2019 International innovation award for sustainable food and agriculture

Date:
2019

FAO and the Government of Switzerland launched a competition to fund winning innovations which contribute to the global effort to reach Zero Hunger. Individuals, private companies and institutions were submitted applications in two categories: ‘Digitalization and Innovation for Sustainable Food Systems’ and ‘Innovations that empower youth in agriculture and food systems.’  The winners were announced in June 2019:

 

Category A: Digitalization and innovation for sustainable food systems 

Winners

  • Imaflora, for successfully creating a digital platform and brad 'Origens Brasil' that links indigenous groups in Amazonia to new markets. It connects over 1,500 producers, 14 companies and 40 local organisations. 
  • Practical Action, for empowering landless and marginalised farmers and connecting them to domestic and export markets. They have reached over 20,000 households, providing access to 4,000 hectares of barren and transitional riverbeds for the production of over 100,000 metric tons of pumpkins.

Shortlisted candidates

  • Binkabi, a block-chain based platform that enables direct, peer-to-peer trading of harvested produce between farmers and aggregators, processors, and exporters
  • East Africa Fruits, which collects information on harvest trends and match supply with demand to help reduce post harvest loss, improve market access and increase consumer access to fresh produce
  • Solar Freeze, provides affordable solar powered cold storage rental service for smallholder farmers

 

Category B: Innovations that empower youth in agriculture and food systems

Winner

Shortlisted candidates

  • Farmerline Ltd, which created a CocoaLink Smart App targeted towards young farmers to provide information on climate-smart agriculture and social practices
  • International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), for establishing an agribusiness incubator programme to support youth in the honey and silk production
  • Ubiriki, a cooperative that supports young coffee producers with technical assistance and capacity building 

 

This resource is for your information