Grant Opportunities: Africa Food Prize: Elevating Heroes of Agriculture (US $100,000 prize)

Deadline: 17-Jun-23

The Africa Food Prize Committee invites nominations for individuals or institutions who are delivering improved food security; catalyzing innovation and transformative change in Africa’s agriculture sector.

The Africa Food Prize is the preeminent award recognizing an outstanding individual or institution that is leading the effort to change the reality of farming in Africa—from a struggle to survive to a business that thrives.

Objectives

The Africa Food Prize recognizes extraordinary women, men, and institutions whose outstanding contributions to African agriculture are forging a new era of sustainable food security and economic opportunity that elevates all Africans.

Building on the values and principles established by the Yara Prize, the Africa Food Prize puts a bright spotlight on achievements and innovations with transformative power that can be scaled and replicated across the continent to eliminate hunger and poverty and provide a vital new source of employment and income.

New Category Regenerative Agriculture

There will also be a special category on Regenerative Agriculture, which will award USD10 000 for achievements and innovations that advance regenerative food systems in the African continent.

The Prize Committee considers the following criteria for the Regenerative Agriculture Prize, for contributions that:

• Help protect and regenerate natural resources, primarily soil, as well as water and biodiversity;
• Improve farmland resilience to climate change and farmer’s livelihood;
• Support locally adapted, context specific solutions inspired by empirical wisdom;
• Engage existing communities’ network and local governance in a landscape approach;
• Increase knowledge and awareness about Regenerative Agriculture, especially among youths.

Award Information

• The US $100,000 prize celebrates Africans who are taking control of Africa’s agriculture agenda. It puts a spotlight on bold initiatives and technical innovations that can be replicated across the continent to create a new era of food security and economic opportunity for all Africans.
• The Prize is awarded at a special ceremony attended by the Prize winner(s), the Africa Food Prize Committee and invited guests. The Prize winner(s) is committed to attend this ceremony.
• The Africa Food Prize 2023 will be awarded during the AGRF Summit this September.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Africa Food Prize can be awarded to any individual or identifiable group of individuals, as well as to established institutions, associations, organizations or government bodies with a formal and recognized judicial and organizational structure contributing to the overall objectives of the Prize.
• The Prize can be awarded to any qualified candidate, irrespective of nationality, profession or location, whose work, and contributions deriving from the work, has had a clear impact on the African situation, nationally, regionally or for the continent.
• The Prize can be awarded with reference to a specific contribution or achievement, or a series of efforts and results in the recent past, preferably within the last few years.
• Current or recent members of the Africa Food Prize Committee, or an institution/organization headed by such a member, are ineligible for the Prize. The Prize cannot be awarded to a person already deceased but will be presented in the event a Prize winner dies before receiving the Prize.
• The Prize can be awarded to more than one winner, but not more than two. If shared, each winner will receive equal prize money (USD 100, 000 divided in two), a diploma and a trophy.

Selection Criteria

• The Africa Food Prize will honor outstanding contributions within every aspect of agriculture and food production that is clearly related to combating hunger and reducing poverty in Africa. Decisions will be based on the Prize Committee’s research into and deliberations of the nominees´ work and an evaluation of their achievements.
• In its assessments, the Africa Food Prize Committee will particularly emphasize proven, tangible results, scalability and value creation derived from the nominee’s work, directly or indirectly, with regard to improvement of sustainable agriculture and food and nutrition security in Africa. In its deliberations, the Africa Food Prize Committee will furthermore emphasize the value of the nominees’ achievements with regard to visionary thinking, their role as motivator and rallying point in the campaign against hunger and poverty, as well as their inclination to share knowledge and cooperate. The Africa Food Prize Committee will also consider the circumstances under which the work has been carried out and results achieved; that is the complexity of the problem and the difficulties, hostilities or prejudices encoutered.
• The Prize Committee considers the following criteria for the Prize:
  • Contribution to reducing poverty and hunger and/or improving food and nutrition security in measurable terms.
  • Contribution to providing a vital source of income and/or employment in measurable terms.
  • Potential for transformative change through scalability, replication, and sustainability.
  • Increased awareness and cooperation among African audiences and organizations.
  • Proven leadership potential of the individual or organization, specifically the ability of the to.
  • Persevere despite significant challenges or risks.

For more information, visit Africa Food Prize.