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How AI is Changing Everything, Including Africa’s Farming Future

How AI is Changing Everything, Including Africa’s Farming Future

AI Disrupts Industries: From Gaming to Agriculture

Marco Fazio
March 20, 2025

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🌍 AI Empowering African Farmers

How Thomas Njeru is Using AI to Transform Agriculture

In Africa, where millions of smallholder farmers struggle with unpredictable weather and financial instability, Thomas Njeru saw an opportunity to change the game.

As the co-founder of Pula, a Nairobi-based agritech company, Njeru has pioneered the use of AI-driven microinsurance to help farmers protect their crops from climate-related losses. By combining satellite data, predictive analytics, and machine learning, Pula provides affordable insurance policies that automatically compensate farmers when adverse conditions strike—without requiring them to file claims.

From Local Initiative to Global Expansion

When Pula first launched in 2015, the team faced skepticism. Many believed that small-scale farmers wouldn’t embrace insurance or that AI-driven risk assessment was too complex for the agricultural sector. But Njeru and his team proved otherwise.

By working closely with governments, financial institutions, and NGOs, Pula expanded its reach to over 20 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Their ability to use AI for real-time climate risk assessment not only helped farmers recover from unexpected disasters but also empowered them to take bigger risks and increase yields.

Funding and Future Growth

Recognizing the impact of their work, investors backed Pula with $20M in funding in early 2024. This capital injection will help the company scale its operations, expand into new markets, and work toward its ambitious goal of serving 100 million farmers by 2029.

For Njeru, AI isn’t just about automation—it’s about financial inclusion, resilience, and creating economic opportunities for those who need it most.

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