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From
Digital Transformation Accelerator
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Published on
20.08.25
A youth-led tech initiative designed to help coffee farmers meet complex European regulations has won the AGX Inspire Challenge just before a critical trade deadline. The AGX Inspire Challenge provides seed funding and technical support from CGIAR for the team to develop a proof of concept that addresses real-world challenges in agriculture. ASEL Agri’s “Youth Trace Force,” a project designed to ensure Kenyan coffee remains compliant with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), was selected as the winning pitch at the AGX Unconference – Nairobi 2025 held at ILRI, Nairobi from 23-24 July 2025.
EUDR compliance deadline
As of 30 December 2025, all coffee entering the EU must be proven to be deforestation-free, complete with precise geolocation data for the plots of land where it was grown. For countless small-scale farmers across East Africa, who often lack the digital tools and skills to provide this data, the regulation presents an existential threat, potentially severing their access to a vital market and devastating their incomes. This is the challenge ASEL Agri pitched to address by turning a potential crisis into a dual opportunity for farmers and unemployed youth.
Enter the Youth Trace Force
ASEL Agri’s solution – Youth Trace Force – aims to train rural youth to collect, manage, and upload EUDR-compliant data on behalf of coffee farmers, using open-source, globally recognized tools.
The Youth Trace Force model is built on a foundation of trust and accessibility. The plan is to train young people from coffee-growing communities to use free, open-source digital public infrastructure (DPI) tools, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Open Foris and Collect Earth apps, alongside the International Trade Centre’s (ITC) Deforestation-Free Trade Gateway.
These trained and digitally savvy youth will become traceability agents visiting local farms, mapping coffee plots, tagging geolocation points, and collecting and uploading the necessary land-use data using smartphones or tablets. They will also be assisting cooperatives with risk analysis. In return, they earn dignified digital income while also reinforcing local trust networks. Because they are members of the community and speak the local language, they can overcome trust barriers that often hinder technology adoption. Crucially, the model emphasizes that farmers own and control their data, granting access to buyers as they see fit, a key concern in the digital agriculture space.
During the Unconference, nine teams formed organically and presented proposed solutions to challenges such as coffee traceability, youth empowerment, and financial inclusion for women. In the end, ASEL Agri emerged as the winner of the US $20,000 challenge prize, determined through the judges’ selection of the top three teams, followed by a vote from approximately 100 in-person participants.
Proven record, not just theory
ASEL Agri’s pitch excelled by demonstrating a clear, scalable, and farmer-centric solution. They highlighted their proven experience, having already successfully mapped 6,324 farmers across three cooperatives in Bungoma County, supported four coffee estates and three cooperatives to secure EU Organic Certification, and facilitated export-ready traceability. Their familiarity with the exact open-source tools such as FAO and ITC platforms, combined with on-the-ground credibility, gave them a significant edge over the other eight teams.
With the Inspire Challenge grant, ASEL Agri plans to move fast. Their goal for the next three to four months is to train 60 youth across 8 counties, map over 3,000 farms, deliver EUDR compliance data and establish a proof-of-concept for a national rollout.
From pitch to policy
Jawoo Koo, the Interim Deputy Director of the CGIAR Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA) framed the challenge as a moment to shift from inspiration to action, to co-create a real, fundable, and actionable solution.
As the deadline for the EUDR approaches, the Youth Trace Force initiative offers a powerful blueprint. It not only provides a practical path to compliance but also creates dignified digital work for young Kenyans and builds local capacity for a future of climate-smart trade, ensuring the rich aroma of Kenyan coffee continues to be enjoyed in European cafés for years to come. With a ticking clock and a bold idea in motion, ASEL Agri’s Youth Trace Force may well become Kenya’s best shot at a coffee-secure, youth-powered, and data-smart future.
AGX Unconference – Nairobi 2025
The AGX Unconference – Nairobi 2025 was the inaugural event in a series designed to transform Kenya’s agrifood systems through the application of digital technologies and AI innovations. Co-hosted by DTA, Gates Foundation, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), DIASCA, and DevGlobal, the event brought together producers, technologists, researchers, and policymakers to co-create solutions that leverage DPI and AI to improve efficiency and empower small-scale producers. Its overarching goal is to catalyze a global shift toward more inclusive and resilient agricultural systems.
The two-day event in Nairobi began by grounding participants in real-world problems through a “Voices from the Field” session, followed by breakout groups and debates on topics like AI for agricultural advisory, GenAI benchmarking, data governance, and equitable technology. The second day shifted from analysis to action, featuring brainstorming sessions and working groups on practical applications, such as creating a system for deforestation-free coffee in Kenya.
