ASEL Agri’s youth-led tech initiative, Youth Trace Force, has won the AGX Inspire Challenge 2025 for its innovative approach to helping Kenyan coffee farmers comply with European Union deforestation regulations (EUDR). The AGX Inspire Challenge, hosted at ILRI, Nairobi from 23–24 July 2025, provides seed funding and technical support from CGIAR to teams developing practical, scalable solutions for Africa’s agrifood sector.
The EUDR compliance deadline of 30 December 2025 requires all coffee entering the EU to be deforestation-free, with precise geolocation data for each plot. Many small-scale East African farmers, lacking digital tools and expertise, face the risk of losing access to this critical market. Youth Trace Force addresses this challenge by training local youth to collect, manage, and upload EUDR-compliant data on behalf of farmers, using open-source digital tools like FAO’s Open Foris, Collect Earth, and ITC’s Deforestation-Free Trade Gateway.
The program emphasizes community trust and farmer ownership of data. Trained youth serve as traceability agents, mapping coffee plots, tagging geolocation points, and assisting cooperatives with risk analysis. This approach generates dignified digital income for young people while building local capacity and ensuring farmers retain control of their data.
During the AGX Unconference, nine teams pitched solutions addressing coffee traceability, youth empowerment, and financial inclusion for women. ASEL Agri’s clear, scalable, and farmer-centric approach stood out, backed by a proven record of mapping over 6,300 farmers, supporting cooperatives in EU Organic Certification, and facilitating export-ready traceability. The initiative won a US $20,000 grant, with plans to train 60 youth across eight counties and map over 3,000 farms in the coming months.
The AGX Unconference – Nairobi 2025, co-hosted by DTA, the Gates Foundation, GIZ, DIASCA, and DevGlobal, aimed to transform Kenya’s agrifood systems through digital technologies and AI. The event combined “Voices from the Field” sessions, interactive debates, and practical workshops to co-create solutions for small-scale producers, emphasizing climate-smart trade, equitable technology, and data-driven agriculture.
ASEL Agri’s Youth Trace Force offers a practical blueprint for meeting the EUDR while creating youth employment, building local digital capacity, and ensuring Kenyan coffee remains competitive in European markets, setting a precedent for scalable, community-led solutions in agriculture.
