Samsung Solve for Tomorrow concluded its tenth edition in Peru in 2023, with more than 1,300 projects integrating STEM to solve problems in local communities. More than 4,700 students and 300 teachers participated in the program, promoting STEM education to foster problem solving skills while nurturing students as agents of positive change in their environment.

Five teams arose as finalists of Solve for Tomorrow 2023, including teams from Amazonas, Lima, Huancavelica, Pasco, and San Martin, who demonstrated highly innovative solutions in their local regions. The winning project came from Huancavelica, which offered an effective solution to fight pests in avocado crops. Let’s dive into what inspired their scientific process.

Putting an end to the plague

Today, there are more than a dozen pests that affect the global production of millions of crops each year. In Peru, red spider mites are a major enemy to farmers of avocado plantations. These pests mainly feed on leaves of the crops, hindering the plants from carrying out photosynthesis and ultimately deteriorating the export quality of the avocados. Three students in a town center of Socos in Tayacaja, Huancavelica used their knowledge in STEM to develop a simple yet effective solution to this problem.

Brayan, Mayte, and Joseline created a sulfocacic broth combining lime and sulfur in boiling water, which can be used as an insecticide, fungicide, and mainly as an acaricide. “This multifunctional solution is applied to the stem, leaves, and the avocado itself. With this, we prevent the pests from laying their eggs on the plants, putting an end to the plague,” explained Brayan.

Killing three birds with one stone

In the process of creating this sulfocacic broth, the team considered multiple factors to protect the environment in an affordable way, all the while enhancing the quality of the crops. This is why they used lime and sulfur, which are natural products that do not affect the environment like agrochemicals. At the same time, it is easy for farmers to prepare without a high cost. On top of this, not only does the broth control pests, but it also provides nutrients for growth that help the crops overcome nutritional deficiencies of calcium and sulfur.

It takes five hours in a pickup truck from the town center of Socos to the nearest major city. The region records the lowest income and a big educational gap due to lack of infrastructure and communication access. Despite these challenges, Norca, the teacher overseeing the project, managed to motivate her students and inspire them to find this practical and economic solution. Her student, Mayte, could not hide her excitement: “Being finalists means that we, as a team, have great potential in supporting our community. It’s a really big emotion.”