Hackathon Date

Hackathon
Venue

Register for the Hackathon

Overview

The Agri-Tech AI Hackathon

The two-day hackathon kicks off GIW2026 by harnessing the creativity of young tech innovators to solve pressing agricultural problems. Building on last year’s success, where over 160 participants developed 16 prototypes; the 2026 hackathon will emphasize climate-smart solutions. Challenges will be drawn from real smallholder pain-points identified via pre-event consultations (e.g. drought prediction, soil health management, post-harvest loss tracking). Teams will have access to datasets, APIs and hardware (IoT kits, drones) to build AI-powered and digital tools. Seasoned mentors from tech companies, research institutes, and agribusiness will provide hands-on guidance.

160

Innovators, 20 Startups

16

New Agritech Solutions

Day 2

Judging & Team Selection

The hackathon culminates in a pitch judging session where top teams are selected based on innovation, feasibility, impact, and scalability. Prizes (cash awards, gadgets, and in-kind support) and incubation slots will be awarded to the winners to ensure continuity beyond the event.

Mentor an Innovator

Are you a tech leader, agronomist, or investor seeking to mentor innovators with creative solutions for food and nutritional security? Participate in the hackathon as a judge/mentor.

Pitching

The hackathon culminates in a pitch judging session where top teams are selected based on innovation, feasibility, impact, and scalability. Prizes (cash awards, gadgets, and in-kind support) and incubation slots will be awarded to the winners to ensure continuity beyond the event. This hackathon is a flagship youth engagement tool; demonstrating how rural youth talent, given the right platform, can create solutions that align with national agricultural priorities. The winning teams will later showcase their solutions during the Summit, bridging into the next phase of GIW.
Hackathon

Theme & Challenges

The hackathon challenges will be aligned to the Summit tracks. Challenges will be co-defined with input from experts (e.g. local farmers’ pain points or data from county agriculture offices). 

Days and Judging

Hackathon Structure

Day One

Day 1 will include an opening briefing, team formation and ideation sessions. Teams will be guided by mentors to address real challenges in climate-smart farming, value addition, and market access. The hackathon fosters co-creation, rapid prototyping, and a spirit of competition.

DayTwo

Day 2 involves prototype completion, pitch coaching and final presentations to a judging panel. It ends with judging and selection of top teams.

Judging & Prizes

A panel of judges (tech leaders, agronomists and investors) will evaluate solutions on criteria like innovation, feasibility, impact on food & nutritional security, and scalability. Top teams will be awarded prizes including cash awards, startup support packages and incubation at Fie_Labs. Winning solutions will also be showcased at the Summit.

Outcomes Integration

The hackathon winners will pitch their innovations to the broader Summit audience during the opening plenary or relevant track sessions. This ensures continuity by having ideas generated feed directly into Summit discussions.

Agritech AI Hackathon
Live Pitches
Gusii Innovation Summit
Gusii Innovation Summit
Innovation Ecosystem Tour