Maryanne Gichanga describes her company, AgriTech Analytics, as the “farmer’s friend”—a modest label for a venture that is quietly reshaping how smallholder agriculture adapts to climate change and economic instability. The Kenyan start-up, which recently earned Gichanga the 2025 Global Citizen Waislitz Disruptor Award, doesn’t just offer tools to farmers; it acts as a bridge between traditional farming and the precision of modern technology, ensuring those who feed the majority of the world’s population are no longer left behind.
At the heart of AgriTech Analytics is a simple yet urgent recognition: smallholder farmers, who produce over 80% of the food consumed in many regions, remain among the poorest and most overlooked stakeholders in global food systems. “If the smallholder farmers were to retire or quit, there would be no food,” Gichanga notes. Despite their critical role, these farmers rarely have a seat at policy discussions—whether at climate summits like COP or agricultural trade negotiations. Her company exists to correct that imbalance, not through advocacy alone, but by placing actionable power directly into farmers’ hands.
The approach is twofold. First, AgriTech Analytics deploys a mix of IoT sensors, satellite imagery, and AI-driven analytics to deliver hyper-localized insights. Farmers receive real-time guidance—when to water, how much fertilizer to apply, or which pests to anticipate—based on data tailored to their specific plots. Unlike generic agricultural advice, these recommendations account for historic soil degradation, microclimate shifts, and even three-week weather forecasts. “We train our own AI models because we want solutions to be practical for the farmers we work with,” Gichanga explains. Free, off-the-shelf data often fails to reflect regional nuances, rendering its suggestions useless. By building proprietary AI trained on local conditions, the team ensures farmers act on relevant, not theoretical, intelligence.
Second, the company pairs technology with human-centered support. A team of agronomists, engineers, and community leaders doesn’t just distribute tools; they help farmers integrate them into daily routines. This hands-on assistance is critical in regions where digital literacy can be a barrier. “We walk the journey with them,” Gichanga says, emphasizing that adoption isn’t just about access to tech but trust in its application.
For Gichanga, this mission is deeply personal. The daughter of smallholder farmers, she grew up witnessing the volatility of agriculture-firsthand: seasons of plenty followed by devastating losses, loans defaulted due to failed harvests, and the constant threat of poverty derailing education or healthcare. “There were pests and diseases nobody knew how to manage,” she recalls. Her father once lost his farm to auctioneers after a crop failure left him unable to repay a loan taken for her school fees. That memory fuels her work today. “I know there are so many kids in the same situation—their futures hinging on whether the rains come or the pests stay away.”
The Global Citizen Waislitz Award arrives as AgriTech Analytics scales its impact. With 15 permanent staff and a network of contractors—researchers, marketers, and field agents—the company is expanding its reach, though Gichanga is quick to credit her team’s collective effort. “They’re solving problems that affect people not just in Africa, but globally,” she says. The potential for replication is clear: climate volatility and food insecurity aren’t confined to Kenya, and the model’s adaptability could see it deployed from Southeast Asia to Latin America.
What sets AgriTech Analytics apart isn’t just its technology, but its refusal to treat farmers as passive beneficiaries. By combining data-driven precision with on-the-ground partnership, the company transforms smallholders from vulnerable producers into resilient decision-makers. In a world where food systems are increasingly strained by climate change, that shift could redefine who holds the power—and the knowledge—to feed the planet.