Global AgriInno Challenge 2022 Open Call
Connecting Youth-Led Innovation to the Agri-food Sector
Duration of the Call: 14 October – 20 November 2022
Global AgriInno Challenge 2022 is officially open for recruitment!
Global AgriInno Challenge, a worldwide competition for youth agripreneurs and innovators, showcases and promotes smart digital innovative talent. With the last two sessions successfully held in 2020 and 2021, Global AgriInno Challenge 2022 will continue to provide startups an alive platform to exchange experience, enhance knowledge and offer the opportunity to join the huge network of cooperation all around the globe.
Are you keen to solve the challenges and difficulties in digital agriculture field? Are you ready to present your innovative ideas to the world? Do you crave for getting connections with diversified mentorship supported by United Nation agencies, government, leading angel investors, and academic experts?
Grab your chance and submit your team’s application by 20 November 2022 (24:00 CEST).
Themed with “addressing challenges related to the transformation of the agrifood systems in line with FAO’s four betters”, 6 teams will be selected and invited to the final pitch event in Hangzhou, China on 30 November 2022 with all related fees covered. The winning teams will be rewarded with seed funding.
Remote participation is available for international teams due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
See the guidelines below and register your team now!
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact
1. Background
In 2022, the COVID-19 pandemicis still spreading, causing enormous risks in nutrition and food safety. With all those great challenges including abnormal climate change, economic depression, conflict and war, rising inequality, and natural resources degradation, global agrifood system has been suffering from even more severe shocks under the impact of the pandemic.
The booming new agricultural revolution led by information technology has injected new and powerful vitality into the progress of agrifood system transformation. FAO's Strategic Framework seeks to support the 2030 Agenda through the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
As one of China's oldest, most selective, and most prestigious institutions of higher education, Zhejiang University has always been actively devoted to rural development and has made a lot of efforts to drive the transformation and upgrading of the agricultural industry, support small-scale farmers, raise the productivity of agricultural production, increase farmers’ income, improve poverty alleviation, promote rural revitalization and achieve the sustainable development of agriculture.
2. Benefits for participants
The teams selected to attend the Innovation For Good and Pitch Event in China will benefit from:
2-day professional development around your team’s solution through an approach of co-creation with other young agripreneurs/innovators and experienced experts worldwide. All related expenses for attending the Hacking For Good and pitch events in China will be covered, including a) travel expenses: round-trip flight and/or train; local transportation fee (taxi/bus/subway); b) accommodation and meals; c) visa application fees as applicable for international participants.
- The access to open data sets from FAO and other partners, such as the FAO Hand-in-Hand
Geospatial Platform, FAO Digital
Services Portfolio, Data Lab for Statistical
Innovation, and the Earthmap, a Google Earth
Engine based tool, etc.
- Advice from experienced experts from the
UN, international organizations, the private sector and academia, and the chance to have a dialogue with
high-level representatives from leading companies and organizations.
- The chance to meet top angel investors
from venture capital funds and business leaders in the agri-food sector who may invest in your solutions.
- The chance to build your global network
in digital agriculture with a multitude of stakeholders.
- The top winning teams will receive seed
funding.
- Become an alumnus for Global AgriInno
Challenge.
3. Who can apply?
GAC 2022 is open for youth who are developing and deploying digital innovation products and services that can accelerate the Four Betters implementation and agrifood systems transformation.
4. Selection criteria:
- The team has registered as a company or
legal entity;
- Have less than USD 1 million in
turnover;
- Have less than 5 years of operations;
- Have an innovative, technology-based
solution or business model with a Technological
Readiness Level (TRL) between 7 and 9 (provide evidence that the project is beyond the MVP stage);
- Be committed to continuous engagement
throughout the entire duration of the program;
- At least one leader of the group must be
below 35 years old (Teams with female agripreneurs are highly encouraged).
Note: any adjustments to the criteria will be updated through FAO E-AGRICULTURE. Also, all the participants will be notified in time through e-mails.
5. Languages
English and Chinese are the two working languages for the Global AgriInno Challenge 2022. However, all the proposals and presentations shall be conducted in English.
6. How to apply?
The team leader needs to submit a) the application form; b) the innovation solution presentation (in PPT format); and c) a video by 20 Nov 2022 (24:00 CEST).You may scan QR code on item 11 or click here to fill out and submit.
The documentation to submit should include (in English):
- Application Form
- Innovation Solution (PowerPoint of max 12
slides, up to 250 words per slide, Microsoft YaHei Font, font size not less than 16)
Summary of the solution (up to 250 words)
Problem identification(analysis of
challenges relating to transformation of the agrifood system)
Four Better Categories (identify which of
the Four Betters do you apply your digital solutions to?)
Mission, vision, values of the project (the
type of agriculture activity/sub-sector targeted)
Technical model (how to address challenges
relating to digital agriculture and the agri-food system?)
Timing justification (why is this moment
the best time?)
Situation analysis (who is your main
competitor and why is your solution better or more innovative than others?)
Business plan (target group, the
description of outputs and related activities, adoption strategy, applied methods, partners, sustainability, and
consideration of gender)
Financial situation (capital raised,
capital needed, revenue analysis)
Phased development planning (what is the
potential contribution of your solution in three years? how do you plan to achieve it? what are the milestones?)
- 1-2 minutes long video explaining:
How is your idea or solution going to
contribute to the Four Betters and help benefit vulnerable and rural populations? Answer this question in a 1-2 minute
long video. Upload the video online to a video sharing platform (YouTube, Google Cloud, Youku, Baidu Cloud or others)
and share the address of the link.
7. Timeline
8. Mentors& Juries
- Mentors:
Academic experts: FAO, Zhejiang University
and other stakeholders in the field of digital agriculture and innovation.
Business mentors: business leaders from
top companies in agribusiness-related sectors; angel investors from top venture capital funds with extensive
investment experience in smart agriculture.
- Juries: professional experts from academies,
international organizations and government, investors and business leaders in the agri-food sector.
9. Organizers Structure
Host: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Zhejiang University (ZJU)
With support from: Hangzhou Municipal Government
Foreign Economic Cooperation Center, MARA, P.R.China
10. Data Protection
Global AgriInno Challenge working group gives great importance to the responsible and transparent management of personal data.
11. Scan QR code to apply
