UN FAO Global AgriInno Challenge (GAC) 2026 – YOA

Deadline: June 20, 2026

Applications are open for the UN FAO Global AgriInno Challenge (GAC) 2026. The problem is a global name for startups, agripreneurs, researchers, and innovation groups creating options for extra sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agrifood programs.

Co-organized by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Zhejiang University, and Pinduoduo, GAC has established itself as one of many main international platforms for youth-led agrifood innovation, fostering connections amongst rising innovators, worldwide specialists, buyers, policymakers, and technical companions.

The 2026 version focuses on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) – areas notably weak to the results of local weather change, meals insecurity, geographic isolation, and restricted innovation ecosystems, but usually missed in international funding and know-how landscapes.

Challenge Themes

GAC 2026 challenges innovators to develop or scale digital options for resilient blue and inexperienced agrifood programs which might be grounded within the realities of island life, conscious of local weather pressures, and able to remodeling outcomes on the group degree.

All options should handle at the very least considered one of 4 pillars crucial to SIDS resilience:

• Better Production: Addressing restricted arable land, fragmented provide chains, excessive meals-import dependency, and local weather pressures on agriculture and fisheries. 
• Better Nutrition: Tackling the double burden of malnutrition – rising weight problems and weight-reduction plan-associated NCDs – alongside restricted entry to reasonably priced, wholesome diets. 
• Better Enviroment: Protecting weak SIDS ecosystems – forests, coral reefs, and coastal programs – from local weather change, biodiversity loss, and degradation. 
• Better Life: Overcoming geographic isolation, restricted financial OPPORTUNITY, and excessive youth unemployment to foster inclusive rural improvement. 

Benefits

• Full Travel Packages
  • Round Trip flights
  • Accommodation & meals
  • Local Transportation
  • Visa application charges
• Expert Coaching
  • 2-Day workshops
  • UN & educational mentorship
  • Investor matchmaking
• Long-term Visibility
  • FAO official channels
  • Alumni community entry
  • Forum showcasing
  • Caribbean & Pacific occasions

Top 3 Winners Receive:

• Seed funding
• FAO Science & Innovation Forum exhibition slot
• Digital agriculture Innovation Bootcamp in China

Eligibility

Applications are open to agripreneurs and innovation groups worldwide. To be eligible, candidates should: 

• Be registered as an organization or authorized entity. 
• Have lower than $1,000,000 in annual turnover. 
• Have lower than 5 years of operations. 
• Have a know-how-primarily based resolution or enterprise mannequin at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7-9, with proof of publish-MVP stage. 
• Have at the very least one group chief under 35 years of age. 
• Selected groups should decide to steady engagement all through your complete period of the programme, together with the Innovation for Good workshops, Global Final Pitch occasion in Hangzhou (August 2026), and potential showcase on the FAO Science and Innovation Forum in Rome (October 2026)
• Teams with feminine agripreneurs are strongly inspired to apply. 
• Have an answer that straight addresses agrifood challenges in SIDS, or that has already been piloted or deployed in a SIDS context.  
• Teams primarily based outdoors SIDS are totally eligible. However, groups originating from or led by people from a SIDS can be given choice within the analysis course of. 
• Each applicant can submit just one application, and we’ll solely take into account the ultimate submission as group’s application

Application

Click here to apply

For extra info, go to UN FAO Global AgriInno Challenge.