February 28, 2024 · Campus
Capstone Project 2023/24 | AI for Agriculture
The Bachelor in Business Administration programme, majoring in Digital Business & AI Management, is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Capstone Project 2023/24. The students develop a business case for the implementation of artificial intelligence within a company. The best project is recognised each year with a prestigious award. This year’s winning project, “Agra-Tech”, focused on innovations in agriculture.
About the award
In 2019, the Digital Business & AI Management major within the Bachelor of Business Administration was developed and offered for the first time in autumn 2020. In the final year of their studies, students in this major gain in-depth insights into selected aspects of artificial intelligence, whose influence and impact are continually increasing. The award takes into account the criteria of innovation, sustainability, and social value.
One of the challenges in agriculture is that significant losses already occur during the cultivation phase due to various factors such as pest infestations and excessive use of pesticides. As the global population grows, so too does the demand for agricultural land for the cultivation of cereals and vegetables. However, even at the sowing stage, a considerable area is lost because farmers must use large quantities of pesticides and drive heavy machinery across the fields to combat these pests. These measures not only cause substantial environmental damage, but also result in financial losses for farmers due to crop failures.
Agra-Tech: Why, how, and for what reason?
Agra-Tech aims to address the problem described above. The Agra-Tech start-up team comprises Mike Albinus, Lukas Starck and Simon Gribi. They bring experience from banking, the commercial side of the construction industry, management, and the insurance sector.
The idea for the project arose from a clear objective: to demonstrate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in a business case that is not only forward-looking but also delivers a sustainable and innovative impact. The students were inspired during a wine evening and realised that, despite the wide range of existing solutions in agriculture, there is still room for innovation. Through in-depth research and analysis of various areas, and by combining and comparing existing business cases, the group succeeded in developing a unique approach: Agra-Tech.
At the heart of the start-up is an online platform that enables farmers to monitor and subsequently analyse their fields using drones. Agra-Tech supports farmers in sourcing the appropriate drones. The data collected is then analysed by an AI model to specifically identify issues such as pest infestations, thereby optimising the use of pesticides and reducing costs. The scalability of this innovative solution lies in providing farmers with more detailed information about their fields at a later stage and supporting them in making decisions regarding the sowing of suitable resources.
In summary, Agra-Tech aims to promote the controlled use of spraying agents in order to achieve the following six positive effects:
Even cultivation
Maximum growth
Cost reduction in cultivation
Minimum and additional resources
Maximum sustainability
Platform for the community
Agra-tech therefore not only leads to more efficient management of fields, but also to a reduction in environmental impact and operating costs for farmers.
What was the greatest challenge in the project?
One of the greatest challenges for the team was to develop an innovative idea that had never been implemented before. Thanks to the specialist knowledge they acquired during their studies and their determination to continually step outside their comfort zone, they successfully overcame this hurdle. The team always sought to place their idea in a real-world context and to consider whether their start-up could actually work and generate revenue in practice.
What are the next steps for the project?
The Agra-Tech team is honoured to receive the Capstone Award 2023/24 for their project. This award not only recognises their hard work and innovative spirit, but also their ability to tackle complex problems and develop creative solutions. Although Agra-Tech will remain a study project for the time being and cannot receive further funding, the team is motivated to continue working on innovative solutions in the field of AI and to integrate these applications into their daily work.
