SheGrows AI: bringing agricultural advice to women farmers through WhatsApp
FAO’s AI-powered advisory service gives rural women in Minya reliable answers in Egyptian Arabic, by voice, text or photo. KI-Q was the technology provider.
8 October 2026 · 4 min read
For a farmer, a question cannot always wait. When pests appear or irrigation needs adjusting, advice is only useful if it arrives in time and in a form she can use. That is the idea behind SheGrows AI, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ AI-powered agricultural advisory service for rural women — presented at the FAO Policy Majlis in Abu Dhabi on 7 October 2026, during the International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Why SheGrows?
- Distance and time limit contact with agricultural extension.
- Literacy and language can make advice hard to use.
- Phone access does not guarantee a voice in decisions.
How it works
Women use a channel they already know. Through WhatsApp — no separate app to install — they can speak, type or send a photo of a crop, and receive voice or text replies in Egyptian Arabic. They ask about everyday decisions: pests and diseases, irrigation, fertiliser and crop management, and can continue the conversation to clarify what the advice means.
Reliability is built in. Answers draw on a curated FAO knowledge base — maize and wheat for the pilot — rather than the open internet. Complex questions go to human experts, and their corrections feed back into the knowledge base. A dashboard tracks users, topics, voice use, expert reviews and response times.
KI-Q’s role
KI-Q was FAO’s external technology provider. We supported SheGrows AI’s design and implementation, working closely with FAO throughout development, field testing and refinement.
Pilot results, July–September 2026, 4 villages in Minya governorate. Source: FAO.
In women’s own words
“In the past, I simply copied what my neighbours were doing without really knowing if it was the right approach. Since I started using SheGrows, I can get reliable advice from a trusted source whenever I need it. For me, this chatbot has become like having an agricultural engineer by my side, both at home and in the field.”
“The chatbot has helped me a lot with my farming. I can ask questions anytime and get instant advice, even while working in the field. It guides me throughout the crop cycle, from choosing seeds to harvest. Its recommendations are consistent with those of agricultural experts, which gives me confidence in using it.”
SheGrows puts the ambitions of the International Year of the Woman Farmer into practice: strengthening women’s confidence and agency to make informed farming decisions, while ensuring their voices shape the digital services designed to support them.
