AYuTe Africa Challenge returns with $1.5M in funding for agritech startups revolutionising smallholder farming
Smallholder farmers in Africa produce over 60% of the continent’s food but continue to struggle with outdated tools, unpredictable weather, limited financing and poor market access. The AYuTe Africa NextGen Challenge, launched by Heifer International in 2021, is tackling this by supporting young innovators using technology to improve farmers’ livelihoods. With up to $1.5 million available regionally and additional funding in countries like Nigeria and Rwanda, it’s a real opportunity to scale an idea that can make a difference.
In 2022, ThriveAgric co-founders Uka Eje and Ayodeji Arikawe secured $1 million as West Africa`s regional champions, fueling their plans to reach 10 million farmers by 2027. Their winning solution? An Agriculture Operating System that links farmers to credits, insights and markets, thus addressing multiple pain points in Africa`s agricultural ecosystem.
What’s AYuTe NextGen Challenge?
AYuTe—short for Agriculture, Youth, and Technology— is an annual challenge that identifies and funds breakthrough agritech innovations improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
Since its launch, AYuTe NextGen Challenge has supported more than 30 innovators, backing solutions from solar-powered cooling stations to digital farmer service platforms. Through its regional competition, it awards up to $1.5 million annually.
This year, the national competition is once again underway in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, with country-specific funding available. In Nigeria, the 2025 edition has opened applications, offering up to $40,000 in prizes. Meanwhile, Rwanda’s 2025 edition has closed, with ten finalists currently participating in a four-day bootcamp in Kigali (March 24–27, 2025), focused on branding, pitching, and scaling. The top winners will share 50 million Rwandan francs. Applications for other sub-Saharan African countries are yet to open.
Who can apply?
To be eligible for the AYuTe NextGen Challenge, applicants must:
- Have at least three years of experience working with smallholder farmers in Africa, with a proven impact on their revenue
- Operate a sustainable business model capable of scaling profitably
- Offer a genuinely innovative product or service, not merely a replication of existing solutions
- Demonstrate market demand among smallholder farmers and ensure affordability
The selection process
- Online screening: after applications have been received, the top 15 candidates emerge based on certain criteria
- Technical assessment: the top 15 finalists will pitch to a panel of judges who assess them technically
- Final pitch: two or three top finalists in each African region will pitch to a panel of judges
- Identity verification
- Selection of winners: winners are contacted to receive their share of the grant
- Support from business experts: winners grow their connections, sharpen their skills, get technical help, and business advice from industry experts
Another national beneficiary was Uganda’s Samuel Peter Okoci, who got UGX 35 million (approx. $9,500) in 2023 for his poultry tech, a system that leverages data tracking to save farmers’ trouble. Kenya’s Hello Tractor also clinched $1.5 million in 2021 and supplied tractor rentals to farmers across thirteen countries.
What’s happening in 2025?
- Regional Challenge: up to $1.5 million in funding available across sub-Saharan Africa
- Country-level editions are running in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Senegal, and Rwanda
- In Nigeria, applications are currently open, with up to $40,000 in prizes available
- Rwanda’s edition has closed. Finalists are attending a 4-day bootcamp in Kigali (March 24–27) and will split 50 million Rwandan francs
Other country calls will open in the coming weeks
How to apply
The AYuTe NextGen Challenge operates as an invitation-only competition.
If your business aligns with the challenge’s mission and would like to be considered, reach out via the official contact page.
To date, the AYuTe NextGen Challenge is one of the few organisations empowering innovators with the tools to change the dilemma of Africa`s smallholder farmers` food production. If you have a solution that can transform the future of farming, this is your chance to make an impact.
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