MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name

Biodegradable sheet

One-line solution summary.

Bio-degradable sheet with 70-80% water content,minerals with antimicrobial properties which will have all necessary nutrients required by the soil to help a plant grow in adverse conditions like drought,infertile land.

What is your solution?

Sheet will be revolved around a plant sapling, with all required minerals and plant extract which will help attract bacteria's to maintain nitrogen cycle which was not possible in infertile or barren land previously. As the sheet will decompose it will provide all pre-requisites(external water source, organization to guide of what needs to be added, machines) which a farmer or planting techniques needed to let a healthy plant grow on a permanent self independent stage. The technology used here will be nanotechnology specifically nanoparticles synthesized using green synthesis route. As the process is cheap, and non-toxic, requires least use of chemicals as compared to fertilizers and pesticides, it'll be environment friendly, accessible and easy to use.

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

In a developing counties like India, where maximum population still lives below poverty line, where people have less that one hectare land, that even if you can afford machines you can't possibly make full use of them on such small farming areas. Thus farmers across all developing nations commits suicides while managing costing issues of fertilizers, pesticides, water facilitating issues and extremely tiring physical input. There is not more required to go for plantation techniques. Most of the villages don't even have proper gov organizations to help farmers or anyone who want to plant trees with such issues. Even if you do droughts or less fertile land use nitrogen fixation fertilizers to accelerate growth process. DDT when sprayed has damaged long generations of human being and animals who have lived across or came in contact with them ever after its been decades that it has been banned. Plan was to solve such issues, that will be cheap, non-toxic, as we have synthesized copper nanoparticles which showed antimicrobial properties using neem leave and aloevera gel. It won't need such pre requirements plus it won't be hard to let people know how to fold that sheet around a sapling.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

It serves people belonging to agriculture sector or people who are involved with afforestation purposes or any one of us who loves planting in homes and do not have any access or prior knowledge what been missing or can't take of plants as per their requirement. The solution will change lives of people across globe, they won't be needing harmful chemicals which take a lot of financial load on them. It'll be environment friendly. It will be easy to use thus physical input will be reduced.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

I'm from a state, Haryana, quite famous for agriculture. My friend's families are involved in agricultural practices, plus have some relatives who have farms. I personally talked to them to know about what specific issues they have and i'm my self a witness of such issues. As the project is still on research, i contacted a Government school principal, who teaches botany and involved in such practices. Also I'm taking help from my professor who has a PhD degree in nanotechnology, has worked on multiple research projects and actively working as a researcher. All of them found this idea to be really useful and agreed to help me on the same. As of me, i recently completed my master's degree this year in july, have worked in synthesis process of these nanoparticles and working on research papers.

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Other: Addressing an unmet social, environmental, or economic need not covered in the four dimensions above

What is the unmet need that your solution tried to address? Why is it important?

The unmet need is definitely, a lot of pre-requisites as for example we considered a infertile land it will need plantation of crops which will help with bacteria's making soil rich with minerals which is quite a lot of work and time consuming, it is when you're not using nitrogen fixers to meet nitrogen requirements by soil. Or hydro phonics which again use chemicals on high range thus the process is not organic. There was this other technique of aerial forestation darts which was only used in forests which already have some quite good fertility. The cost of making such darts was quite high and it needs helicopters to drop that in forests. We have to take in account of their landing ways or projections which makes the whole project expensive.

Our solution's stage of development:

Concept: An idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution—in other words, what have you accomplished to date?

Its been a month that i started researching on it. I'm still collecting information and missing aspects of the idea. i was meeting people, professors to get a clear picture of what needs to be done. Or if the idea is practically possible. I'm planning to start it by next year after proper research as the third wave has made impossible to work in labs.

Where our solution team is headquartered or located:

Rohtak, Haryana, India

Team Lead:

I'm working as an individual for now