Call for Applications: The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Agricultural Innovation for Climate Resilience Program 2023

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Innovation Accelerator seeks, supports, and scales daring new solutions to end global hunger and meet the SDGs (SDGs).

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Innovation Accelerator seeks, supports, and scales daring new solutions to end global hunger and meet the SDGs (SDGs). The Agricultural Innovation for Climate Resilience Program seeks to promote high-impact solutions and agro-entrepreneurs working in LMICs to improve resource efficiency.

The WFP Innovation Accelerator collaborated with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) and its Fund for the Promotion of Innovation in Agriculture (i4Ag), which was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, to create this accelerator program (BMZ). The WFP Innovation Accelerator and other partners will select early stage ventures and solution providers to receive financial, technical, and methodological support through the initiative. We will be able to drive climate resilience and natural resource protection, food security, increased income, and employment with the help of talented individuals all across the world.

United Nations World Food Program Application Criteria

Your solution must be part of a legal entity located in at least one of the target countries (for-profit or social enterprise).
The applicant organization must have a presence in the country of application and be locally established: country office or other permanent presence.
Your innovation clearly addresses one or more priority issues related to building climate resilience in the agriculture and food sector in any of the target countries.
Your innovation must be at least in the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage; or Proof of concept with a validated prototype.
Your innovation has a verified potential commercial value and impact.
The solution must have a committed founding team with at least 5 full-time employees.
Applicants must be able to provide evidence that the value proposition has been validated by the user/customer.
Initiatives should be in the process of developing a clear path to commercial viability (business model alignment).
Solutions should have a potential plan to implement as part of the 6 to 9 month Sprint program.
Innovations must replace existing or establish new routines and have a positive impact on one or more of the following aspects: food security, employment and income generation and/or climate resilience and conservation of natural resources.
The beneficiaries of innovative solutions should be smallholder farmers, food processing companies, small and medium enterprises, consumers, youth and/or women.
Startups must be able to demonstrate that they have a diverse, non-discriminatory, gender-balanced venture with proven leadership and entrepreneurial mindset and what the team’s vision is.
Its beneficiaries prioritize initiatives that focus on promoting gender equality and empowering women through job creation or high representation of women in leadership positions.

United Nations World Food Program Benefits

Selected teams will be invited to participate in a 4-day all-virtual WFP Innovation Bootcamp in July 2023.
Selected startups will also be able to apply for the WFP Sprint Program, a 6 to 9 month accelerator program with access to:
Support from the WFP Innovation Accelerator and related partners throughout their sprint.
Access to a global network of relevant stakeholders in the field of mentoring and humanitarian, commercial and international development cooperation.
Up to $150,000 in equity financing to implement a proposed growth plan.
Solutions that have proven their concept, scale, and value for social impact may qualify for further funding and support in future programs or events in the WFP alumni community.

Application Deadline: March 1st, 2023, 11:59 pm (CEST)

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the WFP Agricultural Innovation for Climate Resilience Program 2023