Debo Engineering, a tech startup hailing from the city of Jimma, has developed an app that detects and indexes plant diseases. The app uses drone technology to analyse images taken from crop fields and runs them through an algorithm to assess the nature and extent of prevalent diseases.
Debo Engineering is an agritech firm with the aim of addressing the various issues and problems that Ethiopia’s agricultural industry faces through the use of new and innovative technological tools while driving sustainability.
Debo mainly employs applied engineering tech that centers on artificial intelligence, the internet of things, mobile and cloud computing and other relevant digital resources.
For larger farms, Debo also has an application that connects commercial farms and research institutes. The application facilitates extensive farm analysis along with drone rental services for multivariate purposes.
Last year, the firm served more than 300 customers, many of them local farmers in the Jimma area. This accomplishment earned the firm the top spot from Ethiopia for the MEST Africa 2020 Challenge along with several accolades from organization’s like the Ministry of Agriculture, GIZ, and others.
Tech in Africa, Ethiopian Herald