AI Applications for Sustainable Development in Africa

AI is emerging as a beacon of hope for African farmers battling climate change. A Senegalese team has developed the Africa Agriculture Watch (AAgWa), an AI tool that employs satellite data and machine learning to predict optimum growing conditions. This is a breakthrough towards an AI-enabled, climate-resilient agricultural ecosystem. (More here: https://lnkd.in/e4rqyrrG ) However, while AAgWa illuminates a path to adapt, it underscores the gap in adopting and integrating such innovation at the grassroots level. The greatest challenge is not just developing these solutions, but ensuring they are embraced by those who need them most – the farmers. What if we see this challenge as an opportunity? What if startups and enterprises across the globe partner to create an ecosystem that not only develops innovative solutions like AAgWa but also ensures they're adoptable, providing farmers with the necessary training and resources? Considering the intersection of AI, partnerships, and the future of work, how can we create ecosystems that foster the adoption of such transformative solutions? How can we engage all stakeholders – from farmers to tech companies – to accelerate climate resilience in agriculture? I look forward to hearing your thoughts below. #Innovation #Partnerships #sustainability #Startups #Enterprises #AI

In southeastern Africa, Malawi is home to rich, arable land and a subtropical climate suitable for farming. However, the once-predictable seasons that smallholder farmers rely on are steadily shifting due to climate change. Smallholders lack access to hyperlocal weather forecasting and data that can increase their crops’ chances of success, ultimately jeopardizing the productivity and profitability of their season. IBM partnered with Heifer International to empower these farmers through the #IBMSustainabilityAccelerator and develop OpenHarvest. This open-source platform with a mobile application that expands access to visual agricultural data delivers specialized recommendations to farmers through #AI and climate modeling and enables better farm and field management. For building this solution, the team relied on IBM Cloud Code Engine’s serverless architecture and IBM Consulting’s sustainability expertise. Proud to see how with the right partnerships and the right resources we can help build sustainable farming solutions alongside farmers and their communities. Read this blog post from Rhia Trogo to learn more: https://ibm.biz/BdS4cw

For generations, new technology has helped to feed the world. AI could be our next big opportunity for innovation—so I’m excited that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is announcing nearly 50 grantees harnessing the technology for global health and development impact. One of the selected grantees, Joyce Nakatumba-Nabende of Makerere University in Uganda, will use AI to provide tailored support to smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa in their local languages when facing challenges like pests or crop disease.  Of course, as my colleague Zameer Brey writes here, “We have learned time and again that developing and deploying new technologies is only part of the equation. To really ensure innovations are enhancing lives, amplifying the voices of local communities in their design, application, and adoption is critical.” That’s exactly what we plan to do, and I’m looking forward to seeing the work bear metaphorical—and literal—fruit. https://lnkd.in/eD6tGwq5

Africa’s Energy Leap: Hoover’s Legacy Inspires Carbon-Negative Pyrolysis During a recent visit to the Hoover Dam, built in the 1930s on Lake Mead, I was struck by its engineering brilliance and its enduring capacity to supply power to three southwestern U.S.A states and approximately 20 million people. Yet across Africa, 600 million people remain off-grid, facing an infrastructure gap equivalent to building thirty Hoover Dams which is a virtually impossible feat in both economic and environmental terms. Clearly, a different approach is required for the African continent. An option that is scalable, sustainable and aligned with the unfolding “Fourth Industrial Evolution” which promises to foster global equity. What if, instead of building colossal dams, we deployed hundreds of modular pyrolysis “micro-reactors” that could swiftly convert waste into syngas (a clean fuel), biochar (a carbon sink and soil enhancer) and low-sulphur oil? These decentralised mini-grids could deliver essential, safe energy while embedding AI into sectors such as healthcare, education and industry thereby enabling real-time optimisation. Could AI-driven, carbon-negative pyrolysis represent Africa’s next great leap in energy infrastructure distribution, circular and primed for the digital age? #WasteToEnergy #CircularEconomy #CleanTech #Biochar #AfricaRising