Ms. Neema Mduma from Tanzania has been chosen as one of only two Africans to receive a grant of $63,000 from the Agricultural Research Grant by Grow Further. Alongside her counterpart from Ghana, she was awarded this grant for her innovative idea to address agricultural challenges caused by pests using technology, as reported by Tanzanian news publication, The Citizen.
As a computer scientist and lecturer at the Nelson Mandela
African Institution of Science and Technology in Arusha, Ms. Mduma was selected
from a pool of over 700 participants for her groundbreaking proposal to utilize
smartphones for early detection of crop diseases.
In an interview with The Citizen, Ms. Mduma explained that
the idea stemmed from her experience studying machine learning in the education
and health sectors. Witnessing positive outcomes in these areas, she recognized
the potential to apply machine learning tools to solve agricultural issues such
as disease diagnosis and pest detection.
Her tech solution aims to assist small-scale farmers in
minimizing financial losses and maximizing production by detecting crop
complications at an early stage.
Expressing her gratitude and excitement upon being selected,
Ms. Mduma emphasized her commitment to delivering impactful results that
benefit smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture and food
systems.
Ms. Mduma had initially applied for the grant in January
2023, underwent the first screening in February, and by June, her team was
chosen to present their project to the funders.
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