The National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA) on Friday, June 23, awarded five teams of innovators whose projects were incubated in the Innovate for Smart Agro-Processing Hackathon.
The winning teams showcased innovative modern farming solutions to problems affecting the agro-processing industry in Rwanda such as post-harvest losses.
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The awards ranged from Rwf1 million to Rwf7 million.
In Rwanda, around 30 per cent of agricultural production goes to waste due to lack of proper post-harvest handling techniques, such as drying and cooling facilities.
"The young people we have awarded today have developed innovative projects that seek to solve problems facing our industries today,” Christian Sekomo Birame, NIRDA’s Director General, said.
NIRDA’s incubation initiative focuses on the development of various value chains, he noted.
"We’ve supported projects that focus on poultry and pig farming, there is horticulture among others. But supporting large and small enterprises with equipment is not enough, we also need to identify the other challenges they face,” Birame said.
"That is why we engage young people who have innovative solutions to work with the industries to respond to the technological challenges.”
Five incubated projects
The Innovate for Smart Agro-Processing Hackathon attracted 110 teams of innovators from which 21 were selected for the project pitching stage. Five teams progressed to a three-month incubation stage and these are the ones awarded.
Dodi Group
Dodi Group Limited took home a Rwf7 million for their project on smart poultry farming, which seeks to reduce mortality rate of chicken by enhancing efficiency, sustainability and animal welfare through reliable sensors that monitor weather conditions in real time.
Home of Food Enterprises
Home of Food Enterprises was awarded Rwf6 million for developing a solar-powered cold storage machine that reduces post-harvest loss of fruits and vegetables, by using environment-friendly and affordable technology.
Dynamite Innovators
Dynamite Innovators were awarded with Rwf5 million for developing a smart multi-crop sheller and winnower machine that will respond to farmers' need for efficient, affordable methods, which reduce manual labour.
In addition to allowing farmers to focus on other essential farming activities, the motor-power sheller and winnower machine also reduces crop wastage by ensuring better separation of seeds and grains, and reducing contamination, leading to higher-quality crops.
Beeschool
The Beeschool team was awarded with Rwf1 million for developing a project that improves the production of honey through development and multiplication of bees by using inoculation and grafting methods.
Unlike the traditional way of placing beehives in trees and waiting for bees to come, Beeschool’s project will help beekeepers to multiply bees in a short period of time, leading to increased honey production.
Vital Team
Vital Team was awarded Rwf1 million for developing a smart agro-processing storage assistance system that controls conditions in the storage room in order to minimize the perishability of the produce.
The system controls and keeps temperatures, humidity, and other parameters under measured standard.