Page 221 - Towards A Sustainable Future 2024
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Eco-Solutions

            Following a discussion between the ESI team and the V-plus
            Agritech team, we prioritised the reduction of crop waste.
            Our eco-solution involves the installation of sunshades
            above the vertical planting towers, by utilising mesh netting
            to  obstruct  harmful  UV  light.  However,  it  is  essential  to
            maintain a balance, as vegetables require a minimum of six
            hours of sunlight for photosynthesis.

            To  address  this,  the  team  recommended  implementing
            a retractable  pulley  system (RPS) integrated with digital
            sensors.  This system operates with sensors that trigger
            notifications to farmers via an application when temperatures
            surpass  a  predetermined  set  point.  Consequently,  farmers
            can manually open or close the sunshades as required,
            thus ensuring optimal sunlight exposure to the crops while   Figure 3: The aquaponics farm before installing the RPS.
            mitigating UV damage.



            Recorded data shows that the temperature at the farm area may exceed 34°C around noon (Figure 4). Drawing on the
            experience of farmers, it has been determined that vegetables should not be subjected to temperatures exceeding 31°C.
            Consequently, we set the temperature limit on the digital notification sensor to 31°C. .























                                         Figure 4: Weather records before the RPS installation.




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