Anteneh's Overgrazing Shield

This project is about building a device that prevents overgrazing by forcing livestock not to consume plants down to the ground.

The process of soil damage and vegetation loss often begins with the activities of overgrazing animals. Grazing livestock sometimes consume plants down to the ground. This activity weakens the individual plant with a reduction in tissues capable of photosynthesis; its growth is greatly inhibited. In addition, it destroys plant roots that bind the soil together. When rains come to those grazing lands, rivulets often form along the walking paths and wash away unprotected top soil. The only solution for overgrazing is rotational grazing which is the process of limiting the grazing pressure of livestock in a given area. Livestock are frequently moved to new grazing areas before they cause permanent damage to the plants and soil of an area. But this technique is not usually effective because it’s dependent on the maturity of the person who is managing the livestock. Most people especially in rural areas take their livestock in to some vegetation feeding area and supervise from a distance until they consume the plants and had enough. By then most livestock will feed plants down to the ground. This will create desertification which is the process by which natural or human causes reduce the biological productivity of dry lands. 

This project is about building a device that prevents overgrazing by forcing livestock not to consume plants down to the ground. This is done by installing a simple belt on the neck of each livestock that has a structure which hangs on the lower part of the belt that pushes back the neck of the livestock when grazing plants lower than the maximum allowed height close to the soil level. Meaning as the livestock consume the plant down to the ground lower than the allowed height the structure which is attached to the belt will make contact with the ground and the ground will act as an anchor making the structure push up ward on the neck of the livestock. This will make the livestock consume the vegetation without destroying the field. In order avoid the structure to be dragged as the livestock moves forward while feeding or lean forward to consume down to the ground, there is a locking strap installed on the face of the livestock. This is perfect because already many livestock have a ring bell on their neck in many part of the world to avoid theft and this will be additional advantage.

Overgrazing threatens the productivity of rangelands everywhere but its effects are felt with particular severity by pastoralists in the Sahel belt of Africa which is semiarid region of western and north central Africa extending from Senegal eastward to Sudan. The Sahel stretches from the Atlantic Ocean eastward through northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, the great bend of the Niger River in Mali, Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta), southern Niger, northeastern Nigeria, south-central Chad, and into The Sudan. Overgrazing affects Sahel at large because pastoralists on that area depend on livestock almost entirely for their livelihood and partly because drought is a recurrent phenomenon in this region. The effects of overgrazing are exponentially magnified at times of drought and pastoralists are especially vulnerable to famine at these times. The fragile nature of agriculture and pastoralism in the Sahel was strikingly demonstrated in the early 1970s, when a long period of drought beginning in 1968 led to the virtual extinction of the crops and loss of 50 to 70 percent of the cattle. 

This project provides a tool to avoid occurrence of soil erosion, desertification, drought and famine caused by overgrazing. This tool will bring a very high impact because some 23 percent of the world's land is used for grazing livestock and soil erosion which is cause of desertification which brings drought and famine caused by overgrazing is one of the most important environmental problems in the developing world. The tool is basically simple structure installed on the neck of individual livestock which prevents them to consume vegetation down to their root by allowing them to consume up to a certain height from the ground level where the soil lies. This will solve the problem of drought and famine at its origin instead of management during the problem occurrence which is the current practiced solution today.

The connection between solving the overgrazing problem and economic opportunity in thriving and biodiverse ecosystems is very strong. A Thriving and biodiverse ecosystem is literally an economic survival measure for pastoralists in the Sahel belt of Africa because pastoralists on that area depend on livestock almost entirely for their livelihood. It crates economic opportunities for timber, tourism, regenerative agriculture, pastoralism and many other field of work. 

The testing of the prototype have succeeded with flying colors. It fits in three different sized sheep and it took less than one minute to adjust. The device changes it's angle based on the position of the sheep's neck and jaws.

This device is succeeded in making to the top featured projects on the hackaday as seen below. This can be taken as market validation of the product. It also has been published in the hackaday blog which you can see via KEEP LIVESTOCK FROM RAZING YOUR FIELD WITH AN OVERGRAZING SHIELD

The components of the prototype are basically 3 straps of leathers and two small pieces of wood. This makes the product very simple, cheap and very efficient. It can be built with scraps from leather utilizing or processing companies and wood processing and utilizing companies which will crate new circular economy by linking one industry to new industry.

Starting from civilization of mankind to this date overgrazing has been undeniable challenge having huge impact on economic and environmental aspects of our lives. The best solutions we have been using throughout our history are 

• Avoiding the act of grazing too early, 
• Use of grazing chart to assist in planning out how to implement rotational grazing,
• Monitoring rainfall patterns and the growth of pasture, 
• Maintaining and managing proper pasture residuals in the grazing area, 
• Proper land use management practices, 
• Trying to feed livestock with stored fodder,
• Controlling the amount of time that livestock spends on the pastures. 

All these approaches are dependent on level of awareness and skill of the person who is in charge of the livestock. This is a big challenge because not all people have equal awareness, skill, willingness and commitment to implement those practices that prevent overgrazing. Even if they do the above solutions are not really great solution, they are more of a management than a solution. Meaning, as long as livestock consume vegetation directly from the environment, they will consume the plants down to the ground because it is just their nature to do so. This product solves these problems by forcing the livestock not to consume the vegetation down to the ground which transfer the solution from human based task to more or less automation with a very simple working mechanism with a very small number of part components.  

Currently this project has zero impact because I have not started supplying to end users.  

My goal is to distribute the product on a large scale but it is important to start with a small margins to 10,000 - 20,000 customers in the first year of launch. This will enable us to test the market and get feedback to improve any potential problems from the end users from all topography usage.

On the second year of the product launch, we will progress to delivering 100,000 - 200,000 product per year. On the third year of the product launch, we will progress to delivering 300,000 - 400,000 product per year. On the fourth year of the product launch, we will progress to delivering 400,000 - 500,000 product per year. On the fifth year of the product launch, we will progress to delivering 600,000 - 1,000,000 product per year. In five years we will deliver 2,100,000‬ products at or maximum capacity.      .     

Climate change is the basic measure that can be used to indicate the level of importance for implementing this project as soon as possible. This will lead to no poverty, no hunger, good health and wellbeing, decent work and economic growth, in Sustainable community by responsible consumption of the natural ecosystem.

Currently I am the only person who is running the project.

I have dedicated my life for invention and research because not only I have big dreams but also it is my only way out of poverty. We all have a talent we know or did not find out yet. Mine happens to be inventing.  So, until now I have invented more than 70 inventions. 

https://hackaday.io/projects/hacker/856765   https://contest.techbriefs.com/profile?user=89682   https://www.herox.com/crowdsourcing-community/antenehgashaw-123126    https://desall.com/User/AntenehGashaw/Portfolio   https://challenges.openideo.com/profiles/antenh.g/contributions#recent-contributions 

international honors

• Winner of Mechanical maker challenge by NASA/ JPL- 2019 with my design invention “Mechanical eye”
• Finalist in the TIC AMERICAS 2020 contest with my project “Caribbean Sargassum Problem”
• Finalist in TKF plastic innovation challenge 2019 with my invention “Smart green washer”
• Top 100 inventions of 2019 by create the future contest  by tech briefs with my project “Cone solar panel”
• Top 10 winner of TIA challenge 2019 with my multiple unique solutions and invention  
• Finalist in Enel challenge on MV & LV distribution challenge 2019 with my invention “Turbine for avoiding birds in MV & LV distribution lines”
• In the recent Hawaii natural problem challenge which is the saving the Ohi’a challenge (https://conservationx.com/challenge/invasives/ohia), I submitted more than 30 possible solution which you can see via https://conservationx.com/challenge/invasives/ohia/projects
• I have developed more that 20 inventions for solution, management and prevention of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) which you can see via https://solve-mit-edu.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/challenges/health-security-pandemics/solutions/22229  or https://contest.techbriefs.com/profile?user=89682 
• In 2020 I have invented more than 15 technologies related to increasing efficiency of energy generation, transmission and utilization through a clean environmentally friendly way which you can see via https://hackaday.io/projects/h... 

The  level of harm it causes from excluding a person based on the skin of their color or race, gender, sexual preference, disability, socioeconomic status and other factors has a very big negative impact not just on the person who is being excluded but also on the excluding party as well. So I always believe in giving fair and equal opportunity for all kind of people irrespective of their identity. And I can assure you that all opportunity from the employee of this project to vendors are selected based on their ability to deliver their skill and commitment they will show for the project.  

Funding oopportunities and potential partnership are the two main reasons for me. This two key components are the only things holding me back from success 

The main support I need at this time is capital funding to progress my self from struggling inventor to a start up company with some budget. 

Any big firm with appreciation for invention will do.

The project has indirect connection with the funder goal.

The project has direct connection with the funder goal.

The project has direct connection with the funder goal.

The project has indirect connection with the funder goal.

The project has direct connection with the funder goal.

The project has indirect connection with the funder goal.

The project has direct connection with the funder goal.