The World Food Programme is calling for application for the WFP Innovation Challenge 2020. This an opportunity to source the most promising and daring solutions to end hunger.
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The opportunity is open to anyone from a startup, NGO, academic institution, or government agency, stationed anywhere in the world. So, if you are in this category with a project with the potentials to solve hunger, you are eligible to submit ideas.
This way, you can receive up to $100,000 USD in equity-free funding, mentorship from industry experts and access to the world’s largest humanitarian organization
About The WFP Innovation Challenge 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating food insecurity, interrupting supply chains, and moving more people into hunger than previously predicted. WFP seeks cutting-edge solutions to transform emergency response and to achieve SDG2; Zero Hunger by 2030 for communities impacted by COVID19 and beyond. Innovations are important more than ever before to achieve this goal.
Hence, the WFP Innovation Challenge 2020 is looking for innovations that seek to disrupt hunger, and address any of the following problem statements;
1. COVID-19 emergency response. The initiative is mobilizing to meet the needs of up to 138 million people in 2020, with more than half of WFP’s operations scaling up direct assistance in urban areas. Cities are bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis, accounting for 90 percent of COVID-19 cases and leaving millions without jobs unable to meet food and other essential needs. It is challenging to identify, locate, target, and reach those most in need, particularly in urban areas and informal settlements. At the same time, better access to phones and the internet in cities in comparison to urban areas brings opportunities for using new technologies to address those challenges.
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2. Local food security and market access for smallholder farmers. Domestic food supply is a challenge in many countries in which WFP operates, due to many factors – including severe water scarcity, limited farmable land availability, a growing urban population and weak supply chain infrastructure. High volumes of imports and movement restrictions can create volatility and cause high price shocks, as seen during COVID-19.
3. Sustaining and creating livelihoods. Two billion people – more than 61 percent of the world’s employed population – make their living in the informal economy, most of whom reside in developing countries. COVID-19 movement restrictions have damaged the economic activity of millions of vulnerable people, and informal economy workers have very little access to reliable, adequate income generation opportunities.
4. Affordable, nutritious diets and awareness. Healthy diets are on average five times more expensive than nutrient-poor diets. More so, are unaffordable for more than 3 billion people around the world. And are often exacerbated by a lack of awareness of nutritious food and healthy consumption habits in low-resource environments.
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5. Appropriate energy solutions along the food value chain. Access to energy is a consistent obstacle to food processing, cooking, and preservation, which in turn has negative impacts on food availability, intake, and nutritional value. Irrigation, tilling, milling, and pressing are a few examples of processes that are considerably enhanced by energy leading to increased quantity and quality of food. In addition, food is lost at every step of the value chain due to a lack of cooking or preservation options. Such as; energy-efficient cooking options, refrigeration, smoking, drying, canning, and sealing.
Generally, WFP is open to other ideas too.
Benefit
By submitting your solution to the problems, you might be selected to attend the next Innovation Accelerator Bootcamp, holding November 30-December 04. More so, your solution may be considered for the Accelerator Sprint Programme with up to; $100,000 in funding, and access to WFP support and insight.
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Selection Criteria
WFP will give preference to your application, if;
- Your solutions are transformative, novel, or innovative.
- Can have a strong impact on hunger and are scalable, particularly in low- and middle-income countries and settings.
- Can prove initial traction and are at the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage.
- Solutions with a financially sustainable business model and growth strategy.
- The solutions are carried by a strong team with the relevant expertise and strengths to scale the solution.
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The deadline of application for the WFP Innovation Accelerator is Monday 14 September, 23:59 CET (Rome). If you meet up the eligible requirements, you can apply using this link; https://innovation.wfp.org/apply
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