Young Innovators prove that they are reinventing Africa's food systems at AYuTe NextGen 2025

Africa's youth are not just inheriting farms; they are reinventing them. In June 2025, over 200 young innovators from across Africa gathered at the AYuTe NextGen 2025 Conference in Kampala, Uganda, to show how technology is already reshaping agriculture and creating new opportunities for smallholder farmers.

AYuTe, short for Agriculture, Youth, and Technology, is Heifer International’s key initiative supporting young African agripreneurs. This annual NextGen conference highlights youth innovations and connects them with investors, policymakers, and development partners. Finalists emerged from over 100 applications spanning 10 countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia, demonstrating the initiative's commitment to broad geographic reach and diverse innovation. From AI-driven livestock tools to drought-tolerant seedlings, the energy in Kampala was unmistakable. Africa’s next generation of changemakers is combining hands-on farming knowledge with smart technology to build solutions that raise incomes for smallholder farmers and strengthen local food systems.

Since its 2021 launch, AYuTe backed solutions have already reached over 1.19 million direct beneficiaries and 2.38 million indirect beneficiaries across Africa. The initiative includes regional and national competitions, offering winners funding, mentorship, incubation, and access to investor and policy networks.

Startups to Watch

Four ventures particularly shone for their innovation and impact at AYuTe NextGen 2025, taking home top honours. These youth-led enterprises are driving real change, from increasing productivity to building climate resilience for smallholder farmers and are poised for significant growth with the right backing.

Finalists competed in two categories: Climate-Smart Agriculture and Access to Finance and Markets.

Climate-Smart Agriculture

Winner: Kimplanter Seedlings and Nurseries (Kenya): Led by Carolyn Mwangi, Kimplanter provides drought-resilient vegetable, fruit and tree seedlings tailored for small-scale farmers. The seedlings help farmers stay productive despite climate stress.
Runner-Up: Agritechs Analytics (Kenya): Maryanne Gichanga’s solar-powered farm sensors track soil health, detect pests and allow farmers to manage their fields remotely via mobile devices.

Access to Finance and Markets

Winner: Grow For Me (Ghana): Founded by Nana Opoku, this crowdfunding platform helps farmers raise capital and secure buyers, connecting them to markets and breaking financing barriers.
Runner-Up: Winich Farms (Nigeria): Richies Attai created a tech platform that links farmers directly to factories, offering bundled services like credit and insurance in one place.

Innovation Without Investment Falls Flat

Despite the showcased creativity, a consistent message echoed through panel sessions and pitch stages: without early-stage funding, even the most brilliant ideas remain prototypes. Young innovators voiced a common frustration: a lack of risk-tolerant capital for youth-led ventures. Despite promising models and proven impact, most struggle to secure the financing needed to expand and reach more smallholder farmers.

Participants emphasized the need for dedicated agri-tech innovation funds and risk-sharing models. These would reduce the burden on young founders while encouraging private-sector investment. While AYuTe offers catalytic grants and strategic mentorship, many ventures still find it hard to attract commercial investment, underscoring the need for broader ecosystem involvement and new financing methods.

Solutions Born in the Field, Backed by Tech

Unlike theoretical tech conferences, AYuTe NextGen 2025 highlighted practical, ready-to-scale solutions. The conference showcased innovative tools designed by and for young Africans, specifically addressing the needs of smallholder farmers. These included:

AI-powered diagnostics for early detection of livestock diseases, reducing farmer losses.
Portable soil testing kits that give farmers real-time data.
Smart greenhouse systems using automation to boost yields.
Climate-resilient seedling production for challenging growing conditions.
Digital platforms directly connecting farmers to markets and financing.

Each innovation tackles persistent challenges in African agriculture, from limited market and financial access to growing climate change threats, all directly affecting smallholder farmer livelihoods. These young people share a mission: make African farming more sustainable, profitable, and future proof. These solutions emerged from a rigorous process, including national competitions, application screenings, bootcamps, coaching, and post-conference support, all designed to prepare youth-led ventures for real-world scaling.

Policy Must Adapt and Listen

Government ministers at the event acknowledged that current policy frameworks lag behind the pace of innovation. Key policy recommendations included:

Lowering rural internet and mobile data costs.
Investing in agricultural technology infrastructure.
Involving youth in shaping national agricultural strategies.
Creating startup-friendly regulatory environments.

The clear message was that young people should influence policy, not just navigate it.

Turning a Movement into an Ecosystem

Africa’s agricultural sector faces vast challenges: an aging farming population, increasing climate threats, and persistent food insecurity. But the energy, creativity, and resilience on display at AYuTe NextGen 2025 offer a counterpoint. Young Africans are not waiting for change; they are leading it. To scale their impact, these young innovators need three things: accessible financing, enabling policies, and collaborative partnerships. The question is no longer whether youth can transform agriculture, it is whether the broader ecosystem is ready to support them.

Heifer International invites governments, funders, and private-sector actors to co-create the next phase of AYuTe NextGen through investment partnerships, policy collaboration, and ecosystem development. To learn more or partner, visit www.ayute.africa

Watch conference session recaps on the Heifer International Africa YouTube channel. Also, tune into a podcast featuring Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President of Heifer International, Africa as she shares her insights on agriculture, technology, and innovation in Africa.

Join the movement. The AgTech generation is rising, and they are not waiting.