In 2021, Heifer International created the agriculture for youth and technology Africa challenge (AYuTe). AYute Africa challenge is an initiative that awards cash grants annually to the most promising young agritech innovators across Africa.
Small medium enterprises in agriculture have been applying for the grant since July. The process of vetting the applicants is ongoing and the top three winners will be known by September.
According to Francis Mwangi, an information and communication officer at Heifer International the initiative started to reward innovation among the youth, since it is difficult for them to access finances.
“From the applications, the top 80 candidates will be picked, then we will scale the number down to 30 and then the top 15. The top three from the top 15 will be awarded some cash prices, the winner will be walking away with Sh1 million,”
Throughout the years, small holder farmers have had difficulty joining cooperatives and accessing finances to invest and grow their farms and businesses.
BY FAITH MUKHWANA