Diagnosing Crop Threats with a Tap, Not a Lab

After 17 years in agriculture, Yonas Tsegaye has seen just about everything that can threaten a crop, from invasive pests to sudden disease outbreaks. As the Regional Crop Protection Director in Sidama, Ethiopia, his job is to catch these problems early and guide prevention, diagnosis, and treatment across the region’s many farms.

For most of his career, however, Yonas had access to just one diagnostic tool: a single, overburdened plant clinic lab tucked inside the Bureau of Agriculture. And that one lab? It had to serve dozens of woredas, leading to delays, bottlenecks, and in situations where pests spread faster than lab results could arrive.

“It was always a race against time,” Yonas says. “And often, the pests won.”

Things began to shift when Yonas discovered Farmer.Chat, an AI-powered mobile app developed by Digital Green that allows agricultural professionals and farmers to diagnose and manage crop threats in real time. After downloading it from the Play Store and working with our staff to configure the tool, Yonas quickly realized its potential. What once may have required lab time, paperwork, and waiting on results could now be done on the spot.

With just his smartphone, Yonas began diagnosing threats to crops like maize and Irish potatoes. He could take a photo, identify a pest or disease, and instantly share treatment advice with experts and farmers across the region. No delays. No lab queue. No running between woredas.

“Now is the time for technology to play a role in this sector at a low cost,” he says. “The process used to be very intensive, but FarmerChat significantly simplifies my tasks.”

For Yonas, the benefits extend beyond efficiency. Tools like Farmer.Chat are helping to decentralize the system, enabling local extension agents and kebele experts to identify and address problems directly, without waiting for regional approval or lab confirmation.

“This kind of tool empowers local experts. They don’t have to wait—they can act,” he says. “It’s transforming how we protect our crops, and it’s just the beginning.”

Yonas sees this as the future of crop protection in Ethiopia—faster, smarter, and more responsive to farmers’ needs. And in his view, this is just the beginning.

 

Digital Green FarmerChat User Experience Report

Sweet Success: How Modern Beekeeping Is Changing Lives in Ethiopia

In Jimma, Ethiopia, bees aren’t just producing honey—they’re generating income. And they’re helping entire communities rise out of poverty with them. 

That shift began in 2023, when 25 farmers, men, women, and youth, came together to form the Abafira, Ahimadin, and Hafiz Honey Producer Group. With training, tools, and support from the Advancing Conservation, Agriculture, and Livelihoods Project—led by Digital Green in collaboration with the Woreda Agriculture, Job Creation, and Food Security Offices, and funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation—they started to transform how they farmed and earned.

The group received training in modern beekeeping techniques, access to a hectare of land for their apiary, and began scaling up. With over 500 hives now active, they harvested 3,450 kg of honey in one season. Of that, 2,650 kg were sold, generating over 2.1 million ETB in income. That’s nearly 7 kg of honey per hive—a strong return in just one production cycle.

The impact has been visible. Group members now have the skills and stability to invest in their families and futures. Their honey has been showcased in exhibitions, they’ve earned awards, and in the community, they’ve earned a new nickname: the source of honey.

“Before, I thought of honey as something small. Now, it feeds my family, pays for school, and gives me pride,” says one member of the producer group. “We didn’t just learn how to harvest honey, we learned how to work together and build a future.”

Their next goal is to become a licensed cooperative, enabling them to sell their honey under a registered brand, including internationally. They’re also planning to expand into livestock, with a beef-fattening project already in the works.

Stories like this remind us that true development comes from access, not aid. When local producers have the tools and knowledge to scale their skills, the impact is sustainable and the potential for growth is exponential.

Women Who Grow: How women farmers in Odisha, India are at the forefront of the digital agriculture revolution

In the heart of verdant Odisha, India a quiet shift is underway. Thousands of women farmers under the Swayam Sampurna Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) are transforming agriculture – embracing digital tools to secure their livelihoods, boost climate-smart crop production and make data-driven decisions.

Swayam Sampurna, which roughly translates to “complete self-reliance”, is an FPO created by women farmers, for women farmers – consisting of over 4000 members spread across 139 villages in Odisha, India. The organisation is headed by an all-women Board of Directors, and is staffed by Community Resource Persons (CRPs) who are women farmers well versed in the unique needs of each community they serve. 

These smallholder farmers often face delays in receiving timely and tailored guidance on farming practices, seeds and inputs. Many farmers rely on traditional advisories and must depend on infrequent visits from government horticulture agents or travel long distances to agriculture departments. Delayed access to advisories can lead to many missed opportunities to improve yields for major local crops like millet, watermelon and tomato.

Digital Green Trust has introduced digital interventions across all points of the agricultural value chain, empowering the women of Swayam Sampurna to make data-driven decisions for their farms and families.

Video Advisories Promote Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices

The use of chemical fertilizers is prevalent in India, but heavy use has serious health and environmental effects including reduced soil fertility and contamination of water sources. 

Digital Green’s video advisories, made by digitally-equipped women farmers, and shared by trained women CRPs,  promote the use and preparation of climate-smart, organic fertilizers to improve crop health. “By watching videos, I’ve started preparing organic manure to reduce input costs and improve the health of my watermelon crop,” says a farmer.

E-Farm Collects Data to Boost Demand 

The E-farm application empowers CRPs to generate demand digitally instead of manual, paper-based collection from each farm. Farmers can capture product demand directly from their fields, collecting data efficiently.

With this intervention, CRPs free up valuable time otherwise spent manually recording data from each farmer. Kabita Taria, a CRP from the Baunsnali Gram Panchayat explains: “Previously, we had to travel to collect indents from farmers. Now, with e-Farm, everything is updated instantly on the app!”

By leveraging e-Farm’s digitally aggregated demand data, Swayam Sampurna can enhance their bargaining power and use their insights to negotiate better prices for their crops.

Farmer.Chat Provides Real-Time, Customized Advisory

CRPs use Farmer.Chat to provide accurate and timely answers to questions from the farming collective. Farmers often seek real-time advice on managing pest attacks and treating crop diseases. A farmer explains, “The platform offers tailored advice for the crops I grow, making it more relevant and easy to follow. I can find useful recommendations anytime, helping me make timely decisions for better results on my farm.”

With Farmer.Chat, Swayam Sampurna’s farmers no longer have to rely on bi-monthly visits from horticulture experts – often too late to tackle urgent pest and disease issues. “Now we can get all the information very easily, without depending on the nearest medicine shop,” says Singha Tudu, a farmer from Jashipur who had been struggling to address crop diseases effectively.

Empowering Women through Capacity Building

Through Digital Green’s tailored training program, CRPs are equipped with the skills to use digital tools like Farmer.Chat and e-Farm. This allows them to facilitate informed decision-making at every stage of farming—from crop management to market negotiations.

As women farmers themselves, CRPs understand the specific challenges faced by their communities. Their ability to use digital tools to guide other women farmers has created a peer-sharing ecosystem – where each CRP not only improves her own farming practices, but also enables the same for other women in her community.

The Ripple Effect of Digital Empowerment in Agricultural Communities

The ripple effect of digital empowerment is profound: with digital tools at their fingertips, women no longer need to rely on external resources and can make climate-smart, data-informed decisions for their farms and families. This not only lowers their household burden but also increases the collective bargaining power of women-led FPOs, ensuring market access for their produce, and higher income flowing into their communities.

As digital-first CRPs and FPOs continue to spread accurate, real-time and customized agricultural knowledge, these interventions have the power to transform the way entire communities approach agriculture, empowering women farmers – in Odisha, and beyond – to pave the way for the future of agriculture.

Breaking Language Barriers: Empowering Ethiopian Farmers with Multilingual Digital Agricultural Tools

In Ethiopia, a country rich in linguistic diversity with over 80 indigenous languages, language can be both a cultural treasure and a barrier. While Amharic serves as the official working language, millions of rural farmers primarily speak their native tongues, making it difficult for them to access crucial agricultural information. From weather forecasts and pest control updates to market prices and government policies, much of this knowledge is often delivered in languages they do not fully understand, leaving many farmers without the information they need to make informed decisions.

Recognizing this challenge, Digital Green is working to break down language barriers and make agricultural knowledge more inclusive. We have developed a range of solutions to ensure farmers can access vital information in the languages they speak and understand. Our video-based extension services, for example, feature local farmers sharing best practices in their native languages, making learning more practical, relatable, and easier to adopt. Our AgAdvisory Telegram bot also provides instant access to farming advice, allowing farmers to get timely and relevant information at their fingertips.  Across these platforms, we have made agricultural knowledge available in more than 20 local languages.

Taking this a step further, we have successfully developed Farmer.Chat – an AI-powered chatbot designed to communicate with farmers—in two widely spoken Ethiopian languages, Afaan Oromo and Amharic. To ensure accessibility for all, including those with limited literacy, we have integrated voice features, allowing farmers to interact with the chatbot using spoken language rather than just text, making it easier for farmers to ask questions, receive guidance, and access information in a way that feels natural to them.

However, we recognize that our work is far from complete. Developing AI-driven multilingual solutions remains a challenge, particularly because many indigenous Ethiopian languages lack extensive written documentation that AI models typically rely on for training. Despite this, we are committed to expanding our work. By collaborating with local speakers, collecting high-quality language data, and leveraging audio-based AI training, we aim to bring Farmer.Chat and other digital solutions in more Ethiopian languages. Our goal is to ensure that farmers, regardless of the language they speak, have equal access to the information they need to improve their livelihoods and strengthen Ethiopia’s agricultural sector.

Through continuous innovation and collaboration, Digital Green is paving the way for a more inclusive agricultural future—one where language is no longer a barrier to progress but a bridge to knowledge and opportunity.

A New Frontier for Farmer.Chat: Enhanced Smallholder Farmer Support with OpenAI’s Operator Research Preview

At Digital Green, our mission is to empower smallholder farmers with localized, real-time agricultural advice that fosters productivity, resilience, and growth. With over 250,000 farmers and extension workers across India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ethiopia already benefitting Farmer.Chat, we’re constantly improving to meet the evolving needs of the communities we serve.

From Tailored Advisory to True Agency

OpenAI’s Operator is an advanced functionality that performs tasks on behalf of its users. As  Operator becomes available in the API following its research preview, we will integrate it into Farmer.Chat to unlock its power as an agent for smallholder farmers and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), going beyond providing hyperlocal advice to delivering actionable solutions faster and more efficiently. With Operator, Farmer.Chat will be able to complete more tasks and take actions —all in the user’s preferred language. 

Imagine a farmer seeking help to improve soil fertility and boost crop yields. Currently, Farmer.Chat assesses the farmer’s specific crop type, soil condition, and local weather patterns. It then delivers a tailored recommendation for specific amounts of fertilizer for optimal results, along with detailed application instructions. 

But with Operator, Farmer.Chat won’t stop there – it will go further by helping  the farmer purchase these fertilizers near their farm, displaying comparison pricing at a range of local suppliers for the type and amount of fertilizer the farmer wants to purchase, further simplifying the path from problem to solution.

“As we learn more about Operator during its research preview, the goal is for Farmer.Chat to become a true partner that bridges the gap between advice and action – understanding individual farmers and connecting them to local solutions in real time.” – Rikin Gandhi, CEO

Empowering Smarter Decisions for Resilient Farmers

The upcoming API integration of Operator after its research preview marks a new chapter in the Farmer.Chat journey. By combining advanced decision-making capabilities with local insights, Farmer.Chat will be better equipped to address farmers’ needs and improve their livelihoods. Whether it’s making smarter fertilizer choices, addressing crop issues like pest and diseases, or finding the best price for their crop at the market, Operator makes the support Farmer.Chat provides farmers faster, easier, and more precise.

During the research preview, Digital Green will share insights and feedback on Operator’s reliability and impact with OpenAI. As with any new AI-powered tool, OpenAI and Digital Green will work together to ensure Operator can serve its users and their communities optimally before broader rollout. 

We remain committed to helping farmers and FPOs achieve greater success, productivity, and resilience. Together, we’re building a future where every farmer has access to the knowledge, tools, and services they need to thrive.

 

Farmer.Chat: Shaping Modern Agriculture for Youth in Kenya

In Meru County, Kenya, at the vibrant heart of its agricultural community, Annred Gakii’s farm stands as a testament to innovation and resilience. At 29, this single mother has dramatically transformed her agricultural practices and economic outlook through the strategic use of advanced technology. By leveraging the capabilities of Farmer.Chat Kenya, an AI-powered digital assistant designed specifically for farmers, Annred has not only revolutionized her farm operations but has also become a source of inspiration and leadership within her community.

Annred’s venture into agriculture was born out of necessity—a young single mother returning to her parents’ home, determined to forge a sustainable future for her son and herself. Initially, her efforts were met with modest success, limited by traditional farming methods that did not yield enough to lift her family out of financial uncertainty. The turning point came when she discovered Farmer.Chat Kenya through a local agricultural training program. This innovative tool introduced her to a world of possibilities, including real-time agricultural advice and data-driven farming techniques.

One notable instance of the tool’s impact came when Annred faced an urgent crisis: her dairy cow became severely ill. Utilizing Farmer.Chat, she quickly accessed vital advice on how to handle the situation. “The cow was assessed and found to be fit for consumption and so I sold it off to the slaughterhouse in good time,” Annred recalls. The proceeds from this sale allowed her to purchase a new calf and sustain her dairy operations without financial loss.

Buoyed by this success, Annred expanded her agricultural endeavors. Initially focusing solely on millet, she diversified her crops to include maize, beans, bananas, sunflowers, and even ventured into poultry farming. Each step of the way, Farmer.Chat provided her with tailored advice that maximized her yields and minimized costs. The digital tool helped her understand the best planting practices and optimal harvest times, significantly boosting her farm’s productivity.

“The financial barriers that once seemed insurmountable are now a thing of the past. School fees are no longer a problem, and now, I even support my parents,” Annred shares with pride. This financial stability is a direct result of her embracing technological solutions in her farming practice, which have not only increased her yields but also enhanced the quality of life for her family.

Moreover, Annred’s success has elevated her status in the community, turning her into a local agricultural advisor. Her experience with Farmer.Chat has equipped her with the knowledge to assist her neighbors and fellow farmers, translating digital advice into practical, actionable farming strategies. This role has not only empowered her but also fostered a spirit of collaboration and mutual growth within her community.

Looking to the future, Annred is enthusiastic about further expanding her crops and exploring new agricultural technologies. She is especially keen on continuing to improve her advisory role, aiming to nurture a new generation of tech-savvy, young farmers in Meru County. “The potential to revolutionize farming with digital tools is immense, and I am just getting started,” she states confidently.

Annred Gakii’s story is a compelling example of how integrating technology into traditional farming practices can lead to remarkable outcomes. It underscores the critical role of innovative digital tools like our AI assistant, Farmer.Chat in empowering farmers to make informed decisions, increase productivity, and achieve sustainability. As we celebrate her achievements, we also recognize the broader implications for agricultural development—where technology and traditional knowledge meet, the possibilities for transforming lives and communities are boundless.

Tackling Methane Emissions in Dairy Farming: A Collaborative Effort for Sustainable Agriculture

Agriculture is a key driver of global food security, but it also significantly contributes to methane emissions, particularly from livestock. With the growing need to address climate change while enhancing agricultural productivity and reducing costs for farmers, a new initiative led by the University of California (UC Davis), college of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, through its Department of Global Engagement, is making strides. This project, funded by the Global Methane Hub, is implemented over three years across 16 countries in Asia and Africa, including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Ethiopia. It focuses on developing a Feed Ration Formulation (FRF) tool that balances cost, nutritional value, and availability of ingredients. This groundbreaking FRF tool integrates cutting-edge scientific models and data to optimize nutrient requirements for dairy cows. The tool is designed to reduce costs, improve milk yield, and cut methane emissions, ultimately contributing to more sustainable livestock farming.

At Digital Green, we are leading the effort to create a practical, user-friendly tool that connects researchers, extension workers, and farmers, allowing them to access optimized feed recommendations tailored to local conditions. This tool will empower farmers to make informed decisions about feed, reducing expenses while boosting productivity and aligning with global climate goals.

Field Piloting in Ethiopia

A significant milestone was reached in October 2024, when Digital Green, UC Davis, and Hawassa University conducted a field pilot of the Feed Ration Formulation tool in Ethiopia’s Kofele Woreda at Gurmicho and Wamagne Abosa Kebeles. Woreda and Kebele livestock experts participated in the pilot and provided very positive feedback on the tool’s usability and potential. These local experts highlighted the value of the tool in improving their extension services, noting its simplicity and its ability to provide feed recommendations that can enhance dairy productivity.

The primary purpose of the pilot was to conduct user research and gather a list of key improvements for the tool. These improvements will be added in the coming months as UC Davis finalizes the scientific model and other partners complete their respective feed libraries. Hawassa University and Haramaya University are specifically focused on building a comprehensive feed library with nutrient data for Ethiopia, which will be integral to the tool’s accuracy and utility in local contexts.

Expanding the Project’s Reach

In future phases, the project will expand beyond Ethiopia, with plans to roll out in India and other countries including Vietnam, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Bangladesh. This expansion will involve tailoring the tool to meet the specific needs of farmers in each country, with feed libraries and models adjusted to reflect local conditions and resources. The project will also work on integrating the tool into broader digital platforms to maximize its impact and accessibility.

Looking Ahead

As the project progresses into its next phase, the focus will be on enhancing the feed libraries, refining the tool’s features, and expanding its reach across multiple regions. In parallel, Digital Green is planning to integrate this tool with its Farmer.Chat platform, which would further enhance the tool’s accessibility to farmers. This initiative represents a significant step forward in sustainable agriculture by making cutting-edge science accessible to farmers, enabling them to reduce costs, improve productivity, and reduce their environmental impact.

This collaboration between Global Methane Hub, UC Davis, Digital Green, Hawassa University, and other partners marks a transformative effort toward a more sustainable and prosperous future for dairy farming.

Learnings from Project FRAME

Rural Women Rise: Stories of Resilience and Leadership in Ethiopia

On October 15th, as we mark the International Day of Rural Women, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and leadership of women in rural communities. In Ethiopia, where women often face limited access to education, financial services, and leadership roles, programs like Digital Green’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are changing lives. These SHGs are more than just savings and loans—they are lifelines that offer women the chance to build confidence, leadership skills, and strong support networks that ripple across entire communities.

Digital Green has organized over 300 SHGs, empowering more than 7,600 women in Ethiopia. These women have collectively saved 19 million birr, and with the support of 8.3 million birr in capital funding, they’ve accessed loans to grow businesses, support their families, and invest in their futures. But beyond the numbers, it’s the personal stories of women like Belaynesh, Netsanet, and Gabite that truly showcase the impact of these groups.

For Belaynesh Fichola, a 30-year-old mother of three, the Dararcho SHG gave her the chance to rebuild her life after her husband’s death left her struggling to provide for her family. She began by selling fruits, but her business transformed when she secured a 6,000 ETB loan from the SHG. With that, Belaynesh started selling maize and flour, eventually expanding her business enough to buy livestock and create lasting stability for her children. Today, her assets are worth over 43,000 ETB, and her role in the community has grown too—she now serves as vice president of her SHG and a leader in women’s affairs in her kebele.

Netsanet Legamo, a 28-year-old from Bursa, used her SHG loan to support her family during a tough time. Despite having a teaching diploma, Netsanet couldn’t find work. When her husband fell ill, she took out a 5,000 ETB loan from her SHG, bought sheep, and slowly built a small livestock business. Her growing income allowed her to support her husband’s medical expenses and education, and today, she’s the primary earner in her household. Netsanet’s SHG not only helped her gain financial independence but also provided her with emotional support, helping her through a challenging period in her life.

For Gabite Kiea, a mother of six from Gucho village, the Elto SHG was a lifeline. After her husband passed away, Gabite struggled to run her small coffee shop. A 3,000 ETB loan from her SHG enabled her to start a poultry business, and with hard work, her income grew steadily. Gabite’s SHG didn’t just provide financial support—it offered her practical help, from plowing her fields to giving her the confidence to take charge of her family’s future.

These are just a few examples of the thousands of women in Ethiopia whose lives have been transformed through SHGs. By giving women access to financial tools, leadership training, and community support, these groups are creating lasting change—women are not only improving their own lives but also strengthening their entire communities.

As we celebrate the International Day of Rural Women, we’re reminded that empowering women empowers whole communities. Programs like Digital Green’s SHGs offer a path to financial stability, leadership opportunities, and a brighter future. There’s still more work to be done, but with continued support, more women will have the chance to rise above challenges and create lasting change for themselves and their families.

Let’s continue to invest in the strength of rural women. Their resilience, leadership, and ambition deserve our support—not just today, but every day.