The scene is familiar across Africa: A farmer bends over maize plants, hand-weeding row after row under the scorching sun. Planting took three weeks when it should have taken three days—the rains were unpredictable, and by the time she finished, the first plants were already struggling while the last went into dry soil. Harvest will be the same story. Manual harvesting, significant post-harvest losses, back-breaking labor for diminishing returns. She knows mechanization could