00:06In Burundi's capital, a group of students have launched an ambitious project combining
00:11agriculture and artificial intelligence.
00:14The initiative is a mobile application designed to diagnose plant diseases and recommend solutions.
00:20They say the platform Hyphen Tech aims to improve agricultural productivity in a country
00:26where farming remains a backbone of the economy.
00:28We created this application with the aim of improving the way agriculture is practiced
00:34in Burundi.
00:35It is largely designed to help agronomists and farmers diagnose diseases affecting their
00:41plants at an early stage.
00:43With this in mind, we urge farmers to use it.
00:47By simply photographing a plant's leaves, farmers can receive an instant diagnosis.
00:53The technology promotes early detection, marking a critical advantage in a sector largely
00:58dominated by subsistence farming.
01:00But challenges persist.
01:02Farmers say plant diseases continue to threaten crops and access to treatment is limited.
01:11I like this app because it allows us farmers to sow our crops, for example sweet potatoes.
01:17We buy them thinking they are in good condition.
01:19But after planting them, we realize that they have diseases which we didn't know at the outset,
01:24and we don't even have the chemicals to spray the field.
01:28Beyond disease detection, education remains a hurdle.
01:33Many farmers have not had the opportunity to attend school, making digital adoption more complex.
01:38To combat this, HyphenTech's team conducts field visits, guiding the farmers on how to operate the application.
01:47Of course, there are certain challenges, such as language, but we are trying to make the application available in four
01:54languages.
01:54The native language, Kirundi and Swahili, which many Burundians understand.
02:00So, when we visit the field, we take a mobile phone with us to show them in real time or
02:06live how the application works.
02:08First, we find out if the farmer has a mobile phone.
02:11If they do, we show them how it works, and if they are interested, we make further visits to their
02:17field or farm to explain it in more detail,
02:21until they are able to use it without our instructions.
02:27So far, more than 500 farmers in the provinces of Ngozi and Gitenga are using the platform, reporting improvements in
02:34yields.
02:35According to national development data, agriculture generates around 84% of jobs in Burundi,
02:41and contributes nearly 40% of GDP.
02:44Yet, despite early success, the startup faces financial and technical obstacles.
02:51For us, what is lacking according to user complaints is connectivity, which can sometimes be too slow or too fast.
02:59With these recommendations in mind, we are meeting to find solutions,
03:04but we also have the problem of not having a powerful server that can make our work easier.
03:09We invite those who can join us, so that we can strengthen our team, and find solutions to our problems.
03:16For these young innovators, Agri-AI represents more than a mobile application.
03:22It is an attempt to modernize Burundi's agriculture from the ground up, one photograph at a time.
03:27.
03:27.
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