Today, a Pakistani-made product from Mr. Umer Adnan (Founder and CEO of E4 Technologies), narrowly lost in the finals of Global Future Agro Challenge (FAC) event at GEC 2016. But coming this close to being crowned the ‘Agribusiness of the Year,’ it seems that Cowlar, the Pakistani-developed gadget powered by Internet-of-Things concept, has come a really long way to becoming an internationally-acclaimed product.
Cowlar, also dubbed as the ‘Fitbit for cows,’ was one of the 4 finalists left in the final stage. The FAC event held in Medenia, Colombia, also featured VaCuCh, Evaptainers, CropX, Ava’s Farm, G-Harvesting, Elementaree, Kuchara, Zhashyl and Charba.
So what is Cowlar and who are the folks behind the agriculture-business-minded startup? Lets find out shall we.
Pakistan, as most people know, is a country with a vibrant agricultural economy. About 25% of Pakistan’s agriculture accounts for about 21% of GDP and employs about 43% of the labor force.
But what most people don’t know is that Pakistan is the 5th largest milk producer in the world according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In terms of global farm output, Pakistan is ranked at eight position overall.
Pakistani has a thriving dairy sector, and during 2006, about 30 million people in the rural areas raising livestock and deriving 30-40 percent of their incomes from them. Raising and caring for livestock is embedded in the rural lifestyle, making it an integral part of socio-economic fabric of Pakistani agricultural sector.
Given Pakistan’s heavy reliance on agriculture to keep the local economy afloat, marrying technology with agricultural practices seems like a match made in heaven.
Source: National Livestock Census 2006 and Economic Survey of Pakistan 2013-14
Cows also comprise a lion’s share of the livestock market. Given the numbers, managing the needs of the cattle population in Pakistani farms is easier said than done.
This is where Cowlar comes in. The E4Tech-developed product offers a durable and waterproof collar for animals, collars that are smart and transmit data to a solar-powered based within a 4 km range.
The collar tracks the cow’s core temperature, or simply put, its health. Additionally, it also acts as a tracker, letting farmers know if their herd has wandered off or are accounted for, saving them a lot of stress in the process.
All the information is relayed through a combination of robo-calls, mobile or web apps.
By learning to manage the cow herd better, farmers can increase milk yield and production.
How Cowlar Works
Given Pakistan’s focus as an agriculture-based economy, products such as Cowlar represent the triumph of home-grown technological products that can aid the local economy and populace to a great extent. We wish Umer, and the E4 Technology startup team that produced Cowlar, all the best in their future endeavors.
To check out Cowlar, head here.
Image Credits: Cowlar (Official)