AI & AUTOMATION
od factories in
In 2022 , the global food market ’ s revenue hit US $ 8.66tn – and that number is expected to grow each year by 6.72 %.
Yet , according to the UN , 25,000 people still die of hunger each day , while 10 % of the world ' s population is undernourished . Continuous conflicts disturb the supply chain , making it difficult to export fresh produce and sending prices up , while climate change impacts harvests with irregular floods and droughts .
But hungry humans become quick problem solvers . Uzoma Ayogu is the CTO and co-founder of Releaf , a food supply chain technology social venture founded in 2017 and based in Uyo , Nigeria . Its mission is to industrialise food processing by moving food production from traditional centralised processes to decentralised ones , through the use of smart food factories and by bringing power to the farmers with efficient manufacturing equipment , health insurance and dignity .
“ We ' re placing food processing much closer to farmers , so we can increase the throughput of farmers and the quality of food , while also decreasing the cost of food for consumers , both on the factory side and , eventually , on the consumer side .”
As CTO , Ayogu handles all the hardware and software development for Releaf .
“ What we like to say is that Ikenna , the CEO , raises the money , and I get to spend it to drive results ! I use our results to hire more people .” manufacturingdigital . com 81