AKILIMO: Digital Decision Support Tool

We know cassava

AKILIMO is a digital application that offers site-specific advice for cassava farming using decision trees and algorithms derived from field trials and modeling. Users input farm details, and the tool provides personalized guidance on planting, fertilizing, and harvesting to maximize yield and profit. It's accessible via smartphone app, printable guide, voice response, and chatbot for users of all literacy levels.

This technology is pre-validated.

8•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 7/9

Project adoption2

Technology integrated in the ERAVCDP, and PADCV-PTA projects.

See project details ›

Problem

Limited access to personalized agronomic advice: Farmers lack farm-specific guidance on planting, fertilization and harvesting, making it difficult to optimize production decisions.
Inefficient crop management: Poorly adapted planting, fertilization and harvesting practices reduce farm productivity and profitability.
Inefficient use of farm inputs: Limited guidance leads to inefficient use of fertilizers, pesticides and water, increasing production costs.
Limited access to practical decision-support services: Farmers and agricultural businesses lack accessible tools that translate farm information into practical production recommendations.

Solution

Personalized agronomic advice: AKILIMO uses farm information to provide recommendations on planting, fertilization and harvesting according to specific farm conditions.
Improved crop management: The tool provides data-based guidance to support better production strategies and improve yield and profit.
Optimized input use: AKILIMO provides recommendations on fertilizers, pesticides and water to improve resource use and reduce unnecessary input costs.
Accessible decision-support services: The tool is available through a smartphone app, web app, printable guides, voice response and chatbot, making recommendations accessible through different channels.

Key points to design your business plan

AKILIMO is a digital application that revolutionizes cassava farming by providing personalized agronomic advice. It effectively addresses common challenges of farmers like inefficient nutrient management and weed infestation, leading to increased agricultural productivity and profitability. To use this technology,

Download and Install: Access the AKILIMO app from the Google Play Store on your smartphone or tablet. You can also use the Web App.
Cost Structure Considerations:

Free Access: The app can be downloaded and used for free. However, farmers should consider the costs associated with acquiring smartphones and data plans necessary to run the app effectively.
Training Expenses: It’s essential to allocate resources for training to ensure that farmers and extension agents can utilize the app efficiently.
Implementation Costs: Farmers should also factor in the costs associated with implementing the recommendations provided by the app, such as investing in fertilizers and weed management technologies.

Implementing the recommendations from AKILIMO can lead to significant profits. Farmers who have used the app should determine their profit.

Adults 18 and over: Positive medium

Others: No impact

The poor: No impact

Under 18: Positive high

Women: Positive low

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: Much less carbon released

Environmental health: Does not improve environmental health

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Water use: Much less water used

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology's development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology's readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 8 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: tested

Level of use 7 out of 9

Common use by projects NOT connected to technology provider

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Project	Countries	Beneficiaries	Budget (USD) & duration	Key figures
ERAVCDP Eastern Region Agricultural Value Chain Development Project	Angola	Direct: 1,200,000 Indirect: 1,000,000	211.4 million 2026–2031	2,500 ha irrigation systems rehabilitated 400 km rural roads constructed 9 markets and warehouses established 360,000 tons of fertilizers distributed
PADCV-PTA Projet d’Appui au Developpement des Chaines de Valeurs en soutien au Programme de Transformation de l’Agriculture	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Direct: 900,000 Indirect: 2,000,000	321 million 2024–2029	62,000 tons certified seeds produced 5,200 ha rice fields developed 600 km resilient roads rehabilitated 30,000 people trained

Project

Countries

Beneficiaries

Budget (USD) & duration

Key figures

ERAVCDP
Eastern Region Agricultural Value Chain Development Project

Angola

Direct: 1,200,000
Indirect: 1,000,000

211.4 million

2026–2031

2,500 ha irrigation systems rehabilitated
400 km rural roads constructed
9 markets and warehouses established
360,000 tons of fertilizers distributed

PADCV-PTA
Projet d’Appui au Developpement des Chaines de Valeurs en soutien au Programme de Transformation de l’Agriculture

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Direct: 900,000
Indirect: 2,000,000

321 million

2024–2029

62,000 tons certified seeds produced
5,200 ha rice fields developed
600 km resilient roads rehabilitated
30,000 people trained

Figures in italic are from project plans and may change during implementation.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Ghana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Rwanda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 9: industry, innovation and infrastructure

Goal 17: partnerships for the goals

Akilimo can be used by following the procedures below:

Download the App: The AKILIMO app is available for download on the Google Play Store.
Open the App: Once installed, open the app on your device.
Input Farm Details: You’ll be prompted to input specific details about your farm and farming practices.
Receive Personalized Advice: Based on your inputs, the app will provide personalized guidance on planting, fertilizing, and harvesting strategies to maximize yield and profit.
Implement the Advice: Apply the advice provided by the app in your cassava farming practices.

For more detailed instructions, you may want to check out the instructional videos available on the AKILIMO portal or the AKILIMO YouTube channel. Please note that the exact steps might vary depending on the version of the app. It’s always a good idea to refer to the official resources for the most accurate information.

Last updated on Sep 21, 2026