What went right this week: the good news that matters

Zambia becomes first country in Africa to trial universal basic income

Zambia is currently trialling a universal basic income pilot in a bid to reduce poverty and inequality.

Starting in January 2022, 48,000 people in eight district will receive a regular cash payment for a fixed period of time. The programme will test the potential of universal basic income to provide regular and predictable support, promote economic stability and empower people economically. 

It will also gather data on how a basic income influences food consumption, nutrition, school attendance, women’s empowerment and resilience to shocks.

Pilots are underway or planned in several other countries including Canada, Finland, India, Kenya, Namibia, Scotland and the US. 

Image: Umbar Gouchie

AI-assisted robots could revolutionise farming

AI-assisted robots are set to optimise strawberry farming and other fruit-growing industries, maximising yield while reducing carbon emissions.

Cambridgeshire-based Agrobot has developed a strawberry-picking robot that uses artificial intelligence to identify and pick ripe strawberries with little damage to the fruit. It could be rolled out on UK farms as soon as next year, according to the company.

These machines could lead to more efficient and climate-friendly farming practices, such as avoiding unnecessarily pesticide and fertiliser use, decreasing waste and cutting emissions related to transporting produce.

“I’m so excited that more farmers will be able to access Agrobot’s strawberry picker soon,” said Heather McKendree of AgFutures, an innovation hub supporting agri-tech companies. “The technology has the potential to revolutionise the industry across the UK and beyond.” 

Image: AgRobot/Grid Pattern

Funding boost for underrepresented tech talent

Digital talent collective Redknit, a “department store” of skills supporting low-income and rural digital innovators, has received a landmark public investment.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has injected £2.7m of its Digital Innovation Fund into the social enterprise, dedicated to channelling investment into UK tech talent. The funding, which could benefit up to 20,000 people throughout the UK, is earmarked for enablement and infrastructure programmes rather than direct financial support. 

“This is an opportunity to grow the imaginative and innovative solutions of tomorrow through inclusion, diversity and equality,” said Josh Makepeace, co-founder and chief exec of Redknit. “And we are truly excited about the possibilities ahead.”

The news follows campaigning from AI accelerators, incubators and VC funds, which have called for greater investment from the UK government into the deep and fast-moving tech talent pool.

Image: Asawin Klabma

Story-telling before bed can help children concentrate at school

Reading a bedtime story to children is linked to young people’s success at school by boosting their ability to concentrate and learn, a new study shows.

Analysis by University College London’s (UCL) Centre for Longitudinal Studies suggests that children whose parents read to them regularly throughout their early years achieve higher academic performance in their teenage years than those whose parent did not read to them.

The research, which followed nearly 8,000 children, found the concentration-boosting benefits began at the age of 11 and continued into their teenage years. The findings also revealed that bedtime stories nurture strong parent-child relationship, which can be beneficial to children’s mental health, resilience and self-esteem. 

“The study underlines the extraordinary power of bedtime stories to help children achieve more at school,” said Professor Emla Fitzsimons, academic director at the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies.

Image: Yai