Assess technical and commercial viability of a large-scale agriculture project

The purposes of feasibility study are

(1) to confirm suitability of project site for commercial production and

(2) Design the most feasible project concept given the site characteristics. Technical studies (e.g., climate, water, soil, topography) as well as market and social studies need to be completed to provide inputs in the concept project design.

In terms of doing these studies, our approach includes

(1) online study of available information on climate, soil, topography

(2) Field survey to inspect water sources; assess existing infrastructure; observe topography; conduct soil sampling and perform social and market studies

(3) Conduct GIS analysis of relevant satellite images of the project area for water catchment area, topography (slope analysis) and land usage. This decides how much of the land is suitable.

This 3-prong approach ensures robust data collection and analysis in a short time frame for a very large area (e.g. 15,000 ha is 150 km2).

The concept design will allow reasonable estimate of volumes of work required which determines the type, capacity and quantify of machinery needed. It will also enable the calculation of farming machinery, planting materials and labour to operate the project.

The capacity of the processing facility and accompanying investment can be worked out by the feedstock to be produced and bought from outgrowers.