Real world experience driving student interest in ag-tech and food waste reduction
By Jocelyn Sticklen
A partnership between CQUniversity and food supply chain tracking company Escavox has been welcomed by teachers wanting to educate students about tech benefits for putting food on the table.
Escavox provides farmers the ability to track their produce as it travels to market including monitoring time, temperature, light, humidity, motion and location.
It does this through its Blue Box recording device which is sent along with the produce to transmit data throughout the journey.
The information is then available to farmers on the Escavox online platform so they can track their produce in real time.
The technology can help to reduce food waste and downgrades by identifying parts of the supply chain journey where produce can be impacted.
Dr Jaime Manning from CQUniversity’s Agri-tech Education and Extension team said sharing the Escavox platform with students had been invaluable.
“Escavox have constructed a platform for use in classrooms that is identical to what their clients see, so it’s a very realistic scenario for students and that is important,” said Dr Manning.
“We have been able to utilise Escavox across several of our education projects by creating dynamic and engaging lesson plans where teachers ask students to track a consignment of produce to market, analyse the data and make decisions for their shipment.
“These lessons create a space for discussions around the use of technology in agriculture and how ag tech can increase productivity, farmer returns and reduce food waste,” she said.
Dr Manning also said teachers are realising the benefits of incorporating elements of technology in agricultural education.
“Our RACE Gippsland, Agri-tech Check, and RACE Victoria programs all featured modules using Escavox, and most recently Queensland teachers looking to upskill their ag-tech skills have completed a microcredential entitled ‘Tracking to Food and Fibre Supply Chain for Secondary Teachers’ through our Next Gen Ag Teacher Micro-Credentials project," she said.
“The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with 100 per cent of teachers agreeing they could see the benefits of the technology and they planned to teach their students about ag supply chains through Escavox.”
The endorsement is good news, according to Escavox CEO Luke Wood who said it’s always exciting to be engaging with the next generation.
“I am so pleased to hear teachers and students are enjoying using our platform and becoming passionate about ag tech, preventing food waste and helping farmers get their product to market,” he said.
“We know that between five and 30 percent of horticultural produce, and five percent of meat is currently lost to waste in Australia, so it’s a huge problem that we are trying to fix.”
“While our target audience is farmers and those currently working in the food supply chain, we don’t underestimate the impact of educating up-and-coming farmers, consumers, ag tech specialists and supply chain workers.”
“The demand for people to work in this space is only going to grow over the coming years so I hope that exposing students to this technology while they’re at school will guide them to consider a career in ag tech.”
Dr Manning said a key to the partnership’s success has been the Escavox team creating a realistic replica of the online platform for students and teachers to use.
“We really appreciate Escavox putting in the time and effort to do that because it embeds the learning in the ‘real world’ approach and means the teachers and students are getting the opportunity to use innovative technology that is in the hands of industry right now.”
“It also means that our next generation workforce will already have some experience with supply chain tracking technology and this could give them a step up to getting jobs or influencing future study choices.
“Likewise, it might even drive adoption by introducing prospective employers to technology they may not have considered.”
The Next-Gen AgTeachers: Upskilling Teachers in AgFoodFibre for the 21st Century program was funded by the Queensland Government's microcredential Program, with generous support from Escavox.
Explore study pathways in agri-tech and more, at CQUniversity's Science, Environment and Agriculture courses website.
About Escavox
Escavox is an Australian agri tech company specialising in supply chain tracking technology for fresh food products. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in North Sydney, New South Wales, Escavox offers real-time monitoring solutions that capture data on temperature, time, and location throughout the supply chain. Their Blue Box trackers provide actionable insights to enhance product quality, reduce waste, and improve supply chain efficiency. By delivering detailed visibility, Escavox supports sustainability efforts and helps businesses optimise their operations from farm to retail shelf.
