Greenrev’s Approach to Fighting Malnourishment in Rwanda
Two years before he launched his enterprise GREENREV GR LTD, Joseph Niyomukiza could not stop thinking of how much more cost-effective food fortification is to vaccinations in preventing or fighting disease. The idea was rooted in the development of his country, Rwanda. Yet, it was not until the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme, where he received vesting scenario and financing, that he was able to power his vision.
Greenrev Gr is an agribusiness enterprise reducing horticultural harvest losses and adding micro-nutrient, to improve livelihoods through high profits and diversified nutrient-rich diets. The enterprise is committed to the fight against malnutrition and is interested in the seeding of vegetables and cereals to their processing level.
Since then, there have been significant achievements on his entrepreneurial journey and in improving and modernizing the agricultural sector. In 2020, he was featured in the UN SDSN report 2020 for his work with World Food Program (WFP-Rwanda). In addition, he is a part of Sight and Life Rwanda with the mission to establish SBN-RWANDA chapter.
For Joseph, when it comes to being healthy, prevention is better than cure. In Africa, fortification is not new, but Greenrev gr’s delivery model is a groundbreaking approach. They are revolutionising the food system without having to change it. For example, the thousands of small farmers and food processing already existed. The market and demand for fruits and vegetables have always existed. What the enterprise does is improve an existing product already widely consumed by hundreds of millions of Africans.
Their solution requires minimal behaviour change, which is key to its success and enables it to scale efficiently. So far, they have impacted more than 8.5+ million including customers, smallholder farmers and cooperatives, and project to reach over 100 million people by 2025. This would require a new and technological milling plant and advanced laboratory equipment to ensure quality, nutrition and safety.
As Greenrev gr’s continues to impact lives, they hope to adopt the new normal, especially in Horticulture and fighting against Malnutrition through institutional partnerships and market investments.
