Coffee is an important cash crop to Kenya’s economy, contributing up to 10% of Kenya’s total agricultural export revenue and supporting the livelihood of more than 700,000 farmers. Poor agronomic practices, pests, diseases, low-yielding varieties and unstable market prices have contributed to low production. ISDA’s Virtual Agronomist (VA) leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support smallholder farmers with farm-specific agronomic advice. Virtual Agronomist is a scientific AI tool that is delivered through a WhatsApp chatbot and advises farmers on fertiliser, pests, diseases, weather and soils. It is offered for more than 20 crops, including coffee.
During 2025, Kenyan smallholder farmers used Virtual Agronomist on over 240,500 plots across various counties and crops, of which over 9,500 were coffee. Through a lead farmer model, farmers received field-specific fertiliser recommendations and agronomic advice throughout the season. iSDA followed up with a harvest survey to assess the impact of Virtual Agronomist.
Survey Results
The survey involved 243 farmers in Kericho County: 147 farmers using Virtual Agronomist (VA) and 96 adjacent plots where VA was not used, taken as farmers’ normal practice (FP). Plot areas were measured by walking plot boundaries with a geopositioning system. The farmer reported production was converted to green cherry yield in tons per hectare.
• Virtual Agronomist increased average yield compared with farmer practice from 6.5 t/ha to 9.9 t/ha, a 50% increase.
• 40% of VA farmers achieved >11 t/ha compared with only 8% with FP
Comparison Crop Yield Density Plot
The results not only highlight how AI-powered agronomic advice is transforming harvests and farmer livelihoods, but also how AI can bridge the extension gap that has existed in Africa for many decades.
The Recipe for Success: The “iSDA Advantage”
1. Tailored Nutrient Plans: Instead of generic fertilisers, farmers receive advice on the exact NPK ratios their specific soil lacks, powered by iSDAsoil’s high-resolution soil map.
2. Continuous and timely agronomic advice: Virtual Agronomist provides real-time alerts on when to apply fertiliser, when to weed, when and how to prune, and how to identify and manage crop pests and diseases.
With over half a million farm plots now using Virtual Agronomist across 7 African countries and 24 crops, the platform is proving to be precision agriculture that works at scale for smallholders.
This is the future of African agriculture: science-backed, farmer-centred, and delivered at scale through the power of AI.
