CAT

Briefly explain the product, service, or model for which you are seeking support *

At Copacetic Soil Consultants (CSC), we are currently seeking support to strengthen and scale up our
Soil Regeneration Consultancy to be able to serve a large number of smallholder farmers, bigger
private farmers and much larger farming estates in the country with what we call the "Copacetic
Regenerative Soil Program" or "CRSP" for short.

CRSP is a soil regeneration approach that incorporates Conservative Agriculture, Permaculture,

Holistic Land Management, Soil Food Web Techniques, Agro-Technology and Keyline Design
Practices that focuses on building up the life and power of the soil through the care and
management of the soil microbiome utilising microorganisms, organic inputs and sustainable land
management techniques.

CRSP is a Regenerative Approach to Agriculture and whilst we have branded the approach as "CRSP",
we can honestly say it falls under Regeneration Agriculture (RA) which we are promoting.

Though it "seems" as if there are many components to CRSP, what it is, is a service model designed
in a way that offers a "Productized Service" delivery which means that it is "A System" that details
how to go about delivering Diamond Standard Results to clients whether if they are cultivating on
less than an acre, to thousands of hectrage

What is unique about your business offering? *

Whats unique about our business offering is that our main focus is not on "The Things That Are Seen
But On Those That Aren't!!". What we mean by that is that whilst EVERYONE is focusing on how to
best use external inputs such as seeds, fertiliser and sowing practices and techniques to make a
profit, we at Copacetic Soil Consultants have a different paradigm about it all and we look to profit
the Internal and thereby greatly affect the external.

Unlike most applicants that you will receive, our focus and area of expertise is in the remediation of
agricultural soils through the building up of the Soil Food Web (SFW). More specifically, it is through
the soils Biology that we implement CRSP which then rapidly affects the other soil processes.

Just as us humans have a trinity within us in that we are Body, Soul and Spirit, so too does the soil
beneath our feet have its own trinity. In the soil, the Physical aspect (Soil type, Composition, Texture,
Structure etc) of the soil is its Body, the Chemical aspect (Nutrients, Soil Organic Matter (SOM),
Micro & Macro elements, Carbon Exchange Capacity (CEC) etc) is its Soul and the Biological aspect
(SFW, microorganisms etc) is its Spirit which are all essential to a fully functional soil.
When one aspect is neglected, a soil becomes dysfunctional. When two are mismanaged, a soil
begins dying and when three are destroyed, the soil is rendered dead. In our "Soil Story" here in
MW, we have neglected our biology for over 2 decades, which has resulted in both physical and
chemical degradation which is prevalent in our ever decreasing agricultural productivity.

If reports from the FAOs report titled "Malawi's Soil and Nutrient Loss Assessment"" are to be
believed (which they are), Malawi's soils are categorically in the process of transitioning from dying
to dead and guess where it all stems from? Yes, soil biology which is where we come in. We tend to
the biology of the soil first through BioComplete amendments which reintroduce high quality
microorganisms into the soils which revitalise all aspects of the soil in a accelerated time.

But more than anything else, what is really unique about our case is that we are more than just
Entrepreneurs, but we are Educators first who have a passion for our Country and know that it is
important that before anything else, we work on the mindsets and beliefs of people first which will
mean they willingly and passionately implement regenerative practices in their lives.

As a sidenote:

* Conservative Agriculture whilst commendable is not a form of regeneration because all it does is
literally conserve what is there.. If the soils are poor hen it will conserve that. If the soils are
functional it will conserve that hence an importance to adopt regenerative practices first and the
implement conservative ones after.

* Did you know that all the nutrients that a plant needs during the whole growing cycle are already
present in the soil? Did you know that those nutrients are in plant inaccessible form though? How
then does one get the plant to access those nutrients? Somehow you are thinking through the
biology right? Right? The SFW through its processes breaks down the nutrients to be plant accessible
which results a plant being supplied with the nutrients it needs during a growing cycle as it was
designed to be.

How does your business offering support the diversification agenda -ease reliance on
tobacco sector? *

By ensuring success to farmers who will be wary of switching to other crops by laying up the ground
work (literally) necessary that will increase success rates. As mentioned above, we are in the
business of soil regeneration which states as fact that a regenerated soil is a productive soil and that
is how we are supporting the diversification agenda being initiated by ATI and CAT. By ensuring
productivity which will ensure success.
Here i have to mention a 14 year graphical timeline study done by NASA on Malawi's Organic Carbon
rates found on page 2 of this document
(https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/MalawiGreenRevolutioninJeopardySnapp.pdf)
which shows the decrease of Malawian Soil Net Primary Productivity (NPP).

The NPP study showed how from 2010 to end 2013 the values of Malawian SOM greatly decreased
which also reflected in the great decrease in agricultural productivity. Knowing that for the greater
part of the country, similar agricultural practices have continued to be done the next 7 years all the
way till 2020 which means that the decrease has gone on even further in NPP values and in
agricultural productivity.

What this then means is that any farmer who will access the grant pool will be facing an uphill battle
as they start cultivating new crops on their degraded and impotent land meaning that they have
lower chances of success with or without major investments in inorganic fertilisers.

Why i bring up the major investments is because Malawi is an abundant case study of how big
agricultural investments are done but they fail to deliver. This can partly be blamed on none
agricultural activities, but we at CSC know that it comes down to the soil that we cultivate in. Yes
Malawi once had fertile soil but that isn't the case anymore and we challenge anybody country wide
to show us a case wherein a farmer has not experienced some sort of pain in relation to the
degrading soil they are cultivating on.

Malawi's soils are addicted to fertiliser and from that very point of view farming isnt sustainable in
Malawi and you can see the Casual Loop diagram of fertiliser addiction on page 2 of this document
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/592253-Pedercini-Fertilizer
%20addiction.pdf

We will say it now and we will say it loud and clear. Farming on an "As is basis" will be a major
impediment in the success stories that the chosen farmers in this project will have and we implore
you to not only look at the types of crops that will be cultivated, the capacity that they have or the
marketing of the harvest but to also look at the soil state that we are in first and look to empower
people and organisations such as CSC who would be working intimately with the farmers and
provide technical assistance, education AND organic products which will guarantee the farmers
success and CATs overall success!

It should be noted that as humans, one of the key NEEDS that drive our decision making is linked to
“Certainty” and that we are more apt to stick to old ways of doing things rather than implement new
ideas and technologies. This fact is one of several reasons why farmers tend to stick to their
traditions for the most part.

Interestingly, we as humans also tend to want to pursue “Uncertainty” to spice up our lives which is
a paradox in and of itself but one that offers hope that people can change.
Saying this, and this is very important to note, when we do step out of our comfort zones and try
unfamiliar things and we succeed, we tend to reinforce that behaviour until it becomes our new
norm. The opposite of that is also true in that if we try something new and we fail, the level of our
pain becomes so high to the point that one reverts back to type and shutting the door of trying
forever.

This means that for ATI and CAT to be a success, we need to ensure farmers success and the best
way to do that is not only by equipping farmers with access to markets, inputs and sustainable
techniques, but also in equipping them with the most productive environment possible which is
what we at Copacetic Soil Consultants are bringing to the table.

PS.. Copacetic has an etymological root in Hebrew which means “Completely Satisfactory” therefore
we are bring Completely Satisfactory Soil Consultation By ensuring success to farmers who will be
wary of switching to other crops by laying up the ground work (literally) necessary that will increase
success rates. As mentioned above, we are in the business of soil regeneration which states as fact
that a regenerated soil is a productive soil and that is how we are supporting the diversification
agenda being initiated by ATI and CAT. By ensuring productivity which will ensure success.

Here i have to mention a 14 year graphical timeline study done by NASA on Malawi's Organic Carbon
rates found on page 2 of this document
(https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/MalawiGreenRevolutioninJeopardySnapp.pdf)
which shows the decrease of Malawian Soil Net Primary Productivity (NPP). this is important to
analyse because it shows telling facts about our situation today.

The NPP study showed how from 2010 to end 2013 the values of Malawian SOM greatly decreased
which also reflected in the great decrease in agricultural productivity. Knowing that for the greater
part of the country, similar agricultural practices continued to be done the next 7 years all the way
till 2020 means that the decrease has gone on even further in NPP values and in agricultural
productivity.

What this then means is that any farmer who will access the grant pool will be facing an uphill battle
as they start cultivating new crops on their degraded and impotent land meaning that they have
lower chances of success with or without major investments in inorganic fertilisers.

Why i bring up the major investments is because Malawi is an abundant case study of how big
agricultural investments are done but they fail to deliver truly breathtaking results. In December
2018 we heard of the National Export Strategy being labelled a flop due to it starting out as an
export strategy that was exporting $1.47 billion in 2012 with it just amassing $1.1 Billion at its
closure in 2018.

We see things like the Greenbelt Initiative (GBI) having borne out little fruit through its 12 years of
activity which backs up my argument to say that it not only about money.
Fair enough, some of these failures can partly be blamed on none agricultural activities, but we at
CSC know that it comes down to the soil that we cultivate in. Yes Malawi once had fertile soil but
that isn't the case anymore and we challenge anybody country wide to show us a case wherein a
farmer has not experienced some sort of pain in relation to the degrading soil they are cultivating
on. Adding more inputs just to get the same or in some cases depleted yeilds.

Malawi's soils are addicted to fertiliser and from that very point of view farming isnt sustainable in
Malawi and you can see the Casual Loop diagram of fertiliser addiction on page 2 of this document
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/592253-Pedercini-Fertilizer
%20addiction.pdf

We will say it now, we will say it loud and clear and we will say it confidently that "Farming on an as
is basis will be a major impediment in the success stories that the chosen farmers in this project".
Saying this, we implore you to not only look at the types of crops that will be cultivated, the capacity
that they have or the marketing of the harvest but to also look at the soil state that we are in first
and look to empower people and organisations such as CSC who would be working intimately with
the farmers and provide technical assistance, education AND organic products which will guarantee
the farmers success and CATs overall success!

It should be noted that as humans, one of the key NEEDS that drive our decision making is linked to
“Certainty” and that we are more apt to stick to old ways of doing things rather than implement new
ideas and technologies. This fact is one of several reasons why farmers tend to stick to their
traditions for the most part and have not diversified away from tobacco to be honest. They're
familiar with it.

Interestingly, we as humans also tend to want to pursue “Uncertainty” to spice up our lives which is
a paradox in and of itself but one that offers hope that people can change.

Saying this, and this is very important to note, when we do step out of our comfort zones and try
unfamiliar things and we succeed, we tend to reinforce that behaviour until it becomes our new
norm. The opposite of that is also true in that if we try something new and we fail, the level of our
pain becomes so high to the point that one reverts back to type and shutting the door of trying
forever.

In some cases, these failures become "banners" that other farmers use to say "SEE! Thats why we
said you shouldnt do it" and thereby become failure stories leading away rather than success stories
leading towards tobacco free farming.

This means that for ATI and CAT to be a success, we need to ensure farmers success and the best
way to do that is not only by equipping farmers with access to markets, inputs and sustainable
techniques, but also in equipping them with the most productive environment possible which is
what we at Copacetic Soil Consultants are bringing to the table.
PS.. Copacetic has an etymological root in Hebrew which means “Completely Satisfactory” therefore
we are bring Completely Satisfactory Soil Consultation

We intend on utilising the investment in a threefold manner that will cover the table of
investments, the fixed cost for the year, and the production costs for the year.

The full breakdown is as follows:

Table of Investment (ToI):-

1) Internationally Accredited Certification in Organic Cultivation (Online Training 6 months)- $11,000

2) Compost Tea Brewer 100 Gallon Commercial Tea Brewer- $4250

3) Self Propelled Compost Turner- $12,000

4) Top of the Line Agricultural Drone with Full Scouting Kit- $9350

5) 2x Microbiological Soil Microscopes- $1700

6) Compost Thermometer- $300

7) Portable NPK Intelligent Soil Test Kit- 1,450

Total ToI= $55,350.... This will guarantee a fully functional International Standard Biological Soil
Testing and Organic Amendment Producing Consultancy with Portable Testing Functionality.

Fixed Cost for Full Year:-

1)Full year salaries for a team of 12- $23,300

2)Education Based Marketing Campaign- $2720

3) Vehicle Maintenance (We have a Nissan Hardbody 4x4, 3 Ton Truck and 7 Ton Truck)- $1900

4)Office and Internet- $1300

5) Licenses and Insurance- $1200

6) Utilities- $800

Total FC= $31,220

Production Costs:-

1) Humic Acid 1 Ton- $2200

2) Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract- $3600

3) Wholesale Compost 6.6 Tons- $450

4) Ascorbic Acid- $1500

Total PC- $7,750.... This will allow for the production of 250,000L of a Complete BioAmendment that
can be used as an inoculant and foliar spray filled with thousands of benefical soil microorganisms
produced by CSC. In a 16.5L sprayer, that totals to 15,000 sprayers. Assuming that farmers will use
the BioAmendment 7 times during a growing season, that means that is enough solution for 2,142
farmers during a single growing season

This is on the assumption that CSC are taken up on the grant and access to finance is not needed,
then our Strategic Partners would be:

1) Chitedze Research and their crop testing body who at the end of the test would give a stamping of
approval to our products and government certification.

2) NGOs such as GIZ who hav

25 gallon compos tea

Ascorbic acid – 1000mg for 30-50 gallons therefore 3/4 tsp for 25 gallons
Liquid kelp – 2tbsp for every 5 gallons equals to ½ cup in 25 gallons
Molasses - 2tbsp for every 5 gallons equals to ½ cup in 25 gallons
Compost/worm castings = 2 cups for every 5 gallons = 10 cups = 2.5kg
Mesh Bag

How many gallons per ton of Kelp and humic acid?= 66000 gallons = 250,000L = 4000 16.5L bottles
agricultural sprayer