Globally, agriculture accounts for 70% of freshwater withdrawal, and 40% of it is lost to the environment [1]. LaFarm is no exception, and this loss negatively affects the farm’s sustainability effort, operating costs, and sanitation process. The irrigation of crops takes up a majority of this water.
Evidence
We spoke to Josh Parr, LaFarm’s manager of food and farm about ways in which we could help him. He mentioned that LaFarm needs a more streamlined and sanitary wash and pack station. he also said that the farm’s irrigation system does not get enough water from the current well and pump system in place [2].
Importance
The emotional buy-in of this problem for us is that LaFarm is close to our campus and close to our hearts, and the wasted water has negative impacts on the farm’s sustainability efforts and operational costs. Alleviating this problem helps the college, as well as locals who are invested in the farm. The intellectual buy-in is that we can use our engineering skillsets to try and create a solution for LaFarm with the possibility of being used in similar small-scale farms. This problem also provides us with significant design freedom within a reasonable timeline.
Problem Discovery & Selection Broader Impacts Market Selection Process
Sources:
[1] High Tide Technologies: Water Usage in the Agricultural Industry, by Paul Balsom, September 28, 2020.
[2] Stakeholder Interview, Josh Parr, September 29, 2022.