Musa Mishamo: The young Tanzanian engineer watching African farms from space
Mishamo was born near the shores of Lake Victoria, around Mwanza, in a village where they connected with the outside world through radio. He remembers sitting with his uncle on the farm when news came over Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) that Julius Nyerere, the first president, had died. Dar es Salaam and Nairobi were distant places he could only imagine.
Musa Mishamo, a young Tanzanian engineer, speaks softly and modestly when discussing his ambitions which extend far beyond the earth. On July 30, Mishamo was interviewed at the Somerset Westview Hotel in Nairobi's Kilimani neighbourhood. He co-founded Rada 360, an agritech company utilizing satellite imagery and agricultural data to assist farmers in understanding the condition of their land.
Born near Lake Victoria, Mishamo recalls his childhood fascination with places he had never seen, such as Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. Growing up, he imagined how big the world was, often looking at the stars and contemplating the vastness of creation. After studying engineering, Mishamo worked on Tanzanian sugarcane farms and noticed that farmers were unaware of crop diseases until they had spread, leading him to question whether satellite technology could help detect issues beforehand.
This inquiry became the foundation for Rada 360. While his initial dreams were to become an aerospace engineer, Mishamo now envisions building a platform with agricultural data collected over time, enabling future innovators to develop new technologies. When reflecting on his childhood, Mishamo was more fascinated by imagining distant places rather than taking things apart or questioning the impossible.
His childhood fascination with the unknown universe was driven by radio news, including Julius Nyerere's death, which he heard while sitting with his uncle on the farm. Satellite imagery may appear futuristic, but Rada 360 caters to farmers who are primarily concerned with rainfall and harvests. Mishamo acknowledges the challenge of explaining space technology to farmers unfamiliar with computers, often using simplified terms like "digital shamba" (a digital farm) to convey the concept.
One of the most valuable lessons Mishamo has learned from farmers is their traditional methods of studying weather and climate, which have been passed down through generations. These methods include observing ants for rain predictions and studying the sky for seasonal changes, techniques not taught in university.
Written by urgent.news from TechCabal's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
