Garage48 hackathon boosts agricultural innovation in Uganda

Connecting the Estonian start-up ecosystem with Uganda, Garage48 organised the hackathon together with StartHub Africa and Uganda’s National ICT Innovation Hub. The project is financed by the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV).

This year's hackathon focused primarily on environmentally sustainable growth and sustainability, as well as technological solutions that would support efficient and environmentally friendly agriculture. Over 100 young people, divided into 25 teams, participated in the three-day hackathon.

"This time the focus is on digital for green. To move towards the Global Gateway's objective to foster inclusive digital transformation, it is crucial to empower local entrepreneurs and promote sustainable solutions. The shared ambition is to ensure that everyone has a chance to benefit from the digital economy," said Kristel Rillo, ESTDEV's advisor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

GrinTech won the hackathon by developing a solar-powered smart food dehydrator to reduce post-harvest food loss. Two teams will attend Latitude59 Kenya and present their ideas: MicroVest, with an online platform that connects small farmers to markets and financial services, and HyMonitor, with a storage management system that monitors and guides the storage of crops.

Four additional teams secured a place in a follow-up boot camp:

• The AgriLink platform gives smallholder farmers access to market prices, weather info, and best practices in local languages.
• Hydroponics developed a hydroponic garden system to fight malnutrition, enabling small farmers to grow fresh, nutritious food using locally sourced materials and water-efficient methods.
• The Eco Flash Dryer uses the waste from cassava plants as fuel to dry the plants themselves.
• Farm Quest’s educational platform gamifies farming through AI and AR to make agriculture more appealing to young people and introduce them to sustainable agriculture.

“The hackathon exceeded all expectations. It was inspiring to see so much commitment among young people. This kind of participation is a clear sign that young people are ready to tackle real-life challenges and develop solutions that really create change,” said Mari Hanikat, CEO of Garage48.

“We feel strongly that such projects must be continued in Africa. Although there is room for improvement in several areas, we can see that young people have plenty of ideas and initiative to create new solutions. It is our duty to support and push them on this journey, helping them fill these gaps and develop and implement innovative solutions,” said Hanikat.

Companies will refine their ideas during the November boot camp and establish an action plan for the next six months. The top five teams will receive funding to develop their product or service and the opportunity to participate in a six-month accelerator programme to improve and test their solutions. In collaboration with the hackathon organisers, teams will be offered administrative support, mentorship and networking opportunities to help create a fertile ecosystem for agricultural technology innovation.

In collaboration with Garage48, Estonia has supported the hackathons in partner countries as part of its development cooperation since 2013. This initiative is also part of the Team Europe Initiative for Digital and Green Innovation Action, which will roll out more impactful activities over the next two years.