Agtech + Dairy Industry Challenge Hackathon

Farmers2Founders and TEKLAB VIC are partnering with Dairy Australia and bringing those interested in the Victorian Agech ecosystem together to solve industry challenges.

Agriculture + technology = Agtech

Agtech represents the bonding of one of the world’s oldest businesses, farming, with new tech approaches. This involves a variety of tech advances in the science of livestock and crop management, soil improvement techniques, equipment upgrades, sensors, better sustainability practices, food safety and data gathering through the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, geographical information systems, 5G technology and ag-related cyber security.

We’re looking for entrepreneurs, technologists, producers and farmers, students and researchers to join us as we ‘hack’ some solutions for industry using technology.

The agriculture industry has big goals, but also has some big challenges:

• Labour shortages
• Climate variability including drought and flooding
• Biosecurity risks
• Input costs and availability eg: fertiliser
• Sustainability
• Supply chain disruptions

What we know is:

• Effective technology implementation can help solve industry challenges, both on-farm and across the value chain
• Collaboration is key when confronted with complex issues
• The agriculture industry isn’t just for farmers - everyone is welcome
• Farmers are natural entrepreneurs and need to be put at the centre of industry innovation

In order to develop the next generation of farm innovations that create impact, it’s going to take collaboration between farmers, entrepreneurs, technologists and anyone wanting and willing to help.

What is an Agtech Hackathon?

A hackathon is an event that fosters innovation and collaboration with the goal of expanding technology development.

An Agtech Hackathon is an event that identifies current challenges in the agricultural industry and for which tech solutions are proposed.

Over a 4 hour period, participants will be split into teams and asked to HACK probable solutions to a series of given challenges for the agriculture sector.

This Agtech Hackathon is designed to not only help solve problems, but enable connection, conversation and collaboration between groups of innovators including farmers/producers, technologists, entrepreneurs and students/researchers.

Timeline

Hour 1

Let’s talk about the agriculture industry - introduction to context and challenges

Activity: Lighting Jam

A Lightning Jam is an innovation exercise used to:

• Identify and define the problem quickly
• Come up with a lot of solutions
• Find the best solution/next step
• Arrive at clear action steps

Hour 2

Lightening Jam ends and ideas are born.

Pitch your best idea to the room in 1 minute.

Stay with your team’s idea or jump over to another team/table.

Pick your team and start fleshing out your hack.

Hour 3

Continue to work with your team to work on your technology solution.

Hour 4

Presentation (problem, solution, features/benefits, how it works, ask)

Lego build

The Hackathon event will be followed by networking and drinks for the wider Agtech community.