Walunji-Zdev05/Chenjezo-Drought-Flood-Alert

Drought & Flood Early Warning System with SMS Alerts for Smallholder Farmers in Malawi. An open-source web application providing real-time district-level climate risk maps and automated SMS warnings using free NASA weather data. Empowering rural communities to adapt to droughts and floods amid Malawi's 2025 climate crisis. # 🌍 Chenjezo: Geospatial Drought & Flood Alert System > **Empowering Malawian farmers with timely climate alerts to combat food insecurity** Chenjezo (Chichewa for "Warning") is an open-source geospatial early warning system that provides real-time drought and flood alerts to smallholder farmers in Malawi via SMS. By integrating satellite data, weather forecasts, and community feedback, Chenjezo helps farmers make informed decisions and protect their livelihoods from climate-related disasters. --- ## 📋 Table of Contents - Problem Statement - Solution - Features - Technology Stack - System Architecture - Installation - Configuration - Usage - API Documentation - Data Sources - Project Structure - Roadmap - Contributing - License - Contact - Acknowledgments --- ## 🚨 Problem Statement Malawi faces severe food insecurity exacerbated by climate change. In 2025: - **6+ million people** need humanitarian assistance due to drought and flooding - **70%+** of the population lives below the poverty line - **85%** depend on rain-fed subsistence agriculture - **Limited access** to timely weather information costs farmers up to 30% of their harvest Traditional early warning systems are ineffective because: - Information doesn't reach remote rural areas - Farmers lack smartphones/internet access - Language barriers (most systems are English-only) - Extension officers can only serve 1 in every 1,000+ farmers --- ## ✅ Solution Chenjezo bridges the information gap by: 1. **Monitoring** climate conditions using satellite data and weather APIs 2. **Analyzing** drought/flood risks at the district and sub-district level 3. **Alerting** farmers via SMS in their local language (Chichewa/English) 4. **Empowering** communities to take preventive action before disasters strike ### Key Benefits - ⏰ **3-7 days advance warning** for extreme weather events - 📱 **Works on basic phones** - no smartphone or internet required - 🌾 **20-30% reduction** in climate-related crop losses …