TRECITY (Technology Refined Efficient {Agricultural} —City)

TRECITY is a Refined Agricultural Assistant Technology; which takes the form of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mobile Software Application.

TRECITY is a Refined Agricultural Assistant Technology, that provides guidance and assistance on how to farm efficiently in order to get the best crop yields, with various features to make farming easier and better.

 It involves a Camera Scanner, (to get a picture of the soil, and detect its soil type, using a Machine Learning AI) and Artificial Intelligence (including Voice AI), to guide the users to;

° selecting the right seed variety to get optimum yield, 

° the best time for planting, 

° the amount of fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides to apply on the crops

° the best on-farm practices to reduce crop loss, 

and 

° how to partner with the right buyers to get the best price for their product. 

TRECITY also enables the users to trade in the application ; by either selling their final produces, or purchasing the required Agricultural tool(s) and chemicals needed for farming. 

The Technology in TRECITY: Mobile Software Application, Artificial intelligence, (with a Voice AI for further guidance) and a Camera Scanner, (which will be connected to the AI, to detect the Soil type, and further guide the users). 

The specific problem TRECITY is trying to solve is; Agricultural Illiteracy /Low Agricultural Knowledge. 

Agriculture remains the largest sector in Nigeria contributing an average of 24% to the nation's GDP over the past seven years (2013 – 2019). In addition, the sector employs more than 36% of the country's labour force, a feat which ranks the sector as the largest employer of labour in the country.

Which is why the problem of Agricultural Illiteracy needs to be solved:

Farmers need to know how to select the right seed variety to get optimum yield, the best time for planting, control the amount of pesticides and insecticides you apply on the crops, best on-farm practices to reduce crop loss and, how to partner with the right off-takers to get the best price for their product.

The target population: Farmers, and Agricultural inclined individuals. 

They are currently undeserved because; they have little or no (access to the) adequate literacy needed. 

TRECITY will address their needs via guidance and assistance on;

° how to farm efficiently in order to get the best crop yields, 

° selecting the right seed variety to get optimum yield, 

° the best time (weather seasons) for planting, 

 ° amount of fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides (and other required Agricultural chemicals) to apply on the crops, 

° the best on-farm practices to reduce crop loss, 

and 

° how to partner with the right off-takers to get the best price for their product. 

1) We have gone to the market of our potential users, and seen the challenges they face, when it comes to Agriculture. We have understood that a reasonable percentage out of the 36% agricultural labour, face challenges, which in turn affects their outputs. 

2) Yes we’ve worked with an existing organization working on parts of the problem identified. 

The current stage of development chosen for our solution, TRECITY, is Concept stage.

 Reason being; TRECITY is still an idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product., and it is being worked upon and developed. 

Accomplishment till date:

° Formation of idea

° Development of idea

° Feasibility studies of the idea

° Mockup and prototype design of the idea

The Technology in TRECITY: Mobile Software Application, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, (with a Voice AI for further guidance) and a Camera Scanner, (which will be connected to the AI, to detect the Soil type, and further guide the users). 

The Expected Number:

TRECITY expects to serve (minimum of) 250 number of people. 

TRECITY impact goals are:

• Increasing Agricultural literacy
• Increasing the rate of productivity.
• Self Sufficiency: It is believed that population growth will always tend to outrun the food supply, so our impact goal, is to atleast strike a balance. Such that each individual can provide/supply food for themselves, without really having to rely on the market produces. And through our solution, individuals will be self sufficient, and eat more with less payment.

How does TRECITY plan on measuring impact goals:

TRECITY plans on measuring impact goals via the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Zero Hunger: If everyone learn how to farm and provide food for themselves, they will always have food .

Decent Work and Economic Growth: Agriculture has been a contributing sector to the economy, and also to the labour force. Asides knowing how to farm, for consumption purposes, these individuals can hence commercialize it and make a living for themselves. And this in turn, will increase the Real GDP, which in turn increases the economic growth. 

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure:

I will know if my solution has been of impact, when through our guide;

° industries (food industries) can be born. 

° there is an innovation  

° users are provided with the necessary avaliable options of infrastructures needed. 

No Poverty:  Welfare of individuals, which is used to measure poverty level, mostly depends on the Standard of Living (how well they can feed), and Cost of Living (how well they can afford food). 

I will know if TRECITY has been of impact, when the poverty rate has been reduced, and people can provide food for themselves, and be relieved of the food inflation. 

Responsible Production and Consumption:

I will know if TRECITY has been of impact, when through our guide;

° there is more production, and, 

° there is more food to be consumed

Barriers:

Financial: 

This is a barrier, because we need funding to be able to run the solution, TRECITY. 

And in order to achieve our goals, we will also need money to; provide agricultural tools, agricultural chemicals needed for free, and —in some cases, — the mobile phones, for the less privileged. 

 We understand that, they need food, but may not have the resources required to produce the food.

Legal:

The legal issues that may occur and be a barrier are:

° Licencing and permit issues.

° Advertisement and marketing. 

° Data Protection and Privacy Issues. 

° Protection of Intellectual property rights. 

° Contract Management. 

I am meaningfully guided by my team's input, ideas, and agendas when it comes to the design and implementation of TRECITY because:

1. The Team Lead, (the first full- time team member) Okeke Esther Ngozika, is an Economist, and a business manager, and thus has enough knowledge, understanding on the behavioral dynamics of a Business, Service, Consumers/Users and Finances. She has also led a team (previously) in an innovative technological startup competition. (Hult-Prize), and can also apply her experience, into this competition.
2. The second full time team member Oyinlola Oladipo-Ejibunu, is a college student in the field of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, and hence, has the sufficient and technical know-how of Agriculture. This is key in the success of our solution, as our solution is rooted in Agriculture. Previously, she interned in an Agricultural Mechanization inclined firm. She will be able to apply her experience, in TRECITY, especially in the area of making the necessary machineries available to our users. 
3. Two of the part time members are Legal Practioners, who shall be in charge of all the legalities of TRECITY, ranging from the:

• Licensing and Permit 
• Data Protection and Privacy Issues. 
• Protection of Intellectual Property rights and Patent.
• Contract Management.              

 4) The remaining part time members, are the technical persons, who shall over see the technicalities of the software application; ranging from the mobile application development, to the maintenance. They are key players of the solution, as they bring TRECITY to life, in the technological world.

 All the team members' lives and experiences also helped me understand the experience of those, TRECITY serve; with their skill set and experiences, making TRECITY a solution of impact. 

TRECITY does not currently partner with any organization. 

I am qualified for the HP Girls Save the World Prize, in the following requirements :

°Age — I am 17 years, 6 months old. 

°Solution — My solution is innovative, and is of impact to the world, as it saves the world from hunger, and poverty. 

My team shall use the HP Girls Save the World Prize, to advance my solution TRECITY, in the following ways:

°Helping the less deserved farm easier and better, by providing the necessary Agricultural tools and chemicals needed, and also a mobile phone to be able to access our solution (TRECITY is a mobile software application), and increase their learning and literacy in Agriculture. 

° Create a subsidy on the prices of the necessary Agricultural tools and Agricultural chemicals required for an easier and better farming. 

I am qualified for the Pozen Social Innovation Prize, in the following requirements :

°Age — I am under 24 years of age. 

°Solution — My solution is innovative, and is of impact to the world, as it saves the world from hunger, and poverty. 

My team shall use the Pozen Social Innovation Prize, to advance my solution TRECITY, in the following ways:

° Helping the less deserved farm easier and better, by providing the necessary Agricultural tools and chemicals needed, and also a mobile phone to be able to access our solution (TRECITY is a mobile software application), and increase their learning and literacy in Agriculture. 

° Create a subsidy on the prices of the necessary Agricultural tools and Agricultural chemicals required for an easier and better farming.