The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the United Nations is calling for submissions from innovative individuals and institutions in the agriculture value chain for its Award for Innovation.
Nairametrics reports that the awardees will receive a cash prize of $10,000 along with a scroll that outlines the recipient’s achievements and/or the nature of the award.
The Award is for those involved in agri-food systems innovation, digital agriculture, biotechnological advancements, sustainable production practices like agroecology, novel business models, and other related fields.
The award aims to enhance effectiveness, competitiveness, resilience to shocks, or environmental sustainability, contributing to food security and nutrition, economic growth, or the sustainable management of natural resources.
This Agricultural innovation involves the introduction of new or improved products, processes, or organizational methods into practice for the first time in a particular setting.
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Who is this Award for?
The FAO states that awards will be presented to entities that have made groundbreaking contributions in fields within the FAO’s mandate, extending to a diverse range of recipients including members, institutions, individuals, international/regional organizations, academic or research entities, civil society organizations, and private sector entities.
The innovations may encompass technological, institutional, social, policy, and financial categories.
Award criteria
The Award will recognize those who:
- Impact multiple levels of the supply chain, from agricultural producers (such as farmers, herders, and fishers) to consumers.
- Enhance the connection between agricultural producers and consumers using innovative methods.
- Adopt innovative methods which include novel institutional arrangements, policy and financial mechanisms, social processes, and technological solutions like digital tools and platforms that link producers with consumers, as well as new approaches to market and consumer access.
The innovations must:
- take into account the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability.
- have potential for benefit, impact, and sustainability
- be accessible and affordable to users
- be scalable to wider applications
- offer value for money
- involve and impact youths (under 35), women, and/or marginalized groups.
Procedure and guidelines for application
The procedures and general guidelines to be followed are set out below:
- Proposals for nominations presented by national, regional or global institutions should be submitted to FAO Representatives (in countries with an accredited FAO Representative) or FAO Regional and Subregional Representatives (in countries with no accredited FAO Representative), as appropriate, for submission to the Awards Secretariat by 1 March 2024.
- If the nomination form is submitted by an individual or institution, an endorsement or letter of support from an FAO Representative (email or signed letter) should be attached or the application form will not be considered valid. All endorsements or letters of support will be verified.
- The nomination can be submitted electronically at the form below or sent via mail at FAO-awards@fao.org before the 1st of March, 2024 by 23:59 CET.
Background
The FAO Conference resolved to create the “FAO Award for Innovation” on 18 June 2021, during its Forty-second session.
This award is designed to honour groundbreaking innovations within the scope of the FAO’s mandate, targeting a wide array of recipients, including members and non-state partners.