• LimaBot allows Tanzanian farmers to diagnose crop diseases in real time through mobile apps, WhatsApp, SMS and USSD.

• The platform recommends treatments and provides weather forecasts and preventive management strategies.

• The solution aims to cut yield losses, reduce excessive pesticide use and strengthen farmers’ resilience.

LimaBot AI is emerging as a key player in Tanzania’s agricultural innovation by bringing artificial intelligence directly to smallholder farms. The Tanzanian start-up built a digital platform that farmers can access via mobile application, WhatsApp, SMS or USSD to diagnose crop diseases in real time. The company, based in Arusha, launched in 2024 under founder Godfrey Kilimwomeshi.

The platform does more than provide general advice. It analyses data, photos and symptom descriptions submitted by farmers, recommends biological or chemical treatments, and supplies weather forecasts and preventive management strategies. Because it functions in low-connectivity areas, farmers can interact with LimaBot through simple channels such as SMS and USSD.

Crop-disease losses continue to undermine family farming across Africa, particularly in Tanzania. By enabling early detection and offering tailored recommendations, LimaBot helps limit yield pressure, reduce excessive pesticide use and support more sustainable practices.

The solution creates dual benefits for farmers. It secures harvests while helping producers build autonomy through progressive training in plant-health best practices. This capacity building can improve resilience to climate shocks and volatile input prices.

By democratising access to quality diagnostics, the start-up strengthens the emergence of a sustainable agri-tech ecosystem. LimaBot positions AI as a tool that boosts productivity, supports food security and improves the economic well-being of farmers.

This article was initially published in French by Adoni Conrad Quenum

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum