Association Burkinabè de Fundraising

Do you have an innovation that helps farmers and other agricultural stakeholders build their capacity to mitigate the effects of climate change in low- and middle-income countries? If so, apply to the WFP's Agricultural Innovation for Climate Resilience (AICR) Programme.

This acceleration programme is a partnership between the WFP Innovation Accelerator and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) and its Fund for the Promotion of Innovation in Agriculture (i4Ag), commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). They are looking for innovative, scalable solutions to help farmers and other agricultural stakeholders build their capacity to mitigate the effects of climate change on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator researches, supports and scales up bold new solutions to fight world hunger and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Agricultural Innovation for Climate Resilience (AICR) programme aims to support high-impact solutions and agri-entrepreneurs tackling resource-efficient agriculture in LMICs. The programme will select start-ups and solution providers to receive financial, technical and methodological support from the WFP Innovation Accelerator and other partners. With the collaboration of talented people worldwide, they will be able to foster climate resilience and the protection of natural resources, food security, improved incomes and employment.

Priority topics

These solutions would focus on one or more of the following priority areas:

• Space-saving innovations: Extreme weather events such as drought and floods can reduce the productivity of agricultural land. Space-saving innovations can help make agriculture more resilient to these challenges and ensure a stable food supply. They are looking for innovations and technologies that focus on optimising land use, improving land productivity and mobilising resources. These solutions would include urban agriculture, vertical agriculture, rooftop agriculture, remote sensing data solutions for land classification based on satellite imagery, spatial optimisation technology to generate land use alternatives and additional guidance in spatial decision making.
• Innovations to save the soil : Soil can store large quantities of carbon dioxide, which can help mitigate the effects of climate change. Soil conservation innovations can help improve soil's ability to store carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce erosion and preserve soil for future generations. Use cases include data-driven tools for precise application of soil inputs, use of agricultural waste, natural substrates, soilless cultivation (soil alternatives), soil carbon sequestration and measurement, soil monitoring tools and response generation to eliminate or reduce the impact of soil compaction.
• Innovations in water saving : Saving water through water treatment systems, optimising irrigation systems, water conservation and equitable water distribution is essential for saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Potential solutions include efficient systems for a combination of plant breeding and livestock or fish farming, data-driven tools to optimise water use, alternative water sources and precise irrigation management.
• Renewable energy solutions : The agricultural sector makes a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, largely due to the use of fossil fuels for irrigation, transport and other purposes. Renewable energy innovations can help reduce these emissions and mitigate the impact of agriculture on the environment. They are looking for solutions that include alternative energy sources, energy optimisation management, alternative energy storage, data-driven energy demand response, software to design and model farm operations to reduce energy and carbon footprints and capture excess renewable energy production.

What do they offer?

• The selected companies will be invited to take part in a 4-day fully virtual WFP innovation bootcamp in July 2023.
• The companies selected will also be able to apply for the MAP Sprint programme, which is a 6 to 9 month acceleration programme with access to:
  • Support from the WFP Innovation Accelerator and the partners involved for the duration of their Sprints.
  • Mentoring and access to a global network of relevant stakeholders in their respective fields.
  • Up to US$150,000 $ of non-equity funding to implement a proposed growth plan.
• Solutions that have proven their concepts, scale and value for social impact could benefit from additional funding and support in future programmes or events in their alumni community.
• The WFP Innovation Accelerator has already run over 45 flagship innovation bootcamps to date, helping over 395 teams rapidly refine their innovations, field testing over 100 projects and scaling disruptive innovations. Join a high-impact network of over 300+ disruptive innovations that have positively impacted over 9 million people

What are they looking for?

• The selected companies will be able to further develop their solutions on a large scale during the 6 to 9 month MAP Sprint programme.
• They look for solutions at an early stage that create value for social impact and can demonstrate that they :
  • are at least at the minimum viable product (MVP) stage. Proof of concept is preferable.
  • Have carried out pilot projects or already established feasibility.
  • Having a product or service with verified potential for value and commercial impact.

Geographical orientation

• Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi and Madagascar.

Eligibility criteria

• Your solution must be part of a legal entity established in at least one of the target countries (profit-making or social enterprise).
• The applicant organisation must have a local presence in the country of implementation: country office or other permanent presence.
• Your innovation clearly addresses one or more of the priority topics related to strengthening climate resilience in agriculture and the food sector in one of the target countries.
• Your innovation must be at least at the minimum viable product (MVP) stage; or Proof of concept with a validated prototype.
• Your innovation has proven potential commercial value and impact.
• Solution must have a committed founding team with at least 5 full-time employees
• Candidates must be able to provide proof of validation of the value proposition by the user or customer.
• Companies should be developing a clear path to commercial viability (business model fit).
• Solutions must have a potential plan to be implemented as part of the 6 to 9 month Sprint programme
• Innovations should modify existing routines or establish new ones and have a positive impact on one or more of the following aspects: food security, job and income creation and/or climate resilience and protection of natural resources.
• The beneficiaries of innovative solutions should be small farmers, food processors, small and medium-sized enterprises, consumers, young people and/or women.
• Companies must be able to demonstrate that they have a diverse, non-discriminatory and gender-balanced business, with demonstrated leadership and entrepreneurship and what the team's vision is.
• They give priority to companies that focus on promoting gender equality and empowering women, either through their beneficiaries, job creation or by having a high representation of women in management positions.

Criteria

• Impact and scalability : Applicants must have a defined vision, an identified target group and be able to demonstrate the potential to solve the challenge(s) posed.
• Team: Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have a diverse, non-discriminatory and gender-balanced organisation with demonstrated leadership and entrepreneurial spirit.
• New product: Applicants must be able to demonstrate how their solution and business model are innovative, technically appropriate and viable.
• Traction: Applicants must be able to present evidence of feasibility and adoption by the target group.
• Business model : Applicants must demonstrate the viability of their business model, how they intend to achieve a sustainable business, pricing and financial model.

For more information, please visitthe WFP website.