Crab farmer gets tech support after experiencing theft

Technology company, PreeLabs, has given crab farmer Jermaine Morris a boost by donating systems valued at $270,000 to the entrepreneur to protect, monitor, and manage his farms remotely. PreeLabs made the donation after Morris became a victim of theft last month.

After sharing his journey as a farmer and entrepreneur in the press, thieves targeted Morris’ farm, leaving with 95 per cent of his crabs. Determined to succeed, he decided to continue with his venture. Morris’ drive inspired PreeLabs to support him as he worked to regain his losses and continue farming.

PreeLabs CEO Yekini Wallen-Bryan explained that the company felt deeply connected to Morris’ story. He said, “The news of this incident truly impacted us at PreeLabs as it’s a story that we hear often; hard-working Jamaicans being brought down by others with malicious intentions. However, we thought that while this was a bad moment, it was also an opportunity to display the true Jamaican spirit by stepping up and showing our support. As a community, we can lift others if we work together – this belief is the driving force for our donation.”

PreeLabs Limited, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, therefore offered to give various forms of assistance to Morris to help him recover, and be in a better position than he was before the theft. The company provided him with one of its Pree Smart Farm systems, which allows farmers to monitor and manage various aspects of their farm automatically or from their smartphone.

The system being deployed uses various sensors that will allow Morris to know whenever someone enters the area via an on-site alarm or from his smartphone through the Smart Farm app.

PreeLabs is focused on using technology and innovation to improve business and solve challenges, so the support didn’t end there; the team offered to allow Morris to automate other aspects of his operations as well.

Wallen-Bryan explained: “Additionally, Morris let us know of two other issues that he’s been having: trying to keep the crabs cool, as well as keeping water at a certain level in the pen. So, we’ve deployed a system that allows him to remotely check the temperature in the pen in real time and turn on a ‘mister’ if it gets too hot. It will also automatically refill the water should our sensor detect that it’s below a certain level.”

With these improvements in place, PreeLabs believes their system will give Morris a significant boost in the rebuilding of his operations. Its CEO said that with these improvements, they are optimistic that Morris will regroup, thrive, and increase productivity through automation and precision agriculture.

PreeLabs is a Jamaican automated solutions and product development company focused on innovation, solutions for green industries, and remote monitoring and control applications. For more information on PreeLabs’ Smart Farm System, visit www.preelabs.com/smartfarm.