We have finally finished our poster demonstrating our process to creating a solution to the issue of food insecurity in Haiti, specifically soil degradation. The link below contains our poster that we will be presenting at our exhibition.
Prototype
Hello there! We have finally built our prototype. We used the sketch as seen in a couple of posts ago, and made a before and an after view of the biodegradable mat. As you can see the “before” is a mat made out of jute and inside filled with clay and compost. The right side represents “after” and shows how the jute has already been degraded into the soil, as well as the nutrients inside.
Health Educational Flyer
Hey everybody! I would like to share the link to our amazing flyer on our engineering-based solution, NEM. The flyer would be given to the people of Haiti, specifically Haitian farmers. What exactly NEM is, why is it need, what issue will it solve, and how would it be used is all explained in the flyer, so the Haitian population will become educated on the issue of soil degradation and food insecurity and a possible solution for the issue. Our hope with the flyer is to get people educated and willing to try the implementation of our biodegradable mat that will help replenish their soil and increase crop yield.
Sketch of Compost Mat
NEM
We are almost ready to reveal our completed prototype for out compost mat. I just wanted to give a brief overview of what our prototype is about and our sketch. We will be uploading pictures of our finished product later today. Now I would like to introduce NEM, our nutrient enriched mat!
NEM: Our engineering-based solution for the restoration of nutrients into Haiti’s rapidly depleting soil is our biodegradable compost mat, also known as NEM (Nutrients Enriched Mat). The compost mat is composed of three main layers. The bottom layer is a netting material made from jute fibers. This biodegradable jute netting material also servers as the top layer of the mat to hold the middle layer in place. Compost from SOIL, straw bale, wood chips, and dried leaves are all mixed together to form a compost mulch mix and flatten into a blanket-like layer through the use of a solar-powered hydraulic compression machine. The jute netting will slowly begin to biodegrade and what will be left is the nutrient rich compost layer.
Our prototype demonstrates a before and after of what essentially the netting will become after it has been set in place for a couple of months. Our health educational flyer goes into further detail of our mat, and our poster will explain NEM more in depth.
Website on Jute mat
Hey guys, while l was looking for pictures for the flyer, I found this website that sells jute mats for farming. I copied their description of the product and pasted it below. As you can see it talks about the benefits of jute, as well as how long the jute lasts. We can mention it if the professors ask us how durable (time wise) the material is. Also I linked the website if you want to check it out
“Jute Mesh Erosion Control Mat, 4’ x 225’
Excellent for controlling erosion on moderately steep slopes and channels with average water velocities as well as stabilized slopes and shallow channels. The coarse, open mesh fabric keeps soil in place allowing plant material to grow. Water Assumption Capacity: 450% of materials weight. Durability: 1-2 years. Roll Size: 100 square yards (4’W x 225’L).”
https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/products.php?mi=4064
Update
Hello everyone! As we stated in our last post, we have finally decided on our engineering-based solution for soil depletion in Haiti. We are working hard on our poster and prototype of our compost mat! Once our prototype is finished and the poster is complete, we will share pictures of each so keep an eye out for those coming soon.
Brochure Complete!
Quick update. The draft of our brochure is done! It’s not 100% final since it still is a draft, but its full of good information. Check it out on Blackboard under group blog, and lets discuss comments during the next group meeting. I’ll be bringing in a paper copy as well.
Decision Matrix
This decision matrix was created. It weighed the different criteria from a scale of one to five depending on importance to the project. Five was the highest rank/value for both the criteria weighing and for judging the three solutions. After calculating the total, the top choice is the compost mat. Overall, it is very practical and requires no maintenance, low-cost, and provides benefits aside from giving nutrient such as withstanding harsh environments and being biodegradable.
This Week’s “To Do”
For the week of April 22-26 our group plans to come to a decision on which of our 3 solutions is the best to move forward with. By using the decision matrix, we will weigh out the pros and cons of our solutions. Once deciding on the best solution, we will proceed to draft a brochure that will be presented to the people of Haiti in hopes of opening their minds to what our solution can accomplish. Keep on checking in for more updates on our process!