In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), agriculture has traditionally been perceived to be an unsophisticated sector with an image of an old farmer in tattered clothes digging with a hoe. That stereotype has mainly been perpetuated through formal education and, as a result, the sector has had minimal appeal to innovators or youth. In Kenya for instance, according to the 2009 census, the average age of a farmer was over 60 years.
As the internet footprint expands across SSA, youth is utilizing it to learn more about agriculture as the sector that can offer self-employment opportunities in a continent that is riddled with unemployment. The young are embracing agriculture in an unconventional way by bringing innovative ideas and introducing technologies that are mechanizing the sector for the better.
Among those technologies is artificial intelligence (AI) which provides farmers with information on the weather, plant diseases, pests, and livestock production. As a result, farmers are better informed about farming and livestock production. Some AI applications that are now having an impact on agriculture and the livestock sector across SSA were actually developed by Africans under the age of 40.
AI innovations disrupting agriculture and the livestock sector in SSA
PlantVillage Nuru
This award-winning AI assistant app built at Penn State University helps farmers to access knowledge about crop health and to make agronomic decisions that help them to achieve higher yields. Using this app, farmers can diagnose diseases in cassava, potatoes, and wheat, or trace fall armyworm infection on maize. The app also detects water-stressed crops and provides weather patterns for specific regions. Farmers can take photos of diseased leaves or stems, upload these, and receive feedback via SMS on what is ailing the plants and how to address this. In Kenya, there have been reported average yield increases of 40% by farmers who use PlantVillage Nuru. The app’s agronomic knowledge is sourced from scientists from the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres. The PlantVillage Nuru app is available free of charge on Play Store and App Store and farmers in Africa and South East Asia are among its active users.
Synnefa Smart Greenhouses
In 2013, Kenyan Taita Ngetich co-founded Synnefa, an agricultural technology company that sells smart greenhouses and drip kits that utilize the internet of things (IoT) to help farmers to reduce the costs of crop production. The key component in the greenhouses is FarmShield, a smart device with IoT technology that regulates irrigation and lowers water costs by up to 60% and increases crop yields by up to 40%. FarmShield has sensors in the soil that measure moisture, temperature, and nutrients. There are also sensors that measure humidity, temperature, light intensity, and carbon dioxide in the air. Over 17,000 farmers across Africa use Synnefa’s smart greenhouses for agricultural production.
Foodlocker Nigeria
Foodlocker is a Nigerian agricultural technology company that uses AI to secure markets for smallholder farmers and facilitate procurement for large buyers. Co-founded in 2017 by Jennifer Okoduwa, it utilizes deep machine learning to forecast demand for farm produce and consumer goods. This information, together with the produce specification demanded by consumers, is passed free of charge to smallholder farmers via field agents and phone messages. After the fresh farm produce has been harvested, it is delivered directly to Foodlocker clients who have pre-ordered such as restaurants, processors, retailers, hotels, and exporters. Foodlocker also sells foods like cassava, yam, beans, meat, cereals, and livestock on its online platform.
Jaguza Livestock App
In Uganda, AI and cloud technology is used to maintain livestock inventory records and monitor animal health through the Jaguza Livestock App. Cows are tagged on one ear with a smart device with a thermometer which can detect temperature changes when they fall sick and send an alert to the app on a farmer’s smartphone. Farmers without a smartphone or internet access can use an SSD code or SMS to ask questions or send messages about their livestock. If an animal strays, a farmer will receive an alert with GPS location coordinates on his smartphone. The app also has the contact details of nearby vets and information on livestock diseases and nutrition together with a marketplace module where farmers can post details of any animals they are selling. Over 23,000 animals in Uganda now have the smart ear device and over 55,000 farmers are registered on the platform. Jaguza Livestock App is the brainchild of Katamba Ronald, an IT specialist who is the founder of Afrisoft IT solutions in Uganda.
Mkulima GPT
Mkulima GPT is a Swahili Chatbot developed by Theofrida Maginga to provide agronomic advice to Tanzania maize farmers via WhatsApp. The Chatbot also helps in the early detection of maize diseases before any visible symptoms appear and gives farmers the appropriate solution. Via Mkulima GPT, farmers can also receive advice on farm preparation and post-harvest measures. Intelligent sensors are placed on the maize plantation and when a pest or disease strikes the plants, they alert the farmer and provide solutions. Mkulima GPT is currently tailored for Tanzanian farmers but its information can be applied worldwide and, according to Maginga, they are working to add other African languages like Kinyarwanda.
Future of AI in SSA agriculture
Experts argue that the potential for AI in Africa is huge. According to Theo Watson, a commercial attorney at Microsoft, by 2030 AI could contribute US$1.2 trillion to the African economy which would increase the continent’s GDP by 5.6%. Research by the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law reports that Africa has over 2,400 AI organizations in the insurance, health, wellness, fitness, law, training, and agricultural sectors. And in African agriculture, AI technology will continue to help farmers to minimize their use of pesticides, fertilizers, and irrigation. In a continent plagued by climate change crisis, AI will play a part in helping them to become more resilient.
