Watch a video on the project:

WAYS TO WEALTH? WASTE TO WEALTH!

The Hebei Programme was held in Jingxian County in China's north-eastern Hebei province from October 8-20, 2007. Participants explored issues including; renewable energy, sustainable farming, food supply chain management, environmental management and social revitalisation.

The “Client”
Mr. Jia Lian Hai has a dream. He would like to play a role in helping his fellow farmers in the impoverished county of Jingxian while also building on his own success. From a humble beginning of owning just 10 pigs, Mr. Jia’s Jinlong Agri-Business Farming Enterprise has grown into a large operation that currently raises 50,000 pigs while also producing bio feed and bio fertilizer from the land on his farm. To further grow the business Jinlong has been using pig waste to generate bio energy but the enterprise does not have enough capacity to utilize all the waste produced. With higher capacity, Mr. Jia hopes to provide a sustainable and cheaper source of energy for his own enterprise and his neighbours.
Photos: Alex Altieri

The “Product”
Who would believe that what comes out of these farm animals could be a source of sustainable energy or wealth? Each pig produces 3 kilograms of waste per day. Now multiply that by 50,000 pigs and what do you get; a profitable business plan for sustainable development, an expansion plan for Jinlong Agri-business and much more – at least that’s what is intended! So what is the idea exactly? Mr. Jia would like to invest in additional high capacity biogas chambers for his farm since his current biogas chambers are only able to process 30% of the pig waste produced. With the additional biogas chambers, Jinlong hopes to produce enough bio energy to support up to 4000 neighbouring households at a cost that is much lower than traditional energy and much better for the environment. With higher capacity biogas chambers, Jinlong will be able to process all the pig waste produced in its farm and reduce the contamination of water courses and soil areas. As part of the plan, Mr Jia would also like to expand his sustainable product line by adding organic crops to his offerings not only for use in bio feed but also for human consumption. He hopes to develop a truly green farm and share his knowledge with his fellow farmers and neighbours.
Photos: Parris Whittingham

The “Professionals”

We came from all over the world - a team of over 20 executives drawn by Mr. Jia’s philanthropic dream and the thirst to learn in a challenging unique environment. What was to pass was something none of us could have been prepared for. A gruelling, intense and unbelievably rewarding learning experience and unforgettable friendships formed amongst a diverse, cosmopolitan group of professionals who may have otherwise never have met.

The Global Young Leaders Programme (YLP) is divided into two main components – a theoretical in-class component and a practical component of fieldwork.

Module 1 - Long days of learning
Day one starts intensely - with so much to learn and so little time. We begin early and prepare for long, demanding and interesting days of classroom learning.

Chandran Nair, founder and CEO of GIFT, kicks off the programme as participants listen intently. We have only two weeks in which to learn a completely new business in a completely foreign environment and develop and present a comprehensive business plan to our “client”.
Photo: Parris Whittingham (right)

Throughout Module 1 we are bombarded with informative sessions from experts in the field of agriculture, civil society in China, climate change, role of government, organic food business, etc. Like sponges we eagerly soak up as much as possible to prepare for the practical week.
Photo: Fiona Fan (left)

After the long days of learning, participants get to know one another better over delicious Chinese cuisine and enjoy the beautiful scenery and calmness of the Grand Epoch City hotel compound. We are well fed and happy, albeit mentally quite exhausted. We’ve learned a lot this past week and are ready to apply what we’ve learned in the field.
Photos: Alex Altieri (left) and Pragati Vaswani (right)

Module 2 - The field project
We feel confident - equipped with what we’ve learned in the first module but simultaneously anxious as we enter the fieldwork phase of the program and the Jinlong Enterprise farm for the first time. There is a language barrier that we will need to overcome not to mention the trust relationship we must develop with the community in such a short span of time.
Photo: Alex Altieri

Pigs, waste and numbers
The encounter we’ve all been waiting for. We’ve heard so much about the pigs, their waste, and biogas chambers. We finally come face to face to NOSE with all three. The impact is great! In the biogas chamber one can see the fumes rising off the surface of the pool of waste and the heat energy from the chamber is striking.
Photo: Isa Tang (left) and Alex Altieri (right)

The business of farming
Local farms grow corn to feed the pigs. Both men and women work to husk and dry the corn that will form the main component of the pig feed.
Photo: Parris Whittingham

A Jinlong Enterprise representative explains the intricate business flow and outlines how the various processes interlink to form complete cycles.
Photo: Alex Altieri

The real work begins..

As the language of operation switches from English to Chinese at the Jinlong Enterprise, all the participants have to focus intently to follow GIFT’s own, Ben Li’s, translations. 
Photo: Parris Whittingham

There are many facets that need to be included into this plan including social, environmental, economic, political, logistical, technical, financial and cultural. Participants take some time alone to think before sharing with their teammates. 
Photo: Parris Whittingham (right)

After long hours in meeting rooms the team has discovered that more information is needed. Our trusted team leaders are sent to meet with the “Client” again to gather more crucial information and figures to make our final calculations.
Photo: Parris Whittingham (below)

Meanwhile, the rest of us work on finalizing the business plan under the supportive guidance of Chandran Nair.
Photo: Parris Whittingham (below)

A plan for a better tomorrow
Using our business and social backgrounds we have developed a plan which we think appropriately expresses the true vision of Jinlong and translates the needs of the enterprise and the farmers into a language that will appeal to potential investors.

Jinlong has approved our business plan. We’ve achieved our goal – a satisfied client!
Photo: Parris Whittingham.

The China sales team
The job doesn’t end here though - The next step is to find potential investors for the implementation of the business plan. A China Sales Team consisting of YLP participants from Mainland China has been formed to market the plan to potential investors. GIFT also re-emphasizes its commitment to the plan and will be available to meet with potential investors to further explain the benefits of the proposal.
Photo: Mark Ma

“The challenge here was how to translate an essentially philanthropic vision into an attractive investment proposal for business professionals to consider. - Asya Elahi, American University in Cairo

The opportunity to work together as a team across varied backgrounds/expertise is a great experience and learning. - Santhosh Kumar, Hewlett Packard

After the YLP I realize how little I know outside of my work place. It is important that one is aware of things happening around the world.. - Diamond Ho, Cathay Pacific Airways”

YLP Participants

Photo Story by Asya Elahi. Edited by GIFT.