With sensors and apps, young African coders compete to curb hunger
From an app to diagnose disease on Zambian farms to Tinder-style matchmaking for Senegalese land owners and young farmers, young coders have been finding solutions to hunger in the first Africa-wide hack-a-thon on the issue.
Eight teams competed in the hack-a-thon, organised by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and a Rwandan trade organisation in the country’s capital Kigali this week.
Experts say keeping young people in farming is key to alleviating hunger in Africa, which has 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, but spends $35 billion a year on importing food for its growing population.
“In our families, agriculture is no longer a good business. They don’t get the return,” said Rwandan Ndayisaba Wilson, 24, whose team proposed a $400 solar-powered device (in Africa solutions have to deal with problems First World countries don't anticipate or have to plan for) that can optimise water and fertiliser use.
See more ideas at https://www.moneyweb.co.za/in-depth/features/with-sensors-and-apps-young-african-coders-compete-to-curb-hunger/
#hackathon #africa
from Danie van der Merwe - Google+ Posts https://ift.tt/2BZ6NWO
via IFTTT
From an app to diagnose disease on Zambian farms to Tinder-style matchmaking for Senegalese land owners and young farmers, young coders have been finding solutions to hunger in the first Africa-wide hack-a-thon on the issue.
Eight teams competed in the hack-a-thon, organised by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and a Rwandan trade organisation in the country’s capital Kigali this week.
Experts say keeping young people in farming is key to alleviating hunger in Africa, which has 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, but spends $35 billion a year on importing food for its growing population.
“In our families, agriculture is no longer a good business. They don’t get the return,” said Rwandan Ndayisaba Wilson, 24, whose team proposed a $400 solar-powered device (in Africa solutions have to deal with problems First World countries don't anticipate or have to plan for) that can optimise water and fertiliser use.
See more ideas at https://www.moneyweb.co.za/in-depth/features/with-sensors-and-apps-young-african-coders-compete-to-curb-hunger/
#hackathon #africa
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With sensors and apps, young African coders compete to curb hunger Experts say keeping young people in farming is key to alleviating hunger in Africa. |
from Danie van der Merwe - Google+ Posts https://ift.tt/2BZ6NWO
via IFTTT
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