TeleAgriCulture Cultivating Commons

Food, Data and Co-Creation Hackathon
25.–26.4. 10.00-17.30

Build local food futures with sensors, soil, and shared knowledge.

Dates: April 25–26, 11.00-17.30
Location: KUBU, Smedskullantie 3, Björkboda, Kemiönsaari
Participants: Open to all (no technical background required),
Language: English (+ Finnish & Swedish co-translation)
Facilitator: Julian Stadon, University of Southampton
Includes: Workshops, prototyping sessions, presentations
Prize: Award for most impactful / creative project
Free: Reserve your seat: info@kubu.fi

Join us for a two-day open hackathon at KUBU, bringing together artists, technologists, growers, families, and local communities to explore how environmental sensing can support food resilience and shared ecological knowledge. Working with TeleAgriCulture sensor kits, participants will learn how to collect and interpret environmental data, experiment with simple networked systems, and co-create project ideas that respond to local conditions. No prior experience is required. The focus is on hands-on exploration, collaboration, and practical creativity. The hackathon coincides with VÄXT spring day weekend, bringing local community around car boot sale, yard & garden preparing and game testing. Participants are encouraged to engage with the event as a living context for ideas, testing, and exchange.

The event concludes with presentations, a shared meal, and a prize for the most compelling project.

This hackathon is designed as an open, inclusive entry point into TeleAgriCulture systems and methodologies.

Participants will:
• Learn how the sensor kits work (soil, weather, environmental data)
• Explore data collection, transmission, and simple visualisation
• Test and audit the current toolkit, documentation, and infrastructure
• Co-create speculative and practical project ideas
• Prototype early-stage concepts collaboratively

The emphasis is not on polished outputs but on shared understanding, experimentation, and collective design. The integration with the Sunday farmers market allows direct engagement with growers, produce, and local food systems, grounding technological exploration in lived ecological and economic realities

Possible Project Ideas Include:
• Soil monitoring for community gardens and allotments
• Hyper-local weather storytelling and visualisation
• DIY sensing kits for schools and families
• Crop condition tracking using low-cost sensors
• Community dashboards for shared environmental data
• Seasonal growing guides based on live data
• Participatory mapping of local food systems
• Fermentation tracking and environmental influence studies
• Off-grid sensing for rural or remote sites
• Sensor-based art installations responding to soil or weather
• Mobile sensing kits for markets and pop-up sites
• Interfaces translating data into accessible, non-numeric formats

Learn more about TeleAgriCulture here and from video below:
https://teleagriculture.org/projects/

This hackthon is funded by the Sustainability and Resilience Institute, University of Southampton