From Silicon Valley to Tanzania: Putting AI to work for smallholder farmers | Alliance Bioversity International - CIAT

Journey into the field with Project Artemis, a new collaboration putting advanced phenotyping technology in the hands of breeders and smallholder farmers. Our Land Cruiser plunges through thick dust, past goats picking at sparse weeds and Maasai herding cattle. The soil is cracked and dry, it has been over three months without rainfall. Tourists know Arusha as Tanzania’s safari capital, a gateway to the Serengeti as well as the mountains Meru and Kilimanjaro. Our destination is in the shadow of Kilimanjaro; a patchwork of fields that farmers rely on for vegetables, fruit, and most importantly, beans – a valuable source of both dietary protein and income. But even with irrigation, the area is feeling the strain of climate change. “This year because we didn’t have rains, the season has failed, the weather condition is very bad for every type of plant.” Sembuli Mohamed Mkilaha on his farm near Chemka Village, Tanzania. He makes his livelihood by growing beans and maize, as well as raising

Journey into the field with Project Artemis, a new collaboration putting advanced phenotyping technology in the hands of breeders and smallholder farmers. Our Land Cruiser plunges through thick dust, past goats picking at sparse weeds and Maasai herding cattle. The soil is cracked and dry, it has been over three months without rainfall. Tourists know Arusha as Tanzania’s safari capital, a gateway to the Serengeti as well as the mountains Meru and Kilimanjaro. Our destination is in the shadow of Kilimanjaro; a patchwork of fields that farmers rely on for vegetables, fruit, and most importantly,