We were poised to create a solution to the problem of lack of funding and information among subsistent farmers. To do this we were put in a hackathon group
The word hackathon is derived from the words "hack" and "marathon". Hack stands for creative problem solving and marathon stands for the team spirit that is to be built through the project because it takes collaboration to win a marathon. A hackathon is an event, usually hosted by an organization, where individuals get together for a period of time to collaborate on a project. The project is borne out of various challenges ranging from health, education ,production and finance challenging our communities . To kick start the projects, fellows were made to pitch ideas on various challenges. In order to produce a feasible solution, emphasis have to be directed on understanding the challenges faced by farmer in accessing loans. with this in mind, We work on the five stages of Design thinking.
1.Empathize
2.Define
3.Ideate
4.Prototype
5.Test
Empathize: Before we can really understand the problem of lack of funding for rural farmers, we have to put ourselves in the shoes of the farmers. One way to do so is through interviews. The process of interviewing the farmers embodies the empathize stage of design thinking. In this stage we are to put away all notions we might have had about the problem and focus on the interviewees. We have to understand their opinions by asking a lot of questions and immersing ourselves in their answers so we might walk vicariously in their shoes. We must ask open ended questions which cannot elicit a yes/no answer. By doing this, we might have new insights and revelations of the problem that we might never have had without undergoing this process.
Define: After the empathetic session above we have gotten from information from the farmers we interviewed. We make use of this information by critically reviewing it and narrowing it down until you are able to define the problem the farmers are having. From our interviews we were able to discover that the main problem almost all the farmers were facing was a lack of access to funds, and also a lack of information. This is because information dissemination by the responsible bodies was very poor.
Ideate: Here, we put on our thinking caps and as a group we brainstorm different ideas to narrow down to a particular solution. We concluded on creating a message based services for individual farmers(who might have access directly to our websites) or farmers who registered through their Union. Farmers' union onboard their members using our digital platform. We provide credit information on the platform and they can receive updates through SMS or Email.
Prototype: Prototyping in Design thinking is that stage where Ideas are converted to a dummy product. It is termed, Build-to-think and Think-to-build stage. Good Product design are achieved when prototypes are done early. After prototyping we proceeded to PITCHING our product to receive feedbacks and provide us the ability to develop better ideas and exciting solutions. Below is a link to the full prototype.
https://www.figma.com/proto/AwhgpS54eczj8jcLg7uHYK/Farmsmart?node-id=54%3A25&viewport=-102%2C-1023%2
PITCH DAY
On our pitch day, we were tasked with presenting our work so far to our facilitators, fellow trainees, and two guest judges; Wura Mosuro and Emily Guo from Harvard and MIT respectively. Each member of our team handled a different section of the pitch. The pitch was divided into 7 sections which were
1.Problem
2.Solution
3.Market
4.Go to market
5.Revenue model
6.Impact
7.Team
Here is a link to the presentation slide:
Our pitch focused on why our product was needed, the solution it provided, revenue model and impact. Our impact aligned with SDG GOAL which aim at reducing poverty and we are committed to using information as a tool to strengthen the agricultural value chain.
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