Neema Nduma- A Tanzanian computer scientist granted $63,000 for innovative agriculture through machine learning

By Elegbede Abiodun

Neema Mduma

Tanzania’s Ms. Neema Mduma is one of the only two Africans selected by the Agricultural Research Grant from Grow Further to receive a grant of $63,000.

Alongside her fellow Ghanaian prizewinner, she received the grant on the heels of her idea to use tech to solve the problems in Agriculture brought about by pests, as seen in the Tanzanian news publication, The Citizen.

Machine learning in agriculture

The computer scientist and lecturer at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Arusha was one of the only two people selected from over 700 participants to receive funding for her groundbreaking idea to use smartphones in the early detection of crop diseases.

During an interview with The Citizen, she noted that the concept came to her during her stint studying machine learning in both the education and health sectors.

“After I noticed the positive results in the two sectors, I decided to focus on agriculture where challenges such as disease diagnosis and pest detection can be solved using machine learning tools,” she stated.

She also went on to reveal that this tech solution is aimed at small-scale farmers to help them curb unnecessary financial losses and maximize production via the early detection of any crop complications.

“I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement when I was informed about being selected. I feel grateful and honored that this project is among the two projects that were selected for funding and this gives me a deep sense of responsibility and obligation to produce meaningful results that will benefit smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture and food systems,” she elaborated.

Ms. Neema Mduma had applied for this grant as far back as January 2023. In February she was shortlisted for the first screening and by June her team was selected to come present to funders.