Farmer Lifeline is an AI startup tackling two pressing global agricultural challenges. First, crop losses from pests and diseases. Every year, 43% of global crops are lost. In Africa, pests and diseases destroy up to 47% of crops, annually undermining SDG 1 and SDG 2.  

Second, emissions from agriculture. The sector emits 9.8 billion tons of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) annually (24% of global emissions). This increase, largely from overuse of emission-intensive fertilizers and chemicals, threatens the Paris Agreement and SDG 13.  

To address these challenges, Farmer Lifeline developed solar-powered AI devices that are permanently installed in farmers’ fields to provide continuous crop monitoring. Equipped with AI-powered camera scanners and machine learning algorithms, the devices detect pests, diseases, and other crop health risks at an early stage, enabling timely intervention before significant damage occurs. 

Farmers receive real-time SMS alerts containing actionable insights and recommendations on fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, and crop management practices. This data-driven approach reduces excessive chemical use, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, minimizes production losses, and improves overall farm productivity. By providing early warnings and predictive insights, the system enables farmers to make informed planting, harvesting, and resource management decisions, strengthening both resilience and food security. 

Farmer Lifeline’s solution is specifically designed to be affordable and accessible for smallholder farmers who often lack reliable access to agricultural extension services and advanced farming technologies. Through a simple mobile money subscription model, farmers pay only $3 per month, making the platform substantially more cost-effective than alternatives such as drone-based crop scanning services, which can cost up to $100 per hour, or traditional agricultural extension visits averaging $60 per consultation. 

Software 
● AI and machine learning algorithms for detection of pests and diseases. ● Open-source databases and APIs to identify appropriate interventions. ● Farmsnap platform for data analytics and timely SMS notifications to farmers. 

Hardware 
● Solar-powered AI devices installed in farmers’ fields. ● High-resolution camera scanners for continuous crop monitoring. ● GSM Data processors. 

Farmer Lifeline (KE). Esther Kimani (KE) is the Founder and CEO of Farmer Lifeline Technologies, a Kenya-based climate-tech company deploying solar-powered, AI-driven agricultural solutions to improve food security and climate resilience for smallholder farmers. The company uses AI-based field monitoring systems to detect pests and diseases early, enabling farmers to receive real-time alerts and recommendations that help reduce crop losses and improve yields. Her work focuses on making precision agriculture tools affordable and accessible to farming communities, helping farmers increase productivity while reducing environmental impact. She has a background in computer science and artificial intelligence.

Food security is the foundation upon which all other human potential depends. For smallholder farmers, many of them women and many operating at the margins of economic viability, a single season of undetected crop disease or pest infestation can be catastrophic. Early detection, before damage spreads, can mark the difference between a harvest and a crisis. 
 
This project applies AI-powered diagnostic tools to precisely that challenge, in a format accessible to farmers with limited technical literacy and connectivity. The jury was struck by both its simplicity and its practicality. In technology-for-good initiatives, there is often a temptation to build elaborate solutions to complex problems. This team chose instead to focus on one critical point of leverage, early detection, and to pursue it with rigor and genuine attention to user needs. 
 
The jury also wishes to note that this project was led by a woman, a rarity in this prize category. Her leadership itself is significant as a reminder that the communities most directly affected by food insecurity are fully capable of producing the innovators best placed to address it. We hope her work opens the way for others.