In a bold move to transform Uganda’s agricultural landscape and address gender disparity in the technology sector, the Quantum School of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics has launched two groundbreaking programs: Sky-Harvest Uganda and Her Code Her Future Foundation.
Through the Sky-Harvest Uganda initiative, farmers will gain access to real-time insights into critical factors such as rainfall patterns, soil health, temperature changes, and pest activity. Armed with this data, farmers can make informed decisions, boost yields, optimise resource usage, and increase resilience to climate change.
Dr. Robert Owor, a professor at Albany State University, while speaking to the media, said that they want to develop a Sky-Harvest blockchain in Uganda, stating that this will address longstanding challenges in the agricultural sector by modernising Uganda’s farming practices through the use of NASA’s satellite data and Skynet Blockchain technology.
“We created what we call the Sky Harvest blockchain, and because we created that project, it is a value chain process for agriculture, right from crop planning to planting of the seeds to irrigating to weeding, eventually up to harvesting and to the packaging and the sales of these products, including international sales.”
Prof. Owor emphasised that developing this technology locally will require collaboration with a consortium of professionals and government agencies. He called for their positive response, noting that such collaboration would play a crucial role in transforming Uganda’s backbone industry, agriculture.
“I really want to partner with the government, partner with agricultural organisations, partner with farmers, and partner with lawyers and agronomists and build this Sky Harvest blockchain in Uganda, and it will be the first Sky Harvest blockchain in Africa. And we can become the breadbasket of Africa because we can grow so many foods, and we can sell so much, you know, fruits, vegetables, potatoes, maize, and rice, using the sky harvest technology,” he added.
He cited the example of a tiny robot developed under NASA Harvest and NASA Acre to assist in maize pollination after bees were destroyed by human activity. He added that this innovation has significantly contributed to the smooth progress of agriculture in America.
“You have a problem today with pollination; you can plant a lot of maize, and you find that you produce only 30% of the maize. Why? Because there are not enough bees to pollinate the maize. You know, we have destroyed the environment so much; we have killed so many bees, and so bees are running away. Bees are no longer pollinating plants,” he said.
“We have developed a technology where we have built tiny robots that are like bees, and we use those bees, those robotic bees, to go to the plants and pollinate the plants so that you have 70%, 80%, or 90% yield, so that you can grow more maize, you can grow more fruits, you know, you can grow more vegetables,” Prof. added.
Additionally, Prof. Owor emphasised the importance of teaching Ugandan youths, especially females, AI, robotics, and coding. He stated that this would accelerate the growth of both Uganda and its agricultural sector.
“I want us in Africa, particularly in Uganda, to really dive into artificial intelligence, to really dive into robotics, and begin to transform Uganda, to transform Africa, so that by the end of this century, Africa is the number one continent in the world. So we want to do that, and I really strongly believe we can do that.” He said.
He explained that this is why he is starting a school aimed at equipping children and youths with the knowledge needed to innovate.
“We want to be able to teach children these six levels of intelligence and how to program the computer, to be able to design all these things. I have 1000s of ideas in my mind of of different robots. You know, we want a robot that can peel bananas. You know, we want a robot that can peel the bananas in the saucepan, you know, we can put the banana leaves, you know, and cook matke, you know. We want a robot which can fish, you know. We want a robot which can build, we can teach kids how to program robots, and then we can teach them how to invent new robotic devices. We need to teach them robotics, we need to teach them machine learning. We need to teach them data analytics, we need to reach them cyber security” he said
Ethel Karungi Mwebaza, the president of the Her Code Her Future Foundation, highlighted that the program offers inclusive AI education, particularly for girls, equipping them with the skills and technological knowledge needed to thrive in today’s fast-paced technological world.
She mentioned that approximately 100 million girls have benefited from the program, including students from schools in Uganda, such as Namagunga, among others.
“We are committed to ensuring that women and girls aren’t left behind in this new AI-driven generation. The initiative is to bridge the gender gap in Uganda’s ICT sector, where women represent 18% of the workforce.” Ms. Ethel said.
She encouraged all women in tech to join the Her Code Her Future Foundation and become part of a community that empowers and supports women in the technology field.
However, Professor Owor revealed that they are seeking USD 30 million to implement these projects and is optimistic that with the support of organisations like USAID, FAO, NARO, and the government of Uganda, they will be able to raise the necessary funds to turn these ideas into reality.
