Designing With Web - Part 3: week 1

Project 1: Application linking AMAP and consumer: PROXIMY

Context

when? where? who? why?

One solution addressed in our mindmeisters is that of short circuits, in order to allow a better margin for farmers, and therefore a better income, but also on our side to allow more "intelligent" and "environmental" consumption.

Short circuits already exist, initiatives have been created in particular in recent years, especially in developed countries like France.

It's the AMAPs that make it possible to rethink circuits, to reshape them by offering the possibility of shorter circuits.

What are AMAPs? It is an Association for the Maintenance of Peasant Agriculture, which arises from the association between a group of consumers and peasants / farmers ready to enter into this process. Between them, they will agree between themselves on a contract (depending on the season, in general there are 2 seasons) establishing the desired quantities of foodstuffs, but also the constitution of the basket ... but also agree on the agronomic methods to be employed. These are inspired by the charter of peasant agriculture.

One problem: these initiatives are isolated, and there is a glaring lack of communication, of visibility. AMAPs are mostly done by word of mouth, and much of the population is unaware of the possibilities that surround it in terms of farmers' offerings. However, this concept is an “easy” solution to implement, in a large geographic area but also useful and practical.

However, this solution has many advantages, both for consumers, for producers but also for the environment, the State and all the resulting bodies at the national level.

For consumers, they have the advantage of having fresh products, which do not lose freshness, or even knowing the origin of their food, the products used ... in short, having products that are healthy for their health.

For producers, the interest is mainly economic, as evoked by our theme, because short circuits allow the economic sustainability of their farms through a certainty of flow of its merchandise, a higher margin, a reduction of time and constraints linked to marketing ... or an increase in cash flow.

AMAPs don't have a specific geographic border, and these can exist in any region or country, or at least this practice interests a lot of people and tends to interest more and more.

The AMAPs as seen previously and during our mindmeisters quickly imposed themselves in the 2000s with the emergence of issues related to the environment and the living conditions of farmers. However, although these have developed, there is nowadays a real competition against them, and the associative side has limited them in their expansion, being overtaken by other initiatives which today benefit from more than communication.
There have been attempts to promote these AMAPs to consumers, but far too insufficient, and the fact is that nowadays, some people in our groups, or those around us and in general, do not know what are AMAPs, and their primary purposes.

We believe that AMAPs deserves to evolve and is in the possibility of competing with other existing platforms and solutions, because of its paramount values, putting the real problems of farmers forward: the fluctuating cash flows, uncertainty, etc. in other words all to improve the living conditions of our small farmers !

Target

for whom?

Stakeholders:
• Producers (farmers / breeders), and therefore AMAPs in our case :

  They offer their packed lunches / offers for sale, and mainly offer pre-sales (which gives them financial security in terms of cash flow), but may also offer unsold products at reduced prices.

  As said previously, the producers making up an AMAP mainly seek security against the hazards and risks that make up their trades through the AMAPs, these being paid in advance for their harvests.

  In addition, it also allows them to be more fairly remunerated, without having to go through large groups or the bargaining power of small producers is still very weak as one can easily understand. It also allows them to eliminate all costs related to marketing, or transport, and to be able to devote themselves to the profession they love, namely agriculture.
  Also, our initiative, which aims to develop and perpetuate this model, needs farmers as much as customers. For an AMAP to function and ensure a satisfactory supply, a core actor / family is needed which is made up of producers of 20 to 30 units.

• The users :

  those who have access to the directory listing producers and who want to consume locally and therefore favor short circuits in order to help farmers and breeders near their homes to increase their income.

  The reasons can be multiple, the first being quite simply to know what one eats, to be able to trace our food, the whole being in a health objective. In general, the AMAPs define farming conditions, and these take into account the environment and the biological. People come here to look for fresh, seasonal and diverse foods (depending on the season, the foods offered change).
  Another reason that users would have to come and use our future project, and to come and see the AMAPs in general, is quite simply a civic reason. Nowadays, the issue of ethics / environment in its general sense is booming, and as we have seen with the rise of AMAPs and other similar actions (which we will see later), citizen action is a second great reason. This can involve the desire to directly support a farmer, or farmers close to us, and create city / countryside links.

  In conclusion, to specify our target users, it will be essential that they: be aware of the relationship between food and health; are aware of the work provided by producers and their living / working conditions and that they wish to participate in an improvement of their conditions; be in the possibility and understanding of accepting operating constraints (with AMAPs, there are long-term commitments, we share the risks, etc.)

Service offered

what? how?

Description :

Mobile application listing the different producers compiling the AMAPs on a map. They can be listed by region, city, etc. to make it easier to find them near home. Also, we would see the available products as well as the average prices. This saves the user time in searching for the products they need directly where they know they will find them. Add all the producer information: first name, last name, postal address, email address, telephone number, opening hours.

The application could also offer a page allowing to see the news, the fruits / vegetables of the seasons (thus making it possible to see what will be available from the start without doing any research, the AMAPs offering only seasonal vegetables) . Also, we could offer recipes based on seasonal vegetables / fruits, thus making it possible to show and give ideas to consumers, and why not indirectly encourage consumption.

The goal is therefore to highlight the AMAP, these allowing to considerably increase the living conditions of the producers, to the users, because we believe that it is an extremely promising offer but too little used nowadays, for lack of mainly communication.
We would therefore be a dynamic interface, young, simple and easy to use, so that everyone can navigate.

Advantages of our site:
• A highlighting of AMAPs, a solution that we think is essential and simple, and which already exists to increase the income of small producers. Paying in advance and reserving crops for crops is extremely important for producers!
• Zero intermediaries, everyone wins. Farmers have more income because they are brought in customers who buy baskets and order food, and more loyal customers.
  There is no middleman so their margins are logically greater, reducing costs due to third-party marketing.
• Information and promotion of the offer (communication offer). Highlighting the possibilities of a short circuit accessible to the majority. It is a structuring of what was done by the AMAPs but with ambitions of much greater visibility, and increased consumer access.
• Consume local and quality.
• Appreciate the environmental benefits of "healthy" food, while increasing the local economy and the living conditions of our producers.
• Improved social ties, social responsibility, confidence in our producers.
• Awareness of the precariousness of producers, and solidarity.

This site would allow us to know the producers surrounding us in an AMAP, their offers, but also to contact AMAP if we are interested. We could, once we have inquired about their profiles and their offers, or have contacted them, order.

With this application, the goal is to reduce the precariousness of certain producers by providing them with financial support, in particular by financing their next harvest in advance.

Identity

Pick images to describe the universe around your service (context, users, places, techs, …) and name your service accordingly.
Don't try to illustrate the final service that you may have in mind but instead its context.

Benchmark

List concurrents / relative projects and describe how they relate/differentiate to your project

• La ruche qui dit oui:

  It's a French business enterprise that has emerged from the collaborative economy. It develops and makes available to farmers-producers and food processors in crafts and small industries a paid service in the form of an online platform. La Ruche qui dit oui is a direct sales system that is organized via the Internet. Members of a beehive order online. They choose from a large panel which can range up to 450 farm and artisanal products per hive. If the orders are large enough, the producers organize a delivery, sometimes by carpooling. The buyers will then collect their food from the hive, that is to say from a private individual or from a structure that derives additional income from this activity. It is in line with our project because it has "the same values", but with a vision more focused on the health side. Either way, farmers can increase their income by offering their baskets ... with AMAP, they are groups of farmers and there are presales allowing farmers to be financially stable. There is a slight difference between our two applications, but it is actually the application that gives us the most competition. But once again, although this application competes with us and will be a brake on our development if we do not take it into account, it does not target our primary market, which are AMAPs.

• Food markets

  The markets represent a large part of sales for producers in short circuits. There are 10,683 markets in France. It is a solution that producers have, very well known and widespread in the world, to sell their product directly to citizens, after having only rented a stand. However, this does not solve the problem for producers of financial security, and the market "remains" small because of its frequency, competition, weather and potential unsold due to a "particular" form of certain commodities.

• Stores in cooperation with producers

  Some stores are specialized in the resale of products from local agriculture. Small cooperatives, greengrocers and department stores represent part of the means used by producers to resell their products. It remains a competitive market, but it will affect us less than the previous ones. AMAPs are not affected, and there is mistrust of stores.

• AMAPs

  These are the associations with which we will be working. Internet sales, without obligation, consumers come to collect their food from an individual (in charge of the hive) very often without meeting the producer, who is not necessarily an organic farmer, but often a processor or craftsman. Joining an AMAP does not amount to buying a product or a basket, but to financing the next harvest, to supporting the farmers. We participate on a voluntary basis in the distribution of products, in fixing prices and in monitoring the commitments made by producers. Because we go far beyond the act of buying, we talk about "co-producers".

• "Competitor" directory of AMAPs in France

  A site already intended to highlight this type of offer and facilitate their access, improve their visibility. However, the site is abandoned, poorly structured, it lacks clarity and design. This must be eye-catching, and Internet users quickly understand the essence of our offer, the values that emerge from it, the reasons and what they gain from it. As a result of all that, this one lacks SEO.

• Virtual Farmes Markets ( VFM ) It's an online application that connects consumers and farmers. It is an online marketplace. Farmers put their availability and price, and put the "market" open on Saturdays with opening and closing times, customers make their choices during this time.
  Once the market is over, the vegetables will either be sent to a central where the customer will collect them, or be sent directly to the customer. Although competing in principle, the main idea diverges a little from ours and our primary values ​​/ goals.

Références

books/films/articles/...

• https://www.terraeco.net/Amap-ou-Ruche-qui-dit-oui-quel,57598.html
• https://www.lacooperationagricole.coop/fr/combats/circuits-courts-et-terroirs/hopla-met-toute-une-agriculture-paysanne-en-magasin
• https://www.lci.fr/economie/les-marches-alimentaires-de-france-en-10-chiffres-2078779.html
• https://nous.laruchequiditoui.fr/un-reseau-convivial/
• http://www.reseau-amap.org/recherche-amap.php

  This document is a "failure" of our project, in the sense that the central idea remains the same. However, we are convinced that the project can work, first of all because we have noticed through this site that there is a significant number of AMAPs in France, and that this network is growing.
  However, this city lacked visibility and was too neglected. Likewise, this site provides a great deal of information on the project.

• https://journals.openedition.org/economierurale/2793

  This document tells us about AMAPs and their benefits. AMAPs tend to promote values of solidarity between consumers and producers and to support small local agriculture. In fact, the advantage for a producer will be mainly on its positive impact on cash flow, the producer knowing in advance how much and at what price to sell. This also limits the costs, in particular of marketing. In addition, an environmental impact is put in this kind of practice, with a job with more "meaning".
  Our application wishing to promote this type of practice, this document inspired us in the choice of our project.

• A very informative video that we all watched at the beginning to identify possible solutions. Along with our other resources and in support of them, we came to the conclusion that AMAP was a solution that was not sufficiently exploited.
  This video briefly tells us that we must succeed in reducing costs, increasing the price, increasing the share that producers will receive in the customer price (greater than 50%), changing our way of doing things (less pesticide), but also and consequently create a network where the small producers would sell directly to the customers, creating connections in the end.

• https://my-sezame.fr/

  An interactive site teaching us about "ethical" business as a whole. The themes related to agriculture are dealt with, to the incomes of small farmers ... It served us as support for our project, informed us about short circuits, but also helped us for our benchmark (it deals with La ruche qui oui).

Project 2: Crowdfunding platform

Context

when? where? who? why?

Today, most small producers find it difficult to access finance.

They are, however, necessary for the development, or even the maintenance, of their activity. Without financing, it remains impossible for them to invest in any infrastructure or tool that promotes the productivity of their activity, being one of the main levers of income for these producers.

Facilitating this access to finance would allow them to materialize their investment projects, and achieve a single productivity guaranteeing them sufficient income. This is why the directives of different organizations tend to facilitate this access: for example by facilitating access to credit, grants or investments. This solution is already showing significant results.

However, this remains insufficient as we have seen during our respective research, and all over the world or more precisely in France, many farmers are over-indebted, unable to repay their loans and interest accumulating. The State in France constitutes a significant share of income for the majority of small farmers (more than 50%) from subsidies, but this remains insufficient and some countries do not have them.

In addition, there are a multitude of platforms, sites, sometimes can be too complicated for small producers, who are known to have an aversion to technological devices. We therefore wish to be able to offer them the opportunity to have investments in a simple way, with a site intended for their people and only their activities, and that they perceive all the aid offered, without having a withdrawal for a margin. that the platform would take, and a platform would be created for their needs!

From there, investment funds, or other initiatives were created (as we will see later), but in the majority of cases, there are counterparts in all their possible forms, and a lack of success and scale does exist.

The objective of the project is to develop this access to finance for small producers by mobilizing as many actors as possible, especially if they are individuals.

Target

for whom?

The platform would target four types of users:

• On the one hand, the beneficiaries, i.e. small producers who would present their activity (the nature of their activity, accompanied by a description of the structure) and the project requiring funding (the nature of the project, the funds required ,…).
  The project can be multiple, ranging from a need for investment in new equipment to be able to increase its productivity, lighten the workload ... to a need for investment for specific equipment for harvesting, hazards..
  The producers will be the main stakeholder of our project, they will have to make their offers according to their requests.
• On the other hand, investors. They can be in any form, although our service is aimed primarily at individuals, sensitive to the issues facing small producers, and who could freely set the amount of their investments.
  Individuals will be "volunteers", already donating to charities, people involved in associations for the environment, individuals who are simply concerned about the environment and the living conditions of producers, humans.
  By supporting, we do more than help a small producer, we allow him to improve his living conditions, but we also help an entire eco-system in the surrounding area to develop at the same time (example of developing countries).

• It is important to remember that these two stakeholders do not correspond to a classic double meaning of mutual contribution. That is to say that consumers will contribute for the producers without waiting for a return from them, a totally selfless act. The producers will be 100% winners, they ask for help, and we will not ask for any return from them, because we think it would be illogical to ask for a counterpart from a person who cannot already finance himself.

• Another stakeholder would simply be the creators and managers of the application, namely us. We would take care of the offers offered to users by setting up partners with various companies that have meaning and common values. Although we are not players in our platform, we contribute to it by making it possible to have interesting offers to offer to consumers, and thus bring our operating method to life by providing content.
• Our last stakeholder would be the partners who would join the application and its values. Indeed, these would allow us to encourage donations through promotional offers ... or others of their shares for consumers / investors. The partners would offer their equipment, or discounts for free, without expecting any return from us, this would be an act to support small producers in their own way.

Service offered

what? how?

It would be a crowdfunding mobile application specializing in the financing needs of small producers.

• We are thinking of two economic models, both based on the following system: the investor does not receive dividends, but accumulates redeemable points in two different ways:
• We would perceive a margin as do the main crowdfunding platforms, which would however be used to finance the remuneration in kind of investors according to their points: by baskets of fruit and vegetables for example.
• The second idea would be that there is no margin on donations; however, we are gaining visibility (through our solidarity and non-profit aspect), and in referencing, with the aim of being supported by various brands through partnerships, where it would be possible to benefit from reductions thanks to the points accumulated.

This is the second option that we will choose for our project, because we believe it is the most viable and the most consistent with our values and our ambition.

The main advantages of our platform:
1. Small producers and their investment needs gain visibility through the communication and awareness-raising provided by our platform;
2. Their projects are financed, and allow an increase in their productivity, resulting in an increase in their income.
3. Individuals are emerging as real players in improving the productivity of producers, while obtaining benefits that are reflected in their daily purchases.
4. A platform specializing in participatory donation for small farmers, with a unique concept: farmers have no contributions to return. Why ask for contributions in return from farmers who are already struggling to finish the month? We take care of providing you with a contribution with the help of our partners, aware of the cause.
5. The creation of a specialized platform for small producers, which has values consistent with this objective and which wants to be user-friendly, and to which consumers are rewarded for their good deeds by people other than farmers. It is a triangle eco-system. The application must be easy to use, clear, precise, given that the mobilemarket is very competitive and consumers do not like to think about applications to understand them.

Identity

Benchmark

List concurrents / relative projects and describe how they relate/differentiate to your project

• AgriLend

  “AgriLend is a web platform that connects lenders with borrowers from the agricultural world.”

• BpiFrance

  “Bpifrance helps and supports farmers in the participatory financing of their agricultural projects. Find all the agricultural projects that need crowdfunding for their development, either in the form of a donation, loan or fundraising. If you are a contributor, you can proceed with crowdfunding to the extent of your choice in one or more projects of partner crowdfunding platforms. If you are a project leader, as a professional in the agricultural sector, a specialized section allows you to propose your agricultural project on the various partner crowdfunding platforms and thus start your crowdfunding project to raise the necessary funds via the different modes of crowdfunding."

  However, when we look more ready, this type of crowdfunding, like the majority of cases, is participatory with a remuneration or consideration associated with the donation, or even access to capital. Conversely, although this project is directly competitive with us, in practice it is not really and our platform, in addition to being specialized in this sector, which the Bpi is not, is above all of the type humanitarian and 100% win-win for producers.

• MiiMOSA

  Thanks to MiiMOSA, citizens have the opportunity to save in the development of agricultural and food projects that will have a positive impact on the real economy. Your investment will help maintain and develop local industries as well as jobs in our regions. On MiiMOSA, you can invest in the development of farms, in the manufacture of artisanal products or in the transition of our agriculture (organic, agroecology, renewable energies, methanization, etc.).

• Bleu Bees

  Blue Bees, is our crowdfunding lending and giving platform entirely dedicated to green agriculture and food. Since 2015, it has financed 300 projects, in France and in the countries of the South, and 5 million euros have been collected from 25,000 citizens committed to supporting the installation or development of market gardeners, breeders, d beekeepers, winegrowers, producer stores, and low carbon food innovations. For entrepreneurs working for the agricultural transition, Blue Bees is more than just a financial intermediary, it is also a huge asset for gaining notoriety, as well as commercial and financial leverage.
  A difference should be noted that donors generally receive counterparts from the farmer (and the little or there is no counterparty hardly receives any donations) but still that this platform is limited to France)

• Ulule

  “Ulule allows you to finance your creative ideas (a comic book, an album, etc.) as well as your business projects. The platform offers ultra personalized support and coaching services to support you in your process. The operation is simple: you submit your project, you define an objective to be reached, a time limit as well as the non-financial compensation that you wish to pay to your donors. If the goal is reached, you walk away with the money (after paying a commission), otherwise, the money is returned to Internet users. "

• Kickstarter

  “Kickstarter is known all over the world. This year, they have already funded 445,000 projects in the fields of art, technology and music. Like the previous platform, you need to set a goal and a period of time. Once it's approved by the platform, you can start spreading the word. ”

• KissKissBankBank:

  The platform boasts of having funded 20,000 projects in 18 different categories, from health to journalism to entertainment. Also note that KissKissBankBank recently became a subsidiary of La Banque Postale - so you will be entitled to all the benefits that come with it.

References

books/films/articles/...

• https://agrilend.fr/
• https://tousnosprojets.bpifrance.fr/crowdfunding-projets-agricole
• https://agriculture.gouv.fr/crowdfunding-en-agriculture-financez-des-projets-qui-ont-du-sens-0
• https://www.miimosa.com/fr?l=fr
• https://fr.wix.com/blog/2019/06/20/meilleurs-sites-crowdfunding/