Deadline: 30-May-23
Applications are now open for the TalentA, an innovative educational and grant program to develop and support talented rural women farmers and improve the food security of their communities.
The program was founded by the international agricultural company Corteva Agriscience in 2019 in Spain, in 2020 it was successfully implemented in Ukraine, and now it is successfully implemented in other European countries, such as Portugal, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, and Poland, as well as in Chile and Argentina. The program has been in existence for the fifth year, the total number of TalentA participants is 1,040 female farmers, of which almost 100 are Ukrainian.
Stages of the Program
Educational hub: The TalentA-2023 integrated training course takes into account the challenges faced by the participants in connection with the war. It aims to help women involved in agricultural production to make their business viable despite the full-scale war, ensure its growth and create new projects that contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals and are aimed at meeting the urgent needs of territorial communities.
- Agricultural sector. State and prospects of the agricultural sector in Ukraine and the world: an overview of the situation in the economy of Ukraine and the agricultural sector in particular, modern practices and innovative solutions for agribusiness.
- Business management: adaptation and development of business in crisis conditions, personnel management, financial management and budgeting.
- Product implementation: new sales channels, sales on social networks.
- Social responsibility: business development through the implementation of social responsibility for the development of the community.
- The training will last from July 1 to August 31, 2023. Educational events will take place online on weekdays, at least twice a week, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Competition of micro-projects: Students who will have a Certificate of Completion of the program in 2023 and will submit an electronic grant application in which they have clearly defined the concept of their project and the component of its social responsibility can take part in the TalentA-2023 grant project competition.
- Participants who successfully complete their studies in the program will have the opportunity to participate in the competition and compete for grants from the Corteva Agriscience company for the development of their own business and social support of communities. In 2023, the prize fund of the program amounts to more than 1 million hryvnias and will be distributed among the best projects according to the decision of the members of the expert council.
- The targeted direction of the grants is the development of the business of the participants through the implementation of components of social responsibility, which will contribute to the achievement of the goals of sustainable development and the satisfaction of the urgent needs of territorial communities.
- Participants will receive mentoring support for the preparation of project applications and detailing of ideas .
- The winners will be announced in October 2023 before the International Day of Rural Women, and the implementation of the projects will begin in November.
Funding Information
- The maximum budget of each individual project application that can be financed from the funds of the TalentA-2023 Program grant is UAH 220,000. If the budget exceeds the grant amount, the student must confirm the availability and sources of additional funding in excess of the grant amount. The presence of partners or other confirmed sources of additional funding for projects is welcome and must be indicated in the project application.
Advantages of the TalentA program
- Basic knowledge: Training under the guidance of professional mentors and experts on the development of business and personal skills, mastering new agronomic knowledge, learning about the success stories of the best in their field and sharing experience with other project participants from all over Ukraine.
- New partnerships: Establishing new business and personal contacts with partners and like-minded people, which will help the sustainable development of the business and will be the driver of personal growth.
- Creative ideas: Generating and testing new ideas and business solutions together with teachers and colleagues.
- A real chance: A real opportunity to realize your business idea – thanks to the grants that Corteva Agriscience will provide to the authors of the best micro-projects, determined by the Expert Council of the program.
Eligibility Criteria
To join the TalentA-2023 program, a female farmer must meet the following participation criteria:
- Permanently works in, and/or is the owner/co-owner of agricultural production (regardless of the form of ownership), which is officially registered and has been operating in the agricultural sector for at least one year;
- A woman or the agricultural production in which she works is the owner or co-owner, registered in a settlement of Ukraine with a population of no more than 10,000 people;
- Registered on time to participate in the program by filling out the application form;
- Is 18 years old at the time of filling out the application form;
- Administrative offenses cases are not pending in relation to her;
- Is not suspected and/or accused of committing a criminal offense;
- does not have a criminal record for committing an intentional crime, if this criminal record has not been extinguished and not removed in accordance with the procedure established by law;
- Is not employed by the Corteva Agriscience group of companies or legal entities cooperating with Corteva Agriscience to provide services;
- Read the Rules of the Program, accepted their terms and undertook to comply with them.
- Participants of the TalentA program of previous years are not allowed to participate in the Program, except for the participants of the TalentA-2022 program who did not complete their studies due to staying for the duration of their studies in the occupied territories, provided they comply with the previous conditions.
- Participation in the Program is free, but its purpose is to provide knowledge and ideas to those who seek development and improvement.
For more information, visit TalentA.