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Esther Kimani was recently named winner of Africa ’ s biggest engineering prize , the Royal Academy of Engineering ’ s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation , in Nairobi . Her early crop pest and disease detection device was selected as the winning innovation for its ability to swiftly detect and identify agricultural pests and diseases , reducing crop losses for smallholder farmers by up to 30 % while increasing yields by as much as 40 %.

Five million smallholder farmers in Kenya lose on average 33 % of their crops to pests and diseases . Kimani ' s innovation not only provides real-time alerts within five seconds of an infestation , offering tailored intervention suggestions , but also alerts government agricultural officers to the presence of diseases or pests , contributing to broader agricultural management efforts .

The solar-powered tool uses computer vision algorithms and advanced machine learning to detect and identify crop pests , pathogens or diseases , as well as the nature of the infection or infestation . The device then notifies the farmer via SMS . This affordable alternative to traditional detection methods leases for just USD3 per month , significantly cheaper than hiring drones or agricultural inspectors .

The annual Africa Prize was founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014 to support innovators developing sustainable and scalable engineering solutions to local challenges in Africa . This year has seen the Africa Prize alumni community grow to almost 150 entrepreneurs from 23 countries , who together have generated more than 28 000 jobs and benefitted more than 10 million people through their innovative products and services .

Images supplied by the Royal Academy of Engineering

Esther Kimani with her invention .

Kimani says : “ My parents would lose up to 40 % of their crops each farming season , which affected our standard of living . We are empowering smallholder farmers , many of whom are women , to increase their income . We aim to scale to one million farmers in the next five years .”

Kimani received KSh 8.3 million to further develop the device . This is the largest amount awarded to a winner , in honour of the 10th Anniversary of the Prize . The four finalists delivered their final business pitch to the Academy judges and an in-person audience of approximately 700 .

The three runners up that were each awarded KSh 2.5 million to develop their innovations , were :

• Eco Tiles , Kevin Maina , Kenya : An environmentally friendly roofing material made from recycled plastic . Stronger and lighter than clay or concrete tiles , the innovation is a dual solution to plastic pollution and high building costs . The innovative manufacturing process involves a custom-made extrusion machine that blends different plastics at varying temperatures , eliminating the need for energy-intensive processes like kiln-burning and reducing carbon emissions . The tiles are enhanced with UV stabilisation chemicals and construction sand to improve durability and sturdiness .

• La Ruche Health , Rory Assandey , Côte d ' Ivoire : La Ruche Health connects communities to vital health information , advice , and services through ‘ Kiko ’, an AI chatbot tool available on WhatsApp and mobile apps , and a digital backend solution to streamline documentation , billing , and data sharing for practitioners . By May 2024 , the AI has facilitated over 150 000 user interactions and 189 inhome and teleconsultation appointments , processing over USD18 000 in medical billings , illustrating its effectiveness and scalability .

• Yo-Waste , Martin Tumusiime , Uganda : Addressing Uganda ' s mounting waste crisis , Yo-Waste is a location-based mobile application that connects homes and businesses to independent agents for efficient on-demand rubbish collection and disposal . Yo-Waste currently serves over 1 500 customers including homes , businesses , and waste collection agents , with a goal to reach 20 000 users by 2026 .