Women and young people are the future and backbone of agricultural development. Promoting agriculture as a business has gained currency in recent times to create more economic value and to encourage youth into agriculture.

Agriculture has been supported by rapid developments in information and communication technologies (ICT). Across developing countries mobile financial services are booming. Likewise, social media and apps help farmers forecast the weather or know about market prices.

Access Agriculture is a non-profit organisation that supports the distribution of quality training videos to share practical knowledge on farming and food processing across the global South. Farmers in Latin America, Africa and Asia can learn from their peers on other continents. 

Through the Young Entrepreneur Challenge Fund, Access Agriculture is requesting young people to propose innovative ideas to make a business, or expand their existing business, around the dissemination of agricultural videos. Through this competitive grant, the most inspiring and promising young entrepreneurs will receive a Digisoft smart projector. This projector has an in-built computer and contains the entire Access Agriculture library with over 200 videos in more than 75 international and local languages. The smart projector comes with a battery and a portable solar panel, so videos can be shown without the internet or electricity.

By building on the ICT skills and networks of young men and women, we believe we can better train farmers and make agriculture more attractive to youth and reach more women.

Eligibility criteria

• One person or teams of up to 4 young people can submit a proposal
• Age: younger than 30 years
• Country of residence: any country in Latin America, Africa or Asia-Pacific
• You need to be registered and logged in on Access Agriculture before you can submit an application form
  Register or log in here: https://www.accessagriculture.org/user

Proposal guidelines, submission and review process

• Individuals or teams of up to 4 people can submit
• Each person can only be part of one proposal
• Submission of proposals is only through our online system
• The form must be submitted at one sitting, so decide what you want to write for each section and then copy and paste the information into the appropriate section on the form
• No email or other type of applications will be accepted
• You need to present the key ideas of your business proposal as laid out in the submission form
• Proposals need to be submitted before 21st March 2019

Access the submission form here

For any clarifications, please first check the FAQ below before contacting our YECF coordinator at nafissath@accessagriculture.org

Proposals are reviewed by a committee of communication and development professionals.

5 winners will be selected based on the novelty and strength of their business plan. Depending on the availability of funds to support our Young Entrepreneur Challenge Fund, more winners may be identified.

All people or teams who submitted proposals will be informed by email on the outcome of this process on May 1.

If you are a winner, you will be expected to sign an agreement that stipulates that you will continue using the smart projector for at least 18 months to grow your business and regularly report back to Access Agriculture, after which the projector will become your property. You will start activities within 3 months after signing the agreement.

Frequently asked questions

What benefit do I get from winning?

Access Agriculture will provide you with a smart projector on loan for 18 months, after which the projector will become yours. Access Agriculture will cover the shipment cost and customs duty. Access Agriculture will provide you with advice on the smart projector use and on your business plan. Access Agriculture will also link you to other young entrepreneurs to allow you to share experiences and strengthen or diversify your business plan.

How long will I need to wait until I receive the smart projector?

Within 2 months of having received the news of being a winner, you will receive the smart projector at an address provided by you.

If I do not qualify for the competition, can I buy or lease a smart projector?

In case you do not meet the eligibility criteria, or you are not selected as one of the winners, you can contact Digisoft Education (info@digisoft-education.com) to purchase your own smart projector. Leasing is not an option.

Can I submit a business plan which was already implemented by others?

No. We are looking for an original business plan from individuals, not one that imitates what others are already doing.

Can I present a business plan on ideas that I am already implementing?

Yes, we encourage you to expand your current business.

What does the YECF not fund?

• Dissertations or academic research
• Business plans which promote the use of agrochemicals
• Cost for personnel or travel

How many business plans can I propose?

You can only propose one business plan.

How many applications can I submit?

You can only be part of one application.