Rabat – A group of nine young Moroccans recently developed an agri-tech solution called Ghallaty that is set to make the harvest process more efficient for small-scale farmers.
Mouad Aderdor, 22, one of the initiators and developers of Ghallaty, told Morocco World News that “as of now, Ghallaty runs on electricity and detects the distance to the person with ultrasonic waves sensors.” He explained that “its connected application uses machine learning models to tell the maturity of fruits through a smartphone camera.”
Considering that small-scale farmers in Morocco commonly harvest themselves or hire seasonal workers, the smart basket will not replace workers, he stressed, but the solution can “minimize the [work] time as well as the back pain.”
On May 21, the Ghallaty received the Change Now international prize in Paris. The award is dedicated to innovative and sustainable solutions that support the ecological transition.
As this year’s winner, Aderdor told MWN that Ghallaty had secured funding and coaching through this achievement. He added that his team’s joy extended to their families back home and “the people who voted, all united in joy and pride of being Moroccan, given that this is the first time that a Moroccan team wins this award.”
The concept of Ghallaty was developed by an engineering graduate from Al Akhawayn University, Aderdor, and his colleague Loubna Ferkane for the Orange Foundation’s 5th Fablab Solidaire Challenge.
The team behind Ghallaty
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The competition gathered teams of interns at Orange Digital Centers (ODC). The teams had one week to develop an idea into a working prototype. Aderdor’s team participated in the competition as interns in the Rabat center.
As the one-week competition concluded with an award reception, Aderdor told MWN that his team plans to “develop the minimum viable product (MVP) and commercialize it while working on other innovative solutions.
Grateful for the support of ODC, the Moroccan engineer said that the center, after one year since its launch in Morocco, “is already hitting achievements that originate from empowering the youth and helping them integrate into the digital and entrepreneurial world at no cost.”
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