By Murimi Gitari, November 28, 2024, Heifer International Kenya has announced and awarded the winners of the 2024 AYuTe (Agriculture, Youth and Technology) Africa Challenge Kenya in a Gala Awards ceremony held in Nairobi on Tuesday.
Featuring two categories; product development and ideation categories, Desiccated Sweetness Ltd emerged the winner in the product development category, scooping a cash prize of $15,000 followed by Pollen Patrollers, the 1st Runner-Up, who received $7,500; Pureplant Organics Ltd was the 2nd Runner-Up and was awarded $5,500. Finalists Farmsky Ventures and Boka Eats Limited each received $1,200.
In the ideation category, Azolla and Duckweed Poultry Meal claimed the top spot winning a $7,500 cash prize. SowPrecise Africa scooped the 1st Runner-Up, receiving $5,500, and nanaHeal Enterprise took the 2nd Runner-Up position with $3,800. Finalists Droughtsmart Solutions and Nutrifish/Samaki Stop were each awarded $800.
Speaking during the awards ceremony, Clarice Bugo Kionge, the Interim Country Directo said that Heifer International, has been working with smallholder farmers in Africa for 50 years and one of the things that they have noted as they support them, is that they are building their capacity to increase their productivity.
“Another finding is that technology is the real game changer especially for attracting the youth in agriculture,” she added.
Kionge says that through the AYuTe Challenge they are able to identify innovative ideas, build capacity through mentorship and guiding them on how best to pitch and streamline these ideas. Those that emerge winners are then able to get the starting capital that will elevate their ideas and actualize them into enterprises, she explains.
To note, the cash awards for this year were higher compared to the last two edition with the Interim Country Director noting that this was necessitated by the need to offer more grants or money that will be enough to the innovators.
Faith Kwamboka, the Founder of Desiccated Sweetness Ltd, while talking to press said that that winning the award is a testament to the hard work, innovation, and commitment of her team. She expressed gratitude for the recognition and emphasized that this achievement will further drive their mission to revolutionize the agricultural sector with sustainable solutions. 
Kwamboka also mentioned that the cash prize will significantly aid in expanding their operations and enhancing their product offerings to better serve the community.
The Founder of Azolla and Duckweed Poultry Meal, Samuel Kimani also expressed his joy and appreciation upon winning the award in the ideation category. He shared that the cash prize will provide a significant boost to their project, enabling them to refine their ideas and bring their vision closer to reality. He thanked Heifer International Kenya for the opportunity and the support, and he looked forward to contributing further to the agricultural sector.
Being on its third edition, the Challenge attracted 308 applicants, and after a competitive selection process through judging and pitching sessions, there were 10 finalists.
Themed ‘Identity, Elevate, Grow Together: Propelling Agriculture Transformation Through Youth-Led Innovations’, the AYuTe Challenge aims to create opportunities for young entrepreneurs to propel agriculture transformation, catalyze ground-up innovation from the youth, and make agriculture a desired career for the future. Through this, youth-led agritech innovations get the opportunity to pitch for investment in their businesses to boost the income and productivity of smallholder farmers.
This year’s edition focused on enterprises with innovative agri-tech solutions responding to the needs of the agri-value chain at various levels, such as production, aggregation, post-harvest loss management, value addition, access to markets, and financing. In addition, the edition targeted four regions that included Nairobi, the Central Regional Economic Bloc, the Lake Region Economic Bloc, the North Rift Economic Bloc, and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties ensuring a comprehensive national representation.
Through the E4Impact Accelerator, the top innovators underwent a one-month incubation program among other benefits such as linkage to investment, networking, training, coaching, and mentorship opportunities.
The AYuTe Africa Challenge Kenya is the local chapter of the continentwide AYuTe Africa Challenge and one of the most ambitious agriculture competitions on the continent, combining the power of youth with the many possibilities of emerging technologies to support smallholder farmers across Africa to grow their businesses and incomes.
The 2024 AYuTe Africa Challenge Kenya was launched mid this year with the aim of promoting and rewarding agricultural technology innovations across Kenya’s agricultural value chains.
