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Roadmap · 2026 – 2028

What's ahead for TRACE

The prototype is done. Now comes the hard part — getting it into the hands of real farmers, real regulators, and real supply chains.

Current status
Prototype complete
Next milestone
Field pilot — 2026
Horizon
National platform — 2028
Seeking now
Partners & funding
Diagram 1 — Phase timeline

Three phases, 2026 to 2028

Each phase produces independent value. Phase 1 is the critical unlock — without field evidence, Phase 2 cannot begin.

TRACE phase timeline 2026 to 2028 A horizontal timeline showing three phases: Phase 1 field pilot in 2026, Phase 2 government integration in 2027, Phase 3 national platform in 2028. An ongoing publications and releases track runs across all three years. 2026 2027 2028 Ph.0 Ph.1 Ph.2 Ph.3 Pub. Prototype built & tested ✓ System design Testing complete Phase 1 — Field pilot with cooperatives PLANNED Partner selection Sensor deployment First live DPP Phase 2 — Regulatory integration PLANNED KEPHIS MoU Schema alignment Phase 3 — National platform PLANNED Open-source Governance body Ongoing — research publications, conference papers, open-source releases Completed Planned — Phase 1 Planned — Phase 2 Planned — Phase 3
Milestone tracker

Phase by phase — what needs to happen

Each phase is a self-contained unit of work with defined inputs, outputs, and success criteria.

Phase 0
Research prototype
Jan – Apr 2026
Completed
Build a working prototype that demonstrates technical feasibility. Test it rigorously. Publish the findings.
✓
System architecture designed
Four-layer architecture defined: IoT data collection, IOTA integrity layer, multi-agent compliance layer, and stakeholder access layer.
Feb 2026
✓
IOTA anchoring implemented and tested
SHA-256 hashing and transaction submission to IOTA Shimmer testnet working. Tamper detection confirmed via hash mismatch.
Mar 2026
✓
Compliance agents implemented
Autonomous agents evaluate pesticide limits, GPS deforestation checks, and cold-chain temperature rules. 100% accuracy across all test cases.
Mar 2026
✓
Digital Product Passport module complete
JSON-LD DPP generation working. QR-linked certificate with IOTA transaction reference. Sample passport live and scannable.
Apr 2026
✓
Research paper submitted — KYU
74-page dissertation submitted at Kirinyaga University in partial fulfilment of BSc Software Engineering requirements.
Apr 2026
Phase 1
Field pilot with cooperatives
May 2026 – Mar 2027
Seeking partners & funding
Deploy TRACE with 3–6 real cooperatives. Track real shipments. Issue genuine DPPs. Publish field findings.
→
Secure pilot funding
Ksh 8–15M required for sensor equipment, field staff, cooperative compensation, and 12-month project management. Target: NRF grant or bilateral research fund.
Seeking now
→
Sign pilot partner cooperatives
3–6 cooperatives in Kirinyaga, Murang'a, or Nyeri county. Tea, coffee, or avocado. At least one planned EU-bound shipment within 12 months.
Seeking now
○
IoT sensor deployment
GPS units and temperature loggers deployed on partner farms and transport vehicles. Farm data entry training delivered to cooperative staff.
Q3 2026
○
First live Digital Product Passport
First real shipment tracked end-to-end through TRACE. First genuine DPP issued and presented to an EU-bound consignment.
Q4 2026
○
Field evaluation report published
Peer-reviewed publication documenting field findings — what worked, what needed changing, and the evidence base for national rollout.
Q1 2027
Phase 2
Government & regulatory integration
Apr 2027 – Dec 2027
Planned
Align TRACE data standards with KEPHIS, KEBS, and EPC. Establish policy recognition for DPP outputs. Build the case for national mandate.
○
MoU with KEPHIS and KEBS
Memorandum of understanding establishing a working group to align TRACE DPP schemas with Kenya's national phytosanitary certificate systems.
Q2 2027
○
Data schema harmonisation
TRACE data model aligned with EU DPP technical specifications and Kenya's existing export documentation standards.
Q3 2027
○
County government partnerships
Formal partnerships with Kirinyaga, Murang'a, Nyeri, and Meru county governments for cooperative society access and agricultural extension integration.
Q3 2027
○
Policy brief and national recommendation
Formal recommendation to the State Department for Science, Research and Innovation and the Ministry of Agriculture for TRACE as national DPP infrastructure.
Q4 2027
Phase 3
National open-source platform
Jan 2028 onward
Planned
Release TRACE as free, open-source national infrastructure. Any Kenyan exporter can adopt it. A governance body ensures it stays current with EU rules.
○
Full codebase open-sourced
Complete TRACE source code published under an open licence. Any cooperative, county government, or technology partner can deploy their own instance at zero licensing cost.
Q1 2028
○
Governance body established
A multi-stakeholder body — likely hosted within NACOSTI or NRF — responsible for maintaining alignment with evolving EU DPP regulations and onboarding new cooperatives.
Q2 2028
○
100 cooperatives onboarded
Target of 100 cooperatives across Kenya's major export counties actively using TRACE for at least one EU-bound shipment per season.
Q4 2028
○
Regional expansion — East Africa
TRACE adapted for Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia export contexts. Framework shared with regional agricultural trade bodies.
2029
Diagram 2 — Dependency map

Why Phase 1 is the critical unlock

Each phase depends on the evidence produced by the one before. Nothing in Phase 2 can happen without real field data from Phase 1.

TRACE dependency map showing how Phase 1 field evidence unlocks Phase 2 regulatory work, which unlocks Phase 3 national platform A flow diagram. The prototype box feeds into Phase 1. Phase 1 produces field evidence and live DPPs, which feeds into Phase 2. Phase 2 produces policy alignment and regulatory recognition, which feeds into Phase 3. Phase 3 produces the open-source national platform. Research publications run alongside all phases. Prototype Built & tested ✓ Apr 2026 produces → Phase 1 Field pilot Real farm data Live DPPs issued Field evidence PLANNED unlocks → Phase 2 Gov. integration KEPHIS MoU Schema alignment Policy recognition PLANNED unlocks → Phase 3 National platform Open-source release 100+ cooperatives Regional expansion PLANNED Ongoing across all phases — research publications, conference presentations, open-source releases Why Phase 1 is the unlock: Without real field evidence, KEPHIS and KEBS have no basis for policy engagement. Without policy engagement, there is no mandate for a national platform. Funding Phase 1 is the single action that makes everything else possible.
Seeking now

What we need to make Phase 1 happen

These are specific, concrete asks — not general expressions of interest. Each one has a defined role in the pilot.

✦
Pilot partners
Export cooperatives
3–6 cooperatives in Kirinyaga, Murang'a, Nyeri, or Meru county. Tea, coffee, or avocado. At least one EU-bound shipment planned in the next 12 months.
→ No cost to join the pilot
$
Funding
Research grant — Ksh 8–15M
To cover sensor equipment, field staff, cooperative compensation, and 12-month project management. NRF applied research grant or bilateral development-research fund.
→ Full proposal available on request
◇
Policy alignment
Government MoUs
Memoranda of understanding with KEPHIS, KEBS, and the Export Promotion Council to begin schema alignment and regulatory design for Phase 2.
→ No financial commitment required at this stage
⊕
Technology
IoT & connectivity partners
Organisations with IoT sensor infrastructure, rural connectivity, or logistics platform integration who want to contribute to and be credited in the pilot.
→ Named as founding technology partner
◯
Academic
Research co-investigators
Researchers in agrifood systems, supply chain management, or agricultural policy who want to co-author the field evaluation publication or join the research team.
→ Co-authorship on field paper
↗
Development partners
GIZ, USAID, EU delegation
Organisations with existing agricultural development programmes in Kenya's export counties who want to integrate TRACE into their technical assistance work.
→ Integration into existing programmes
Research publications & releases — ongoing
Published TRACE: Digital Product Passports for Kenyan Agricultural Exports — BSc dissertation Kirinyaga University · Apr 2026
In progress TRACE system design and prototype evaluation — conference paper Target: IST-Africa 2026
Planned Field evaluation of IOTA-based DPP infrastructure for smallholder agricultural exports Target: Computers & Electronics in Agriculture
Planned TRACE open-source codebase — v1.0 release GitHub · Target: Q1 2028
Planned Policy brief — Digital Product Passport infrastructure for Kenyan agri-food exports Target: NRF / State Dept. Science, Research & Innovation

Ready to move this forward?

Phase 1 is ready to begin as soon as the first partner and funding are in place. The research team is at KICC on 19 May 2026 — or reachable any time.

Get in touch → Download the paper ↓