TUM statistics students won big in the just concluded 2024 Kenya Inter-University Hackathon, held on 15 November 2024 at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). Out of the 44 Universities participating, four TUM final-year Statistics students (Ali Malala, Fadhili MAPESA, Elijah Mutugi, and Brian Mogendi) emerged as the first Runners-up in the category of AI for Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security.
The students demonstrated an agricultural expert system called Smart Agric-System, which offers various functionalities. It recommends the most suitable crops for farmers based on their location, assists them throughout the farming process by detecting crop diseases and suggesting possible remedies, and connects farmers to an e-commerce platform where they can sell their produce. Additionally, the app features a chatbot that translates all information into several native languages, helping farmers to interact with the app more effectively.
While receiving the trophy from the winning team on 20th November 2024 in her office, TUM Vice Chancellor Prof. Laila Abubakar congratulated the team and their mentor Dr Aggrey Adem and Dr Cyril Wandera for making TUM proud.
This project not only helps farmers adapt to the impacts of climate change but also aligns with the government's agenda for achieving food security by enabling farmers to maximize their yields.
