By Jimmy Zwane
At the heart of South Africa’s battle against food insecurity, a group of University of Cape Town (UCT) students has crafted a groundbreaking tech tool to support small-scale farmers. Engineering student Phemelo Maile and his team took top honours at the 2025 TCS Sustainathon South Africa, showcasing a solution that helps farmers monitor their crops affordably and effectively.
Turning Tech into Tangible Support for Farmers
This September, ten university teams from across South Africa gathered at Wits University for the 2025 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Sustainathon — a national competition now in its fourth year. Tasked with creating technology-driven solutions to social and environmental challenges, the focus this year was on sustainable agriculture and food security.
The competition called on teams to develop tools that assist township farmers with affordable farming technology, combat child malnutrition, and connect small-scale producers to markets directly.
UCT’s Winning Edge: AgriSentry
Among more than 400 entrants from 50 universities, the UCT team—comprised of engineering and computer science students Phemelo Maile, Mnelisi Mabuza, and Mahlomola Mohlomi—won first prize with their project AgriSentry. This innovative system uses low-cost sensors to give small-scale farmers real-time data on their crops, helping to optimize water use, monitor sunlight and temperature, and ultimately boost yields.
“Many small-scale farmers can’t afford high-tech tools and often lose crops to inefficient watering or unpredictable weather,” Maile explains. “AgriSentry provides simple, affordable sensors that send SMS alerts in local languages, guiding farmers on when to water or stop irrigation, helping them save resources and increase profits.”
Beyond daily farm management, the system also builds a valuable record of farm performance—key for securing loans, insurance, or subsidies.
The team has built a working prototype, launched a website to manage farmer data, and plans to start pilot programs with local farmers. Their starter kit covers two hectares at a cost of about R2,000, with optional subscription services for advanced insights.
Other Standout Projects
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Second Place: Sustainorise from Wits University designed Peu, a web platform linking rural farmers directly with urban buyers, cutting out middlemen and ensuring fair prices. The platform also includes a social networking hub for farmers to share knowledge and a finance feature displaying credit scores to attract investment. Their system supports all South African languages and integrates with payment services like Capitec Pay and Mukuru.
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Third Place: Agri-link, a team from Eduvos Midrand, developed smart, solar-powered sensor nodes and an “insight engine” that delivers real-time farm data through apps, SMS, or USSD for areas with poor internet. Their solution promises a 25% increase in yields, 30% water savings, and 20% reduced fertiliser use, helping farmers make data-driven decisions amid climate variability.
Designing Solutions Grounded in Reality
What united all three winners was their clear understanding of the challenges South African farmers face: tight budgets, language diversity, limited connectivity, and climate unpredictability. Their projects avoided tech for tech’s sake, instead focusing on practical, scalable solutions with realistic roadmaps.
“The creativity and skill demonstrated by these young innovators is inspiring,” said Langa Dube, TCS regional director for South Africa and the Rest of Africa. “They’re not just imagining a better future — they’re building it, offering real hope for sustainable agriculture and food security in South Africa.”
With innovation like this driving change, small-scale farmers stand to gain powerful new tools to thrive in a challenging environment — one sensor, one connection, and one harvest at a time.
