Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
My TETFAIR journey began out of necessity. The strain placed on animals, farmers and researchers during the routine measurement of the morphometric characteristics of poultry birds is intolerable. These measurements are crucial for making informed decisions on the growth, development, and health status of birds and the poultry business by extension. The archaic method of measurement with manual equipment is not only time-consuming but also invasive. It is evident that a change is required, and poultry bird measurements should be done using a non-invasive technique.
I decided to turn my vision into reality by applying to TETFAIR alongside my Team, with our project “ANiMeDRig”. This innovation is an automatic, digital, non-invasive, animal measuring device that can optimize data collection and processing, for easier livestock management and decision-making.
At TETFAIR, we went through comprehensive processes and procedures of translating our ideas into innovation and enterprise. To gauge the importance and commercial viability of our project, we learnt how to emphasise the size and impact of the challenge we intended solving, using various search tools. Market validation was a crucial step, and we conducted surveys among commercial poultry farmers in Abeokuta and Ibadan. This confirmed the need for our device, as respondents expressed their eagerness to be patrons when ANiMeDRig is available in the market.
The feedback from this phase also helped us fine-tune our prototype. TETFAIR emphasised how our device would contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly from the perspectives of SDGs 1, 2, and 8.
During our journey through TETFAIR, we explored the art of pitching our product to prospective investors. One of the most significant breakthroughs came when AGRITED Nigeria Limited agreed to provide us with space for prototype testing on their farm and expressed interest in adopting our device once it is ready.
We also received guidance on creating our business models from our innovation, focusing on both Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) approaches. In B2C, we engaged directly with our customers- commercial poultry farmers and researchers. We intend to sell the device to them, provide installation as well as offer subscription-based services. In recognition of the scarcity of poultry data and high demand from researchers and organisations, we aim to provide access to poultry farming data through our cloud database.
At TETFAIR, we embarked on the process of registering our device as an Intellectual Property (IP). This decision was made after comprehensive capacity building on intellectual property rights, which confirmed our device’s eligibility for protection. Of course, our journey was not without challenges; our major hurdle was related to software programming, particularly the need to accurately capture and process data within a very short period.
Thankfully, the experts of Innov8 Hub provided us with the necessary support and guidance to overcome these challenges.
In conclusion, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to TETFund and Innov8 Hub for providing us with this remarkable opportunity.