MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Decentralized Renewable Resource Grid

One-line solution summary:

System Innovation to achieve Food Sustainability via Hardware Nodes, Platform Grid & Behavior Engine.

Pitch your solution.

Inspired by how a Power Grid works, We envision the emergence of a "Grid of all Grids".

Solar, wind and other green energy sources are among the most well known renewable resources, we also have Food and Water in line.

The benefits of decentralised production of renewable resources is becoming widely recognised in recent years. The adoption is reaching a tipping point that it has been made possible and economically viable through technological advancement in production/harvesting tech and our ability to optimise resources distribution and consumption.

Our Solution aims to build a Smart and collaborative Grid for Food and Water resources via the utilisation of

1) High tech farming & water hardware node;

2) a platform that facilitate trade and exchange of wide range of renewable resources, incorporating the Food - Water - Energy

3) a Behavior and Incentive Engine that govern data integrity, trustful relationship and behavior.

What specific problem are you solving?

Resource Modules:

1) Vertical Farm techniques reduce Excessive Agricultural Land use and increase yields.

2) Hydroponics reduce Water Footprint and decrease contamination risk

3) Close to consumer reduce Food miles and carbon footprint

4) Improve traceability for internal supply chain with IoTs, pinpointing authenticity of product origin.

Platform Grid

1) Help Low to mid income working family to gain quick access to fresh local produces and relating information.

2) Allow farmers to gain improved market insights and help on production planning

Behavior Engine:

1) Unearth hidden capital for local farmers and producers via crowdfunding

2) Further eliminate inefficiency and foster sharing economy to improve small scale local production profitability.

What is your solution?

The Project comes in 3 components: The Resource Modules, The Resource Grid, & The Behavior and Incentive Engine.

The Resource Modules include confirmed Resource Harvesting models: the Waterig machine, FarmBlock and Planned Logistics models: FreshBox & FreshLinker.

FarmBlock (1st-gen.) is a Modular Indoor vertical farm unit with climate control and remote access enabled by IoTs and DLT (2nd-gen). Co-developed with industrial design institution partners, target completion: Q4-2020.

Waterig machine (1st-gen) is a water capturing device. Our current local client include organic farms that lack city water access. Next generation advanced water capturing research is undergoing.

FreshBox & FreshLinker are autonomous agents that carry out last mile service in high-cost urban area.

The Resource Grid is a processing and distribution network. Food e-commerce arm FreshVeg was trial-launched in Q2-2020. FreshVeg aims to connect local farms directly with consumers offering market-focused produce. FreshVeg will offer advanced food processing and delivery service in Q4-2020. It serves as a critical channel for upcoming FarmBlock deployment.

The DLT-based Behavior and Incentive Engine concept (code-named REX &REXchange) will be utilised as programmable transactional and behaviral tools for FreshVeg. Community crowdfunding tools will also be developed for deploying local FarmBlock-Waterig complex globally.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

A vast group of people our solution is serving is the younger generation that has been left behind due to high city living cost and the lack of upward mobility in developed region, We want to turn sustainable farming, food production and distribution a high tech and cool career choice for future generation to come.

One of our concept pilot is a "Farm+Home" 農+家部落 program aims to experiment on helping younger generation to adopt a high tech sustainable agricultural career where they operate own/leased FarmBlock close to their modular living quarter. While helping to solve Hong Kong's housing problem and at the same time training up the next generation urban farmers.

Similar program can be conceptualised and built into attracting different target groups such as retired senior citizens, part time leisure farmers. With our Behavior and Incentive Engine in place, co-farming and fractional ownership allow larger population to join force on tapping into non-farmable land. Different parties offering their surplus capital, Idle land or part time man-hours and turn it into localised farming setup. (Less than 2% of Hong Kong's fresh produces are locally grown)

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Other

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Hong Kong

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Pilot: An organization deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community

Who is the primary delegate for your solution?

Patrick Suen