The vuvuzela, once a controversial noise-maker at football matches, has found a new practical use in the rice fields of Homa Bay County, Kenya.

• Farmers are using the loud plastic horn to scare away destructive birds, primarily quelea and weaverbirds, from their ripening rice crops.
• James Nyagwala is one of the farmers in Oriang Kogweno village who relies on the vuvuzela to protect his harvest as an alternative to traditional, less effective, or illegal methods.
• This innovative use addresses the significant threat birds pose to rice production, especially in the final four weeks before harvest, preventing substantial crop losses.