Precoppe, Marcelo ORCID: 0000-0002-7937-5782 (2021) The role of an engineer in rural development. In: GREat talks at Medway, 6 October 2021, University of Greenwich, P129, Wardroom, P129, Wardroom. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

For smallholder farmers and small enterprises in developing countries, technology should have low capital and operating costs, should be easy to repair, and should be simple to operate. But how can we develop technology with those features? Dr Marcelo Precoppe uses the Participatory Technology Development Method, where he combines the traditional Engineering Design Process with a novel Participatory Approach, to develop technologies that do not end up on a shelf, but are adopted by farmers and food processors. In this GREat Medway Talk, Dr Precoppe will take us on a journey through remote regions of Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. He will tell us how he built the capacity of local equipment manufacturers, in designing technologies that add value to agricultural products, and reduce food losses and waste. Among the technologies, Dr Precoppe will tell us how he developed, in rural Kenya, a solar-powered climate chamber that allows storage of sweet potatoes for more than 6 months, and, in Central Ghana, a hammermill that allows off-grid processing of the tropical root crop, cassava. Dr Precoppe will also show us how the most advanced computer simulation tools are used to test virtual prototypes, reducing time and costs.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Lecture)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	rural development
Subjects:	S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) T Technology > TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Food & Markets Department
Related URLs:	Organisation Organisation
Last Modified:	02 Feb 2022 09:33
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/35064

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