TEDxJohannesburg Salon – Hacking the Farm

Angus Donald CampbellFood Security, Technology, Urban Agriculture

TEDxJohannesburg Hacking the Farm

I will be speaking on the design of situated technology for urban agriculture at the TEDxJohannesburg Salon – Hacking the Farm on March 1 2018. From http://www.tedxjohannesburg.co.za/hackingthefarm.html : “The nature, texture, and complexion of the farm are changing. The gates are opening—slowly if not surely—to many who were previously excluded. Land reform promises to deliver tangible justice to those who’ve been deprived for far too long. Human population is projected to reach an astounding 9.7 billion by 2050. Every mouth will need to eat, and do so well. Climate change remains a challenge. But human ingenuity is hard to beat. Strategies and tactics will emerge. They must emerge. Business models are shifting—the farm is transforming into a high performance, high growth enterprise. It’s adding value to crops, turning commodities into products, and moving up the supply chain. The modern farm is a brand, with a USP, and a target audience. It … Read More

World Information Architecture Day 2017

Angus Donald CampbellConferences, Technology

I will be speaking at World Information Architecture Day on Saturday, 18 February 2017 The topic of my presentation is “Exploring Human Activity: Technology Innovation on the Periphery” Professional designers often disregard users’ design agency. Negating the power of “lay designers” thus, is arguably at the cost of the relevance of a final design for its intended users. This is nowhere more evident than in so-called “developing” contexts where people have always been driven to design and innovate due to inequality, poverty, and unmet needs. Utilising the framework of activity theory, I will explore exceptional examples of grassroots innovation in South Africa. The aim of this is to encourage expert designers to shift their gaze and align their skills to amplify the efforts of lay designers in order to result in more sustainable and appropriate change. Tickets for the event can be bought at: https://worldiaday2017-johannesburg.eventbrite.com  – General admission: R200.00pp (includes lunch, snacks … Read More