Post by : Raman

In the small village of Sazola, in southern Malawi, 59-year-old farmer Alex Maere watched his decades of hard work vanish when Cyclone Freddy struck in 2023. His farm, once full of fertile soil and healthy crops, was left a wasteland of sand, rocks, and debris. Normally, Maere would harvest 850 kilograms of corn each season, enough to feed and support his three daughters and two sons. After the cyclone, he managed to salvage just 8 kilograms.

Faced with such devastation, Maere realized he needed to change the way he farmed to survive. His solution came in an unexpected form: a generative AI chatbot created by Opportunity International, a non-profit organization that provides farming advice to small-scale farmers. With guidance from this AI tool, Maere shifted his farming strategy and planted potatoes alongside his usual corn and cassava. The result was remarkable. He cultivated half a soccer field’s worth of potatoes and earned more than $800 in sales, enough to pay his children’s school fees and restore hope for the future.

Malawi, a country of 21 million people, depends heavily on agriculture. More than 80% of the population rely on farming for their livelihoods, and the nation suffers from one of the highest poverty rates in the world. Natural disasters such as cyclones and droughts, combined with limited resources, make life very challenging for small-scale farmers like Maere. The recent food crisis has become a central issue in Malawi’s upcoming national elections.

AI and Agriculture in Africa

Artificial intelligence has great potential to transform agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Estimates suggest that 33 to 50 million smallholder farms produce up to 80% of the region’s food supply. Despite this, productivity remains low, even though Africa has large areas of arable land.

AI can help farmers in many ways: identifying crop diseases, predicting droughts, designing fertilizers, and even locating affordable tractors. Private investment in agriculture technology in sub-Saharan Africa has increased dramatically, from $10 million in 2014 to $600 million in 2022. Yet, the adoption of AI faces serious challenges.

Africa is a continent of hundreds of languages, making it difficult for AI tools to understand and respond accurately. Many farmers do not own smartphones, cannot read, or lack reliable electricity and internet access in rural areas. Daniel Mvalo, a Malawian technology expert, explained, “One of the biggest challenges to sustainable AI use in African agriculture is accessibility. Many tools fail to account for language diversity, low literacy, and poor digital infrastructure.”

Ulangizi: The AI Advisor

In Malawi, the AI solution is called Ulangizi, which means “advisor” in the local Chichewa language. The app works on WhatsApp and can communicate in both Chichewa and English. Farmers can type or speak their questions, and the app responds with text or audio. It can even identify crop diseases if a farmer uploads a photo.

To reach farmers who do not own smartphones, human support agents like Patrick Napanja, 33, bring devices with the app to villages. Napanja visits groups of farmers weekly, helping them use the tool effectively. Despite slow internet and poor connectivity in remote areas, these human assistants make AI practical for farmers like Maere.

Challenges of Trust and Scaling

For farmers living on the edge of poverty, bad advice from AI can be devastating. A wrong recommendation or a misidentified disease could destroy a crop and a family’s livelihood. Daniel Mvalo noted, “Trust in AI is fragile. If it fails even once, many farmers may never try it again.”

The Malawian government supports Ulangizi and ensures that the AI advice aligns with official agricultural guidelines. This connection improves the relevance of the tool for local farmers. Webster Jassi, an officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, said, “Farmers who have access to the app are helping fellow farmers, and that is improving productivity.”

However, expanding access to AI remains a challenge. Communities need not only smartphones but also affordable internet access. Combining AI technology with traditional community collaboration could be the key to success, allowing knowledge to spread even in areas with limited connectivity.

A Brighter Future for Farmers

Alex Maere’s experience shows the power of innovation to transform lives. From losing almost everything in a cyclone, he has regained hope through AI guidance and smart farming strategies. AI is not a replacement for hard work, but a valuable tool that can guide farmers to make better decisions, increase productivity, and secure livelihoods in the face of climate change and other challenges.

In Malawi and across Africa, AI has the potential to change the future of agriculture. By making technology accessible, supporting farmers with training and guidance, and combining digital solutions with traditional methods, small-scale farmers can overcome adversity and achieve food security.

For Maere, the journey from disaster to success has been a lesson in resilience, adaptability, and the promise of technology to improve lives, one crop at a time.

Malawi, Cyclone Freddy, AI farming, small-scale farmers, crop recovery, agriculture technology