Hello Everyone!
Who am I?
My name is Josine Macaspac, and I am an entomologist and young agricultural entrepreneur from the Philippines.
What is my Project?
My project is called the Mechanical Pest Removal System. It is a mechanical machine that will help reduce post-harvest damage and losses in staple crops such as grains, corns, seeds, and pulses.
How does it Work?
It works a simple “sieving” mechanism: the produce is loaded into the main compartment, and when the machine is powered, it will help remove the pests and their eggs from the produce by physically separating the pests from the produce, leaving behind only cleaned grains.
The MPReS operates on the M.O.M. princple; that is:
You can learn more about my project here:
http://blog.gfar.net/2016/03/01/yap-proposal-62-me…
This is my winning proposal on the Young Agripreneur Program, a joint program by the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD)
Why It is Important?
Every year, millions of tons of food are lost to pest damage during the post-harvest stage, and this also amounts to millions of lost revenue for farmers.
In the Philippines alone, we lost 3 MILLION TONS OF RICE every year due to pest damage.
Image Credits: Flickr
This machine can help reduce pest damage, increase yield, and increase produce value, without the use of expensive fuels and chemicals.
How can You Help?
You can help by donating any amount! My Engineering Team from The University of the Philippines Diliman, in cooperation with Engineers and other agricultural professionals from the University of the Philippines, Los Banos, are in the process of developing and testing the machine. We need more funding for this phase to complete the research and development phase.
Our target is a mere $5,000 USD, so if 500 people donate $10 each, we will be well on our way to building this machine, and making a difference in the lives of farmers everywhere.
Have I Gotten Funded Yet?
Yes, thanks to the amazing Agropolis Fondation based in France, I was given an initial grant of $5000 USD. However, this is only enough to cover the costs of patenting the machine, as well as purcashing the raw materials for the research and development phase.
We need a bit more push to make this machine a reality, and to be able to mass produce it for farmers.
It’s Not Just Me
Every donation that you make will make a difference in the lives of farmers.
For food safety, security, and affordability, in the Philippines, and maybe even the world.
As a good friend of mine told me, “We are all stakeholders in food security.”
It’s time to make a difference, today.
Please click the DONATE NOW Button below and show your support for our farmers in the Philippines!