Congratulations to the Finalists of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech!
why-agritech-feature-900x325

Why AgriTech?

By 2030, the world population is expected to reach 8.5 billion, with more than half of that growth occurring in Africa. We will need to increase food availability by at least 60 percent to meet the demand of the additional people on the planet. Agriculture must change and grow now to meet the needs of the future.

Agriculture is by far the most important economic activity in Africa, employing about two-thirds of the continent’s working population. Yet agricultural productivity growth in Africa is about half that seen in other developing economies. Only 3 percent of smallholder farmers are actively using any form of digitive service. Innovative, affordable integration of technology is needed to close the digital divide, increasing farm productivity, decreasing food loss, and bringing value to farmers.

Agricultural technology (AgriTech) is essential for this growth. AgriTech can allow for tremendous progress in crop yields, farm productivity, plant and animal health, sustainability, waste reduction, and scalability. AgriTech is a fast-growing industry ripe for innovative business models and opportunities. It is good for business and needed for people.

The Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech addresses the problems faced by farmers on small to medium-sized farms in Africa. More broadly, it is designed to accelerate progress toward the first two SDGs: eradicating poverty and eliminating hunger. For nearly 25 years, extreme poverty was on the decline. The ravaging effects of COVID-19 have compounded a growing climate crisis, and we now face the worst setback in poverty eradication we’ve seen in a generation. It is more important than ever that we act now and accelerate change to end global poverty. Ending hunger is closely intertwined with ending poverty. The root of the food crisis begins at the farm. Increasing productivity and value to small and medium-sized farms is critical for solving global hunger.  

We believe the builders, the dreamers, the creative, collaborative minds will help us accelerate progress and create a more equitable, sustainable, and abundant future.

More News

News clips

Engineering News: How an AgriTech Prize Helped Me Realise My Life’s Work

By: Diana Orembe – Founder and CEO of NovFeed When I was a child, I witnessed firsthand my uncle’s struggles as a fish farmer. Growing up on his farm, I saw the immense effort he put into his work, only to be met with financial challenges due to the high cost and inconsistent quality of the feed stock. I later learnt my uncle was not alone, and that African farmers across the spectrum faced similar productivity challenges. This inspired me to find a way to create meaningful change in the African agricultural sector. During my second year at university, while conducting research on the application of microbes as feed, I revisited fish farms and found that the same issues my uncle faced were still around, even ten to fifteen years later. Farmers were investing heavily in feed, often imported and expensive, which cut deeply into their profits. Seeing that these issues

Read More »
News clips

Vox Africa: Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech Announces 10 Semifinalists

The Milken Institute and the Motsepe Foundation announced the 10 teams advancing to the Semifinalist Round of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech (https://apo-opa.co/3Y0GSEY), with each team receiving $100,000 in funding.   Responding to a global call for applications, this prize supports innovative solutions to expand access to tools necessary for financial inclusion across emerging and frontier markets. The Semifinalists will participate in an Innovation Showcase at the Milken Institute’s Middle East and Africa Summit December 5-6, 2024, in Abu Dhabi, UAE. During this event, the 10 teams will pitch their innovations to a panel of expert judges and investors, and three teams will be selected to move on to the final round of the prize. The judges will evaluate the pitches based on the teams’ ability to deliver solutions that improve financial inclusion for under-resourced groups in emerging and frontier markets.   Read the full article here.

Read More »