A device to help some of the most impoverished farmers in Africa maximise their crop yields is being tested at London’s Kew Gardens.
Developed by engineers at the University of Leeds, the sensor device gathers data on air temperature, humidity, air pressure, light, and soil moisture and temperature – information crucial to making key agricultural decisions about planting, fertilisation, irrigation, pest and disease control and harvesting.
It is being tested by Kew’s Diploma students and staff over the next four months in the School of Horticulture’s new student vegetable garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The sensors are monitoring conditions around some typical crops to test possible future applications.
The Leeds team has been working with two Kenyan villages to develop the technology as part of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Village E-Science for Life (VESEL) project, a collaboration of key research groups in the UK and Kenya. The project aims to apply advanced digital technology to improve quality of life, both through its use in education and to optimise agricultural practices.
“In some areas of Kenya, localised variations in growing conditions can cause severe fluctuations in crop yields. Our part of the VESEL project is about providing the right information at the right time to farmers,” says Professor Jaafar Elmirghani from the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering. “This means they can use available water more efficiently, minimising wastage and helping to optimise their harvests to feed their families.”
The information is fed back via a wireless network to a central hub, or server, which will be located at the village school, and is then sent to agriculture experts who will provide advice to assist farmers’ decisions. The ongoing data gathered will also feed into agricultural teaching at Kenyan schools, which forms a central part of the education system.
During the tests at Kew, the data collected by the device will be sent back to the University of Leeds, but ultimately, the management of the system will be handed over to the University of Nairobi. “This information will also inform research at the University of Nairobi - and ultimately, we hope, inform agricultural policy in Kenya”, says Professor Elmirghani. “It’s crucial that the work of the project can be sustained long term to benefit future generations.”
“We’re pleased to put these devices through their paces and give feedback to the project. Our students are keen to learn about emerging technologies, especially with such clear sustainability goals as the VESEL project”, says Kew scientist , Rowan Blaik.
The tests are expected to be complete by Autumn 2008, after which time the devices are initially to be trialled in the two Kenyan villages. “We hope that, during 2009 and beyond, the technology will be rolled out to other communities,” says Professor Elmirghani.
Further information from:
Clare Elsley, Campuspr: tel 0113 258 9880, mob: 07767 685168, email:clare@campuspr.co.uk
Simon Jenkins, University of Leeds Press Office: tel 0113 343 5764, email s.jenkins@leeds.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
1. Village e-Science for Life (VESEL) is a project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council under its Bridging the Digital Divide programme. The key aims of the project are to identify the appropriate technologies to assist rural communities in developing countries and design appropriate technologies to meet those needs. The collaboration includes the universities of Leeds and Bradford, Imperial College London, TVU, and the London Knowledge Lab – Birkbeck College, University of London.
2. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Leeds comprises five Schools:
Civil Engineering; Computing; Electronic and Electrical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering and Process, Materials and Environmental Engineering. All schools in the Faculty have the highest 5 or 5* Research Assessment Exercise ratings, top teaching assessments and strong industrial connections. There are approximately 3,000 students in the Faculty, 80% undergraduates and 20% postgraduates. Two-thirds of our students are from the UK with the remainder representing over 90 different nationalities. http://www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/
3. The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK with more than 30,000 students from 130 countries. With a total annual income of £422m, Leeds is one of the top ten research universities in the UK, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. It was recently placed 80th in the Times Higher Educational Supplement's world universities league table and the University's vision is to secure a place among the world's top 50 by 2015. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/
4. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK’s main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests more than £500 million a year in research and postgraduate training to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and from mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements in everyone’s health, lifestyle and culture. For more information visit www.epsrc.ac.uk/
5. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2009. There are a wealth of collections held at Kew that offer an opportunity to explore some of the lesser known aspects of RBG Kew’s rich history and heritage and its present day role. Members of the media interested in a behind-the-scenes look at RBG Kew should contact pr@kew.org.
6. Horticulture students come from around the world to study at Kew for the world’s foremost qualification in botanical horticulture – the three-year Kew Diploma. The course offers a broad-based training in amenity and botanical horticulture. The aim is to provide students with an opportunity to study scientific and technical subjects at first degree level, whilst gaining practical experience and responsibility working in this foremost botanic garden. Students are employees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and receive payment throughout the three-year course, including during the lecture block trimesters. For more information visit www.kew.org/education/diploma
7. Campuspr is a public relations company that specialises in promoting university research and knowledge transfer in the higher education sector. For more research press releases, see http://www.campuspr.co.uk/
Developed by engineers at the University of Leeds, the sensor device gathers data on air temperature, humidity, air pressure, light, and soil moisture and temperature – information crucial to making key agricultural decisions about planting, fertilisation, irrigation, pest and disease control and harvesting.
It is being tested by Kew’s Diploma students and staff over the next four months in the School of Horticulture’s new student vegetable garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The sensors are monitoring conditions around some typical crops to test possible future applications.
The Leeds team has been working with two Kenyan villages to develop the technology as part of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Village E-Science for Life (VESEL) project, a collaboration of key research groups in the UK and Kenya. The project aims to apply advanced digital technology to improve quality of life, both through its use in education and to optimise agricultural practices.
“In some areas of Kenya, localised variations in growing conditions can cause severe fluctuations in crop yields. Our part of the VESEL project is about providing the right information at the right time to farmers,” says Professor Jaafar Elmirghani from the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering. “This means they can use available water more efficiently, minimising wastage and helping to optimise their harvests to feed their families.”
The information is fed back via a wireless network to a central hub, or server, which will be located at the village school, and is then sent to agriculture experts who will provide advice to assist farmers’ decisions. The ongoing data gathered will also feed into agricultural teaching at Kenyan schools, which forms a central part of the education system.
During the tests at Kew, the data collected by the device will be sent back to the University of Leeds, but ultimately, the management of the system will be handed over to the University of Nairobi. “This information will also inform research at the University of Nairobi - and ultimately, we hope, inform agricultural policy in Kenya”, says Professor Elmirghani. “It’s crucial that the work of the project can be sustained long term to benefit future generations.”
“We’re pleased to put these devices through their paces and give feedback to the project. Our students are keen to learn about emerging technologies, especially with such clear sustainability goals as the VESEL project”, says Kew scientist , Rowan Blaik.
The tests are expected to be complete by Autumn 2008, after which time the devices are initially to be trialled in the two Kenyan villages. “We hope that, during 2009 and beyond, the technology will be rolled out to other communities,” says Professor Elmirghani.
Further information from:
Clare Elsley, Campuspr: tel 0113 258 9880, mob: 07767 685168, email:clare@campuspr.co.uk
Simon Jenkins, University of Leeds Press Office: tel 0113 343 5764, email s.jenkins@leeds.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
1. Village e-Science for Life (VESEL) is a project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council under its Bridging the Digital Divide programme. The key aims of the project are to identify the appropriate technologies to assist rural communities in developing countries and design appropriate technologies to meet those needs. The collaboration includes the universities of Leeds and Bradford, Imperial College London, TVU, and the London Knowledge Lab – Birkbeck College, University of London.
2. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Leeds comprises five Schools:
Civil Engineering; Computing; Electronic and Electrical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering and Process, Materials and Environmental Engineering. All schools in the Faculty have the highest 5 or 5* Research Assessment Exercise ratings, top teaching assessments and strong industrial connections. There are approximately 3,000 students in the Faculty, 80% undergraduates and 20% postgraduates. Two-thirds of our students are from the UK with the remainder representing over 90 different nationalities. http://www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/
3. The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK with more than 30,000 students from 130 countries. With a total annual income of £422m, Leeds is one of the top ten research universities in the UK, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. It was recently placed 80th in the Times Higher Educational Supplement's world universities league table and the University's vision is to secure a place among the world's top 50 by 2015. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/
4. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK’s main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests more than £500 million a year in research and postgraduate training to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and from mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements in everyone’s health, lifestyle and culture. For more information visit www.epsrc.ac.uk/
5. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2009. There are a wealth of collections held at Kew that offer an opportunity to explore some of the lesser known aspects of RBG Kew’s rich history and heritage and its present day role. Members of the media interested in a behind-the-scenes look at RBG Kew should contact pr@kew.org.
6. Horticulture students come from around the world to study at Kew for the world’s foremost qualification in botanical horticulture – the three-year Kew Diploma. The course offers a broad-based training in amenity and botanical horticulture. The aim is to provide students with an opportunity to study scientific and technical subjects at first degree level, whilst gaining practical experience and responsibility working in this foremost botanic garden. Students are employees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and receive payment throughout the three-year course, including during the lecture block trimesters. For more information visit www.kew.org/education/diploma
7. Campuspr is a public relations company that specialises in promoting university research and knowledge transfer in the higher education sector. For more research press releases, see http://www.campuspr.co.uk/
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