ATTA Cargo Bike Wins Toyota Design Competition for Rural Kenya
In 2026, four design students from Italy's University of Bologna claimed the top spot in the Product Design category at the Toyota Logistic Design Competition with their groundbreaking project, ATTA. This cargo bike, powered by human effort, is tailored for banana farmers in rural Kenya and addresses the 'first mile' challenge in supply chains. In Sub-Saharan Africa, post-harvest losses can reach between 30-50%, leading to yearly losses of around $4 billion. ATTA is equipped with a pulley system that allows one person to transport heavy loads while also facilitating harvesting. Named after the Atta genus of leaf-cutter ants, the project aims to empower small farmers and reduce their reliance on middlemen.
Key facts
- ATTA won first place in the Product Design category of the Toyota Logistic Design Competition in 2026.
- The team consists of Irene Ponteduro, Edoardo Govoni, Filippo Murotti, and Matteo Marinaro from the University of Bologna, Italy.
- ATTA is a human-powered cargo bike designed for banana farmers in rural Kenya.
- The project addresses the 'first mile' problem in supply chains, focusing on the journey from farm plots to roads.
- The Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that Sub-Saharan Africa loses up to 30-50% of its agricultural produce after harvest, worth about $4 billion a year.
- Farmers in Kenya routinely carry loads exceeding 100 kilograms by hand over unpaved ground.
- ATTA uses a pulley system that allows a single rider to lift and lower the bike's front forks with minimal effort, without engines or batteries.
- The name 'ATTA' comes from the genus of leaf-cutter ants, which can carry up to 50 times their body weight.
Entities
Artists
- Irene Ponteduro
- Edoardo Govoni
- Filippo Murotti
- Matteo Marinaro
- Anna Lazzaron
Institutions
- University of Bologna
- Toyota Logistic Design Competition
- Food and Agriculture Organisation
Locations
- Italy
- Kenya
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Milan
- Barcelona