With nearly one in five Africans going hungry, global nonprofit Heifer International has called for urgent investment in youth-led agricultural innovations, creative financing, and community-driven solutions to tackle the continent’s deepening food crisis.
The appeal comes ahead of the Africa Food Systems Forum, AFSF 2025, scheduled for August 31 to September 5 in Dakar, Senegal, where Heifer will unveil new strategies to empower young innovators and smallholder farmers with tools to reshape food production.
A Crisis Demanding Bold Action
The scale of hunger across Africa is worsening. According to the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report, 307 million Africans — almost 20% of the population — suffer from hunger. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed recently warned the world is “far off track” in meeting the 2030 goal to end hunger.
AFSF 2025, Africa’s largest platform for food systems dialogue, will gather policymakers, farmers, innovators, investors, and business leaders under the theme: “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation.” The theme aligns with Heifer’s push for youth-powered, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural growth.
From Aid to Ecosystem Facilitation
Unlike traditional donor-driven models, Heifer is advancing an ecosystem approach built on youth enablement, blended finance, and community ownership.
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Through its AYuTe NextGen initiative, launched in 2021, Heifer has mobilized over $11 million in catalytic investments and supported nearly 100 youth-led agri-tech businesses. These ventures have created 23,000 jobs and impacted more than 3.5 million smallholder households across Africa.
At the forum, Heifer will highlight collaborative financing models such as its partnership with Hello Tractor, which blends finance and technology to expand mechanization access for smallholder farmers. A recent report by Aceli Africa noted the initiative’s success in boosting farmer incomes while proving scalable pathways for growth.
“Africa’s food systems demand bold, collaborative action that evolves traditional donor models to meet the continent’s food security needs sustainably and at scale,” said Adesuwa Ifedi, Heifer’s Senior Vice President for Africa Programs. “At AFSF 2025, we are showcasing how youth-powered innovation and catalytic finance can transform farming communities and build lasting resilience.”
Tackling Systemic Barriers
Heifer will also challenge stakeholders to remove barriers that lock millions out of opportunity, focusing on:
- Youth enablement: Empowering young people to lead in agtech and climate-smart solutions.
- Local ownership: Scaling community-driven models across food systems.
- Financial innovation: Expanding blended finance and catalytic capital for smallholder farmers.
In Senegal, Heifer’s community-based Savings and Loans Groups have enabled rural women, often excluded from formal finance, to run successful agribusinesses. “With training and savings, every woman now earns an income and leads in shaping our community’s future,” said Aissatou Deh, Treasurer of the JAM Group in Senegal.
Heifer at AFSF 2025
During the six-day forum, Heifer will:
- Host side events spotlighting youth-led agri-innovations
- Engage in deal room sessions to attract new investment
- Amplify farmer voices and showcase locally funded successes
- Demonstrate how ecosystem facilitation ensures sustainable transformation
After more than 80 years of working with smallholder farmers — including five decades in Africa — Heifer says addressing hunger requires more than short-term fixes.
It demands systemic change rooted in innovation, finance, and local leadership.
“Heifer International calls on all stakeholders to invest in Africa’s youth and smallholder farmers to build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems,” Ms. Ifedi concluded.
