Team to represent Ireland in Europe-wide ‘Start for Future’ competition
Four DkIT Food and Agri-Business students, Linda Strahan, Sylvester Phelan, Hugh O’Connell and Cian Poyntz, have developed a product that uses seaweed to reduce the level of greenhouse gases produced by livestock which are extremely damaging to the environment.
Their work on the product, it’s called “AsparaGas-B-gone” after the Latin name of the seaweed they use, asparagopsis armata, has earned them the honour of representing Ireland in the European wide TANDEM project ‘Start for Future’ which is coordinated by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
The Tandem project includes seven HEI partners (including DkIT) which aims to support capacity building in Entrepreneurship and Innovation within the Higher Education sector.
The ‘Start for Future’ programme is an initiative of international universities of EU Excel and Tandem Plus. It is open to students, staff or existing teams who have a business idea in manufacturing, circular economy or sustainable urban mobility.
This DkIT team members are all farmers or from a farming background and working in the Agri Food Sector, and are very aware of the problems that are facing Irish agriculture now and in the future.
Irish farmers and agriculture are facing major challenges due to climate change and the need to adapt to a more sustainable method of farming to protect our environment for both present and future generations.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Irish agriculture is a big contributor of Greenhouse Gas emissions totalling 37.1% in 2020. The greenhouse gases that livestock produce that affect the environment the most are methane and nitrous oxide. Irish agriculture needs to adapt to new technologies and designs to be able to maintain the current and future levels of farming.
Cian Poyntz (left) and Hugh O’Connell.
The DkIT students decided to pursue the idea of reducing methane levels in livestock with the use of a red seaweed called asparagopsis armata. They called their seaweed product “AsparaGas-B-gone”.
They carried out primary research by sending a survey to a wide selection of farmers involved in different sectors of livestock farming and also interviewed the previous national chairman of the dairy committee of the Irish Farmers Association.
They received very positive and encouraging feedback to the idea. Based on the optimistic response they received from fellow farmers and the Irish Farmers Association and the significant research they have carried out to date on this seaweed product they are highly motivated to pursue this idea further.
Having reached the second stage of the project, the team will now embark on an eight week programme during which they will be coached by incubator consultants, industry and EIT experts with 20 international partners. They will then pitch their ideas on 25th March 2022.
Click Here For more information on the DkIT Diploma in Food and Agri-Business course.
