When Cyclone Freddy tore through southern Malawi in March 2023, it spared Alex Maere’s life but destroyed his farm. The 59-year-old watched as decades of labor washed away with the topsoil, leaving behind a barren stretch of sand and rocks in the foothills of Mount Mulanje. Where he once harvested 850 kilograms of corn each season—enough to feed his five children—he salvaged just 8 kilograms from the wreckage.
For Maere, the disaster was a turning point. If he wanted to survive, he had to change how he farmed. His solution came in an unexpected form: a generative AI chatbot, delivered not through a smartphone he owned, but through one carried by a local farmer support agent. The tool, called *Ulangizi*—”advisor” in Chichewa—suggested he plant potatoes alongside his usual corn and cassava. The soil, now altered by the floods, could still yield a harvest if he adjusted his approach.
Maere followed the advice. On half a soccer field’s worth of land, he cultivated potatoes and earned over $800—enough to cover his children’s school fees without the usual financial strain. “I managed to pay for their school fees without worries,” he said. His story is one of thousands in Malawi, where small-scale farmers, battered by climate shocks and economic instability, are turning to AI for guidance.
The stakes could hardly be higher. Malawi, where over 80% of the population depends on agriculture, faces a deepening food crisis exacerbated by cyclones, droughts, and an El Niño-induced dry spell. With national elections looming next week, agricultural productivity—or the lack of it—remains a defining issue. The government has thrown its weight behind *Ulangizi*, seeing it as a way to stabilize food production in a country where poverty rates rank among the world’s highest.
**A Tool for the Most Vulnerable**
The chatbot’s design reflects the realities of rural Malawi. Most farmers lack smartphones, and many cannot read. *Ulangizi* operates via WhatsApp, offering text or audio responses in Chichewa and English. Users can even upload photos of diseased crops for diagnosis. For those without devices, farmer support agents like 33-year-old Patrick Napanja act as intermediaries, carrying smartphones loaded with the app to weekly village meetings.
Napanja, who assists 150–200 farmers, said the tool has transformed his work. “I used to struggle to provide answers to some farming challenges,” he admitted. Now, he relies on the app—though connectivity remains a hurdle. Poor signal often delays responses, forcing him to climb hills in search of a stable connection. Such logistical challenges underscore a broader truth: AI’s promise in Africa hinges on more than just algorithms.
**AI’s Potential—and Pitfalls**
Across sub-Saharan Africa, smallholder farms produce up to 80% of the food supply, yet productivity lags behind global averages despite abundant arable land. AI could help bridge that gap by offering real-time advice on crop diseases, drought forecasting, and soil management. Investment in agri-tech has surged, from $10 million in 2014 to $600 million in 2022, per World Bank data. But adoption faces steep barriers: language diversity, low literacy, and unreliable infrastructure.
Daniel Mvalo, a Malawian tech specialist, warned that inaccurate AI advice—such as misidentifying a crop disease—could devastate farmers already on the brink. “Trust in AI is fragile,” he said. “If it fails even once, many farmers may never try it again.” The Malawian government has tried to mitigate this risk by aligning *Ulangizi*’s recommendations with official agricultural guidelines, but scaling up remains difficult. Not every community has smartphones, and internet access is often unaffordable.
Still, there are signs of progress. Webster Jassi, an agriculture extension officer, noted that farmers with access to the app are sharing knowledge with neighbors, creating a ripple effect. “Farmers who have access to the app are helping fellow farmers,” he said. In a country where collaboration has long been a survival strategy, AI may find its strongest foothold not as a replacement for human expertise, but as a tool to amplify it.
For Maere, the shift has already paid off. His potato harvest wasn’t just a financial lifeline—it was proof that even after disaster, adaptation is possible. The question now is whether Malawi’s broader farming community can follow his lead before the next crisis hits.