African farmers can now receive free text alerts to help them prepare for locust swarms up to three months in advance, with the rollout of a new AI-powered tool called Kuzi.
Without preventive measures, a swarm of 80 million locusts can consume food equivalent to that eaten by 35,000 people a day, wiping out supplies for vulnerable communities.
"There has to be a better way to do this, one that has the local communities being central in the fight against locusts,” said John Oroko, chief executive of Kuzi’s parent company, Selina Wamucii.
He added that putting in place early detection and control measures will offer farmers "a vital tool in the fight".
Locust outbreaks, the most invasive in the world, devastated 23 countries across East Africa, the Middle East and South Asia in 2020, with Kenya suffering its worst locust swarms in 70 years, according to the World Bank.
Kuzi, the Swahili name for the wattled starling, a locust-eating bird, is a tool that generates a real-time heat map of locusts across Africa, showing all potential migration routes and giving a real-time locust breeding index.
Kuzi predicts the breeding and migration routes of desert locusts across countries spanning the Horn of Africa and East Africa by using satellite data, soil sensor data, ground meteorological observation and machine learning.
It then uses deep learning to identify the formation of locust swarms and sends farmers free SMS alerts up to three months in advance of when locusts are highly likely to attack farms and livestock in their areas.
Farmers can sign up for the service on Kuzi's website by providing their name, mobile number and the GPS location of their farm.
The app is currently self-funded, with the "intention to keep the SMS alert services as a free feature for individual farmers", Mr Oroko said.
But over time, the plan is to gradually introduce payment plans for cooperatives and organisations where, in addition to monitoring the pests, they could also pay to license the software to build digital products based on Kuzi's data, such as insurance services.
“The first international anti-locust conference was held in Rome in 1931 and yet Africa continues to experience locust invasions almost 100 years later," Mr Oroko said.
A new wave of the bug "now threatens millions across Eastern and Southern Africa, exacerbating food insecurity for already vulnerable communities, amid the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We have a responsibility to develop and deploy locally bred solutions that address these challenges faced by our vulnerable rural communities,” Mr Oroko added.
The free tool is currently available to users in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda in local languages and there are plans to rollout Kuzi across the rest of the continent.
Selina Wamucii, the company that developed Kuzi, is a global innovator participant at Dubai Expo 2020. The Kenyan company is an online marketplace to connect buyers around the world to African food, fish and agricultural produce.
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Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
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