Marketing

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To achieve our long-term goal, which is to promote self-farming in Macau, we designed a self-farming kit. The kit includes a simple hydroponic system and seeds packaged in degradable plastic. Our transformed E.coli will be delivered in the form of dried powders. To see how our product compared to other similar products, we performed a SWOT analysis in order to evaluate the respective strengths and weaknesses.

• SWOT Analysis

Self-farming kit

Strength Tiny, easy to place and plant Efficacy is not inferior to large hydroponic devices.

Weaknesses Breeding insects and even pests.

Opportunities In response to global warming, some plants cannot grow at the temperature they are adapted to, which will lead to food shortages. We hope to take this opportunity to reduce the probability of these plants’ shortages through hydroponics. Hydroponics is quite a novelty for modern people. We are convinced that it will not only attract large institutions but also attract the interest of the general public to buy it.

Threats Must pass a number of tests before being released onto the market.

Marketing Program

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Firstly, we plan to send the products to local schools for free for promotion, and then we will launch this product as an educational tool to sell to other schools (temporarily limited to Asia). Then we will set up a company in the Peninsula of Macau to facilitate the acquisition of commercial sales licenses. Furthermore, we shall propose our plan to the government to get start-up funding to establish a hydroponic factory on an artificial island called Land D (a new land reclamation island which has been planned for multipurpose industries) so that it could support our future large-scale production.

In the start-up funds, we will allocate a part of the money to found another company on the artificial island mainly for publicity purposes.

Before opening the factory, we will hold a series of publicity activities for hydroponics. Firstly, there will be school speaking tours, then there will be event days, which will include workshops (the content includes how to use the self-farming kit, how to add nutrients to make plants grow more healthily), booth activities, etc. We will publish basic hydroponics knowledge as booklets and send them to the public by mail as part of our publicity plan.

For the production of the self-farming kit, we first decided to install an acrylic recycling container at the specified location and also collect some used acrylic plastic from the recycling center. Second, we can deliver it to our hydroponic factory and perform a series of procedures to manufacture it into a simple hydroponic kit. Last but not least, we will package the hydroponic kit with plant seeds and dried transformed E. coli. Finally, they will be ready for the market.

Environmental issues

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In the beginning, we planned to use acrylic as our self-farming kit's main material. Since it is resilient and durable, acrylic is commonly praised for having a decent level of sustainability. Soon, we figured out that acrylic is like most plastics. It cannot be composted or biodegraded, so it will likely remain in the ground for a very long period of time[2]. Long-term landfill disposal of acrylic plastic results in the slow release of toxic chemicals and greenhouse gasses into the environment. These gasses and chemicals have an impact on the surrounding environment, including air, water, and land[3].

Thus, through research, we figured out an efficient way to solve this problem. Through upcycling, we can collect a large amount of old or scrap acrylic plastic and use it to make new sheets. By heating up the acrylic until it melts, then pressing it between hot steel plates with a bottle jack, in about 30 minutes, a new sheet of acrylic can be formed[4].

Funding

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According to the conclusions of the GRFC (Global Report on Food Crises) 2022, nearly 193 million people suffering from acute food insecurity are in need of immediate help across 53 countries/territories[5]. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic's spread has caused agriculture to encounter difficulties. Due to severe labor shortages on farms, some farmers missed the opportunity to harvest seasonal crops. Produce prices increased and logistics were disrupted.

Based on the UN's reports on global population, plants grown in hydroponic systems have achieved 20%–25% higher yield than the traditional agriculture system, with its productivity being 2–5 times higher[6]. Also, due to regulated environmental circumstances, the impact of climate change may be balanced with the aid of these systems, hence not disrupting, or even increasing the yearly crop yield.

According to the data above, hydroponic systems are a way to reduce the issue of food shortages. We are currently planning to propose our plan to the Macau government to get start-up funding to form a company. Then, we will use the funding and negotiate with the government to apply for an area to build a more complete and efficient producing self-farming kit.

Future customers and collaboration

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Our end users would be local schools and families, since letting citizens experience the delight of growing their own vegetables is the most efficient way of making them aware of the emergent food shortage issue. Therefore, we will implement educational programs in Macau and even other places around the world.

In order to achieve our long-term goal, we decided to sell our product as an educational tool to schools. For example, students could plant in the classroom by using our self-farming kit. Thus, we intend to set up a company to handle our mass production and wholesale.

Education

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Public education about food shortages is a key to reducing this problem. It is important to let more people recognize and cherish food. As an iGEM team, we must educate the public about the significance of saving food, and therefore mitigate food shortages. Therefore, we think the way to do more with less is to start with schools and impart the concept of sustainable agriculture and cherishing food from an early age.