Testing, Innovating & Educating with AgLivingLabs 

Inspired by regenerative agriculture techniques, advancements in digital agriculture, and unique contexts of African agriculture, AgLivingLabs is bringing together people, technology, and natural resources to build a thriving agroecosystem rooted in science, community, and progress. 

AgLivingLabs (AgLL) was established to bridge the gap between agricultural innovation and real-world impact and better connect the information needs of farmers with practical and collaborative research. AgLL employs the model of a “living lab” where stakeholders come together to quickly test and innovate solutions. In the case of agriculture, AgLivingLabs aims to explore best practices in agriculture and create adapted solutions to the challenges facing African agriculture involving poor soil health, low rainfall, climate change, and the growing demand for food.  

AgLL approaches this task with four key practices in mind:  

• Regenerative agriculture techniques like minimized tillage and structured crop rotations to improve soil health,  

• Digital agriculture tools like artificial intelligence, satellite and drone imagery to optimize farm practices and resource water, soil and biodiversity resources,  

• Collaborative research between farmers and scientists to source the most impactful solutions, and 

• Educational programs that empower farmers to apply these solutions locally.  

Building on DevGlobal’s Agriculture Expertise  

AgLivingLabs builds on DevGlobal and DevAfrique’s work at the forefront of agriculture solutions. Before the company was founded Dr. David Bergvinson, Advisor, led digital agriculture efforts at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with support from Matt Manning, DevGlobal Founder. Dr. Bergvinson remains an expert in sustainable agriculture with decades of experience and is the thought-leader behind AgLivingLabs.  

Recently, DevGlobal hosted the 2023 and 2024 ICTforAg conferences to build community and coalitions for innovation around technology and data in agriculture and will also organize a 2025 convening series centered on artificial intelligence for small-scale producers. DevGlobal is a proud supporter of the Precision Field Academy and has brought on PFA founder Femi Adekoya on as an Advisor. DevGlobal is also a collaborator of GeoField, an initiative that uses Earth Observations to measure impact in climate resilient agriculture. Building on these efforts, DevGlobal Partners has joined forces with AusQuest and is taking to the farm to foster innovation and empower farmers with information. 

Partnering with AusQuest Farm 

AgLL builds on a legacy; in 2011, Stuart Barden started his commercial farm using dryland regenerative agriculture techniques he learned in Australia, adapted for the Kenyan context. His work specializes in bio-fortified bean seed and fodder, low-cost mechanization, and farm management – and he is passionate about sharing knowledge from decades of experience. In 2024, AgLivingLabs was established at the AusQuest Farm to merge, test, and scale innovative practices in a collaborative setting.  

Getting Involved 

The AgLivingLabs invites participation from anyone connected to agriculture in Africa with an interest in promoting a beneficial agricultural system for all; this includes farmers, researchers, extension officers, agribusiness representatives, policymakers, and more. With a network of engaged individuals, the AgLivingLabs plans to accelerate information sharing across and within this community to improve environmental, economic, and social outcomes for producers and consumers.  

Find out more information and follow for updates at aglivinglabs.org