How satellites are supporting farmers across Africa | Catherine Nakalembe

This episode of TED Talks Daily features Catherine Nakalembe, a satellite food security specialist, discussing how satellite technology and machine learning can be used to monitor smallholder farming and improve food security, particularly in Africa. She highlights the limitations of current models trained primarily on European and U.S. agriculture, which often misrepresent the complex, small-scale farming practices in regions like Kenya and Uganda. Nakalembe emphasizes the importance of a grounded, bottom-up approach, using tools like GoPros to collect ground-level data to train more accurate models. In a conversation with Lily James-Holtz, Nakalembe shares her journey into satellite data, the challenges of translating data into actionable insights for farmers, and the need for humility and deep listening to ensure technology addresses real-world problems. She also discusses her efforts to establish soil moisture sensor networks in Africa to improve drought prediction, highlighting the importance of local collaboration and knowledge.