The Milken Institute and the Motsepe Foundation has announced the 25 teams receiving Finalist prizes for the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech. The competition will award USD $2 million in total prizes for innovative solutions to increase economic value to farmers in Africa. For making it to the Finalists list, each team will receive $10,000 to further develop and test their designs. The finalists represent 17 countries from around the world.

According to the Foundation more than 3,300 people from 105 countries across 6 continents registered for the prize, which launched in April 2021. They are all now part of the Milken-Motsepe Prize community, with access to free resources and the opportunity to connect with a global network of entrepreneurs using tech for good.

“Good ideas can—and will—change the world, and we are pleased to see how many people from around the world submitted their ideas to help farmers, alleviate poverty and transform our food systems in ways that will ensure food security for generations,” said Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Co-Founder and CEO of the Motsepe Foundation. “We are excited to see the ideas of the finalists take shape and get tested in the field. More than tech-driven innovation, we need new approaches to agri-business that protect, preserve and enhance the contributions of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.”

An independent panel of expert judges determined the 25 teams who will receive funding and have one year to demonstrate the effectiveness of their ideas in field tests, which will be evaluated for their ability to increase net economic value to the farmer, increase productivity at harvest and/or decrease post-harvest loss, reduce costs for farmers, provide a viable and sustainable business model, be implemented by small and medium-sized farms in Africa and finally develop or integrate innovative technologies.

The Milken Institute has partnered with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to support Finalist teams in conducting their field tests and measuring results. WFP’s deep understanding of the dynamics across the global food system and regional AgriTech trends across Africa  is expected to bring immense value to the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech.

In April 2023, the judges will award a $1 million Grand Prize, with additional prize money distributed among Second and Third Place winners, a prize for the Most Creative Use of Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies and a People’s Choice Prize.

Details of the finalists list can be found here

 

Photo courtesy / Milken-Motsepe Prize

https://milkenmotsepeprize.org/milken-motsepe-prize-in-agritech-finalists-announced/