The drive to increase productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector in Nigeria was last week given a boost as Heifer International unveiled a programme of identifying young, creative entrepreneurs who have launched promising new tech solutions to transform agriculture for smallholder farmers, writes Festus Akanbi
I there is one issue giving the federal and state governments cause for concern, it is that of the rising food inflation.
For a country, which is facing an acute shortage in food production as a result of a combination of growing insecurity, continued rise in the cost of moving farm produce to markets, instability in the nation’s foreign exchange market, and youth restlessness, any policy or programme capable of stimulating interest in agriculture will always take a centre stage in public discussion.
In Nigeria, emerging statistics on the current pathetic food situation are negative. Nigeria’s population is currently estimated at more than 200 million people and growing at 3.2% a year. There is no doubt therefore that feeding 200 million people and a projected 400 million by 2050 is a daunting challenge for Nigeria.
This is why analysts believed that leveraging technology and modern practices will create a pathway for Nigeria to increase productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector to curb food insecurity and poverty.
The reasoning is that given the sheer population of the Nigerian youths, it will be a great advantage to support any programme that will stimulate their interest in all phases of agriculture.
This is where the efforts of some development partners like Heifer International come in handy. With more than 75 years of investing and technically contributing to agricultural transformation programs globally, Heifer International is repositioning its work in Africa to include investment in infrastructure, young social entrepreneurs, and technology to support the continent’s agricultural sector leapfrog.
As one of the innovations being put in place to stimulate youths’ interest in agriculture and as a mark of its continuous drive to support smallholder farmers across Africa, Heifer International last week launched the annual Nigerian National edition of its Africa, Youth and Technology (AYuTe) Challenge with an award grant of $20,000 to the emerging most promising young agri-tech innovators in the country.
According to Heifer’s Youth and Innovation Lead for Africa, Dayo Aduroja, “In 2022, the AYuTe Africa Challenge which targets growth-stage businesses will announce champions for West, East, and Southern Africa. Interestingly, the 2022 edition will also be accompanied by national level competitions targeting start-up businesses, including in Nigeria.”
National Challenge
For its 2022 national competitions in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda, the organisation will award up to $20,000 in each country – with more to follow in 2023.
It added that its support doesn’t end with the grant alone, saying “We are also deploying a team of expert advisers—accomplished business veterans—to support AYuTe Nigeria Champions as they translate this funding into aggressive business expansion strategies.”
Heifer disclosed that through the AYuTe Nigeria Challenge, it wants to identify young, creative entrepreneurs who have launched promising new tech solutions to transform Nigerian agriculture for smallholder farmers.
According to a statement from Heifer, across Nigeria, young professionals are today developing and deploying tech innovations that are reimagining farming and food production across the continent. These entrepreneurs are showing that agriculture is a profitable career choice – and not a career of last resort.
“From drones that can detect the threat of crop diseases to solar-powered refrigeration hubs that prevent food waste to soil testing kits, these innovations have the potential to make agriculture a promising future for Nigeria’s youth: one that is profitable and rewarding,” a statement from Heifer International said.
Creating Opportunities for Young Nigerian Innovators
Heifer International said it believes that the future of Nigeria’s agriculture hinges on creating opportunities for young Nigerian innovators to transform the agricultural landscape, catalysing ground-up innovation from young Africans, and making agriculture a desired career for the future.
The belief is the combination of increased funding, visibility, and mentorship will provide a new incentive for young, tech-oriented Nigerians to launch their bold new agritech businesses and set their sights on joining the league of AYuTe Africa Champions.
Role of Youth, Technology in Agriculture
As a part of this commitment, Heifer International said it recently completed a survey on “The Future of Africa’s Agriculture; An Assessment of the Role of Youth and Technology” that reveals that, while there is a wide range of Agritech innovations that could propel Nigerian farmers to profitability, only 23% of youth engaged in agriculture are using any form of agricultural technology, which, points to the need for new investments to stimulate access to innovations that could encourage African youth now turning away from agriculture to reconsider opportunities in the sector – especially given the need to generate jobs and repair food systems battered by the pandemic. Heifer International is now investing in the creativity of young Nigerians and new technologies to unlock opportunities within the agricultural sector for improved incomes, food security, and resilience.
Unleashing Agricultural Treasures in Youths
In 2021, Heifer launched the AYuTe Africa Challenge, which awards cash grants to the most promising young agritech innovators across Africa. The organisers explained that the AYuTe Africa Challenge is arguably one of the most ambitious competitions for agricultural technology innovators on the continent 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.
Through the regional competition, it awards yearly cash grants of up to $1.5million to the most promising young agritech innovators across Africa.
Speaking at the official launch of the challenge in Lagos on Wednesday, Heifer’s Country Director, Rufus Idris said the National competition in Nigeria (AYuTe Nigeria Challenge) has been initiated as an “enterprise development programme to further identify, nurture and support innovative, relevant and technology-driven agric-centric start-up enterprises to grow, scale and thrive.”
“We are excited to announce and kick-start the AYuTe Nigeria Challenge with a starting cash grant of $20,000 to the most promising young agritech innovators in Nigeria. This is in line with Heifer’s strategic goal of unleashing the hidden agricultural treasures among African youths.
“Through this challenge, we hope to further inspire the Nigerian youth population to continue to embrace agriculture as a career option of choice while promoting creative professionals that are using technology to re-imagine farming and food production across the country. The winner of this challenge will also be the Nigerian Champion (flag-bearer) for the 2022 AYuTe Nigeria Challenge,” Rufus said.
This year’s challenge is being implemented by Enactus Nigeria, a foremost international non-profit organisation dedicated to youth leadership and enterprise development.
Enactus Nigeria Country Director, Michael Ajayi said that the focus of the AYuTe Nigeria Challenge is to identify and support young agritech innovators across Nigeria who have launched promising new tech solutions to transform Nigerian agriculture for smallholder farmers. The competition combines the features of prize money and mentorship to help translate the energy and ideas of young innovators into meaningful impact for smallholder farmers across the country.
“The challenge will identify investible youth-led agricultural technology innovations with the most potential to change the face of agriculture, unlock the opportunities inherent in the agricultural value chain, improve agricultural processes, and significantly improve the living incomes of smallholder farmers across Nigeria,” he stated.
The launch event also brought together stakeholders within the ecosystem including government representatives, tech hubs, and agripreneurs, who are relevant to supporting the development and scale-up of innovative, commercially viable, and sustainable agricultural technologies, capable of transforming Nigeria’s agricultural sector and her food security.
Speaking earlier at the launch event, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abiola Olusanya commended Heifer International for the great initiative of assisting to drive the growth and development of agriculture across Africa and particularly in Nigeria, by encouraging innovation and supporting programmes geared toward accelerating agritech startups, youth-owned agribusinesses, and other business stakeholders along the agriculture value chain.
She expressed optimism that the initiative will serve as a catalyst for economic development in Nigeria and secure a greater future for the nation.
The organisers explained that the challenge competition, opened on Wednesday, August 17 for entry applications and will close by September 16, 2022, and that interested participants are expected to register through the AYuTe Challenge portal.
Launched in 2021, the AYuTe Africa Challenge encourages young growth-stage agritech innovators to scale their ambition and their ability to deliver meaningful impact for farmers – ultimately supporting Heifer International’s Africa strategy to secure a sustainable and dynamic future for the continent’s food systems and agricultural sector.
The winners of the 2021 inaugural Heifer International AyuTe Africa Challenge included the Hello Tractor, award-winning agricultural technology and social enterprise company that increases smallholder farmers’ access to tractors through farm equipment sharing application that bridges the gap between traditional farming and more technologically advanced approaches. The list also includes ColdHubs, agricultural technology, and a social enterprise company that deploys solar-powered cold storage systems to help farmers reduce post-harvest loss. They secured a combined $1.5 million in grants to help fund rapid expansion plans.
