Terrashift
Help the Farmers
Protect the Earth
Our Project
RevGro
We want to develop a low-cost, environmentally-friendly and mechanical solution that will help fight agricultural poverty by providing farmers with a more efficient and less labour intensive method of tending to their crops. This will increase the crop yields of these farmers and thus enable them to not only keep their family well-fed, but also allow them to earn extra income, which would improve their quality of life. This would ultimately improve the economy and infrastructure of our target countries.
The Earthtrugger
How does it work?
It’s a mechanism operated by two people which allows them to travel across the soil. Attached to the rear will be a no-till drill device, which will be dragged along the soil to create dips in the soil where seeds can be dropped and plants.
This helps farmers to increase efficiency and reduce hard manual labour during the “ploughing” process.
Product Details
Mechanics
Our product consists of a simple but effective mechanism consisting of only a few metal axles and gears, allowing for high durability and easy maintenance. Calculated gear ratios allows for minimal force input but greater force output.
Mobility
Our product consists of four wheels with tracks around them to evenly distribute weight on the ground and reduce pressure on the soil. This will ensure minimum disturbance to the soil as well as increased mobility across farmland.
Eco-Friendly
Our product soley relies on simple mechanics and thus does not require electricity or heavy industry to produce. Lack of fuel means that our product does not release harmful substances into the atmosphere. Materials such as bamboo are sustainably and locally sourced.
Bamboo
Sustainable - grows very quickly (fastest growing plant- matures within 3-5yrs)
Africa has very many untapped reserves of bamboo
Locally Sourced - 1 million hectares of bamboo growing in Ethiopia alone
Africa holds up to 8% of the world's bamboo resources
Eco-Friendly - releases 30% more oxygen and absorbs more CO2 than any other plant
Absorbs up to 12 tonnes of CO2 per 2.5acres in a single year
Durable - has higher tensile strength than steel
The No-Till Drill Device
During planting season, a no-till drill can be attached at the back of our main device to prepare the soil for seeds.
First, the wheels poke holes into the soil.
Then, seeds fall through the bamboo piping and land in these pockets.
Finally, a spade made out of a re-purposed bicycle pedal pushes soil over the seeds to finish off the planting process.
The No-tilling Technique
The no-till farming technique aids soil health, reduces carbon emissions and is often more cost-effective than traditional ploughing methods. No-tilling improves soil health by minimising disturbance of the soil, thus, leading to a healthier soil biome with more microorganisms being able to recycle nutrients. Furthermore, this technique leaves crop residue from previous harvests on the surface of the soil, which improves soil structure and provides a cover, therefore, allowing for better absorption of water, which is particularly essential in drought-prone regions. This soil cover also reduces soil erosion, thus, decreasing fertiliser run-off, resulting in less contamination of nearby water supplies. No-tilling reduces carbon emission by increasing carbon sequestration, because more carbon is kept within the soil, which is also very beneficial in helping microorganisms to release more nutrients, thus, less is being released into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change. This technique is also more cost-effective, as the farmer would have to make less passes over the soil.