How Malawi Brings AI Technology to Small-Scale Farmers Without Smartphones
MULANJE, Malawi — September 12, 2025
In the southern African nation of Malawi, thousands of small-scale farmers are embracing innovative technology to overcome the challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather. One remarkable example is Alex Maere, a 59-year-old farmer from the village of Sazola near Mount Mulanje, who turned to artificial intelligence for guidance after Cyclone Freddy devastated his farm in 2023. Maere’s decades of farming were nearly wiped out when floods stripped away the fertile soil from his land, reducing his typical seasonal corn harvest from 850 kilograms (1,870 pounds) to just 8 kilograms (17 pounds). Faced with such devastation, he realized that continuing with traditional farming methods would no longer suffice.
“I was forced to change my age-old tactics if I wanted to survive,” Maere said, recalling how his farm became a wasteland of sand and rocks after the cyclone.
AI Chatbot Provides Vital Farming Advice
Seeking solutions, Maere connected with an AI-powered chatbot called Ulangizi—meaning “advisor” in Chichewa, Malawi’s national language—developed by non-profit organization Opportunity International. Supported by the Malawian government, the AI tool is designed specifically to support small-scale farmers, many of whom do not own smartphones or have internet access.
This WhatsApp-based chatbot can communicate in both Chichewa and English, and offers users the option to type or speak their questions. Importantly, Ulangizi can respond with either text or audio messages, catering to farmers with varying literacy levels. The app can even analyze pictures of crops to help diagnose diseases.
“The app offers personalized advice that aligns with official farming guidelines from the Ministry of Agriculture,” explained Richard Chongo, Opportunity International’s country director for Malawi. “If a farmer can’t write, they can simply take a photo of a diseased plant and ask, ‘What is this?’ The app will respond.”
For Maere, this advice was life-changing. The chatbot suggested diversifying his crops by growing potatoes alongside corn and cassava to adapt to altered soil conditions. Following this guidance, he cultivated half a soccer field’s worth of potatoes, generating over $800 in sales—enough to cover his children’s school fees comfortably.
Bridging the Digital Divide with Human Support
Despite its potential, the adoption of AI technology in Malawi faces a number of challenges. Poor infrastructure, patchy electricity, and unreliable internet service make accessing AI tools difficult in rural areas. Furthermore, the country’s linguistic diversity and high illiteracy rates complicate AI deployment.
To address these barriers, Malawi employs “farmer support agents” like 33-year-old Patrick Napanja, who visits villages equipped with smartphones loaded with the Ulangizi app. These agents assist farmers without personal devices, helping around 150 to 200 farmers each by facilitating group meetings and providing hands-on support.
Napanja, described by Chongo as the “human in the loop,” noted, “I used to struggle to provide answers to farmers’ challenges. Now, I use the app to give quicker and more accurate advice.” However, poor connectivity sometimes means waiting long minutes for responses to load, requiring trips uphill in search of signal.
AI’s Role in Africa’s Agricultural Future
Agriculture sustains over 80% of Malawi’s 21 million people, and the sector is critical to the country’s fight against poverty—one of the highest globally, according to the World Bank. Malawi and the broader sub-Saharan Africa region confront chronic food insecurity worsened by successive cyclones and droughts linked to climate change and phenomena like El Niño.
According to the U.N.’s International Fund for Agricultural Development, smallholder farms like Maere’s produce up to 70-80% of sub-Saharan Africa’s food supply. Yet agricultural productivity is hindered by low-input methods, fragmented information, and limited access to modern technology.
Experts see AI as a tool with the potential to transform farming by helping detect crop diseases, forecast weather, recommend fertilizers, and even identify affordable machinery rentals. Private investment in agri-tech across sub-Saharan Africa surged from $10 million in 2014 to $600 million in 2022, says the World Bank.
However, as Daniel Mvalo, a Malawian technology specialist, cautions, “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.”
He further warns of risks posed by inaccurate AI advice—sometimes called “hallucinations.” “Trust in AI is fragile. If it fails even once, many farmers may never try it again,” Mvalo said.
Government Backing and Community Collaboration
The Malawian government’s investment in Ulangizi aims to ensure AI advice is culturally relevant and consistent with official agricultural practices. Webster Jassi, an agriculture extension officer, emphasized that the true potential lies in pairing technology with traditional community support.
“Farmers who have access to the app are helping fellow farmers,” Jassi said, noting that peer collaboration is driving improved productivity despite challenges. However, widespread impact requires overcoming hurdles like the cost of smartphones and internet access for rural communities.
Looking Ahead
As Malawi prepares for national elections next week, food security remains a top concern. The adoption of AI-driven agriculture support marks a promising step toward resilience in the face of climate change and economic hardship.
Alex Maere’s story illustrates how blending technology with local knowledge and human connection can help small-scale farmers not only survive but thrive in a rapidly changing environment.
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