Know what the weather will do to your crop.
A forecast tells you it will be hot. MARU tells you that three days above 32° while your tomatoes are flowering can cost you the harvest, and what to do about it this week.
No form needed. Send the word JOIN to either line:
- SMS17500 — opens a text message to 17500 with JOIN ready to send
- WhatsApp+267 78274980 — opens a chat with JOIN ready to send, in a new tab
MARU replies to ask where you farm and what you grow, then watches the weather for that crop. Alerts reach you by SMS, WhatsApp or web, in English or Setswana. A basic phone is enough.
MARU alert
Tomato · Flowering · Tuli Block Illustrative
Heat stress, Tuesday to Thursday.
HighWhy it matters. Tomato flowers drop when it stays above 32°. Three days in a row at flowering and much of this crop never sets fruit.
- TodayIrrigate deeply, early morning
- Tue–ThuShade young plants, hold off fertiliser
How MARU works.
Four steps between a forecast
and your harvest.
MARU knows your crop, not just your weather.
Tell MARU where you farm, what you grow and where the crop is in its growth stage. MARU reads the forecast against the limits that matter for that crop at that stage, then uses years of local weather records to judge what is normal here and what is not.
Heat · Rainfall deficit · Drying air (VPD) · Wind- Heat stressHigh
- Drying air (VPD)High
- Rainfall deficitElevated
- WindNormal
Severity is judged against your own location’s weather history: normal, elevated, high, extreme.
One message you can act on.
No dashboard to learn and no weather charts to read. When a risk crosses the line, MARU sends plain language: what is coming, what it does to your crop, and what to do. In the language you speak, on the channel you already use.
SMS · WhatsApp · Web · English and Setswana“MARU: Your tomatoes are flowering and heat above 32° is expected Tue to Thu. Flowers may drop. Irrigate early morning and shade young plants. Reply 1 for more.”
Sent three days ahead, while there is still time to act. Reply to any alert and MARU answers.
What to do, before it arrives.
Every alert carries practical steps for your crop and for the days you have left. Not general advice. The specific things that protect this crop, at this stage, from this weather.
Botswana vegetable production guidance · FAO crop-water references- TodayIrrigate deeply, early morning. Wet soil holds heat off the roots.
- Tue–ThuShade young plants. Skip fertiliser until it cools.
- FridayCheck fruit set and tell MARU what you saw.
What you report back sharpens the next alert.
Cover that pays on the weather, not on a claim.
Some seasons no action is enough. With optional parametric cover, you and the insurer agree the measurement up front: rainfall below an agreed amount over an agreed window, for instance. If the measured weather crosses that line, the payout is triggered. No assessor visit, no claim form.
Optional cover through licensed insurance partners- Agreed limit
- Below 180 mm, Dec to Feb
- Measured
- 142 mm
Limit crossed. Payout triggered.
Forecasts drive alerts. Only measured weather can trigger a payout.
Examples are illustrative. Risk limits are drawn from published agronomic guidance and are being verified crop by crop.
Tell MARU where you farm and what you grow.
That is all it needs to start watching the weather for your crop. MARU begins with tomato, cabbage and onion in Botswana, and adds crops as each risk model is verified.
Join MARU — opens in a new tabOr skip the form. Send the word JOIN to either of these:
Tell MARU whether you want English or Setswana when you sign up. You can change it later.