Crop pest attacks are a constant threat to Kenya’s multi-billion-shilling flower industry with infestations capable of wiping out entire harvests.
Computer scientist Linet Kwamboka Nyang’au is using artificial intelligence and data to change that heap of loss.
As the founder of Data Science Limited, Ms Nyang’au has built Bluleaf, an AI-powered integrated pest management platform that enables real-time tracking of crop pests, helping detect outbreaks early, identifying trends and responding on time to secure yields.
Using a mobile app, flower farmers scan pests as soon as they appear. Drawing on more than a decade of pest data, the platform identifies the pest, determines its stage of growth and assesses the health of the flower, enabling farmers to choose the right pesticide.
"As Africans, most of the technology we consume is developed somewhere else. The only way to change that is by developing the whole ecosystem, from our own scientists to large language models that represent our experiences."
The system also maps the scale of attack, allowing growers to target only affected areas, thus reducing cost.
“For flower exporters in Naivasha supplying the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Poland, we have made them reduce chemical use by more than 90 percent, cutting costs, helping farmers comply with stringent European Union export standards and reducing the environmental impact of pesticide application,” Ms Nyang’au says.
Beyond agriculture, Data Science Limited has built platforms that help organisations collect and analyse opinion and market research data, while another platform brings together Kenya’s economic and geographic data to support better government planning and investment.
She has also bridged technology and policy, contributing to consultations that informed Kenya’s national AI strategy.
Ms Nyang’au mentors young computer scientists as part of her campaign for greater African representation in artificial intelligence.
“As Africans, most of the technology we consume is developed somewhere else,” she says. “The only way to change that is by developing the whole ecosystem, from our own scientists to large language models that represent our experiences.”
–Dennis Musau