agri-food technology

The Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology and the AgriFoRwArdS Centre for Doctoral Training at
the University of Lincoln UK, is delighted to establish a relationship with Zotus Group LLP to address
challenges in agriculture in Africa, particularly focused on ways in which technology can help women and small scale farmers.

PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

crop science, environmental sustainability, food manufacturing, product development and supply chains
We aim to create collaborative research-focused teams that will bring together students from the UK and African universities, along with African farmers. Also, to establish cultural and educational exchange between UK and African universities.

 

PROJECT COMMITMENT
100%
TECH TRANSFER
100%
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
100%

AGRICULTURE AT LINCOLN

is ranked in the top 250

in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2020. 

SUMMER 2022

aFRICA CHALLENGE

The Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology and the AgriFoRwArdS Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Lincoln, UK, are partnering with Zotus Group LLP to address challenges in agriculture in Africa, particularly focused on ways in which technology can help women. The aim is to produce a scalable, low-cost, automated platform that is easy for local people to fix/buy parts for. Activities will address concerns for welfare, and food supply/food costs.

There will be an international competition, over the Summer 2022, that brings together African and British Universities with the purpose to design and invent low-cost robotic platforms that can be used by small holder farmers in Africa.

 

The robot will be designed simply to carry harvested goods, equipment and materials across small holder farms. They will be designed to lift the carrying burden from the lives of some smallholder farmers.

 

The longer-term goals include the establishment of cultural and educational exchange between UK and African universities.

We also hope to develop and test solutions for African farms beyond Ghana and Botswana by extending the support to other African countries.

 

The competition will be open to teams from Ghana and Botswana as well as UK Universities with interests in robotics and agri-tech.

 

Teams taking part in the competition over summer 2022, will be made up of students from African and British universities, who will work together to design and build the prototype platform.

 

The competition will be assessed by a prestigious group of international judges and the winning team will have the opportunity to deploy their robot in Africa.

Can you put together a team to design and invent a low-cost robotic platform?

 

All teams are to be comprised of students from UK and African Universities. Undergraduate and Postgraduate engineers; agricultural students; computer studies and robotics students.

 

Teams will work together to come up with a solution for a robotic platform that will be deployed in Africa.

 

This is an initial call for expressions of interest. Staff or students can complete an Expression of Interest Form. More details of the competition will follow soon.

 

Prizes will be awarded to the winning team; and the real-world impact will be evident.

 

           africa challenge   

Projects

Expression of interest form