Innovations Item Code: IN-2024-2100201
Sector: AgriTech/FoodTech
Description:
Our innovation is a locally produced, fully automated Modular Circular Greenhouse System (MCGs) Kit, that combines Mushroom and Aquaponics farming technologies, allowing users to easily assemble customizable Grow Your Food kits (locally produced from wastes) for household or commercial organic food production from the comforts of their homes and monitor their farms on their mobile devices. Our MCGs is Stackable & modular (using our 3D Farm lab users can select their choice of size and components). It is easy to assemble and use and offers 3-season food production on autopilot making it suitable for urban areas growing food four times the convention yield on 1/7th of the available space.
Stage of Innovation: Prototype (You have a working physical product)
Problem:
1. Insufficient Food Quantity
Due to lack of access to technology
and knowledge. And because farming is Limited to rural areas where there is space & soil.
2. Seasonability of food production -
Dependance on season and climate to grow food limiting food production to only specific period of the year meanwhile we have to feed everyday irrespective of the season and climate.
3. Poor Quality of food produces in the city -
Often affected by the distance the produce
need to travel from rural areas to the cities,
as well as by the usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in food production. According to Professor Awodun, (2021), the usage of chemical fertilizers in our food production system is directly link to causing cancer.
Unique Selling Point: Our ability to locally develop and produce the systems , enables us to offer a solution that is cheaper, more productive and occupies less space than that of our competitors. Other existing greenhouses can onlu grow pnly plants , or only mushrooms or only plants and fish (Aquaponics) together buy our system combines Mushroom and Aquaponics farming technologies tohether in same closed loop circular system mimicing nature resulting in zero waste generation and use of zero energy. More advanced greenhouse system uses electricity to power the components or gadgets of the system but ours use solar energy. Our greenhouse system is the first of its kind in Africa. It is climate and data smart, fully automated that even users can monitor on their mobile devices from the comfort of their homes unlike other traditional farming systems and conventional greenhouses. Our MCGs produce organic food diversity and highly productive as it uses vertical farming technology unlike other organic greenhouse farm. Our system is modular which means it can be moved anywhere in the city as well as Stackable i.e it can be easily assembled. It fits perfectly into any urban space even on a rented apartment as it is fully customizable to users growing need and space unlike other greenhouse system that requires a minimum size or typical farmland which is scarce in Lagos.