1. Description of business idea

Horticulture, Ecotourism and Beekeeping is mainly agricultural activities. So Young graduate volunteers association/YGVA/ engage in these activities outside of its voluntary services to solve the problem such as unemployment, food insecurity, lack of traditional medicine, global warming through lack of climate change mitigation, occurrences of haphazard and calamites etc.  In the case of beekeeping, honey and honey products increased and supplied to local market to answer local communities/indigenous peoples/ demands to consume production for medicinal and prepare drinks for different purpose. Also we supply honey products and honey for merchants to export to global market that it used for different purpose i.e. preparation of soaps etc. Additionally we produce and distribute different plants species include flowering plant, grasses and trees of coffee ,avocado, mangoes,  etc. also we cultivate fruits such as avocado, mangoes, and vegetables by using small scale irrigation and supply to local market for local communities which assured food security by reducing hunger and poverty of house hold heads, in addition ecotourism were held near side of river at our project site at bottom forests were conserved through afforestation and reforestation reduced soil erosion and land degradation. Both ecotourism and horticulture enhanced green economy which forces rain to fail at agricultural season reduces famine etc. Also enhanced green economy reduces Carbon mono oxide in area reduces global warming. So our business helped to mitigate climate change, generate income which reduced unemployment rate in our area and served as natural beauty. Business to consumer as well as business to business model employed that we sell our products and services to consumers. Sometimes we sell our products to other business mans in low costs at profit through managing the purchasing power of customers, market situations and amount of our company gain. There are several reasons that forced our teams to begin our business in this agro-sector. Some of these includes:-most of young people specially graduates want to be Wight color worker and stayed unemployed without creating job so we want to be exemplary as young entrepreneur in this sector, in our rural area natural resources like water, governmental lands were unexploited helps to be productive in this area and this business meets more than four SDGS (GOAL 8, GOAL 13, GOAL 15: GOAL 1: GOAL 3: GOAL 12, GOAL 10).

2. Innovative nature of business idea in three points
3. Our business is more efficient:-we could run it with a limited number of human resources, money and materials, technology in a given period of time. We can reuse such inputs for further production i.e. hives with bees still helps to gate honey production and conserved environment attracts tourists and helps to mitigate climate change.
4. Our business is cost effective:-it as low cost to produce and asks consumer low cost to buy our products and enjoy in our services. It needs no transportation and other costs for local people and others to buy products that they gate it nearby.it is easy to distribute our products to local markets in low cost.
5. Our business is productive through science and research:- we can increase production of goods through modification of seeds by conducting scientific experiments in laboratory and we can identify challenges in our business success through conducting research and work to solve the problem in production and services.
6. Our business works in quality and we sell products in medium cost on a value that considered capacity of buyers and our profit through promotion of our products in social media etc. to increase customers.
7. Market plan

The goal of our business is to creating job opportunities for unemployed young people including both boys and girls through engaging on horticulture, ecotourism and beekeeping where as its objective is :-     to increase income level and enhance livelihoods of our teams and local communities through Producing and distributing 10000 different plant species for different local communities ,institutions etc. and producing and supplying 20 quintals of fruits and vegetables, 300 liters of honey and 1 tons of honey product to local market for local communities and other business mans. Also to generate 10% of income from ecotourism this mitigates climate change by developing green economy through afforestation, reforestation and conservation of environment. We supply our products such as Honey and honey products, fruits and vegetables to local markets of boditi town and surrounding woreda markets to sell for local people and other business man’s. Also different local institutions, NGOs and GOs may gate flowers and other plants species through visiting to business sites following our announcements through social media. In addition different local and other people come to visit and enjoy in natural beauty at our project site in ecotourism for different occasions. We face competition in market when similar item were supplied and sell by wining through telling to the customer about products from its input to outputs by making it better in cost, quality and quantity than others product item to create greater willingness of customers to buy our product. Through follow up of our teams meeting we discuss the stages of our business at end of each months and try to fulfill the gaps in different mechanism through core supervision of our company manager and secretaries to meet the business objective. This business was run with startup capital 10,000 that we gate loan from Woreda government youth revolving fund but now we planned to scale up our business with 250,000 birr which will be gained through raising fund from investors, donators etc. to increase our product and supply it to different markets at different locations in regional states and export widely to global markets.

4. Target groups/ customer who will benefit from our product and services

Local communities/indigenous people i.e. households and our teams were direct beneficiaries. Also people outside our local and global people, institutions and organizations like Red Cross, municipals etc. were indirect beneficiaries. However, academicians and researchers were indirect beneficiary of our services.

5. The current status of business idea / update, success stories, tractions, key milestones./

It runs to reach middle stage that it created job opportunities to more than 12 people including our teams and young’s from local communities. Also more than 2000 households enjoyed in our products and services. We started beekeeping with 5 hives of bee which scaled up to 20 hives of bee increased our products of honey from 50 to 200 litters and 1 tons of honey combs in one year. in addition 0.5 hectares of land near of rivers  with scattered forest and deforested were planted through reforestation and afforestation that were conserved reduced soil erosion and land degradation and enhanced green economy which helped to mitigate climate change and reduced global warming by reducing carbon mono oxide in area hence 10 % of our income generated from ecotourism. We started to produced 10000 different plant species and distributed including cultivation and production of fruits and vegetables and supplied 20 quintals to local people enhanced livelihoods of local people by assuring food security at 25% and increased our income. YGVA awarded with certificate from affairs of child women and youths in SNNPRS in conferences of empowering youths through job creation.

6. Financial plan /ways of financing and planning to be profitable/

To execute this project objective we trained by our team leader then selected the work sites through asking open land from local government and prepared it suitable to piloting. We raised fund which is initial capital 10000 birr through getting loan from local government revolving youth fund and we search investor donation and governmental rewards. we bought farming materials, cultivating materials, water pumps ,generator, beehives, sugars, honey filter machine, fertilizers different kinds of seed such as plants of flowers, fruits and vegetables etc. we began to farm the area then plant, drink water and cultivate fruits and vegetables then supply the products to local market to sell in low cost at profitable value.in addition we produce and distribute plants of flowers, coofee,mango,avcaado etc. to local communities, town dwellers and institution like municipals, churches, red cross etc. in low cost by profitable way. We smoke hives which seeks bees to enter and sit on it then we prepare water shade and put other items like sugar, floors etc. near to the hives which helps bees to gate water and honey preparing materials easily that again helps to boast honey and honey products in amount and quality. We cut honey in its season and fortify by using machine then export to local markets to sell in attractive value. Also we plant trees in land with scattered forest and conserve environment to generate income by making natural beauty that helps tourist to enjoy and generates income to local community and our teams. The money were collected through voucher, audited by our teams lone were paid to revolving fund authorities and the remaining amount were deposited in bank account that helps to increase interest and scale up our business in future.

7. The major challenges and mitigation plan

We faced with insufficient fund that utilization of our own capital gain through loans of revolving youth fund by local government is difficult to pay back when the projects failed at the pilot stage. It also relies on human resources to begin work activities and we faced difficult to cover salaries of our teams in time of starting a project. Current pandemic of covid-19 challenged us and impacted social economic aspects that reduced our income. Illness is another challenge that during labor work accident may occur like injures, bone fracture etc. may occur in sight. We faced shortage of water during dry time for irrigation purpose. Market threats that low demands in may occur due to lack of information about our products. So we mitigate the above challenges through providing further training, raising fund through inviting and linked with donators, investors, business mans, governmental bodies etc to add capital. Additionally in the pilot stage we seek volunteers and our teams be served as voluntary till the company reach at maturity stage that capacity to employee human resources were developed after paying loans. We will use digital technologies to network our company and create better market to sell production through announcing by social media. We working through providing free services of preventing covid-19 by social distancing, washing and preparing equipment’s, using masks and sanitizers at sites.in addition we provide medical insurances for our teams for both traditional and modern therapy.

8. Kinds of support we need/seed funding, technical and business support requirements/

We need both technical and financial support to fulfill the gaps in our business productivity and services. Technically we need to have digital technology supports and mentorship including training to develop our ability and creating spaces for link with different actors like investors and donors. Also financially we need at least support with money up to 200000 birr to scale up our business.

Thanks