Esther Kimani has been named the winner of Africa’s biggest engineering prize, the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. Her early crop pest and disease detection device stood out for its ability to swiftly detect and identify agricultural pests and diseases, significantly reducing crop losses for smallholder farmers by up to 30% while increasing yields by as much as 40%.
This solar-powered tool uses computer vision algorithms and advanced machine learning to detect and identify crop pests and diseases, providing real-time alerts to farmers within five seconds of an infestation. It also alerts government agricultural officers, contributing to broader agricultural management efforts. This innovation is a game-changer for the agriculture sector, particularly in Kenya, where five million smallholder farmers lose on average 33% of their crops annually to pests and diseases.
Esther Kimani’s device leases for just $3 per month, making it an affordable alternative to traditional detection methods like drones or agricultural inspectors. Her innovation empowers smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, to increase their income and improve their standard of living. She aims to scale her solution to benefit one million farmers in the next five years, showcasing the potential impact of her work on African agriculture.
The annual Africa Prize was established by the Royal Academy of Engineering to support innovators developing sustainable and scalable engineering solutions to local challenges in Africa. Over the past decade, the Prize has supported almost 150 entrepreneurs from 23 countries, generating more than 28,000 jobs and benefiting over 10 million people through their innovative products and services.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Prize, the Royal Academy of Engineering hosted the Africa Prize Alumni Reunion, bringing together 100 innovators from the past decade. This event highlighted the strength of the community united by the Prize and showcased the impact of their collective innovations.
Esther Kimani received KSh 8.3 million, the largest amount awarded to a winner, to further develop her device. This significant funding reflects the Royal Academy of Engineering’s commitment to investing in African innovators and supporting their growth and development.
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