Application Deadline: April 2, 2020.
The agriculture sector faces increasing risks as natural disasters become more frequent and disruptive due to climate change. Climate change is expected to intensify the following agriculture risks in the South Africa Development Community (SADC):
- Crop failures due to extreme weather events (drought, floods)
- Animal and/or plant pests or diseases
- Food price, agriculture, and trade flow disruptions
To incentivize the development of these risk financing tools, the World Bank is launching the following three challenges with the aim to demonstrate alternative ways of collecting or monitoring critical datasets and indices that can be used to ultimately assess in a granular, scalable and dynamic way the various dimensions of impact induced by agricultural stressors.
Challenge 1: Measuring Weather Variables
Challenge 2: Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases
Challenge 3: Agriculture Data
The Prize
The winners of each challenge will…
- Present to a panel of experts from top international institutions in a Shark Tank format.
- Exhibit their proposal work in a report on agriculture innovations by the World Bank and partners
- Be featured in key media outlets as an innovator in the area.
- Attend an award ceremony in Washington, D.C., (all expenses paid) and have the opportunity to interact with potential partners.
The Application Process
Step 1: Go to our application link here.
Step 2: Fill out the questionnaire, upload a one-minute explanatory YouTube video, write a 500-word project description, and attach a pitch deck. For the Yield Data challenge, participants must also submit a sample of their data in CSV format.
Step 3: Submit your application before the close of call: April 2, 2020.
Following Rounds
Proposals will be reviewed by a World Bank Expert Working Group. This will be based on the outlined criteria (see challenge details). Successful applicants will be notified of their invitation to the Shark Tank session and may receive a request for additional documents via email by April 9, 2020.
If your proposal is selected, you may receive feedback from the Expert Working Group to maximize the impact of your proposal to be presented at the award ceremony April 27-28, 2020. Note: For shortlisted applicants, a Request for a PowerPoint Presentation (RFPP) will be issued to get the material before the award ceremony.
Public announcements of the proposals funded in the final round will be made in August 2020.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the World Bank 2020 Innovation Challenge