Inside startups using tech to solve farmers' biggest challenges

As Ninah Muli Wayua’s company, Dairy Sense, was announced the winner in the Early Stage category during the Agriculture, Youth and Technology (AYuTe Africa) 2025/26 Challenge for Young Kenyans, she could hardly believe it. 

For a moment, she stood frozen in disbelief, unsure whether she had heard her company’s name correctly.

Dairy Sense, a Kenyan agritech startup, is transforming the dairy industry through smart milk-quality testing technology. The company pioneers quality-based milk pricing by providing portable milk-testing equipment directly at farm gates and milk collection centres.

By leveraging technology, the company enables farmers, cooperatives and processors to access real-time milk quality data, improving transparency, reducing losses and ensuring farmers receive fair and timely payments based on the quality of their milk.

The company’s innovation also helps detect contaminated or poor-quality milk instantly while creating digital quality records that enhance traceability and strengthen food safety standards across the dairy value chain.

It aims to improve farmer incomes, reduce milk spoilage, and build a more transparent, data-driven dairy ecosystem across Africa.

“Being announced among the winners was a defining moment for our team. It was recognition of the vision we have for transforming the dairy industry through technology,” Muli says.

“For us, the win was bigger than the award itself. It signalled that the future of transparent and quality-driven dairy systems is gaining support and attention.” The company is among eight agritech startups that secured a combined $41,088 (Sh5.3 million) in funding under the 2025/26 AYuTe Challenge Kenya, a competition that supports young innovators developing practical technology solutions for smallholder farmers.

The competition, run by Heifer International, focuses on identifying and backing young innovators whose solutions can improve productivity, resilience and incomes in Kenya’s agriculture sector, which employs a majority of the population.

Dairy Sense won $6,202 (Sh 800,628), a prize money Muli discloses will accelerate the company’s growth.

“We are directing the funds toward advancing our milk testing technology, expanding field deployments, strengthening data systems and increasing access to quality testing for more dairy farmers and cooperatives,” she says.

Efficient dairy system

The prize was timely. She explains, building deep-tech and hardware-driven agricultural solutions requires continuous investment in research, development, testing and deployment. The funding provides an important opportunity to move from pilot stages into wider adoption and impact. 

The company started in 2024, after seeing an opportunity to use technology to create a more efficient and fair dairy ecosystem. “We had identified critical gaps in milk quality assessment, transparency and farmer compensation within the dairy value chain.

The winners emerged from a competitive process that attracted 486 applicants nationwide, reflecting growing interest among young entrepreneurs in tackling agricultural inefficiencies, from post-harvest losses to limited market access.

Dickson Ayuka, founder of Bellfeeds Farmcare, recalls the competition as intense, inspiring and filled with innovative entrepreneurs.

His company emerged second in the growth-stage category, winning $10,078 (Sh1.3 million) prize money.

“I felt excited, grateful and motivated to keep building impact. After pitching, I was hopeful, but the competition was very strong, so it was a pleasant surprise to be among the winners,” he shares.

Ayuka says the prize money will be used to expand operations, improve production, and support more farmers. The funds will help the company grow faster and address key operational challenges. Founded in 2020 and based in Nairobi, Bellfeeds Farmcare works closely with livestock farmers across Kenya to help them increase productivity, boost earnings and run profitable and predictable farms.

“Starting was challenging because of limited resources and market uncertainties. We began with a small personal investment and reinvested profits to grow. The biggest challenges were access to capital, building trust with farmers and gaining market access,” he recalls.

Today, the company provides livestock farmers with a premium end-to-end support platform that guarantees affordable, high-quality feed, reliable veterinary care and assured market access, helping them produce more, earn more and operate sustainable farms.

It also aims to establish solar-powered cold storage facilities strategically located at abattoirs to support meat supply operations while offering affordable and reliable cold storage services to farmers who need to preserve their products.

Currently, Ayuka works with a team of 20 employees alongside a network of farmers and partners. He plans to scale operations across more regions, reach additional farmers and build a more sustainable livestock value chain.

Sarah Wambulwa was surprised and elated when her enterprise, Jolly Mushrooms, was announced as the second runner-up in the growth-stage category of the AYuTe Africa Challenge.

Expanding the business

“It felt like an out-of-body experience for me. This was my second time applying for the challenge, so I had already made peace with the possibility that I might not be among the winners, considering that I was competing against exceptionally brilliant innovators,” she says.

Luckily, Jolly Mushrooms won $3,876, funding that she says will be instrumental in supporting product research and development.

“It will also enable my enterprise to expand its distribution networks to ensure that our mushroom products become more accessible across the country,” she explains.

“We then transform this fresh produce into premium, value-added mushroom products that go beyond nourishment; they carry a story of resilience, opportunity, and shared prosperity,” she says.

Heifer International Kenya, Country Director Wairimu Munyinyi-Wahome says such initiatives are critical as the country seeks to modernize agriculture and make the sector more attractive to young people. 

“We are seeing young people build practical solutions to real agricultural problems. The focus now is on helping these businesses grow and reach farmers at scale,” she says. 

Heifer International Kenya Board Chairperson Florence Kimata explains that the programme is designed to support viable enterprises, not just ideas.

“This is about building businesses that create value across the agricultural economy. AYuTe is more than a funding opportunity; it is a deliberate investment in young innovators who are solving real problems in productivity, climate resilience, market access, and enterprise growth. The real value will be seen in how many of these enterprises scale, how many farmers benefit, and how widely these solutions are adopted,” she explains.

The 18 finalists in this year’s competition showcased solutions in climate-smart agriculture, digital advisory services, livestock systems and post-harvest management, areas considered key to improving food security and increasing farmers’ incomes. Kenya National Innovation Agency (KNIA) CEO Dr Tonny Omwansa says innovation alone is not enough.

“It has to be supported by the right ecosystem, financing, infrastructure, and partnerships to reach the market,” he says.

Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) CEO Joseph Murabula says the quality and ambition demonstrated by the enterprises throughout the process is encouraging. 

“What stands out is that these are not just ideas, but businesses responding to real farmer needs and showing strong potential to scale. Through our work with Heifer International, we have seen how structured support, mentorship, and technical assistance can help young innovators move from concept to market readiness, and that is where real transformation begins,” he says.