A passionate group of Micromek STEM Education alumni has come together once again—this time to tackle one of Malawi’s most pressing challenges: sustainable agriculture. The team has officially formed GrowSync, a green agri-tech organization on a mission to empower smallholder farmers through smart, accessible technology. vlcsnap-2025-09-29-19h03m54s464.png2.86 MB
This collaboration follows their remarkable achievement at a recent local Robotics Foundation Innovation Challenge, where the team won Second Place and the award for Most Innovative Project for their autonomous weed-shredding and pesticide-spraying robot. Building on this momentum, the alumni saw an opportunity to create real-world impact beyond competitions. 1765546303401.jpg1.75 MB
From Listening to Farmers to Building Real Solutions
Before writing a single line of code or assembling hardware, the GrowSync team spent time conversing with smallholder farmers across different communities. These discussions reinforced consistent challenges: inconsistent irrigation, water wastage, high labor demands, and the difficulty of optimizing crop production in the face of climate change. 1759168732176.jpg158.66 KB
Motivated by these insights, the four-member team began designing a solution that responds directly to farmers’ needs—simple to use, affordable, scalable, and energy efficient.
Introducing the GrowSync IoT-Powered Irrigation System
GrowSync is now developing an IoT-linked smart irrigation system designed to automate and schedule watering cycles using sensor-driven intelligence. The system collects environmental data such as soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and pH, then uses this data to regulate water and nutrient supply with precision.
Key features of the system include:
Solar-powered operation, ensuring functionality in off-grid rural areas
Automated pump control for water and nutrients
Cloud-connected dashboard for real-time monitoring
Scheduling tools for farmers to optimize irrigation based on crop type
Data analytics to help farmers make informed decisions
This innovation aims to reduce water waste, improve yields, and ease the workload for smallholder farmers—allowing them to focus more on production and less on manual irrigation tasks. vlcsnap-2025-09-29-19h02m52s429.png2.7 MB
Moving From Prototype to Production
After months of design, testing, and iteration, the GrowSync team is now advancing from early prototypes to a refined version considered viable for production and commercial use. They continue to enhance system durability, optimize hardware costs, and strengthen the software infrastructure to ensure it can support large-scale use. vlcsnap-2025-09-29-20h09m52s400.png3.24 MB
Their journey reflects the power of STEM education, collaboration, and a commitment to community-driven innovation. GrowSync stands as an inspiring example of what happens when young engineers and innovators come together with a shared vision for a greener, more sustainable future.
MicroMek is a Malawian based hardware startup building low cost autonomous fixed wing and e-VTOL drones for the delivery of medicine in hard to reach areas & for environmental monitoring
