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On Sun, 16 Mar, 4:01 PM UTC
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[1]
In Nigeria, tech workers and farmers bring AI to the fields
With a few taps on his phone, Dandam Nangor knows exactly what temperature his greenhouse is at, when to water his crops and even the pH of the soil. Backed by artificial intelligence, it's all designed to make growing his peppers easier -- and perhaps usher in a sort of agriculture 2.0 in Nigeria, where millions work in the sector, from subsistence farmers to, increasingly, young tech workers. With probes in the soil collecting data, processed by local agri-tech local company Green Eden and sent to his phone, "my production has increased (by) about 400 kilograms," or 20 percent, 34-year-old Nangor, who is also an IT analyst, told AFP during a visit to his greenhouse in Jos. Farms around the Plateau state capital, sitting at 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) above sea level and known for its mild climate, have long fed the nation, with their fruits and vegetables ending up in markets across Nigeria. But they haven't been spared from climate change, as increasingly erratic rainfall threatens farmers across west Africa, the majority of whom are smallholders who operate without irrigation. The stakes are high for the whole country: some 20 percent of Nigeria's GDP comes from agriculture. "That was the simple problem, the weather. Climate change," said Stephanie Meltus, founder of Green Eden, whose tech has been deployed on more than 70 farms. "That's what we are trying to solve." The start-up first found financing from friends and family, before more business and foundations started getting involved -- providing an opportunity to "bridge the gap" between Nigeria's bustling tech scene and its rural hinterlands, said Meltus, a 21-year-old pharmacy student. Field to henhouse The central city of Jos itself is becoming something of an agri-tech hub. Mercy Atsuku, who raises chickens, told AFP that after adopting a monitoring system from another local start-up, "we barely even record any mortality cases". The tech, from Anatsor, keeps tabs on temperature, humidity and air and water quality on poultry farms. Due to climate change, "the weather pattern is uncertain", Anatsor's 24-year-old founder Miriam Agbo said. "When the temperature is too high, the chickens don't eat," she told AFP. When it's too humid, "the environment becomes damp, they tend to stay together to heat up. And that results in suffocating". Now, minute shifts in conditions are now sent directly to Atsuku's phone. "Let's say when the water is contaminated, it's no longer too good for the chickens. I get a notification," she said. "I no longer wake up in the middle of the night just to check on the chickens." Though the $150 she paid for the system -- three times the monthly minimum wage -- might be out of reach for some, "it has reduced a lot of stress for me". The new tech is coming online at a key time, said Nuhu Adamu Gworgwor, an agronomy professor at the University of Jos, as climate change and urbanization drive more and more Nigerians away from agriculture and into cities. Poor harvests from drought and erratic rains have "driven away people from their fields" -- and many are unlikely to return. "They could not be able to go to agriculture again," he told AFP. Eyes in the sky Critics of the broader agri-tech sector worry that innovation is being directed at increasing output, rather than at mitigating farming's own negative effects on the environment. And artificial intelligence will do little to help growers bogged down by land degradation, a lack of access to financing and poor infrastructure. Only 40 percent of people in Nigeria have an internet connection -- a rate that plunges in rural areas. But Gambo Wadams Zakka, an English literature student, still has dreams of putting tech in the fields, as he pursues a start-up that would combine satellite imagery and AI to warn farmers of pest infestations, delivered via text message. He also wants to monitor market prices, to give farmers more information about when to sell their crops. "We could give them an SMS alert, like prices of heavy beans is selling at 15,000 naira ($10) per bag... but prices are expected to rise by next week," Zakka said. For Michael Inyam Itsegok, who has grown potatoes, bananas and cucumbers for 25 years, it's the "perfect" technology, which would help take some of the chance and guesswork out of farming. "If you don't have an insight of what is coming," he said, "you are left at the mercy of that very thing that has come."
[2]
In Nigeria, tech workers and farmers bring AI to the fields
Jos (Nigeria) (AFP) - With a few taps on his phone, Dandam Nangor knows exactly what temperature his greenhouse is at, when to water his crops and even the pH of the soil. Backed by artificial intelligence, it's all designed to make growing his peppers easier -- and perhaps usher in a sort of agriculture 2.0 in Nigeria, where millions work in the sector, from subsistence farmers to, increasingly, young tech workers. With probes in the soil collecting data, processed by local agri-tech local company Green Eden and sent to his phone, "my production has increased (by) about 400 kilograms," or 20 percent, 34-year-old Nangor, who is also an IT analyst, told AFP during a visit to his greenhouse in Jos. Farms around the Plateau state capital, sitting at 1,200 metres (4,000 feet) above sea level and known for its mild climate, have long fed the nation, with their fruits and vegetables ending up in markets across Nigeria. But they haven't been spared from climate change, as increasingly erratic rainfall threatens farmers across west Africa, the majority of whom are smallholders who operate without irrigation. The stakes are high for the whole country: some 20 percent of Nigeria's GDP comes from agriculture. "That was the simple problem, the weather. Climate change," said Stephanie Meltus, founder of Green Eden, whose tech has been deployed on more than 70 farms. "That's what we are trying to solve." The start-up first found financing from friends and family, before more business and foundations started getting involved -- providing an opportunity to "bridge the gap" between Nigeria's bustling tech scene and its rural hinterlands, said Meltus, a 21-year-old pharmacy student. Field to henhouse The central city of Jos itself is becoming something of an agri-tech hub. Mercy Atsuku, who raises chickens, told AFP that after adopting a monitoring system from another local start-up, "we barely even record any mortality cases". The tech, from Anatsor, keeps tabs on temperature, humidity and air and water quality on poultry farms. Due to climate change, "the weather pattern is uncertain", Anatsor's 24-year-old founder Miriam Agbo said. "When the temperature is too high, the chickens don't eat," she told AFP. When its too humid, "the environment becomes damp, they tend to stay together to heat up. And that results in suffocating". Now, minute shifts in conditions are now sent directly to Atsuku's phone. "Let's say when the water is contaminated, it's no longer too good for the chickens. I get a notification," she said. "I no longer wake up in the middle of the night just to check on the chickens." Though the $150 she paid for the system -- three times the monthly minimum wage -- might be out of reach for some, "it has reduced a lot of stress for me". The new tech is coming online at a key time, said Nuhu Adamu Gworgwor, an agronomy professor at the University of Jos, as climate change and urbanisation drive more and more Nigerians away from agriculture and into cities. Poor harvests from drought and erratic rains have "driven away people from their fields" -- and many are unlikely to return. "They could not be able to go to agriculture again," he told AFP. Eyes in the sky Critics of the broader agri-tech sector worry that innovation is being directed at increasing output, rather than at mitigating farming's own negative effects on the environment. And artificial intelligence will do little to help growers bogged down by land degradation, a lack of access to financing and poor infrastructure. Only 40 percent of people in Nigeria have an internet connection -- a rate that plunges in rural areas. But Gambo Wadams Zakka, an English literature student, still has dreams of putting tech in the fields, as he pursues a start-up that would combine satellite imagery and AI to warn farmers of pest infestations, delivered via text message. He also wants to monitor market prices, to give farmers more information about when to sell their crops. "We could give them an SMS alert, like prices of heavy beans is selling at 15,000 naira ($10) per bag... but prices are expected to rise by next week," Zakka said. For Michael Inyam Itsegok, who has grown potatoes, bananas and cucumbers for 25 years, it's the "perfect" technology, which would help take some of the chance and guesswork out of farming. "If you don't have an insight of what is coming," he said, "you are left at the mercy of that very thing that has come."
[3]
Smart farming: Agri-Tech startups bridge the gap for farmers
AFP - With a few taps on his phone, Dandam Nangor knows exactly what temperature his greenhouse is at, when to water his crops and even the pH of the soil. Backed by artificial intelligence (AI), it's all designed to make growing his peppers easier - and perhaps usher in a sort of agriculture 2.0 in Nigeria, where millions work in the sector, from subsistence farmers to, increasingly, young tech workers. With probes in the soil collecting data, processed by local agri-tech local company Green Eden and sent to his phone, "my production has increased (by) about 400 kilogrammes", or 20 per cent, 34-year-old Nangor, who is also an information technology analyst, told AFP during a visit to his greenhouse in Jos. Farms around the Plateau state capital, sitting at 1,200 metres above sea level and known for its mild climate, have long fed the nation, with their fruits and vegetables ending up in markets across Nigeria. But they haven't been spared from climate change, as increasingly erratic rainfall threatens farmers across west Africa, the majority of whom are smallholders who operate without irrigation. The stakes are high for the whole country: some 20 per cent of Nigeria's gross domestic product comes from agriculture. "That was the simple problem, the weather. Climate change," said founder of Green Eden Stephanie Meltus, whose tech has been deployed on more than 70 farms. "That's what we are trying to solve." The start-up first found financing from friends and family, before more business and foundations started getting involved - providing an opportunity to "bridge the gap" between Nigeria's bustling tech scene and its rural hinterlands, said 21-year-old pharmacy student Meltus. The central city of Jos itself is becoming something of an agri-tech hub. Mercy Atsuku, who raises chickens, told AFP that after adopting a monitoring system from another local start-up, "we barely even record any mortality cases". The tech, from Anatsor, keeps tabs on temperature, humidity and air and water quality on poultry farms. Due to climate change, "the weather pattern is uncertain", Anatsor's 24-year-old founder Miriam Agbo said. "When the temperature is too high, the chickens don't eat," she told AFP. When its too humid, "the environment becomes damp, they tend to stay together to heat up. And that results in suffocating". Now, minute shifts in conditions are now sent directly to Atsuku's phone. "Let's say when the water is contaminated, it's no longer too good for the chickens. I get a notification," she said. "I no longer wake up in the middle of the night just to check on the chickens. Though the USD150 she paid for the system - three times the monthly minimum wage - might be out of reach for some, "it has reduced a lot of stress for me". The new tech is coming online at a key time, said agronomy professor Nuhu Adamu Gworgwor at the University of Jos, as climate change and urbanisation drive more and more Nigerians away from agriculture and into cities. Poor harvests from drought and erratic rains have "driven away people from their fields" - and many are unlikely to return. "They could not be able to go to agriculture again," he told AFP. Critics of the broader agri-tech sector worry that innovation is being directed at increasing output, rather than at mitigating farming's own negative effects on the environment. And AI will do little to help growers bogged down by land degradation, a lack of access to financing and poor infrastructure. Only 40 per cent of people in Nigeria have an internet connection - a rate that plunges in rural areas. But English literature student Gambo Wadams Zakka still has dreams of putting tech in the fields, as he pursues a start-up that would combine satellite imagery and AI to warn farmers of pest infestations, delivered via text message. He also wants to monitor market prices, to give farmers more information about when to sell their crops.
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Nigerian tech startups are leveraging AI to help farmers combat climate change challenges and increase productivity. These innovations are bridging the gap between Nigeria's tech scene and rural agriculture.
In a groundbreaking development, Nigerian tech startups are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize farming practices across the country. This innovative approach is helping farmers tackle climate change challenges and boost productivity, while bridging the gap between Nigeria's thriving tech scene and its rural agricultural sector 1.
Dandam Nangor, a 34-year-old IT analyst and pepper farmer in Jos, Nigeria, exemplifies this technological shift. Using AI-backed systems developed by local agri-tech company Green Eden, Nangor can monitor his greenhouse's temperature, soil pH, and watering needs with just a few taps on his smartphone. This precision agriculture approach has led to a remarkable 20% increase in his pepper production 2.
The adoption of AI in agriculture comes at a crucial time, as Nigerian farmers face increasing challenges due to climate change. Erratic rainfall patterns have been threatening crop yields, particularly affecting smallholder farmers who lack irrigation systems. With agriculture contributing to 20% of Nigeria's GDP, the stakes are high for the entire nation 1.
The central city of Jos is emerging as an agri-tech hub, with startups like Green Eden and Anatsor leading the charge. Stephanie Meltus, the 21-year-old founder of Green Eden, emphasizes that their technology aims to solve the fundamental problem of unpredictable weather patterns caused by climate change 3.
Anatsor, another local startup founded by 24-year-old Miriam Agbo, is applying AI to poultry farming. Their monitoring system tracks temperature, humidity, and air and water quality in chicken coops. Poultry farmer Mercy Atsuku reports a significant reduction in chicken mortality rates since adopting this technology 2.
Aspiring entrepreneurs like Gambo Wadams Zakka are exploring even more advanced applications of AI in agriculture. Zakka's startup aims to use satellite imagery and AI to warn farmers about pest infestations via text messages and provide market price information to optimize crop sales 1.
However, challenges remain. Critics argue that the focus on increasing output may overshadow efforts to mitigate farming's environmental impact. Additionally, with only 40% of Nigerians having internet access, the digital divide poses a significant hurdle to widespread adoption of these technologies 3.
Despite these challenges, the integration of AI into Nigerian agriculture represents a promising step towards modernizing the sector and addressing the pressing issues of climate change and food security. As Michael Inyam Itsegok, a veteran farmer with 25 years of experience, puts it, this technology is "perfect" for reducing the uncertainties inherent in farming 2.
Reference
[3]
AI-powered tools are transforming farming practices in India, offering hope for increased efficiency and sustainability. However, high costs and digital literacy barriers pose challenges to widespread adoption.
2 Sources
2 Sources
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 showcases cutting-edge AI and autonomous technologies in agriculture, highlighting the industry's shift towards sustainability and precision farming in response to climate change and labor shortages.
4 Sources
4 Sources
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella highlights the company's AI initiatives in Indian agriculture, demonstrating significant yield improvements and sustainable farming practices through partnerships with local organizations and startups.
2 Sources
2 Sources
Artificial intelligence is transforming the wine industry, with Napa Valley vineyards adopting AI-powered tractors and irrigation systems for more efficient and sustainable farming practices.
9 Sources
9 Sources
Ireland's agritech sector is experiencing significant growth, with Enterprise Ireland supporting innovative start-ups and the National Ploughing Championships showcasing cutting-edge agricultural technologies.
3 Sources
3 Sources
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