A GROUP of highly talented four young women from Kabulonga Girls School is set to represent Zambia at the Junior Achievers Africa Innovation Competition in Mauritius next month.
The girls, mentored by the Zambia National STEM Foundation, developed a groundbreaking agriculture app called “Think Harvest” earning the place at the international table.
“Think Harvest” app aims to address challenges faced by Zambian farmers, including climate change, drought, and market price fluctuations.
It provides timely weather information, market prices, and sustainable farming tips.
Additionally, the app offers educational resources for students, such as past exam papers, quizzes, and tutorials.
Technology and Science Minister Felix Mutati expressed his pride in the young innovators and encouraged them to represent Zambia with confidence, highlighting the potential of their app to revolutionise agriculture in Zambia and beyond.
“You are breaking new grounds to bring solutions to the challenges that confront us in agriculture. [You] have created a solution, a platform that will answer the various problems that are faced by framers whether…weather, soil condition market information and so on,” Mutati said.
“[The innovation] has got the potential to get us one major trophy but this trophy will be on the ground of innovation and creativity powered by STEM delivered by Kabulonga girls… It’s a deadily combination. You make this Government proud.”
Mutati wished the girls well as they go to Mauritius to compete.
“Believe in your product. when they inquire about what it (Harvest App) can do just be confident to explain how it performs and what results it delivers and what it does, particularly to changing lives of farmers,” Mutati advised the pupils.
Representing the girls, Kabulonga Girls grade 11 pupil, Rabecca Kaira said: “We are taking Zambia kuchalo not because of sports but because of technology.”
“We noticed that farmers in Zambia struggled to find information about unpredictable weather patterns like how they have been affected by this and last year’s climate change drought, [farmers] also struggled to find information about timely weather information, market and tips to improve productivity”
Looking at that background, the pupils decide to make an application called think harvest which provides farmers with timely information on weather focus, market prices and also some tips they can use.
“It (Think Harvest) also has a section for students where it provides interactive quizzes and tutorials where we get questions directly from the Examination Council of Zambia,” added Kaira.
By Moses Makwaya
Kalemba November 30, 2024
