Samson Alemu, a young Ethiopian entrepreneur, has won the inaugural Agriculture, Youth, and Technology (AYuTe) Africa Next Gen Award.
The award challenge is an initiative by Heifer International to support youths who showcase and exhibit cutting-edge, tech-driven solutions aimed at transforming the agricultural sector.
To emerge winner, Alemu’s Thur Biotech Project excelled among 15 innovators from different African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda.
Kenya’s Eliud Rugut of Silo Africa came second while Tajudeen Yahaya of Nigeria became the 2nd runner-up. Two Rwandans identified as Norman Mugisha, the proprietor of Afri-Farmers and Israel Niyonshuti of TechAdopter finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Upon receipt of the award, Alemu could not hide his excitement.
“Being a young innovator involved in agriculture can never come a better time than now. I am so overwhelmed with the support I have received,” an ecstatic Alemu said.
His Thur Biotech Project produces sustainable bacterial biofertilizers that can replace chemical fertilizers by supplying all the essential nutrients to crops.
Additionally, the biofertilizers enhance crop resilience to diseases and drought. This innovative application method allows farmers to use just 1.5kg of the product to cover a hectare, eliminating the need for bulk fertilizer application.
Themed ‘Reimagining Africa’s Agriculture for the next 50’, the inaugural AYuTe Next Gen award ceremony brought together young agritech innovators, agripreneurs, and stakeholders in the continent’s agriculture and youth development sectors.
Through innovation and entrepreneurship, Heifer International seeks to address real challenges faced by smallholder farmers by supporting youth who deliver solutions that can revolutionize the agriculture sector.
Surita Sandosham, the CEO of Heifer International underscores that millions of smallholder farmers on the continent need advanced technology innovations. She affirms her Organization’s commitment to spearhead this cause.
“As you continue this exciting journey of transforming agriculture, Heifer International is here to support you. Through initiatives such as the AYuTe, we will work with you to leverage the needed resources and capacity to become the architects of change that you want to be for your communities.” She said.
This year, Heifer International marks 80 years of supporting smallholder farmers globally and 50 years in Africa.
Many initiatives have been created and executed in partnership with governments, donors, partners, and communities to improve the agricultural ecosystem across the continent. AYuTe Next Gen is one of them.
Consequently, many young agripreneurs and innovators have been inspired, driving a forward-looking vision for the next 50 years of agricultural transformation on the continent.
And as Dayo Aduroja, African Youth and Innovation Lead at Heifer International explains, The AYuTe Africa Challenge is one of the most ambitious agriculture competitions on the continent.
It envisions combining the power of African youth with the many possibilities of emerging technologies to support smallholder farmers across Africa to grow their businesses and incomes.
“The AYuTe Next Gen gatherings provide the opportunity to witness young African innovators in agriculture pitching their ideas as we seek to identify and reward the top performers to help them scale their innovations,” he said.
Aduroja challenges the youth to use this platform and lead important conversations, share knowledge, and forge partnerships with critical stakeholders to drive progress towards a more secure and sustainable food system in Africa.
Every innovator within the AYuTe ecosystem is a winner. Whether awarded or not, each innovation brings to market a home-grown technology initiative that powers smallholder farmers to increase productivity and incomes in one way or another.
Launched in 2021, the initiative has generated a huge response, offering young innovators a chance to secure the funding and visibility to scale their ideas and ambitions.
Each year, Heifer International invests more than US$1.5 million to accelerate digital agriculture entrepreneurship in Africa.
It combines features of cash awards, mentorship and business development to help translate the energy and ideas of young innovators into meaningful impact for smallholder farmers. This has worn the admiration of the government of Rwanda.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Resources, Eric Rwigamba, says that agriculture faces challenges such as poor maintenance of arable land, substandard seeds, and inadequate access to fertilizers, and employing technology is a turnaround move that is highly appreciated.
