What happens when a farmer needs agricultural support but isn't comfortable using technology?
That was one of the questions raised to the Youth and Contemporary Development (YCD) team during Impact Month 2026 in Buea.
At first, it sounded like a simple question. But it challenged us to look beyond the technology itself.
We were not only presenting an app. We were presenting a solution intended to support real farmers, in real communities, with different levels of access to technology.
In March 2026, YCD participated in the Impact Month 2026 Project Pitching Contest held at Mile 16, Buea — an initiative focused on community transformation and economic empowerment through innovative solutions.
Our team presented the YCD Farmer Guide, an AI-powered agricultural solution designed to make useful farming information and support more accessible to farmers.
We were proud to receive 2nd place at the competition.
But beyond the recognition, the experience gave us something even more valuable: questions, feedback and lessons that have continued to shape the development of the Farmer Guide.
Our Participation and Achievement
We are proud to share that YCD was awarded 2nd place at the competition.
This recognition reflects both the relevance of the problem we are addressing and the potential of the solution we are building. More importantly, it represents a step forward in our journey to create practical, accessible tools that support local communities.
The Solution We Presented: YCD Farmer Guide
At the heart of our pitch was the YCD Farmer Guide, an AI-powered solution designed to support farmers with the tools and information they need to make better decisions and improve their livelihoods.
The solution focuses on:
- Crop disease detection to help farmers quickly identify and treat issues affecting their crops
- Market access to connect farmers with better selling opportunities
- Smart advisory services accessible through familiar tools such as WhatsApp and SMS
- Localized farming insights tailored to farmers’ environments and realities
Our goal is simple: to make agricultural support more accessible, practical, and relevant to the everyday realities of farmers in Cameroon.
A Defining Moment: Addressing Accessibility
One of the most impactful moments during the pitch came from a question raised by the judges:
“What if many farmers are not comfortable with technology? How will they cope?”
This question speaks directly to one of the biggest challenges in digital innovation — accessibility.
Our response was clear:
We are not just building technology — we are building access.
That is why the YCD Farmer Guide is designed to work with tools that farmers already use daily, such as WhatsApp and SMS. By doing so, we remove the barriers often associated with new technologies and ensure that the solution remains inclusive.
Because innovation is only meaningful when it is practical, accessible, and usable by the people it is intended to serve.
What This Milestone Means for Us
Placing second in this competition is not the end of the journey — it is momentum.
It reinforces that the problem we are tackling is real and urgent. It also validates our approach of building solutions that prioritize simplicity, accessibility, and impact.
More importantly, it encourages us to continue refining, improving, and expanding the YCD Farmer Guide to better serve farmers across different regions.
Moving Forward
Our mission remains clear:
- To empower farmers with the knowledge and tools they need
- To bridge the gap between traditional farming practices and modern technology
- To make agriculture smarter, simpler, and more accessible
We believe that when farmers are better supported, entire communities benefit — from improved livelihoods to stronger local economies and increased food security.
Moving From Pitching to Testing
The Impact Month experience was one step in a longer journey.
Since then, the YCD Farmer Guide has continued to evolve through further development, competitions, feedback and learning. We are now moving into an important stage: testing the solution with farmers.
This stage is about listening.
We want to understand how farmers interact with the solution, what works for them, what does not, what needs to be simplified, and what can be improved before we think about taking the Farmer Guide further.
For us, innovation is not about building something and assuming it will work. It is about building, listening, learning and improving.
The goal remains the same: to develop a practical and accessible tool that can help farmers access useful agricultural information and make better decisions.
The next chapter of the YCD Farmer Guide will therefore not be written by us alone. It will be shaped by the farmers who test it and tell us what they need.
We are still building. We are still learning. And we are taking the next step toward making the solution work in the realities of the communities it was created to serve.
