Motivated by these findings, Ssentongo and his classmates utilized plastic materials, including empty water bottles and metallic particles, in their chemistry laboratory to create a drone sprayer. The drone is equipped with two pesticide-filled bottles and an integrated camera.
Joseph Ssentongo, a senior six student at Janan Secondary School
in Luwero district, is seeking government funding to enhance his drone
pesticide sprayer project.
Ssentongo and his classmates conducted case studies
earlier this year, which revealed that casual laborers working on farms in
Luwero and surrounding areas were exposed to pesticides, leading to respiratory
and cancer-related illnesses.
Motivated by these findings, Ssentongo and his classmates
utilized plastic materials, including empty water bottles and metallic
particles, in their chemistry laboratory to create a drone sprayer. The drone
is equipped with two pesticide-filled bottles and an integrated camera.
It is
programmed to map out the desired spraying areas as indicated by the farmer and
automatically carry out the spraying while being controlled remotely by an
operator.
Ssentongo mentions that the drone has the capability to spray 10
acres per hour.
However, due to the lack of funds, the certification and
introduction of the product to the market have been delayed. They require
financial support to produce finished setups for interested farmers.
//Cue in: “We came up…
Cue out…better, in Uganda,”//
Furthermore, Ssentongo expresses their plans to develop drone
irrigators that can draw water from designated sources to facilitate irrigation
for large-scale farmers involved in food crop production. Some students have
already assembled prototype drone sprayers related to this project, but they
lack the necessary funds to refine their products into usable items.
Ssentongo appeals to development partners to take an interest in
his project, emphasizing its potential to enhance the safety of farmers during
spraying activities and create employment opportunities for the youth. He
believes that young innovators like himself require capacity-building
initiatives, including specialized training by experts in modern technologies.
Such efforts would improve the quality and visibility of their products in
various global markets.
Col. Godfrey Dhamuzungu, the Busoga regional coordinator for
Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), emphasizes the importance of accessible
innovation funds for youth-oriented government programs focused on development.
He believes that with proper supervision, young individuals have the potential
to create viable job opportunities that benefit their peers.
