the after-market production of the harvested sweet potato will bring many types of opportunities & jobs: sweet potato flour, soups (made w/ the green leaves of the plant) etc.... Many other opportunities exist w/ smart-farming & related technologies. (see FooNow online ordering, below
Supply Chain Management
"Least developed countries have immense potential for industrialization in food and beverages (agro-industry), and textiles and garments, with good prospects for sustained employment generation and higher productivity . . In developing countries, barely 30 per cent of agricultural production undergoes industrial processing. In high-income countries, 98 % is processed. This suggests that there are great opportunities for developing countries in agribusiness."
Industry, Innovation . . .
"...There also needs to be significant focus on operating on supply chain, involving everyone from producer to final consumer. This includes educating consumers on sustainable consumption and lifestyles, providing them with adequate information through standards and labels and engaging in sustainable public procurement, among others.:"
"...A successful sustainable development agenda requires partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society. These inclusive partnerships built upon principles and values, a shared vision, and shared goals that place people and the planet at the centre, are needed at the global, regional, national and local level..."
See Also: Tim Maurer's collaboration w/ the UN's Sustainable* Goals:
http://giftsmartfarming.psnc.pl/
* (Sustainable systems are closely related to permaculture, which includes "whole systems thinking") - see: Wikipedia Definition
Please Care to Make a Difference!
(How YOU can help - - call or text Steve at 860.483.1800)
1. FEEDBACK - What do you think? How do you think you can help?
2. STAY in TOUCH - We'd like to send you updates as to our progress. We promise NOT to overwhelm you - maybe 2 or 3 updates a month. If you've read this far, only if you reply back to our email, will we continue to send you updates.
3. YOUR EXPERTISE - Everyone has something to offer. You?
4. Donations/Investment - We are not a non-profit yet, but are affiliated with G.I.F.T (Global Institute for Transformation) and FJN (the Father Joseph Network) so if your are compelled to make a donation now, these are excellent non-profits that you can help immediately. Specifically, for this project, our 1st goal is to upgrade SiFTeR to be "Cloud-ready", so that it's benefits can be used across the globe. see also the business plan for FooNow: http://www.foonow.com/Biz%20Plan20.pdf
V.A.D
Diarrheal Related
Illness
&
Sweet Potato
& (Cantelope *)
Smart Farming
Philippines (1)
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UN
Haiti (2)
Sustainable Goals
Father Joseph Network
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SiFTeR
1. SiFTeR - creator of legacy
Project/Financial
Management Software.
(read more . . )
2. CEO of FooNow Inc. -
creator of online
ordering/procurement -
ideal for Supply Chain
Management.
3. DataTrack Software -
creator of legacy
accounting Software.
4. BSEE / ASEE & 10+
yrs. w/ automated controls & integration of hardware/ software systems. 35+ years of software design.
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FooNow Inc.
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Solutions that FooNow Inc. Can Provide:
(with a little help from you!)
1. SiFTeR* (PC-based - needs to be upgraded to be cloud-based)
A. The best demonstration of SiFTeR* is the conversion of the Father Joseph Network Sweet Potato Business Plan Spreadsheet to SiFTeR: (see below at bottom)
*SiFTeR = "Sort", "Filter", "Tabulate", Report
B. a general description of SiFTeR: http://foonow.com/sifter/
C. A "Habitat-Tracking" system created years ago for the Audubon Center of Southbury CT:
Legacy
Accounting
A.P. A.R. GL Payroll Commissions Ordering
V.A.D
Diarrheal Related
Illness
&
Sweet Potato
Smart Farming
Philippines (1)
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(3)
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UN
Haiti (2)
Sustainable Goals
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Group
Past Associations & Potential New Partners:
G.I.F.T Foundation:
Tim Maurer (FJN, GiFT,
see resume)
_________________________________
N.C.R.S.:
Dr. Charles Kome (USDA, NCRS - National Leader, Soil Science. (Strong Interest in Cameroon!!) see resume
_________________________________
Father Joseph Network:
Father Joseph B. Philippe,
CSSp, Founder and Coordinator of APF, UNIF, Sisters of St. Anthony of Fondwa, Fonkoze and FJN (Father Joseph Network) (Tim Maurer & I are board members). see resume
____________________________________
Farm OS - is a web-based application for farm management, planning, and record keeping. It is developed by a community of farmers, developers, researchers, and organizations with the aim of providing a standard platform for agricultural data collection and management. (read more)
In my conversations w/ Farm OS, it was determined that having a strong cloud-based Accounting solution to help manage farms (to help insure their success, would be valuable.
2. WorkFlow Manager (PC-based) - Complete multi-project management system.
Uses auto-email (or text) notification to alert each project member of their
coming duties (w/ or w/o attached documentation). Combined w/ SiFTeR, this system could manage 100's of Smart-Farms, including financial data, necessary to insure their success
for a detailed slideshow, see: http://foonow.com/wfm/
3. FooNow Inc. (Multi-lingual, Visual/A.R.-based, Custom eCommerce Solutions - details of each available upon request.):
a. Wholesale Distribution (Inventory, Ordering, payments etc... online)
b. Custom Online Food Ordering (direct to the consumer)
c. C.S.A. (Community-supported agriculture) - a custom system allowing shares
to be distributed (online) according to various harvested crops per week.
d. "Timely Offers" * - a potential solution to food waste. More importantly, our
systems are real-time - perishable foods can be presented online, w/ appropriate
cooking/packing instructions, & sold, most likely at some discount to the consumer.
Our "Package Deal" online system also allows a food business to easily creature
pseudo-catering packages to "use up" excess foods & sell to consumers in
quantities at a discount. Imperfect produce can now be made available to the
masses. (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDFOFC4mUIQ (non-visual)
* courtesy of - Tim Maurer - GiFT
4. Data Import/Export Expertise: I personally have a good deal of software experience importing & exporting data from a variety of data sources/destinations. Data flexibility & integration will be key to future connectivity among existing smart Farm & accounting systems.
5. Collaboration is Essential (see UN Goal # 17, above):
A great deal of work has already been done & we MUST come together & share our expertise. We can not afford to "reinvent the wheel". Also, with the coming food production & distribution demands, collaboration is essential.
Donor Reluctance! Due to past misappropriation of funds (especially in Haiti), Investors are hesitant to donate/invest. We believe all monies received for helping to solve the V.A.D. problem, should be allocated to specific "sub"-projects as that investor sees fit. As projects progress, timely reports will be issued, detailing the progress of the specific project that the investor/donor has allocted their funds to spport.
Brainstorming w/ Charles Kome this past week, we thought it would be a good (proposed) idea to request funds from investors to purchase (Stanley Black & Decker?) solar irrigation pumps for Cameroon & donate the actual pumps to their much needed water needs.
Smart Farming Chart: (image courtesy of the Poznan Computer Group)
(and how FooNow Inc can help)
Golden Rice - although this genetically engineered rice is now finally approved by the FDA* (not intended for human or animal use in the US, however ), it has still not been established as a staple crop in the countries that need Vitamin A the most. Golden Rice” contains up to 35 μg β-carotene per gram of rice, where sweet potatoes have have 115 μg β-carotene per gram -- 329% greater!! (Besides all of the other fiber, vitamins & minerals that the orange-flesh potato has). see also sweet potato Food Value Chart Here
Because SiFTeR can import a financial MS Spreadsheet (preferably pre-formatted), any general business plan can be utilized & serve as an ongoing management/financial tool. With the "donor reluctance" of the countries most in need, I believe a good financial plan will be critical for new farms to obtain investment money!
Steve Collette, BSEE, ASEE, SiFteR, & Foonow
(see resume) (MS Word)
(see resume) (PDF - Quality to improve)
Angie Nguyen (Undergraduate Academic Advisor & Graduate Program Coordinator International Agricultural Development (IAD)
The University of California, Davis is a great resource:
* ". . . the concentration of beta-carotene in GR2E rice is too low to warrant a nutrient content claim . . ."
The following spreadsheet * (created by the Father Joseph Network team) is an example of how SiFTeR can take a business plan to the next level. One of the benefits of SiFTeR is how a new smart farm can create a spreadsheet (pre-formatted) showing project plans as well as financial projections. The spreadsheet can then be exported to SiFTeR for live reviews & make further modifications as that farm progresses. Local & remote reviews for the purpose of expert consulting & management (both agricultural & financial) in order to help insure the farm(s) will succeed. Please help us make SiFTeR available!
* uses real names - which we may need to make fictional.
ref:
What I can personally offer:
Some Challenges:
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Slip Propagation Calculator: this is a simple example of a software tool used to calculate sweet potato harvest yields while utilizing potato slip "cuttings" for future potato farming. It also shows some simple harvest profit forecasting. This a good example of sustainable farming (w/ accountability) with the help of software. This product is NOT yet cloud-based.
Thank you for your time & consideration
to help solve a preventable problem!
6
Select/Sort (i) Filter(s) Tabulate (e) R
SiFTeR - the power of a relational database exported from the above MS Excel spreadsheet. It will soon be cloud-based with several levels of secure access (admin, read-only, read-write).
(any filtered, selected values can be Tabulated)
(any "SiFTed" data can now be Reported or exported).
(alpha or numerically)
Farm OS YouTube:
Click Here for VAD Levels by Country
2. Haiti:
3. Malawi:
