Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN Innovation Award 2024

On 18 June 2021, the FAO Conference, at its Forty-second session, decided to establish a “FAO Award for Innovation” to recognise ground-breaking innovation in areas under FAO’s mandate to a broad spectrum of awardees including Members or non-state partners.

Agricultural innovation is the process whereby individuals or organizations bring new or existing products, processes or ways of organization into use for the first time in a specific context in order to increase effectiveness, competitiveness, resilience to shocks or environmental sustainability and thereby contribute to food security and nutrition, economic development or sustainable natural resource management. 

Innovation consists of doing something new and different, whether solving an old problem in a new way, addressing a new problem with a proven solution, or bringing a new solution to a new problem. 

• Table of Content
• About Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)
• FAO Innovation Award
• Aim and Benefits of FAO Innovation Award
• Requirements for FAO Innovation Award Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for FAO Innovation Award
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Their goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With over 194 member states, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. They believe that everyone can play a part in ending hunger. FAO’s mandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world econ..... continue reading

FAO Innovation Award

Aim and Benefits of FAO Innovation Award

• A cash prize of USD 10 000

Requirements for FAO Innovation Award Qualification

• The FAO Award for Innovation will be conferred for ground-breaking innovation in areas under FAO’s mandate to a broad spectrum of awardees, including Members, institutions, individuals, international/regional organizations, academic or research entities, civil society organizations private sector entities.
• The Award will recognise but not be limited, for example, to innovations on agri-food systems, digital agriculture, agri-food innovation systems, advances in biotechnology, innovation in sustainable production practices such as Agro-ecology, new business models, etc.
• The innovations could fall under different categories such as technological, institutional, social, policy and financial innovations.

Interview date, Process and Venue for FAO Innovation Award

Award specific criteria:

• Have an impact on more than one level of the supply chain from agricultural producers (e.g. farmers, herders, fishers) to consumers.
• Strengthen the link between agricultural producers and consumers through innovative mechanisms (e.g innovative institutional arrangements, policy and financial mechanisms, social processes, innovative technological solutions including digital tools, platforms connecting producers and consumers, innovative ways of access to markets and consumers etc.,) with due consideration to environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainability.

General criteria:

• Quality and merit of the innovation
• Potential benefit, impact and sustainability
• Accessibility and affordability of the innovation
• Scalability
• Value for money
• Role of youth (under 35), and/or women, and/or marginalized groups

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Proposals for nominations presented by national, regional or global institutions should be submitted to FAO Representatives (in countries with an accredited FAO Representative) or to FAO Regional and Subregional Representatives (in countries with no accredited FAO Representative), as appropriate, for submission to the Awards Secretariat by 1 March 2024. If the nomination form is submitted by an individual or institution, an endorsement or letter of support from a FAO Representative (email or signed letter) should be attached or the application form will not be considered valid. All endorsements or letters of support will be verified.

PLEASE SUBMIT by 1 March 2024 at 23.59 CET
Please note:

• The text of the detailed nomination should be self-contained and should provide concrete elements and information.
• The nomination can be submitted electronically at the form below or sent via mail at [email protected]

For more details visit: FAO website.