The story

Agricultural extension services struggle to reach smallholder farmers in remote, rural locations in many countries. Limited resources stretched across large regions make it challenging to reach people effectively. This gap means many farmers cannot access practical, expert plant health advice. Women farmers, in particular, struggle to access support due to advisory systems and social norms that primarily target male farmers. As climate change exacerbates the impact of crop pests on agricultural productivity, improving access to science-based knowledge has never been more important. 

The PlantwisePlus programme addresses this challenge through its farmer advisory pathway and by supporting countries to run plant clinics. Trained plant doctors provide farmers with tailored advice for their plant health problems and ongoing integrated pest management (IPM) support, which continues after the initial diagnosis. Plant doctors assist the farmers through plant clinics and in many other fora where the farmers and plant doctors interact. 

In 2025, Malawi achieved a remarkable milestone: it now operates a network of trained plant doctors in every district across the country. Today, Malawi runs over one hundred plant clinics staffed by hundreds of plant doctors. Almost all trained plant doctors in the country are government extension officers. 

In a recent study, plant doctors explained how the establishment of plant clinics has increased farmers’ ability to identify and manage plant pests and diseases, with clients of plant clinics more likely to adopt IPM techniques. These plant health professionals consistently viewed the clinics as an improvement to local agricultural services. Embedding clinics within the national extension system is helping to build a more sustainable plant health service for farmers nationwide.

“This is a success story … about building a resilient, national plant health system from the ground up.” – Dr Natasha Mwila, Regional Director for Southern Africa, CABI