Make a Difference ‘Hackgrothon’

Agricultural Hackathon

Agriculture plays a vital role in any economy. On a global scale, the agricultural sector is estimated to contribute between 20-30% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Other benefits of agricultural include the provision of food, raw materials, and employment. Despite its importance, the agricultural sector especially in developing countries are plagued with lots of challenges, which includes for example: diseases and pests, improper Infrastructure and the use of outdated technologies, soil nutrients, climate change, lack of manpower, and crop monitoring and management.

In response to these challenges, AGYA member Dr. Tobias Redlich and AGYA alumna Dr. Henda Mahmoudi organized an agricultural hackathon called ‘Hackgrothon’, which aimed to foster a collaborative and intensive involvement of people during a one-week development sprint, in response to the highlighted challenges faced in the agricultural sector to create open source appropriate technological products or applications. As an interdisciplinary AGYA research project with sustainable results, the ‘Hackgrothon’ pooled participants from diverse fields of studies, such as engineering and social sciences. This gave an intricate perspective to the social implications of the artefacts that were developed during the week.

The ‘Hackgrothon’ is in line with six SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) goals defined by the United Nations to achieve a better and more sustainable future.