Innovation Lab: Past projects
"One Planet - Zero Hunger": Ideas from the Innovation Lab
Innovation Lab 2023
"One Planet - Zero Hunger": Ideas from the Innovation Lab
The #innolab2023 was all about (new) technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality or classic apps. The finalist teams worked with technology partners from Germany on innovative technological ideas to fight hunger. The central question was: “How can new technologies be used to overcome underlying challenges?”
After all the teams traveled to Germany and worked with the tech partners to further develop their ideas and prototypes, these were presented to an audience in Bonn and an online audience in a final ‘Shark Tank’ event.
After an exciting round of excellent pitches, the jury announced the winner: Team India & Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences (THWS) with NilBye., a robot-based tool that keeps wild animals out of fields and protects crops.
Below you will find the five ideas of the #innolab2023 finalists with information about their countries and topics.
Team 1: “SHOBAR BAJAR”
Country: Bangladesh
Tech partner: Disruptive Elements
Idea: Blockchain-based solutions for more transparency, traceability and decentralization between farmers and consumers.
Team 2: “NILBYE.”
Country: India
Tech partner: Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences (THWS)
Idea: Pioneering work in protecting farms by predicting wildlife activity
Team 3: “agroai”
Country: Madagascar
Tech partner: Omdena
Idea: Using AI to increase yields
Team 4: “oasis”
Country: Niger
Tech partner: Salone Trace
Idea: Combining aquaponics with an inclusive digital cloud technology
Team 5: “CraftHub”
Country: Uganda
Tech partner: Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences (THWS)
Idea: Connecting craft businesses with customers in Uganda
Innovation Lab 2022
The #innolab2022 was themed around gender equality and climate resilience.
From 52 ideas submitted from more than 20 different countries, the ideas "Nature Now" from Uganda and "Smiling Nature" from Haiti and Mali received the winning votes.
During the ten days of the Innovation Lab, the teams worked intensively on their ideas along the user-centric approach. At the end of #innolab2022, they presented the results in a 3-minute pitch at the final Shark Tank event with more than 230 participants.
The following videos show the winning pitches of "Nature Now" and "Smiling Nature."
Below you will find the five ideas of the #innolab2022 finalists with information about their countries and topics.
Team 1: "My Week, My Power – Cozy Menstruation, Happy Life"
Countries: Uganda, Pakistan
Idea: Providing women and girls with menstrual hygiene products, including counseling and gender-friendly toilet design.
Team 2: "Masterminds of Menina – Helping Farmers Break Barriers"
Country: Liberia
Idea: Combination of remittances, graduates and new farming methods for better adaptation to climate change and food security.
Team 3: "Nature Now – Impacting Communities for Good"
Country: Uganda
Idea: Using a solar-powered water pump, "Nature Now" aims to help smallholder farmers increase their productivity and improve their climate resilience.
Team 4: "WRF (Water Recycling Filter) – Giving More Life To Water"
Country: Bangladesh
Idea: A water recycling filter that gives more life to water and provides more water for daily use to refugees in refugee camps.
Team 5: "Smiling Nature – Planting Trees to Improve Lives"
Countries: Haiti, Mali
Idea: By planting trees with high carbon sequestration and nutritional value, "Smiling Nature" aims to increase food and nutrition security and generate income for affected populations.
Innovation Lab 2021
The "Mobile Vertical Garden" for internally displaced persons was the winning idea at #innolab2021. It was developed by participants from Sudan and Bangladesh. The mobile vertical garden allows people to grow nutritious food in a small space and includes a non-electrical fridge.
The following video shows the pitch of the mobile vertical garden at the #innolab2021. After the team worked intensively on the further development of this idea during the ten days of the Innovation Lab, they prepared a presentation to share this idea with the jury and the participants.
Below you find the six finalist ideas of #innolab2021 with information on their countries and topics.
Team 1: Solar-powered drip-irrigation garden kit
Country: Burundi
Idea: An affordable DIY kit for building a solar-powered drip irrigation garden to grow food for young women in rural areas longing for financial independence
Team 2: Mobile vertical garden for internally displaced persons
Countries: Bangladesh and Sudan
Idea: An affordable, space-saving and portable vertical garden to grow food with integrated non-electrical fridge for refugees looking to grow food for consumption and selling
Team 3: Transformation of organic waste into organic fertilizer and feed
Countries: Uganda, Kenya, Germany
Idea: Social enterprise supporting smallholder farmers collecting garbage in setting up organic waste management solutions (e. g., teaching them about Black Soldier Flies) and buying excess produce from these farmers
Team 4: Plastic recycling companies for and with communities
Countries: Somaliland, Liberia, Kenya
Idea: Setup of small plastic processing entities in peri-urban areas for women collecting plastic in peri-urban areas wanting to generate more income and reducing negative impact plastic pollution has on their lives
Team 5: Community using semi-mechanized tools for restoration
Country: Burkina Faso
Idea: Connect smallholder farmers looking to restore their land with craftsmen (for machinery) and existing agricultural coops of young people (doing the restoration work)
Team 6: Platform and community for new parents who lack support
Country: Zimbabwe
Idea: Social media platform or app providing moral support and guidance to expectant and new mothers and fathers
