Even from afar, it’s easy to spot Florence Malemba. She’s wearing a white lab coat labeled “Plant Doctor”, and a banner hangs behind where she’s organizing her equipment, ready to assist her farmer-patients of the day. Florence is setting up her plant clinic in Njoro, an agricultural town southwest of Nakuru City, Kenya.
Florence is a trained plant doctor with ten years of experience diagnosing plant health issues in Nakuru County. An extension officer by training, her passion for helping farmers motivates her.
Florence started a YouTube channel, Plant Health Clinic, and has since uploaded eight videos. The relationship with her farmers is evident, and she uses Kiswahili, the most common language in the area. She invites farmers to her plant clinic via SMS, and since October 2024, Florence has served about 100 people at her plant clinics.
“I have printed my own banner, branded a white dust coat and a lens to facilitate my plant clinic. This makes my farmers trust me and recommend others who are struggling with plant health matters.”
How plant clinic works
Plant clinics work the same as clinics for human health, but instead of explaining to the doctor how one feels and getting the tests done, a farmer presents sick/infected sample crop parts. The plant doctor then uses the knowledge gained from their training, experience, and digital support tools, such as the PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank, to diagnose the problem and make recommendations on managing it in the safest, most effective, and cost-friendly way.
CABI’s suite of digital tools enables Florence and other plant doctors to access diverse resources online to support accurate diagnosis of crop pests and diseases. “I can always access accurate information from anywhere, in a few clicks, thanks to the PlantwisePlus Factsheet Library, which, once downloaded, works offline.
Using online resources for skills development
Florence is also taking advantage of the free CABI Academy courses, which are helping strengthen her plant doctor skills. “The courses are very practical, and I have gained a lot of knowledge about pests and diseases. I want to keep improving, and the learning modules on the academy offers me that luxury, for free. I will also encourage the farmers with smartphones to start taking some of the courses that are of interest to them.”
Plant doctor refresher training reignited her passion
“In October 2024, CABI visited and re-trained a group of plant doctors in Nakuru. I felt it was time to act and hold a plant clinic every week to support farmer needs. I used my personal savings to acquire a lens and print my banner. Considering the climate change issue that is affecting Nakuru county, there are a lot of pests and diseases on major crops grown within the county.”
Florence holds a plant clinic every Wednesday. “I have since been in different schools and churches and at our office compound in Njoro town. The plant clinic is free to the farmers, and these places are public, close and accessible to them,” She adds.
Recognition and support from the county government.
Florence’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. She has received support from the Department of Agriculture in Nakuru County. Nakuru County Governor Susan Kihika posted on Facebook that Florence is playing a part in ensuring food security, improving nutrition, and strengthening the local food market.
Nakuru’s Crop Protection Officer, Ms Hannah Oduor, speaks highly of Florence. “She carries out her plant clinic with a lot of professionalism, and her passion and love for farmers’ welfare is unmatched. Through her vlog, she is taking the plant clinic in her ward to the next level by making it accessible to younger farmers. We are so glad that Florence is embracing technology and innovation in agriculture.”
Plant doctor YouTube channel
One of the biggest challenges cited by plant doctors during the refresher training is travel and transportation of materials. Seeing this as an opportunity, Florence decided to film the clinic and share her plant doctor experience online, bringing the knowledge directly to those who need it. “I have always seen myself as a content creator. I decided to showcase the plant clinic experience online to reach more farmers who may be seeking plant doctor services outside my locality.”
“The farmers who come to the clinic are mainly adults, but I know I will reach younger people through my vlog. I hope trained plant doctors from different regions will get the motivation to revamp their plant clinics, too. I will use this platform to create a community where people can share and solve plant health issues online.”
What does 2025 hold for this plant doctor?
“I plan to attend to more farmers in 2025. My target is to attend at least five hundred farmers on the physical plant clinics, document the experience and get over ten thousand views on my YouTube channel. If I achieve this, I will be an expert plant doctor and can now help the newly trained plant doctors hone their skills. I hope to be able to document my plant clinics, create a community and inspire other female plant doctors to step up and serve farmers around them.”, Florence says.
