We are thrilled to announce that our next generation Virtual Agronomist, has amassed 10,000 users across Kenya and Uganda in less than four weeks. We are immensely proud to see such fast uptake of the work we have been doing behind the scenes and on the ground to improve the livelihoods of farmers in Africa.
Unlike our previous mobile application, our new generation of Virtual Agronomist uses artificial intelligence to communicate directly with farmers through WhatsApp and provide tailored nutrient plans and other agronomic advice for their plots. In February 2024, we launched our AI chatbot service in Kenya and Uganda for rice and maize to help farmers improve their yields and profits through better agronomic management. We wanted farmers to be able to have this vital agricultural information at their fingertips without common barriers, such as expensive land surveyor costs and lack of modern phone technology.
Monalisa Mutesi, our Country Team Leader for Uganda, demonstrating Virtual Agronomist to farmers in Kasese, Uganda
Our Virtual Agronomist AI chatbot uses our existing knowledge base and advisory engine to provide tailored advice to farmers. To get the information they need, all the farmer needs to do is to message a phone number on WhatsApp, one of the most popular social media apps in Africa, with 18.6 million users in Uganda and Kenya alone. The farmers can talk to the chatbot as they would a human agronomist and can ask questions to gain a deeper understanding of their agronomic management. There is no app to download and learn, and it is easier to use because using the chatbot is just like having a human conversation.
Virtual Agronomist supports the farmer throughout the season and can prompt and remind them of vital agronomic stages, for example, creating a tailored nutrient plan, checking crop emergence, scouting for weeds, pests, and diseases, and harvesting. Farmers can even use our AI chatbot service to help other farmers in their area by registering their plots with Virtual Agronomist. These lead farmers enable our service to reach a wider audience who may not have access to a smartphone.
Here are some of the agronomic features farmers can benefit from:
- Field mapping and sizing
- Soil properties from iSDAsoil
- Tailored nutrient plans
- Seasonal prompts
“We’ve been farming in the dark and now this is at last bringing some light where our eyes have now been opened.” - Mr. Wamuma Anthony, Lead Maize Farmer, Bulambuli, Eastern Uganda
Lead maize farmer Mr. Wamuma Anthony with a female farmer in Bulambuli, Eastern Uganda
In the months following our launches in Uganda and Kenya, we have received valuable feedback which will help us to keep improving our Virtual Agronomist service. Farmers have expressed how amazed and excited they are about the knowledge we are sharing with them through our service. They have mentioned how easy Virtual Agronomist is to use as there is no complicated sign-in process or app to download. They can use the WhatsApp mobile number given to them to ask the questions they need to the AI model which responds with accuracy and clarity. Farmers are finding this method clear and simple to use and can gain in-depth insight into their soil health and field management with quick responses to their questions.
“Before Virtual Agronomist I did not know anything about the need or use of fertiliser. When Lead Farmer Mr. Shangi George came to me with Virtual Agronomist, I was educated on fertiliser and found out what my soil was lacking and what it needed. My maize is at a young stage, but I am already seeing a huge difference compared to last season. I am very impressed – my maize is doing much better than my neighbours’!” - Mrs. Nambozo Fat, Maize Farmer, Bulambuli, Eastern Uganda
Ugandan Maize farmer Mrs. Nambozo Fat in her field with lead farmer Mr. Shangi George
The maize field of Mrs. Nambozo Fat where Virtual Agronomist recommendations were applied, rich in colour, population and growth
The neighbouring field of Mrs. Nambozo Fat, where only farmer practice was used without Virtual Agronomist, lacking colour, growth and has an excess of weeds
Virtual Agronomist brings new knowledge to farmers in the field which can help to improve their agronomic management. For example, many farmers did not know the fertility of their soil, or how to set realistic target yields, and as a result, were using blanket recommendations and a one-for-all approach to fertiliser. Using our tailored service, farmers have discovered that blanket recommendations have been hindering their crop health and yield results. Virtual Agronomist recommends customised field management using different fertiliser formulations and rates depending on crop type, target yield levels, and soil and crop management history, which ensures that farmers are getting the most out of their fertiliser use.
“Virtual Agronomist helped me check my soil and found that it was lacking nitrogen and recommended that I use NPK 17:17:17, a fertiliser high in nitrogen, which has made a significant difference to my maize crops.” - Mr. Wandwaki Sadick, Maize Farmer, Bulambuli, Eastern Uganda
Ugandan Maize farmer Mr. Wandwaki Sadick in his field with lead farmer Mr. Shangi George using Virtual Agronomist on his phone
Furthermore, many farmers were not aware of the size of their fields. Having the new opportunity of our AI service allows farmers to know the size of their field for free by asking just a couple of questions. This is a much cheaper and quicker way to gain this information as previously, farmers would have had to pay a land surveyor to come out and measure their fields manually. Cost is a large barrier for farmers, so we are proud to have developed an affordable service which gives them the vital agricultural knowledge they need.
“In my own practice, I used to apply three bags of diammonium phosphate and one bag of calcium ammonium nitrate. After testing my soil, Virtual Agronomist advised that I use one bag of triple superphosphate and two bags of NPK 17:17:17 instead. My maize field is now doing much better than my neighbours’ field!” - Mr. Vincent Barasa, Maize Farmer, Soko Mjinga, Kenya
Kenyan farmer Mr. Vincent Barasa in his maize field demonstrating his results after applying the Virtual Agronomist recommendations
The neighbouring field of Mr. Vincent Barasa, where only farmer practice was used without Virtual Agronomist
We will always develop and enhance our Virtual Agronomist service in response to ongoing feedback from our users and will continue to refine our artificial intelligence technology, making it easier for farmers to access specific advice for their farms to help with all decisions they make throughout the season and improve the depth of agronomic guidance. The rice and maize crops in Uganda and Kenya will be harvested in August and we are eagerly awaiting the results! We are also excited to soon be launching Virtual Agronomist for coffee farmers in Kenya, and are looking forward to seeing improved agronomic management, soil health and crop yield in response to implemented recommendations by our service.
