Product Info
Product Introduction
Rain barrels are simple water storage devices that are commonly used in North America, more often for small scale horticulture such as backyard gardening or flower beds. The unique feature of the collapsible rain barrel (Figure 1) is that when it is not in use, it can be folded up and put away (Wong, 2016). The rain barrel is made up of strong material that prevents it from tears or UV damage and includes a filter to keep pests and debris out of the water. In addition, the rain barrel is supported by five heavy duty legs and has a zippered lid for easy access to the water. There are two available sizes, a 200 L barrel that is 28” tall and a 400 L barrel that is 32” tall (Wong, 2016). This paper investigates the effectiveness of the collapsible rain barrel as an export product to Nepal in terms of cost, simplicity, sustainability and potential to aid the Nepalese agri-food system.
Rain barrels are simple water storage devices that are commonly used in North America, more often for small scale horticulture such as backyard gardening or flower beds. The unique feature of the collapsible rain barrel (Figure 1) is that when it is not in use, it can be folded up and put away (Wong, 2016). The rain barrel is made up of strong material that prevents it from tears or UV damage and includes a filter to keep pests and debris out of the water. In addition, the rain barrel is supported by five heavy duty legs and has a zippered lid for easy access to the water. There are two available sizes, a 200 L barrel that is 28” tall and a 400 L barrel that is 32” tall (Wong, 2016). This paper investigates the effectiveness of the collapsible rain barrel as an export product to Nepal in terms of cost, simplicity, sustainability and potential to aid the Nepalese agri-food system.
https://store.youngurbanfarmers.com/collections/all/products/collapsible-rain-barrel
Company Background
The collapsible rain barrel can be purchased through a few different companies but for this assignment, the distributor that will be evaluated is a company by the name of Young Urban Farmers (YUF). YUF is a small company based in Mississauga, Ontario and is managed by founder Christopher Wong (Atchison, 2012). The initiative behind YUF is to promote sustainability by teaching residents of Toronto about urban agriculture (Atchison, 2012). The company offers many versatile products and tools designed to make backyard gardening simple and the collapsible rain barrel is one of these products (Young Urban Farmers, 2016).
The collapsible rain barrel can be purchased through a few different companies but for this assignment, the distributor that will be evaluated is a company by the name of Young Urban Farmers (YUF). YUF is a small company based in Mississauga, Ontario and is managed by founder Christopher Wong (Atchison, 2012). The initiative behind YUF is to promote sustainability by teaching residents of Toronto about urban agriculture (Atchison, 2012). The company offers many versatile products and tools designed to make backyard gardening simple and the collapsible rain barrel is one of these products (Young Urban Farmers, 2016).
https://sustainontario.com/2010/07/05/16871/blog/member-profiles/member-profile-young-urban-farmers
Manufacturing Information and Issues
The rain barrel is not made in Canada but is manufactured in China and shipped to other companies for sale (C. Wong, personal communication, October 19, 2016). This brings up the issue of how logical it would be to ship from Canada if it is made in China, which is located just beside Nepal (World Factbook, 2016). It makes more sense environmentally and logistically to ship from China than from Canada. Other manufacturers of the collapsible rain barrel or similar products are all made in either China or the U.S.A and are sold at a much lower cost than what YUF sells it for (Alibaba, 2016). Another issue is that most sources state that the product has a 1-year warranty (Walmart 2016). Nepal is a lesser developed nation, having a GDP of 70.4 million dollars, in comparison to Canada’s 1.32 trillion dollar GDP the citizens of the nation can not afford luxury agricultural tools (World Factbook 2016). Subsistence farmers especially could not afford to replace something as often as once a year for over $69.00 CAD so they need a product that will last longer.
Because the rain barrel is not manufactured in Canada it would be cheaper and more sustainable to source it from China. China is one of Nepal’s neighboring countries so the amount of fuel and cost of transportation would be substantially lower than shipping the same product from Canada (World Factbook, 2016). This increases the cost for Nepalese farmers and makes it difficult for them to afford the product, supporting the argument that states that it would not be worth the cost if it only has a one year warranty or shelf-life (Walmart 2016) (Alibaba, 2016).
The rain barrel is not made in Canada but is manufactured in China and shipped to other companies for sale (C. Wong, personal communication, October 19, 2016). This brings up the issue of how logical it would be to ship from Canada if it is made in China, which is located just beside Nepal (World Factbook, 2016). It makes more sense environmentally and logistically to ship from China than from Canada. Other manufacturers of the collapsible rain barrel or similar products are all made in either China or the U.S.A and are sold at a much lower cost than what YUF sells it for (Alibaba, 2016). Another issue is that most sources state that the product has a 1-year warranty (Walmart 2016). Nepal is a lesser developed nation, having a GDP of 70.4 million dollars, in comparison to Canada’s 1.32 trillion dollar GDP the citizens of the nation can not afford luxury agricultural tools (World Factbook 2016). Subsistence farmers especially could not afford to replace something as often as once a year for over $69.00 CAD so they need a product that will last longer.
Because the rain barrel is not manufactured in Canada it would be cheaper and more sustainable to source it from China. China is one of Nepal’s neighboring countries so the amount of fuel and cost of transportation would be substantially lower than shipping the same product from Canada (World Factbook, 2016). This increases the cost for Nepalese farmers and makes it difficult for them to afford the product, supporting the argument that states that it would not be worth the cost if it only has a one year warranty or shelf-life (Walmart 2016) (Alibaba, 2016).
Benefits to Canada
This export idea would be beneficial to the local economy in Ontario if purchased through YUF than from another company. Table 1 shows a comparison of a few different sources that sell the rain barrel in Canada and their prices for the product. The prices listed in the table do not include shipping if there is a charge for it. Although YUF is not the cheapest source, it is not as well known as the other companies. Other sources of the product such as Walmart, the largest retail company in the world, would only engross already multinational corporations (Strauss, 2015). Purchasing the product from YUF would giving a smaller company an opportunity to expand and benefit the local economy in Toronto. YUF currently only operates in the GTA for the majority if their work and ships their products outside of Ontario but not outside of Canada (Wong, 2016). In Toronto, the company runs programs and workshops to teach Torontonians about urban agriculture and help citizens set up their own backyard gardens (Atchison, 2012). If they could expand out to other cities and provinces it would not only employ more Canadians, but more people would have to opportunity to learn about sustainable practices.
This export idea would be beneficial to the local economy in Ontario if purchased through YUF than from another company. Table 1 shows a comparison of a few different sources that sell the rain barrel in Canada and their prices for the product. The prices listed in the table do not include shipping if there is a charge for it. Although YUF is not the cheapest source, it is not as well known as the other companies. Other sources of the product such as Walmart, the largest retail company in the world, would only engross already multinational corporations (Strauss, 2015). Purchasing the product from YUF would giving a smaller company an opportunity to expand and benefit the local economy in Toronto. YUF currently only operates in the GTA for the majority if their work and ships their products outside of Ontario but not outside of Canada (Wong, 2016). In Toronto, the company runs programs and workshops to teach Torontonians about urban agriculture and help citizens set up their own backyard gardens (Atchison, 2012). If they could expand out to other cities and provinces it would not only employ more Canadians, but more people would have to opportunity to learn about sustainable practices.
Another area of benefit that the export idea has is the creation of jobs in a variety of areas. Firstly, there would need to be individuals to coordinate sales from Canada to Nepal and oversee communication and negotiations between the two nations. In addition, if this project was successful, YUF could potentially open branches in other cities and provinces that would employ even more Canadians. There would also be a creation of jobs for individuals to ship the product to Nepal as YUF currently does not ship outside of Canada (Young Urban Famers, 2016).
Another area of benefit that the export idea has is the creation of jobs in a variety of areas. Firstly, there would need to be individuals to coordinate sales from Canada to Nepal and oversee communication and negotiations between the two nations. In addition, if this project was successful, YUF could potentially open branches in other cities and provinces that would employ even more Canadians. There would also be a creation of jobs for individuals to ship the product to Nepal as YUF currently does not ship outside of Canada (Young Urban Famers, 2016).
http://www.wateraid.org/np/what-we-do/the-crisis/water