DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA — Dr. Neema Mduma, a prominent researcher at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), has been featured in the prestigious scientific journal Nature for her groundbreaking work in agricultural artificial intelligence. The international recognition comes just as her flagship project, KilimoAI, prepares for its highly anticipated official launch in December or January.
Supported by the donor-funded non-profit Grow Further, Dr. Mduma and her team have developed KilimoAI, a smartphone application designed to safeguard the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The app leverages cutting-edge machine learning models and thousands of field-collected images to detect pests and crop diseases at early stages—often before harvest-devastating damage occurs.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate Dr. Neema Mduma, our research lead in Tanzania, who was recently featured in Nature for her groundbreaking work advancing AI in agriculture,” Grow Further stated in a recent announcement.
Innovation for Food Security The KilimoAI app addresses a critical challenge in African agriculture: the lack of timely access to expert diagnostics for crop health. By simply using a smartphone, farmers can identify specific threats to crops such as maize and beans, and receive immediate treatment recommendations.
While the app is slated for a broader rollout this month or next, it has already made a significant impact during its pilot phases. According to Grow Further, KilimoAI currently serves over 22,000 farmers in northern Tanzania. The project has set an ambitious goal to reach 400,000 farmers by 2030, a scale that could significantly bolster food security in the region.
Global Recognition The feature in Nature highlights the increasing importance of locally-led technological solutions in tackling global development challenges. Dr. Mduma, who received a pivotal grant from Grow Further in 2023, has become a leading voice in the application of AI for social good in Africa. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between complex technological innovations and the practical needs of rural communities.
For more information on the project, visit the Grow Further website or read the full Nature article here.
Dr. Neema Mduma is a computer scientist and Senior Lecturer at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). Beyond her work in ag-tech, she is a Principal Investigator leading multiple projects that apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to solve critical challenges across the agriculture, health, and education sectors.
A passionate advocate for the next generation of technologists, Dr. Mduma founded the BakiShule initiative, which promotes STEM education for girls in Tanzanian secondary schools. She is deeply embedded in the global scientific community, serving as a reviewer for prestigious journals and conferences, including the International Conference of Machine Learning (ICML) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).