Episode 8: Reducing plant waste with The Earth Prize 2023 runner up, Sabrina Zhang
Aug 23, 2023
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Sabrina Zhang, Founder of AgriVision and runner up of The Earth Prize 2023, discusses her background, connection between food and sustainability, and her journey in developing Forage to detect malnutrition and diseases in crops. They also talk about the use of cameras and robotics in crop farming and the importance of combining business skills with environmental sustainability.
Sabrina Zhang was inspired by the impact of climate change on farmers to found AgriVision and is committed to advancing environmental solutions.
Sabrina's passion for food and sustainability has led her to explore sustainable and environmentally conscious approaches to cooking through her project Forage.
Deep dives
Sabrina Zhang's Journey and Background
Sabrina Zhang, a recent high school graduate from Arcadia, California, shares her journey and upbringing in Pasadena. She highlights the impact of her close-knit high school community in shaping her character and fostering her curiosity. Sabrina credits her family and the support she received from both her loved ones and her high school environment for her personal growth and development. She expresses gratitude for the opportunities she had to explore diverse interests and pursue multiple ideas.
Sabrina's Passion for Food and Sustainability
Sabrina discusses her passion for food, stemming from fond memories of cooking with her grandmother. She emphasizes the importance of sustainability in her culinary pursuits, both in terms of selecting ingredients and in reducing waste. Sabrina shares her commitment to a balanced diet and the value of doing research to make informed choices about food consumption, considering both personal health and environmental impact. She highlights the significance of being a responsible consumer and how her love for food has led her to explore sustainable and environmentally conscious approaches to cooking.
The Genesis of Forage: Sabrina's Innovative Idea
Sabrina explains the genesis of her innovative project, now known as Forage. She traces her interest in environmental sustainability back to the California wildfires of 2020 and the dire consequences they had on air quality and agricultural supply chains. Sabrina's research into innovative farming techniques, such as vertical farming, inspired her to find solutions for crop diseases and malnutrition. Forage is a monitoring system that utilizes hyper-spectral cameras and image processing to detect and diagnose crop diseases and malnutrition. Sabrina envisions Forage being deployed across various crops using robotics or drones, and she shares her experiences in brainstorming and prototyping the project.
Amidst California's devastating wildfires, Sabrina was moved by the impact of climate change on farmers, leading her to found AgriVision. As a senior at Polytechnic School in Pasadena and soon-to-be student at the University of Pennsylvania, she's not just an environmentalist but also a speech and debate enthusiast with a deep connection to food—inspired by her LA upbringing. Through The Earth Prize, Sabrina refined her AgriVision vision, gaining valuable insights from The Earth Foundation's experts. She encourages potential participants to embrace the challenge, believing that the journey itself is a transformative experience. With AgriVision, Sabrina is committed to advancing environmental solutions.
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