A 25-year-old Nigerian aerospace engineering graduate, Shamsudeen Jibril, has developed an innovative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The vehicle is unique in the sense that it would be sent to fly over a farm and detects agricultural diseases. But that is not the only critical reason to celebrate. Jubril’s product also gives support to the farmer when he wants to spray pesticides.
What motivated him to do the UAV? Jubril said, “My father was a civil servant, but he also worked as a farmer. While fertilising and spraying the fields, he carried heavy loads on his back and was exposed to chemicals. Seeing the difficulties he faced, I decided to develop this idea.”
The UAV scans agricultural fields from the air, detecting disease symptoms and transferring data to farmers’ smartphones. It provides treatment and preventive recommendations, saving time and reducing health risks associated with manual pesticide application.
While many parts of the UAV are locally produced, critical components like engines and control systems are imported, making them expensive and hard to procure. “I need funding and support to increase production and reach more farmers. Support from the government or private sector would greatly facilitate our work,” Jibril said.
The UAV has shown promising results in trials, with farmers praising its ability to quickly detect diseases, save time, and reduce health risks. “Farmers were pleased with the quick detection of diseases, time savings in spraying, and reduced health risks,” Jibril noted. “In the future, I aim to produce a more advanced and autonomous model that can be operated via computer,” he added.
