Deadline: 6 April 2017
Feed the Future is seeking applications for Data Driven Farming Prize, that will look for tools and approaches that source, analyze and translate data into actionable, timely and context-specific information for smallholder farmers to improve value from agricultural productivity.
Feed the Future believes in helping farmers extract maximum value from local agricultural production by increasing their access to the data and information they need to make more effective farming decisions. Democratizing access to data and information can drive the transformation of commercially-driven agriculture in targeted regions. As a result, the prize aims to support solutions for farmers and value chain actors to make effective choices to enhance their productivity, on-the-ground decision-making, and market planning.
Outcomes
In particular the data driven solutions will be tested in Nepal, and should be able to meet one or more of the following outcomes:
- Produce timely and context specific insight for improving the production of rice, other cereals and vegetables in Nepal.
- Support a more sustainable use of Nepal’s natural resources (i.e. increase biodiversity, use water more sustainably, improve use of land).
- Enable the market by providing inputs, extension services, and connections which support farmers in a sustainable way in Nepal.
- Improve influence and application of agricultural products in Nepal (i.e. better use of fertilizer, generation of quality seeds).
- Generate timely and actionable information to manage Nepal’s agricultural productivity risks due to weather emergency.
Award Information
- Each team will receive $2,500 to support testing and development of their prototype. All finalists will be invited to participate in the Co-creation Event with end-users in Nepal at the end of May 2017.
- In August 2017, based on the Development Plans and the results from testing, the judging panel will select 2 winners who will receive awards of $100,000 for the most viable solutions and 2 additional awards of $50,000 will be made for the solutions which demonstrate significant potential.
Eligibility Criteria
- Open to all – The prize is open to solutions from individuals, groups, organizations and companies globally, and all sources and sectors, particularly local innovators from South Asia.
- Local applicability – though the call is global and solvers can come from all over the world, the solutions will be tested and applied to Nepal.
- Willingness to share learning– All entrants need to demonstrate a willingness to share their experiences and learning to help establish a body of knowledge that can bring about a sustained change in the use of data to improve agriculture productivity.
- Prototyping Skills – Applicants need to ensure they have the capacity to develop a prototype of the solution over the challenge time frame. Some support will be provided to help achieve this, but Applicants must be able to develop and test prototypes during the course of the prize, if selected.
- Intellectual Property – Any intellectual property in the submission must belong to the Applicant. Applicants will retain the intellectual property rights to their entry to the Prize. Such Intellectual Property must be clearly marked as proprietary. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they are not infringing on the Intellectual Property of others.
- Incomplete Entries – Entries will not be assessed if all required fields have not been completed. This applies to any stage of submission for the Prize and also relates to missing documentation that may have been requested.
- Applications in English – Entries need to be submitted in English by the relevant deadline and will be assessed against the judging criteria.
- USAID Responsibility Determination – USAID will conduct a responsibility determination prior to award, to ensure that award to the organization meets applicable U.S. laws, including regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of Treasury.
How to Apply
Applicants can apply via given website.
For more information, please visit Data Driven Farming Prize.