Hangzhou/Dali, China – Food Security for Peace and Nutrition Africa (FSPN Africa), a pan-African non-profit organization focused on sustainable agriculture, food systems resilience, and climate adaptation, was honored to be selected as one of the global innovation champions at the Digital Agriculture Innovation Bootcamp 2025, held from May 25th to 31st in Zhejiang and Yunnan Provinces, China.
The bootcamp, jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Zhejiang University, and Pinduoduo, brought together winners and alumni from the FAO Global AgriInno Challenge.
Its goal was to deepen capacity for agrifood innovators and build transformative partnerships for digital agriculture solutions addressing food insecurity, climate change, and poverty.
A Landmark Opportunity for Africa’s Voice in Global Agritech Innovation
Representing FSPN Africa at the Bootcamp was Mr. Kalvince Otieno, the organization’s Regional Director and project representative of the Carbon Farming for Agricultural Sustainability and Profitability (CAFAESUP) initiative. Mr. Otieno participated in high-level technical workshops, interactive labs, and global networking sessions across multiple cities in China, culminating in a live pitch presentation during Demo Day on May 31st in Dali, Yunnan.
“This was more than a training—it was a powerful convening of the brightest minds driving food system transformation through data, climate science, and grassroots innovation. As an African-led solution grounded in both indigenous knowledge and emerging technology, CAFAESUP received high praise and strong interest from multiple stakeholders and potential global partners,” said Kalvince Otieno.
Presenting FSPN’s Flagship Innovation: CAFAESUP
CAFAESUP, FSPN Africa’s climate-smart farming model, is currently being implemented across Kenya and Tanzania, impacting over 3,000 smallholder farmers directly and reaching more than 500,000 indirectly through farmer cooperatives and training systems.
The project integrates:
AI-Powered Soil Intelligence to generate real-time soil fertility maps and guide regenerative interventions.
Carbon Sequestration Models to turn farms into climate-positive assets, enabling participation in voluntary carbon markets.
Youth- and Women-Centered Accelerators that equip local entrepreneurs with digital agriculture, finance, and climate action skills.
Evidence-Based Monitoring that uses remote sensing and data analytics for continuous feedback and performance optimization.
During the Bootcamp, the innovation was presented in front of a panel of world-class experts, including leaders from FAO’s Office of Innovation, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Zhejiang University, and green finance stakeholders.
Strategic Immersion: From Labs to the Field
The week-long Bootcamp featured intensive exposure to China’s rapidly evolving digital agriculture landscape. Key activities included:
Day 1–2 (Hangzhou): Systems thinking workshops at Zhejiang University, including sessions on AI in agriculture, future food system resilience, and entrepreneurship strategy.
Day 3 (Dali): Immersion visit to Pinduoduo’s Top Cloud Agriculture Company, showcasing scalable agritech platforms for precision farming.
Day 4–6 (Gusheng Village & Shuangxingnong Science Courtyard): Site visits to the Science and Technology Backyard (STB), smart irrigation projects, and organic orange and muscat grape farms applying cloud-based ecological decision systems.
Day 7 (Demo Day): Final pitch presentations by global innovators, with FSPN Africa among the 12 selected pitches, sharing the stage with high-tech solutions like AGRAVU’s Digital Identity for Rural Agriculture (Gold Award) and Smart Tomato by Guangxin Tech.
The experience revealed the massive potential of South-South cooperation, especially in scaling technologies tailored to rural realities through shared learning across continents.
Building Momentum for Africa’s Climate Agenda
FSPN Africa used the opportunity to advance its vision of regenerative, digitally enabled agriculture across Africa. Strategic outcomes from the bootcamp include:
Partnership Leads with Pinduoduo, Zhejiang University, and Chinese agri-enterprises on research, product testing, and digital infrastructure alignment.
Investor and Donor Interest in CAFAESUP’s carbon market and youth acceleration model, especially in light of its compatibility with global decarbonization goals.
Policy Exchange Dialogues exploring how local governments in Kenya and Tanzania can adopt China’s STB model of embedding scientists in villages to co-create data-driven farming ecosystems.
“What China has demonstrated is how science, local communities, and digital infrastructure can co-evolve,” said Mr. Otieno. “It’s a model we are ready to adapt in East Africa to localize food system resilience.”
Looking Ahead: Scaling CAFAESUP Across Africa
Following the success of its pitch and peer validation at the Bootcamp, FSPN Africa plans to scale the CAFAESUP initiative to 200,000 smallholder farmers over the next four years. The organization is currently developing:
A continent-wide regenerative soil map database, accessible via mobile.
An Africa-wide carbon farming e-learning curriculum, integrating AI, indigenous knowledge, and climate finance.
Digital Agriculture and Innovation Specialist -Office of Innovation, FAO. Photo Source: Digital Agriculture Innovation Bootcamp
A multi-stakeholder investment facility to support carbon farming adoption, particularly targeting youth and women-led farming enterprises.
About FSPN Africa
Established in 2015, Food Security for Peace and Nutrition Africa is a regional non-profit working at the intersection of food systems transformation, climate resilience, nutrition advocacy, and economic inclusion.
Headquartered in Kenya and operating in both Kenya and Tanzania, the organization has impacted over 500,000 smallholder farmers, built scalable climate-smart agriculture models, and implemented donor-supported projects including Digital Agriculture Africa, Healthy Diets for Africa, and CAFAESUP.
For partnership inquiries, investment interest, or further details, please contact:
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Issued by:
FSPN Africa – Communications & Partnerships Office
Nairobi, Kenya
June 4, 2025
