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.
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.
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.
Within 2 months of having received the news of being a winner, you will receive the smart projector at an address provided by you.
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.
No. We are looking for an original business plan from individuals, not one that imitates what others are already doing.
Yes, we encourage you to expand your current business.
You can only propose one business plan.
You can only be part of one application.