SC State students to ‘hack’ solutions for young, beginning and small farmers
The event will kick off at noon Friday with a reception and special video presentation by U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. It will conclude on Sunday, Oct. 6, following a judging competition and awards recognition for top teams.
SC State Public Service & Agriculture will host the event at the John W. Matthews Jr. 1890 Extension Center, 810 Goff Ave., Orangeburg.
The hack-a-thon aims to bring together the brilliant minds of students, software developers, computer engineers, farmers, fintech (financial technology) professionals, and agriculture industry professionals. They will work together to innovate solutions that empower farmers and producers to increase profits and improve the quality of life for their communities and people worldwide.
“Opportunities, such as the hack-a-thon, inspire students to be forward-thinking in their ideas and be creative toward engineering solutions that build resilient food systems, promote sustainable agriculture and advance the economy,” SC State President Alexander Conyers said.
Each competing team will receive a scenario-based problem developed directly by professionals from Google, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and AgFirst Farm Credit Bank. Each team will be responsible for finding new ideas to solve the issues presented to them.
To support the ingenuity of the student-led hack-a-thon teams, mentors from partnering corporations and agencies will be paired with a team to provide industry guidance. Partners include the USDA, Google, AgFirst Farm Credit Bank, AgSouth and Palmetto Agribusiness Council. Teams will then compete by presenting their solutions to panel judges.
All hack-a-thon solutions will be based on the open-source model and made available for free. Where communities already exist – farmOS for example -- the code will become part of their code base. Where no community exists yet for a new solution, SC State students will have the opportunity to create one. In either case, students can be part of solutions developed this weekend for years to come.
“The hack-a-thon gives SC State students a chance to experience real-world scenarios, which require them to use critical thinking skills to solve emerging issues in tandem with the power of big data and technology,” said event organizer Sydney Keith, acting director of SC State PSA Education Innovation and Support. “I am hoping that, from this experience, our students will have a better understanding of their career path or may connect with potential future employers or that it will spark a spirit of entrepreneurship.
“One of the creative solutions presented by a team could grow into a business start-up,” Keith said.
The idea of bringing the hack-a-thon to campus was developed by AgFirst CIO Irvinder Singh and presented to SC State PSA by Ronnie Summers, CEO of Palmetto Agribusiness Council, and Tim Perry, executive consultant for AgFirst Farm Credit Bank.
Aware of the many challenges new, beginning and underserved farmers and producers encounter, such as access to capital and resources, Perry sought a solution to connect a university with business and industry. A shared strategic partner recommended SC State, so he reached out with Agriculture 4.0 -- the integration of technology into agriculture -- in mind.
“Young people have the advantage of new, fresh ideas and concepts that I believe will help change the world and give YBS farmers access to open-source technologies that are critical to Agriculture 4.0,” Perry said. “Students at South Carolina State University are being taught the principles and theories of agriculture, computer science, cybersecurity, business, and other disciplines.
“The leadership at SC State purposefully composed the teams to be interdisciplinary so each solution will be not only stronger but more reflective of industry,” he said. “The hack-a-thon gives them a platform to put the learned theories into practice while also giving them the opportunity to work with thought leaders and doers in agriculture, finance, tech and academia. I am simply excited for them and for the YBS farmers.”
The SC State Public Service & Agriculture Hack-a-thon received generous support from partners, AgFirst Farm Credit Bank; Google; the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources and Conservation Service, Rural Development and National Agriculture Statistical Service; AgSouth Farm Credit; Atlantic Parterns; Tietoevry; Palmetto Agribusiness Council; ArborOne; and Advent Innovation.
For more information about the hack-a-thon, contact Sydney Keith at sried2@scsu.edu .