Nigeria - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

My project is a smart solution that remotely monitors and control poultry farms, hatcheries and egg incubators with embedded systems technology and internet of things. My solution will provide operators with insights that will profit their operations.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

My startup (Cooper technologies) is going to build a smart software and hardware solution that will be integrated in poultry farms, hatcheries and egg incubators. The underlying factor here is that we want to improve the poultry value chain with the use of embedded systems technology, internet of things, cloud computing, Artificial intelligence and machine learning. The system starts off with sensors that will collect data such as temperature, humidity, air quality in a poultry farm, the data from this sensors will be uploaded on a cloud where various data analytics process will take place. The data analytics will be done using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. The results of this is that the operator will derive various insights of the happenings in the farm and the data will also provide the farmer with predictions that will boost the efficiency of the poultry farms and hatcheries. Finally, the process will be accessible via a mobile app or internet dashboard.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

The main problems my solution seeks to solve is the issue of proper management of poultry farms, hatcheries and egg incubators. One of the major bane of poultry farms is disease outbreaks among the flock. These diseases such as Newcastle disease, bird flu, spread like wild fire if not detected quickly and this can lead to massive losses for the poultry farm. Diseases in poultry farms can be difficult to detect in large poultry farms where just one infected bird can spread the disease to others. My technology will ensure that all the environmental variables needed for growing healthy chickens are maintained and the data analytics will also make sure the chickens are being properly fed. My system will also detect anomalies in the poultry farms that indicate there are infected flocks. In the aspect of hatcheries and egg incubator. The operator of my system will be able to have control of prevailing external environmental conditions like high temperatures that are unpleasant for the eggs.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

1) Farmers will have a system that ensures that their poultry farms are in proper, well ventilated and controlled environment for their chickens to grow. Any absurd situation will be reported in real time via alarms and notification on their mobile devices or dashboard. For example, rising ammonia levels in the poultry farms will affect the health of the flock negatively. My solution will notify the farmer of this and necessary actions will be taken swiftly before any harm can be done 2) My solution will also ensure that infected bird are quickly identified and removed from the flock before they can infect others. This can achieved by motion sensors or RFID tags that detect funny movement of the birds and notify the farmer via a notification. 3) My solution will also help the operators guard against improper environmental conditions in egg incubators that hinder development of the eggs. My system will also recognise patterns in temperature that boosts hatching.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

My product aims at serving the following customers. 1) My product seeks to target Poultry farms of different ranges from small scale to large scale poultry farms from a few tens, hundreds to thousands of birds. This poultry farms can cover broiler, noilers and layer breed of chicken. 2) My solution will also be targeted at commercial hatcheries that hatch day old chicks and sell them to the poultry farms or off takers. These hatcheries usually possess large incubators that hatch eggs on a weekly basis and our system will be integrated on their machines. 3) My solution will also target egg incubator owners that use it on a small scale or personal farm levels. There is a large market of incubator owners who hatch their own eggs on their own in order to raise the birds either for meat or for parent stock. Our system will also be integrated into these incubators.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2022-10-15

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

3

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

1

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

The profile of the owners are as follows. 1) Chief technology officer (Otonye Iyalla) He possesses a degree in electrical/electronics engineering and is very versatile, hard working and very keen to details. He had his student industrial work experience scheme in a telecommunications company (Niger Delta television) where he was involved with the installation and design of various communication gadgets and electromagnetic equipments. He also worked in Aspen energies as an engineer where he was involved in various oil and gas projects. He is also an astute business man that has ventured into various entrepreneurship enterprises giving him alot of experience in management and technology. 2) Head of operations and product (Zinipre Dickson) : She possesses a degree in animal science and she is very intelligent and industrious. She has massive experience in agricultural operations. She is also a tech enthusiast with experience in cloud computing,Artificial intelligence and machine learning.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556423082292

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

b) Materials (agriculture, fishing, chemical products, construction materials, containers and packaging, metals and mining, paper and forest products)

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

My solution is going to go a long way in alleviating hunger. This is because poultry products are a great source of balanced diet in that they are rich in protein. The meat and eggs derived from chicken is essential to the development of the human body. My solution will combat the issue of egg scarcity in the market through precision livestock farming techniques that will improve the health and productivity of layer breed of chicken. The integration of my solution in egg incubators and hatcheries will also ensure that uniform and healthy day old chicks are hatched more frequently and consistently. In summary, my solution will be instrumental in preserving the poultry value chain from the hatching of day old chicks to raising them for finished product.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

My solution will also combat poverty in different ways. First of all, my solution is a versatile integration of emerging technologies such as smart embedded systems, cloud computing, internet of things, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. This Technologies will attract both local and foreign investment and this will further enhance the GDP and economy of Nigeria. Secondly, my solution is also going to require skilled man power for the design and production of our solutions. This will lead to job creation and will ensure that young Nigerias roaming the street will now have a source of lively hood and a breeding ground to develop their dormant talents. Finally, this solution will improve the efficiency and productivity of the poultry value chain, from the hatcheries down the final products of poultry in meat and egg. This will surely increase sales of poultry product, enhancing the economy and foreign exchange of the Nigerian currency.

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

My solution will be instrumental in contributing to good health and well bring. The poultry industry has being plagued with safety issues due to the outbreak of diseases such as avian influenza popularly referred to as bird flu, Newcastle disease, egg glut etc. This can be attributed to improper management of the poultry flock or inadequate technical know how of how to treat these infections when they come up. In fact, few personnel have the required skills to even identify these disease outbreaks in their mode. The adoption of precision livestock farming practices, integrating sensors and data analytics to poultry farms will ensure that diseases are detected in time and necessary actions are taken. Also, my solution will also make sure that the environment of these chickens are conducive for healthy growth. Finally, data analytics can also improve feed formulation for chickens and boost feed conversion ratio, giving rise to healthy chickens for the market.

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

The smart poultry solution for poultry farms, hatcheries and egg incubators will also improve education in Nigeria and also Africa. First of all, it is important to mention that our solution is a product of years of quality education i and my team have received. This is evident in the diverse knowledge base of our solution, from Engineering to electronics to computer science and agriculture. We would also want to give back to the society by giving our staffs the best hands on training which will consolidate the theoretical knowledge a good number of graduates in Nigeria have been exposed to. Also, going forward, we will develop modules, online courses where students and practitioners in agriculture and other interested participants can have access to in order to increase their skill set and knowledge base. We will also offer student industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) for students and Internship for graduates and members of the National youth service Corps scheme.

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

My startup will also ensure that women are integrated in all aspects of our business operation. My startup has one of its founders as a women and that will also make sure that women are part of the decision making process of my startup. As we go further, our business will have various sections or departments and I will make sure women are full participants of the make up of each department of my startup. Women will be part of the leadership structure of every part of this startup from the design process of our product, down to marketing, sales, accounting etc. I will also ensure that violence against women is highly prohibited and there will be serious penalties for defaulters if there is any situation of such.

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

My solution will provide clean water and sanitation in a very strategic and innovative way. It is common knowledge that one of the necessary requirements for poultry flock is clean water and sanitation. My solution will provide water quality sensors that will ensure that the water in the drinkers are clean at all times. This solution will also have also have an automatic system to drain dirty water out of the drinkers and replace it with clean water in quick time. Also, my solution will also monitor air quality will sensors, notifying farmers if the air is infested with flies or ammonia, thereby triggering devices such as extractor fans to blow out the inappropriate air in the poultry farm.

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

One of the benefit of my solution is the energy efficiency feature for controlled poultry farms and hatcheries. The precision livestock features of my solution which involves smart sensors will ensure that the poultry farm receives only the appropriate level of heating, lightning and ventilation. This will ensure that only the required energy consumption is used by the poultry farms and there will be little or no wastage. Also , this solution will ensure that all the elements in the egg incubators for heating, ventilation and egg turning are used adequately and waste is kept at the barest minimum. This energy efficiency will ensure that less energy is being consumed by poultry farms and hatcheries, reducing the burden on power generation on the poultry farmers, hatcheries and even the power production company. Also, energy usage will be integrated in the operators mobile app and dashboard, allowing the user to monitor and regulate power consumption like speed of fan, degree of lighting

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

My startup is going to promote a very decent work ethic for our staffs. This will be done by efficient task management by using digital tools that will track employee activities, productivity and task. Tools such as Google workspace, clickup, obsidian, notion, Microsoft excel, outlook will be used in the running of our day to day activities. We will also be committed to research and development, provide staff with necessary tools for their work, from tool boxes for engineers, digital packages for software developers as well as good internet connection that will make their jobs productive. We will also ensure staffs are exposed to trainings, workshops and trade shows in order to develop their individual careers and boost their confidence. We will also market our solution aggressively, skyrocketing sales to all the 36 states of Nigeria which will increase our revenue, boost the economy and GDP of our nation.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

7 - Strongly Agree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

The fact that my startup is a fully technology based startup will greatly improve industry innovation and infrastructure. The back bone of my solution is precision livestock farming which involves embedded systems technology, internet of things, Artificial intelligence, machine learning as well as cyber security. These are all emerging technologies that are currently being deployed in all aspects of human endeavour. The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning will ensure that poultry farmers and Hatcheries are given the the privilege of making data driven decisions that will boost the efficiency of their operation. The system will help Poultry farms and hatcheries to gather insights from the data coming out from their farms. The system will also ensure that patterns that improve hatching, detect anomalies such as diseases will be made available to the operator, changing the way poultry farms and hatcheries operate.

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

My startup will reduce inequalities within and among countries by integrating people from all walks of life in our business operation. First of all, my startup will make sure women are well represented in all aspect of my company, from the decision making at the top, to product development down to marketing and closing of sales. Also, Africa has being treated as a poor cousin for a long time due to its inability to catch up with emerging trends and technologies as they unfold. My startup will introduce alot of emerging technologies such as internet of things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber security to in our product and business operation and this will go along way in ensuring that our society moves in the same pace with the developed world. This technology adoption will boost the self esteem of Nigerians, giving the notion that we can achieve anything we put our mind to. My startup's recruitment will be unbiased as people from all walks of hired.

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

My startup will contribute to sustainable cities and communities through the efficient output of my startup operations. Firstly, our commitment to precision livestock farming will ensure that energy usage in poultry farms and hatcheries will be substantially reduced to only what is required, minimising waste and adopting energy efficient devices and equipment in our design. Also, our smart system ensures that poultry farms are supplied with clean water and condusive environment, free of ammonia and carbon dioxide ensuring that our environment is healthy and secure. Thus will also help in reducing global warming since energy consumption is being reduced. Also, my solution will provide the poultry value chain with more healthy chickens and eggs, thereby promoting food security, ensuring that communities are self reliant for food.

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

My startup commitment to using smart sensors to monitor and control poultry farms, hatcheries and incubators will ensure that energy wastage is avoided, and power generation matches energy consumption through the judicious use of power generated. The electronic and power components such as drivers for heaters, ventilation system used in my solution will be highly energy efficient, ensuring that our production is sustainable and energy efficienct. For example, we will use rechargeable soldering iron for our electronic design process rather than plug to power soldering iron (which dissipate more heat). We will also make use of recycled electronic hardwares, reducing cost and at the same time striving for excellence in our production system. We will also invest heavily in man power training, giving our staffs the necessary tools, training and motivation to create sustainable solutions such as the product of my startup. Ensure that young people are giving a platform to earn a living.

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

My startup will be fully dedicated to combating climate change in all ramifications. We will ensure that gases like carbon dioxide and ammonia which are by products of the poultry production and incubation process are reduced to the barest minimum. Our system will posses heat extraction and ventilation systems that exhumed poisonous gases out through safe methods. The sensors embedded in our system will notify the farmer or operator of the presence of harmful gases in the poultry farms and hatcheries, ensuring that actions are taken quickly. The use of energy efficient electronic components, devices and components will reduce the energy consumption of poultry farms and hatcheries. For example, an energy saving module will be connected to our fans in the poultry and hatcheries, which adjust the speed of the fan to the needs of the birds or embryo in the incubator. This practice of reduced energy consumption, will lead to energy efficiency and transition to other sources such as Solar.

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

Although my startup is mainly targerted at poultry farms and hatcheries at the moment, this is just the foundation we want to build upon as we have a long term goal to develop solutions in order aspects of agriculture. Precisely, we want to develop precision livestock farming solutions for fish farming and aquaponics in the near future, possibly in the next 2 or 3 years. The fish farming solution is going to ensure that purification technology is used in fish farms, ensuring that fishes have access to clean water. Just like in the poultry farms, sensors will be use to detect bacteria and pollution in the fish farm and adequate measures will be taken to make sure the water is replaced forthwirth. Also, we will develop a system for aquaponics, which is a symbiotic process where waste from fish are used as manure for growing plants and the plants in turn purify the water for the fish, killing 2 bird with 1 stone.

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

The solution my startup proposes will ensure that poultry life is preserved, sustainable and healthy. This solution will ensure that Poultry life reared in controlled environment, battery cages and free range systems are provided with the right conditions that will promote their growth and well being. This will ensure that the life of poultry products is preserved and by using technology to enhance teir well being, poultry life will not need to scavenge too much, consuming limited natural resources for their growth. Also, our solutions commitment to intelligent farming techniques will ensure that harmful gases are not readily released in the atmosphere thereby preserving the well-being of the environment.

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

My startup will be committed to peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. This will be evident through our commitment to gender equality firstly, ensuring that women are given their rightful place and are key decision makers in the running of our business. We will also make sure that there will be no tribal or racial discrimination in our recruitment and staffing process. We will also ensure that everyone in our team is given equal opportunity to express theirselves and opinions. We will also commit to excellence in all aspects of our business operation, ensuring that standard is maintained from the design, production, marketing and sales of our product. We will also instill a culture of discipline among our staffs and ensure that they uphold sound values such as integrity in their work ethic.

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

My startup will contribute to global partnership for sustainable development by using data to improve solutions in the society. For example, the data collected from our sensors in the poultry farms, hatcheries and egg incubators will be use to derive insights on the workings and operation of the farm. Also, the insights from the data will help our startup to recognise patterns that will increase yield and productivity in the poultry farms and hatcheries. For instance, certain temperature and humidity patterns at certain times eventually lead to high hatchability on eggs. This will help the operators to make better decisions going forward on how to set environmental variables in the incubator. Also, my startup will engage with various stakeholders in key sectors in agriculture, renewable energy, poultry associations, Engineering societies on how we can collaborate to create sustainable solutions for the society and environment.

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

5

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.08 Justification

The solution my startup proposes is entirely different from what is currently in the market. Although we have poultry farms that are automated with automatic feeders and drinkers and controlled environment with fans and heaters, they do not possess a system as intelligent as what my startup is initiating. My startup's solution does not only automates poultry farms, but it does not require the presence of the farmer in the poultry. The actions of the feeders, drinkers, fans and heaters can be controlled via a mobile app and they are also triggered intelligently without any human intervention through the use of sensors and artificial intelligence technology. Also, the incubators available in the market are just automatic driven. They don't possess a remote control feature. My solution will enable operators to control their incubators remotely and the data analytics and machine learning feature will help operators make data driven decisions that will increase hatchability.

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

My startup will like face competition from direct and indirect competitors. The direct competitors will be foreign companies like big dutch man that produces sensors and other gadgets used in poultry like automatic drinkers and feeders. There is also the presence of Chinese made incubator vendors in Nigeria whose machines have various kinds of automatic features. Companies like Olam, agrited, CHI, Amo selling day old chicks to the market will also appear as indirect competitors. My startup will strive to be cost effective and fit into the Nigerian poultry farm context such as free range systems, battery cage which is in contrast with the expensive and one size fits all solution offered by foreign companies. Also, the Chinese incubators in the Nigerian market have only automatic incubation features but do not posses IoT and artificial intelligence features and my solution will bridge this gap. My solution being very adaptive can be integrated in all these system mentioned above.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

My startup is currently on the look out for tech enthusiast females that will be recruited into the leadership of my startup. Also, females will not only take up leadership roles, but they will be made to undertake tasks that have been done by men only in the past. This will dispel the notion that women are not mentally or physically equiped enough to do some certain task. Also, my startup will give listening ears to the opinions of women on critical issues that relate to the use if our solution and meeting customer demands.