FINISH Mondial Sanitation Technology Hackathon 4: Greywater Recycling for Small-Scale Agriculture 2024

About Hackathon 4

Harness your creativity and expertise to develop groundbreaking technologies for a sustainable future. Our fourth annual Hackathon is here, and this time we’re tackling the challenges of greywater recycling for sustainable agriculture and kitchen gardening.

The “Greywater Recycling for Sustainable Agriculture and Kitchen Gardening” hackathon aims to promote technological innovation and solutions for treating and recycling greywater from households to support sustainable agriculture and kitchen gardening. Greywater, which typically includes wastewater from sinks, showers, laundry, and baths, can be a valuable resource when properly treated and repurposed for irrigation, reducing water wastage and the need for freshwater in agriculture. Particularly this Hackathon 4 will entail four focus areas inclusive of: a) Grey Water Treatment Technologies; b) Smart Irrigation Systems, c) Sensor and Monitoring Solutions; and d) Community Engagement and Education

Key Areas of Focus:

Participants in this hackathon can choose from the following key areas of focus:

Greywater Treatment Technologies: Innovators can develop cost-effective and efficient greywater treatment systems that can safely clean and disinfect greywater for agricultural use. They could also explore innovative methods for purifying greywater, such as filtration, biological treatment, and disinfection techniques. Innovators could as well, under this focus area, consider sustainability, energy efficiency, and ease of maintenance in treatment system designs.

Smart Irrigation Systems: Under this focus area, innovators can create advanced irrigation systems that can be controlled and optimized to distribute treated greywater to kitchen gardens and small farms. They will explore possibilities of incorporating automation and data-driven solutions to optimize water distribution, enhancing plant growth and minimizing water usage as well as design user-friendly interfaces for controlling irrigation systems.

Sensor and Monitoring Solutions: Innovators will be invited to design and develop sensors and monitoring tools that help users track the quality of treated greywater while ensuring that the treated greywater meets the necessary standards for safe agricultural use. The innovation should explore real-time monitoring and reporting solutions to ensure ongoing water quality.

Community Engagement and Education: Under this focus area, innovators will be invited to develop outreach programs, educational materials, and awareness campaigns to promote the adoption of greywater recycling for agriculture within communities. This focus area further emphasizes the benefits of sustainable water use, environmental conservation, and resource efficiency. The innovation should provide for community involvement and cooperation in implementing greywater recycling practices.

Aim and Benefits

To encourage participants to come up with innovative and practical solutions that address water scarcity, sustainable agriculture, and environmental conservation.
To facilitate collaboration between participants with diverse expertise, including engineers, environmentalists, data scientists, and community engagement specialists
Promote the development of open-source technologies and solutions that can be accessible and adaptable for different regions and communities.
To showcase the importance of circular economy principles, where resources are efficiently reused, and environmental impact is minimised.

Prizes

Participants have the chance to win prizes and gain recognition for their contributions to water conservation, water treatment and sustainable agriculture.

The Hackathon winner will be awarded € 5,000 (Five Thousand Euros). Furthermore, the first prize will be implemented in one of the FINISH Mondial countries (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda). The first runners up will be awarded with € 3,000 (Three Thousand Euros) while the second runners up will be awarded € 1,000 (One Thousand Euros). During the announcement of the winners there will be popular vote award of € 1,000 (One Thousand Euros)

Requirements

Greywater Treatment Technologies: Design cost-effective solutions to clean and disinfect greywater for agricultural use.
Smart Irrigation Systems: Create automated systems for optimized greywater distribution in gardens and small farms.
Sensor and Monitoring Solutions: Develop real-time quality monitoring tools for greywater.
Community Engagement: Promote greywater recycling in your community.

Interview date, Process and Venue

Key Dates

20th November 2023 – 28 February 2024 | Applications Open

Kick-Off: 16th November 2023

Applications Opens: 20 November 2023

Submission Deadline: 28th February 2024

Judging and Evaluation: 1st – 18th March 2024

Winners Announcement: 22nd March 2024

Jury Panel

A panel of experts will evaluate your innovative solutions. Submissions will be evaluated based on criteria of innovation, impact, feasibility, scalability, sustainability, and community engagement.