https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Africa|SECURITY|Sensor|SMS|Surface
Africa|SECURITY|Sensor|SMS|Surface
africa|security|sensor|sms|surface

Locust prediction tool allows for early intervention in four African countries so far

6th January 2021

By: Marleny Arnoldi

Deputy Editor Online

     

Font size: - +

Pan-African marketplace Selina Wamucii has launched, on its platform, a free tool called Kuzi that can help farmers and pastoralists predict locust behaviour.

The artificial intelligence-powered tool generates real-time heatmaps of locusts across Africa, showing all potential migration routes and gives a real-time locust breeding index.

Kuzi uses satellite data, soil sensor data, ground meteorological observation and machine learning to predict the breeding, occurrence and migration routes of desert locusts.

Soil moisture, wind, humidity and surface temperature affect the breeding, swarm formation and movement of locusts.

Kuzi sends farmers free SMS alerts two to three months in advance of when locusts are highly likely to attack farms and livestock in their areas, allowing for early intervention.

Alerts are currently available for Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Uganda, in the regional languages of Kiswahili, Somali and Amhari, but the plan is for it to be rolled out to the rest of Africa.

Kuzi is the Swahili name for the wattled starling – a bird renowned for eating locusts.

Selina Wamucii in a statement says that, without preventive measures, a swarm of 80-million locusts can consume food equivalent to that eaten by 35 000 people a day, which is devastating to food stocks for vulnerable communities.

The development of the tool coincides with a new wave of locust upsurge, which threatens food security for millions of people, many of whom are already vulnerable.

Farmers can sign up for free alerts with any mobile device, with or without an Internet connection and capture the location of their farm.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

SABAT
SABAT

From batteries for boats and jet skis, to batteries for cars and quad bikes, SABAT Batteries has positioned itself as the lifestyle battery of...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Flameblock
Flameblock

FlameBlock is a proudly South African company that engineers, manufactures and supplies fire intumescent and retardant products to the fire...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.083 0.142s - 138pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now