Digital Literacy and AI for African Crop Disease Detection in Ghana
Photo Credit: University of Energy and Natural Resources
Overview
The Digital Literacy and AI for African Crop Disease Detection project in Ghana is transforming how smallholder farmers detect and manage crop pests and diseases, helping to secure livelihoods and improve food security. By deploying a deep learning–powered mobile and web application, the project enables farmers to identify diseases in cassava, maize, tomatoes, and cashew often before visible symptoms appear.
The app includes a text-to-voice feature in English and Twi, supporting illiterate and visually impaired users, and operates fully offline, making it accessible in low-connectivity rural areas. Farmers, including women and community members with disabilities, can use the tool to make better planting and management decisions, improving crop yields and increasing financial income.
By co-designing the solution with local communities and integrating local languages, the project offers a scalable, inclusive, community-driven model for responsible AI deployment in agriculture. It demonstrates how technology can empower marginalized users, strengthen local food systems, and support more resilient and productive farming practices.