Feasibility Study on Adapting Biomass Powered Rice Dryer for Rice Farmers in Sabah, Malaysia

我们的项目是进行一项可行性研究，以确定是否有可能将我们公司的生物质动力大米干燥服务应用于马来西亚各州的手工稻农。我们的公司Rice Inc是一家社会企业，其使命是通过向小农提供可持续的农业技术，帮助他们摆脱贫困。东南亚70%的农民陷入贫困，因为他们无法获得适当的收获后技术，并使用传统技术来干燥、储存和碾磨大米，这导致高达30%的大米被浪费。例如，收获后的水稻晒干造成了大约一半的损失（15%）。我们目前在缅甸的Letpadan经营一项大米干燥服务，使用生物质动力大米干燥机，为农民提供按次付费的模式。这减少了他们的损失，并为他们提供了更高质量的作物。同样，由于缺乏获得适当农业技术的机会，马来西亚各地的小农户面临着系统性贫困。然而，他们种植的大米非常独特，但尚未开发，因为这些大米可以在马来西亚城市以高出300%的价格零售，但由于贫困造成的高浪费，他们卖得很少。因此，我们的项目是进行一项可行性研究，为沙巴和马来西亚其他州的手工稻农改造我们的生物质动力大米干燥机和服务，帮助他们减少损失，增加收入。这包括在马来西亚与农民进行实地研究，以确定挑战和市场条件。与合作伙伴、技术专家和制造商讨论采用我们的技术。这个想法是创新的，因为它很可能使它在商业上可行，我们必须调整我们的技术，例如，减少我们的烘干机的容量，或者使它从固定结构移动，这需要技术创新。此外，我们可能必须创新我们的商业模式，例如从按使用付费模式转变为租赁模式，以使其在财务上可行。如果成功，农民将能够增加他们的手工水稻产量，以可持续的方式赚取更多的收入，并获得更好的农业技术。最后，作为一家公司，我们将能够获得一个新的地区进行扩张，并有可能对我们现有的服务和技术进行新的改进，以供未来使用。

Our project is to conduct a feasibility study on whether or not it is possible to adapt our company's biomass powered rice drying service to the artisanal rice farmers based throughout the states of Malaysia. Our company, Rice Inc is a social enterprise on a mission to empower smallholder rice farmers out of poverty by providing them with sustainable agritech.70% of farmers in Southeast Asia are stuck in poverty because they lack access to proper post-harvest technology and use traditional techniques to dry, store and mill rice which results in up to 30% of it wasted. For example, sun-drying of rice after harvest causes about half this loss (15%). We currently run a rice drying service in Letpadan, Myanmar with biomass powered rice dryers with a pay-per-use model for farmers. This reduces their losses and provides them a higher quality crop.Similarly, smallholder artisanal farmers throughout Malaysia face systemic poverty due to a lack of access to proper agriculture technologies. However, the rice they grow is extremely unique but is untapped as the rice can retail in urban Malaysia at prices 300% higher but they sell very little due to the high wastage caused by poverty.Hence, our project is to conduct a feasibility study on adapting our biomass powered rice dryers and service for the artisanal rice farmers throughout Sabah and other states of Malaysia to help them reduce their losses and increase their income. This includes studies on the ground in Malaysia with the farmers to identify challenges and market conditions. Speaking with partners, technical experts and manufacturers on adapting our technology. This idea is innovative because it is likely to make it commercial viable, we would have to adapt our technology for example, reducing the capacity of our dryers or making it mobile from it's stationary structure which requires technological innovations. Furthermore, we might have to innovate our business models such as changing from a pay-per-use model to rent to own models to make it financially viable.If successful, farmers would be able to increase their artisanal rice output and earn more income in a sustainable way and get access to better farming technology. Finally as a company, we would be able to get a new region for expansion and potentially new variations of our existing service and technology that can be used for the future.