
OPEN INNOVATIONS
The information provided in this page is based on information provided by companies and partners in MATCh. This is not an exhaustive list of all the challenges that MATCh is seeking solutions but they are the ones that have been identified. If a company or organization would like to add a new challenge to the list please contact us at match@mekongbiz.org
CHALLENGES
MATCh has received many requests for technologies from companies and here are an indicative list of requested technologies. For further information on the companies requesting the technology, please contact MATCh at match@mekongbiz.org for more information.
- Technology and equipment to produce juice from pipe-apple and other fruits, including packaging in paper boxes.
- Technology and equipment to dry fruits and produce high quality semi-dry fruits that contains the color and favour of the original fruits.
- Equipment and technology to crack and process raw cashew nut
- Equipment and technology to produce ready made coffee cube.
- Equipment and technology to preserve lychees with cold caves.
- Equipment and technology to condense honey
- Equipment and technology to produce sausage, fish ball, fish ham and roll.
- Equipment and technology to process fish.
- Equipment and technology to produce cucumin powder.
Food safety outbreak/animal disease outbreak risk assessment tool
Foodborne pathogens cost millions of dollars each year while harming the reputation of suppliers and limiting market access. Meanwhile, production diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, cause substantial losses through animal mortality and morbidity and by forming barriers to export. Improving control of foodborne and production hazards requires a clearer picture of risk. Technology-centric solutions can improve efficiency and effectiveness of data capture and handling and better models can help direct risk management initiatives more effectively, moreover risks and best responses need to be communicated to public and private sector stakeholders to increase control.
Risk communication
The best risk assessment and risk management systems won’t help the general public or suppliers if the messages aren’t delivered to the key players in a timely and understandable manner. Risk information needs to be clearly communicated to and from stakeholders in both public and private spheres. Early detection of outbreaks or contamination of monitoring laboratory reports and drug sales for outbreak signals and automated alerts to accessible services such as smartphones could save millions in responses. The earlier the response the less costly for companies, industries and whole sectors.
Smart process control systems
Process control failure in food processing risks end-product contamination, and with high volume processing the risk of a widespread outbreak is heightened, increasing the threat to consumers and industry reputations. Effective risk-based process controls are dependent on good data and real time monitoring to identify failure, or potential failure, at the earliest opportunity. Smartphone based monitoring of critical control points and real-time data management and alerts/reporting can mitigate these risks.
Smart Fertilizer Application Tools
Inefficient application of fertilizer leads to economic loss, soil degradation, water pollution, and green-house gas emission. Improving fertilizer use efficiency requires accurate information on soil types (properties), crop nutrient requirement, soil & crop management (e.g. application of biochar, compost, green manuring, liquid biofertilizer), input and output costs, and climatic conditions of the growing areas. The tools allows users to use information from Agricultural Mapping Tools on soil types (and properties), climatic condition to analyze with crop nutrient requirement, management and cost to recommend site-specific nutrient management or fertilizer application to achieve maximum benefits and sustain environment.
Water Saving Application Tools
Rainfall pattern is currently changing due to climate change impacts. Saving of water through application of rainfall harvesting techniques and water saving irrigation is needed to increase resilience and adaptation to climate change. The tools use information from Agricultural Mapping Tools to help calculate the size and capacity of rain harvesting pond to ensure 100% of rain in a specific area is collected for future use. The tools also use information on soil type, weather conditions (e.g. evaporation), crop water requirement, crop transpiration rate to recommend real time irrigation requirement. The tools aim to save water by providing recommendation to irrigate at the right time, right amount and right techniques (e.g drip irrigation, sprinkler).
Innovative Biochar Making Tools
Biochar is charcoal produced from plant matter believed by many to present enormous opportunities in enhancing crop growth, remediating contaminated soil and preventing climate change causing carbon emissions. Biochar is also known by the names agrichar or the simple term, black carbon. Biochar is made using a process called pyrolysis. The porous charcoal like biochar was once any kind of organic biomass. Pyrolysis involves placing the biomass into a special oven (or kiln) before heating in the presence of little or no oxygen. The result is a stable solid material rich in carbon content that can effectively capture carbon and lock the carbon into the soil. Temperatures required by this process vary and a different type of biochar is produced depending on the feed biomass used and the temperature reached in the pyrolysis process. Though Biochar is so good, application in a large scale has been limited by difficulty in collection of large volume of biomass and a lack of appropriate kiln for burning of plant matter and reducing smoke. Innovations are needed to help in plant matter collection under scattered farming condition and in producing biochar in large volume. The innovation should be low cost technologies affordable by individual of groups of small holder farmers.
Mobile Compost Making Machine
Application of compost made from decomposition of plant biomasses (such as rice straw, peanut stubbles, etc.) has been known to improve soil conditions to be suitable for crop growth and sustained yields in the long term. This soil amendment technique, however, has not been widely adopted by small holder farmers due to the difficulty and high labor requirement to collect plant biomasses from the field and the time consuming in compost making process. Rice farmers in the GMS therefore tend to burn the rice straw during the dry season in order to clean up the field for the next season growing. This causes a loss of valuable bioresource and increase climate change impacts. Innovative machines are needed to help small holder farmers in the collection of biomasses from the field and in compost making.
Modelling efficacy and efficiency of risk management options
With finite resources, it is imperative that the most effective and efficient risk management strategies are prioritized. It is also essential that risk managers have the information and preparation necessary to know what to do when emergencies occur. The impacts of risk management strategies and interventions can better be assessed through risk and economic modelling. Risk contexts are complex, and models must reflect this to the degree possible and useful, by taking into account hazard characteristics, geography, environmental conditions, market connections and trade volumes, susceptible populations, uncertainty, among other parameters. Comparing probable effects of actions such as recalls, movement bans, vaccination campaigns, and communication in different contexts can support planning and capacity building. Risk tools for use in emergency response simulations such as SIR (susceptible, infected, recovered) based models incorporating visual components, for example integrating a GIS component and/or in real time/time series for use in emergency response simulations and in the development of robust incident command systems.
Traceability data capture and management
If we don’t know where a product came from, we can’t accurately identify risk pathways and enact effective risk mitigation and management strategies, increasing the costs of such measures and risk to both industry and the general public. The ubiquity of smartphones presents opportunities to establish robust track and trace systems that can be used by even the smallest players. New approaches to tagging, such as rolling out radio frequency identification (RFID), can make trade safer and improve supply chain management. In addition, improved approaches to data management for source attribution investigations that link surveillance data and pathogen characterization data to supply can help to identify the source of problems and minimize the impact of contaminated products on consumers and the costs to industries
Agricultural mapping tools
In agriculture, if you don’t have good data you won’t be using land optimally. Knowing the farming conditions with accuracy and precision can cut costs of production, improve yields and reduce pollution and protect natural resources while supporting planning and extension, and increasing the feasibility of service delivery to smaller players, for example micro-insurance. At present a lot of highly relevant data is underutilized in the agricultural sector. Integrating mapping, environmental, soil type, agricultural use and other relevant data, and making it accessible in a user-friendly format can address these inefficiencies. This could also help strengthen climate change adaptation and resilience by identifying potential problems ahead of time and directing R&D. A tool like this will also pave the way for wider application of precision agriculture in the region, and new uses of technologies such as drones in agricultural planning and production.
Nutrient Disorder Analysis Tools
Nutrient deficiency (lack of nutrient in soil) and toxicity (too much nutrient in soil) retard growth and development of crops and the symptom may be observed visually during the growing period. In order to fix the problem before the crop dies or it is too late, it is necessary to know, firstly whether the symptom is from deficiency or toxicity, and secondly from which nutrient (e.g. N, P, K or etc.?). The tools assist the extension workers/farmers to identify problems by inputting observed information into the system. Recommendation will then be provided on appropriate management to solve such problems to ensure that good yield is achieved.
Pest and Disease Management Tools
Outbreak of pest and disease often occurs when growing crops in the tropical climate. Identification whether the observed symptoms are a result from pest or disease attack is complicated and a tool to assist extension workers/farmers to identify it right on time will be very useful. The tools may require observers to input data or information based on the characteristic of the symptom for the system to analyze and arrive at the cause of the problem. The tools then provide recommendation on appropriate option of action to fix the problem.
Agri Carbon Footprint Calculator
Contribution of Green House Gas (GHG) emission from agricultural sector has been well recognized. Research has shown that application of climate-friendly practices (e.g. application of biochar, improved nutrient use efficiency, system of rice intensification, etc.) could satisfactorily minimize GHG emission to the atmosphere while yields are sustained (or in some case, increased) and net income of the farmers is increased. Innovative science-based GHG emission calculation tools are needed to help demonstrate and convince policy makers and extension workers on the multi-benefits of upscaling climate-friendly agriculture practices to national scale.
Antimicrobial usage monitoring
Residues in product and the development of antimicrobial drug resistance among pathogens are global health concerns. In response, countries and industries are coming under increasing pressure to monitor and reduce the use of antimicrobials in production. Are there innovative approaches to monitoring drug production/import data, sales, and surveillance systems for estimating total usage by industry?
Business matching tool
Many producers and SMEs supplying niche products struggle to identify potential buyers, meanwhile, distributors and retailers are constantly seeking new products to promote. An accessible and user-friendly business matching app for relaying product information and buyer requirements and connecting relevant parties could address these issues with many possible cost coverage options, making the app sustainable.
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Mekong Business Initiative – Asian Development Bank
16 Phan Chu Trinh, Hanoi, Vietnam