CMU-Africa researcher Jema Ndibwile and collaborators at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology developed an Internet of Things approach for controlling agricultural processing machinery. Their pilot concerned avocado oil production in Tanzania, where diesel use and limited electricity access complicate processing.
The system combines solar power, a mobile interface and monitoring of the machine motor. Data can be collected offline and subsequently delivered to a cloud server for analysis. The February 2024 report presented avocado processing as the initial application, with adaptation to other products requiring further work and funding. The project illustrates digital agriculture beyond crop scouting: instrumentation and control can also address bottlenecks between harvest and a saleable product.
