As erratic weather patterns push up food prices and wipe out harvests across Kenya, agri-tech platform FarmBizAfrica has unveiled an artificial intelligence-powered advisory tool designed to help farmers reduce climate risk and significantly increase earnings.
The new platform, HarvestMAX, uses AI to generate customised crop plans based on a farmer’s specific location, soil type and long-season weather forecasts — offering a technology-driven alternative to traditional rain-fed guesswork.
Last season’s uneven short rains exposed the vulnerability of Kenya’s agriculture sector. Coastal maize farmers reported near-total losses due to failed rains, while upcountry producers saw tomatoes, beans and avocados destroyed by waterlogging.
“With nearly all our crops remaining rain-fed, just planting the same crops whatever the weather is wrecking farmers’ incomes and driving up everybody’s food prices,” said Antynet Ford of FarmBizAfrica.
HarvestMAX analyses projected weather conditions and recommends crops suited to each farm’s conditions, while also calculating expected input costs, projected earnings and potential profit margins for every recommended crop.
The system allows farmers to compare options before planting, helping them shift from traditional trial-and-error decisions to data-backed crop selection.
Farmers can access the platform without downloading an app and receive week-by-week growing guidance throughout the season.
Each user is given a permanent account to revisit recommendations, and the full crop plans can be printed for offline use.
The tool provides free long season crop recommendations tailored to location and soil type. For a one-off Sh500 administrative fee, farmers receive a detailed crop plan explaining the reasoning behind each recommendation, what adjustments to make if rains are delayed or early, the best seed or rootstock choices, planting and management guidance, and harvesting strategies aimed at maximizing market prices.
FarmBizAfrica says its data shows that better crop selection can significantly raise smallholder incomes. Many farmers earn as little as Sh50,000 per acre per season, yet alternative crop choices and improved agronomic guidance could potentially increase returns to Sh250,000 or even Sh500,000.
Chief Executive Officer Jethro Tieman said Kenya was the natural launch market for the platform, noting that 55 per cent of FarmBizAfrica’s more than three million monthly readers and subscribers are based in the country.
He added that the company’s 15 years of working with farmers has consistently shown that growers perform better when they plant crops suited to prevailing weather conditions, receive practical guidance, and focus on produce with strong market demand.
“FarmBizAfrica has worked with farmers for 15 years, and what we’ve consistently seen is that farmers perform far better when they plant the right crop for the weather, receive practical guidance, and choose crops with strong market demand,” the CEO said.
As climate variability intensifies and extension services remain stretched, AI-driven advisory platforms such as HarvestMAX are positioning technology as a critical tool in stabilising farmer incomes and strengthening food security.
