In Kenya, farmers are using AI and smartphone apps to grow more food

You may be skeptical about it, but smartphones can be used for more than just chatting, checking the weather, and taking pictures of your cat. In Kenya, some use their smartphones to grow more food.

In Western Kenya, Roseline Akochi, a smallholder farmer, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve her crops. She is growing cassava – a starchy and carbohydrates-rich root vegetable grown in Africa, Asia, and South America.


Roseline uses her phone to scan her plants. That's how she can instantly diagnose diseases and pests: she's using an app developed by the non-profit organization Plant Village. This technology provides immediate solutions to crop health issues, addressing challenges that farmers like Akochi have faced for years.

The app offers more than just disease diagnosis. It also includes resources on obtaining quality seeds, preparing land, and connecting with agricultural specialists. Since adopting the app in 2018, Akochi has seen a dramatic increase in her harvest. Her cassava yield has grown from five bags to 200, enabling her to pay for her children’s education and build a home. That's great, isn't it?

Personally, I don't use much AI on my phone, but that will probably change in the near future, as everything has to do with AI more and more and eventually, it will become inevitable. However, many people use AI already… in all sorts of ways. The aforementioned Kenyan story reminds me of a story from across the globe that also has to do with AI.

In Japan, there's the CatsMe! app that uses AI to help pet owners detect if their cats are in pain, reducing the need for stressful vet visits. The app was trained on 6,000 cat images and claims over 95% accuracy, which is expected to improve with more data.

The app addresses a common issue, as studies show over 70% of elderly cats experience pain, but only 2% receive veterinary care.