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farmbetter, a digital platform, was co-founded with the vision of making digital advisory services accessible, actionable, and relevant for farmers across the globe. Guided by the slogan “Empowering farmers to build resilience to climate change,” the platform positions farmers as the primary agents of change.

Drawing on their deep understanding of the challenges farmers face, the co-founders aimed to go beyond simply measuring climate resilience. Their ambition was to empower farmers to improve their resilience, on their terms.

This vision was born out of a clear realization: a major disconnect exists between research institutions and farmers, and between agricultural production and market access.

While smallholder farmers invest significant time and resources into improving their yields, many continue to struggle with accessing fair markets. farmbetter responds to this challenge by offering more than just advisory services; it connects farmers to the marketplace.

farmbetter’s 3-in-1 platform provides farmers with tools, knowledge, and confidence to adapt to climate shocks and farm more sustainably. Digitalization has enabled precision, convenience, and consistency, with timely advice tailored to specific regions, crops, and climate zones.

Rather than promoting chemical-dependent farming practices, the platform promotes sustainable land management and agroecological approaches. It also allows farmers to access real-time insights, share innovations with peers, and use inputs more efficiently.

According to Evalyne Njuguna, Head of Communications and Fundraising at farmbetter, the platform evolved into a powerful trio to meet the consumer needs regardless of their location.

“Our vision of an Android app for farmers, informed by our work with farmers in Kenya and beyond, morphed into a 3-in-1 platform: a WhatsApp chatbot for farmers, an extension agent app, and a dashboard for farmer-facing organizations.“

Scaling Impact Through Partnerships and Trust

Human-supported digital extension has proven to be the most effective way of achieving real impact, hence the adoption of this approach by farmbetter to increase its reach over time.

farmbetter’s design reflects this, enabling it to expand across nine countries and reach over 17,000 farmers, many of whom have reported yield increases of 30–40%.

This growth has been fueled by strong partnerships with cooperatives, processors, and a focus on adaptable technology. Evalyne also credits much of the expansion to word-of-mouth: “The role that farmer referrals have played is remarkable; it’s a demonstration of the real impact being felt on the ground.”

farmbetter’s impact earned it a place in the AgriPath Consortium, a five-year, $7 million research project funded by GIZ and SDC.

 This project evaluated the most inclusive and effective digital pathways in agriculture, with pilot sites in Uganda, Tanzania, India, Nepal, and Burkina Faso, and a strong emphasis on engaging women and youth.

As farmbetter continues to evolve, it is building a sustainable business model based on licensing payments from cooperatives, funders, and offtakers.

The company is focusing on specific value chains, dairy, coffee, and potato, to improve both the quality and quantity of produce while supporting processors and buyers in sourcing.

Insights from pilot projects done with partners like Agriterra, Weefect, Mumberes farmers cooperative, and NPCU, funded by development partners, demonstrated farmbetter’s value proposition. For example, connecting a potato cooperative to a processor for offtake showed the potential for strategic partnerships to drive growth and scale.

How Farmers Are Responding to farmbetter

farmbetter’s approach includes tools that support traceability, quality assurance, and direct connections to buyers who prioritize sustainable sourcing.

The response from farmers has been overwhelmingly positive, marked by curiosity and a willingness to understand and integrate the technology into their operations.

Evalyne notes that farmers appreciate how the platform “speaks their language”, literally and figuratively: “We see farmers becoming more confident decision-makers on their farms. Step-by-step, seasonal guidance helps them plan better and take action with greater certainty.”

This confidence has been nurtured through trust, which farmbetter earned by working with local cooperatives and extension agents, people the farmers already know and rely on. These trusted intermediaries act as bridges between digital tools and farming communities, bringing confidence and ease of operation.

However, one early challenge farmbetter faced was limited digital literacy and poor connectivity among farmers, considering the diverse regions in which they are based and the importance of delivering these services effectively across borders.

To address these region-based challenges, the team developed a WhatsApp chatbot that works even in low-bandwidth settings, prioritizing voice messages and local language content.

A practical example of localized context-based learning occurred when the Mumberes Cooperative requested audio-visual content on dairy practices tailored to their specific context. This demonstrated the importance of delivering relevant and accessible educational tools.

Looking Ahead: Smarter, Scalable Solutions

Embracing the lessons learned and the impact observed, farmbetter now aims to scale to over 1.5 million users in diverse regions globally.

It envisions a one-stop shop offering, from inputs to markets, including an AI-powered chatbot using both large language models and smaller, topic-specific models for fast, practical advice that is simple and actionable.

This move is set to enable farmbetter to turn data into insights, improving income opportunities for farmers and enhancing sourcing for processors and offtakers, both in Kenya and globally.

Evalyne concludes with a bold vision: “The future of farming lies in collaboration, between technology and tradition, science and local knowledge, public and private actors.”

farmbetter is on a road to reshaping the narrative of smallholder farmers, not just as passive recipients of aid, but as innovators and leaders in building food systems that are fair, sustainable, and resilient to climate change.

Girded with the right tools and support, they’re driving a new era of agricultural transformation, rooted in digital empowerment and climate resilience to aid the continent and globe in addressing the food insecurity challenge.