The Future of Livestock Farming: AI and Women's Empowerment

In rural Kenya, a loan officer walks down a dirt road, heat rising from the savannah

He approaches a herd of cattle and, with a smartphone in hand, photographs one of the animals. An AI algorithm transforms livestock into a bankable asset hundreds of miles away. This is a glimpse of the quiet revolution led by Jenny Ambukiyenyi Onya, a young Congolese engineer.

Onya addresses a paradox affecting millions of women in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. The region is home to about 200 million smallholder farmers, a significant number of whom are women, accounting for up to 60% of the farmers. Yet, despite their vital role, these women remain largely invisible to the financial system. The Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that women receive only 10% of smallholder-targeted loans and just 1 percent of all agricultural loans. This exclusion leaves 70-115 million women without access to formal financing.

For these women, livestock is their savings. However, traditional methods of documenting animal ownership, like ear tags, are fragile and easily falsified, making it hard for banks to verify ownership. Onya's solution, Halisi Livestock, uses AI to recognise livestock, much like facial recognition technology. By analysing each animal's unique features, the AI creates a digital identity that can't be falsified.

"By combining the need for reliability in the field with in-house technical expertise, we saw an opportunity to apply AI to recognise assets like livestock," says Onya.

Her innovation provides a reliable, indisputable way for farmers to count and value their herds. This digital identity is proof of ownership, turning livestock into verifiable loan collateral. "For financial institutions, it's no longer a rough estimate but concrete and reliable data," Onya explains.

Through the "Enhancing Women Entrepreneurship for Africa" programme, Onya's company, Neotex.ai, has expanded its services across rural Kenya, registering over 1,250 head of livestock.

Onya's message is clear: "Dare to create. Even in sectors where you are not expected to. If I can build disruptive solutions from a cell phone and a herd of cows, you too can reinvent what no one has dared to imagine."