How Kent Science Park firm is helping poor African farmers
by Rachael Woods
Poverty-stricken families in Kenya are beating hunger thanks to
a innovation straight out of Kent Science Park (KSP).
The Solar Grow 1 (SG1) is a mobile germination and seedling
plant factory that has been developed by the firm Boundless
Horizons, which is based at the Sittingbourne park.
Managing director Alexander Bushell has just returned from
Eldoret, Kenya, where the system has been successfully
installed.
It provides a super-fast environment for seedlings to thrive and
offers the potential to revolutionise food production as the unit
can grow up to 80,000 tomato plant seedlings in just one week.
The trip was commissioned by Emerge Poverty Free – a charity
dedicated to trying to eradicate poverty.
Mr Bushell said : “It was incredibly humbling to see the level
of poverty that the people of Eldoret are facing, which is why the
work that Emerge Poverty Free is doing is so important.
“It was such a different environment out there – every day I was
hiking through smallholder farms just to get to the compound.
“I don’t think people can grasp the level of poverty that these
people are facing unless you’ve seen it with your own eyes.”
Mr Bushell added: “I was amazed at the buzz that followed us
around and the number of people that turned up to see us every
day.”
Boundless Horizons has been building the unit at KSP and site
director James Speck said: “Here at the park we’ve tried to give
Alexander the support and space for him to develop SG1 to the point
when it was ready to be used in the field, so we are incredibly
proud of the good work he has been undertaking in Kenya.
“This invention has the potential to change the world for the
better, and I hope that more and more places will be able to make
use of his revolutionary technology.”
29/01/13
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