Kenya Coffee School (KCS) to leverage the AAAP Youth Entrepreneurship and Adaptation Jobs pillar.
The goal is to move youth beyond just being farmers or laborers and Baristas to becoming “Climate-Smart Coffeepreneurs” who are the engine of adaptation.
Here is a training module, combining CLIMADEMY’s action-learning methodology with AAAP’s focus on innovative, scalable, and bankable solutions.
🚀 Module: Adaptation Entrepreneurship & Green Value Chain (AAAP Youth Pillar)
🎯 Module Goal
To equip youth (especially young women) with the skills to identify market gaps created by climate change in the coffee value chain and design profitable, scalable, and ‘bankable’ adaptation business solutions.
🧩 CLIMADEMY Principle: Action and Transformation
The module is structured as an Innovation Lab and Accelerator, culminating in a pitch for seed funding or the KCS African Youth Adaptation Solutions (KCS YouthADAPT) Challenge.
Phase 1: Climate-Risk Opportunity Mapping (Knowledge & Skills)
| Unit | Topic | Core Competency | Learning Activity |
| 1.1 | Climate-Risk-to-Revenue | Opportunity Identification | Analyzing common coffee farm climate risks (e.g., drought, CBD/CLR outbreaks, high input cost) and translating each risk into a potential business opportunity (e.g., drought $\rightarrow$ efficient irrigation service). |
| 1.2 | The Adaptation Solution Toolkit | Climate-Smart Product Design | Deep dive into low-carbon, climate-resilient services in coffee: Bio-Input Production, Solar Drying/Roasting, Digital Traceability, Resilient Seedling Nurseries (F1 Hybrids). |
| 1.3 | Value Chain Diagnosis | Market Analysis for Adaptation | Mapping the local coffee value chain to pinpoint where most climate risk (and thus, most profit potential) lies: Farm Gate, Processing/Milling, or Retail/Export. |
Phase 2: Business & Bankability Development (Skills & Action)
| Unit | Topic | Core Competency | Learning Activity |
| 2.1 | Business Model Canvas (B-CAN) | Value Proposition Development | Defining the unique “Climate Value Proposition”: What problem does your solution solve, and how is it more resilient/sustainable than the conventional alternative? |
| 2.2 | Financial Literacy & Costing | Financial Planning & Viability | Calculating startup costs, break-even analysis, and profitability for a green enterprise. Understanding green accounting (measuring carbon and water footprints). |
| 2.3 | Bankable Project Design | Investment Readiness | Learning the language of climate finance: developing a pitch deck that includes Theory of Change, clear Adaptation Metrics (e.g., number of farmers reached, water saved, carbon sequestered), and a robust risk mitigation plan. |
Phase 3: Incubation & Scaling (Action & Values)
| Unit | Topic | Core Competency | Learning Activity |
| 3.1 | Ethical Governance & Gender | Inclusive Leadership | Training on cooperative governance, ethical sourcing (aligned with GOOD Trade Certification), and the critical role of women’s leadership in adaptation businesses (AAAP priority). |
| 3.2 | Digital Scaling & IOT | Technology Adoption & Integration | Utilizing digital tools for scale: building an online presence, using mobile payments, integrating IoT sensors or basic digital traceability (blockchain) into the business model. |
| 3.3 | The AAAP YouthADAPT Pitch | Communication & Advocacy | Mock Pitching Session where youth present their fully costed business plans to a panel of experts (mentors, investors, AfDB/GCA representatives). The focus is on clarity, scalability, and measurable climate impact. |
Expected Youth Outcomes (Aligned with AAAP Metrics)
| Metric Area | Quantifiable Outcome |
| Job Creation | X number of youth-led MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) established. |
| Financial Access | Y USD in seed funding/grants/loans unlocked by trainees. |
| Adaptation Impact | Z number of farmers reached with a new climate-smart service (e.g., resilient seedlings, digital weather advisory). |