New Delhi:  Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) have rolled out their first AgriTech Challenge cohort for its ambitious innovative Agri-tech program that aims to help smallholder farmers across Asia and Africa to address their challenges in the aftermath of the pandemic. 

AIM, NITI Aayog in partnership with UNCDF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rabo Foundation launched a South-South innovation platform to enable cross-border exchange of innovations, insights and investments in July this year 2021. Through this platform, cross-border collaborations among emerging markets across India, Indonesia, Malawi, Malaysia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia would be enabled.

NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar said: “In India, more than 50 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture and it contributes to about 15-18 per cent of the GDP. As agriculture is a sector that emotionally appeals to the masses, Indian agencies are prompted to undertake policy measures to stimulate industry landscape. We at NITI Aayog are leaving no stone unturned to improve the agriculture sectoral landscape and we will continue till the milestones are achieved and beyond.”

Director, Inclusive Finance Practice Area, UNCDF, Henri Dommel while sharing his views, said “UNCDF has been working towards leaving no one behind in the digital era, particularly in the least developed countries. Our engagement in Asia and Africa is anchored on collaborative initiatives to improve lives of the vulnerable and help achieve SDGs. The synergies and learning opportunity between the two regions is immense, underscored by a thriving innovation ecosystem that is working to address many shared challenges."

Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Dr Chintan Vaishnav said that India’s innovation ecosystem has matured rapidly over the last decade and the creativity and vigor of Indian entrepreneurs and researchers can play a critical role in solving some of the toughest societal challenges. The Agritech Challenge focuses on improving the financial health of smallholder farmers and will work towards helping the participants build and test their solution in the new market, as part of UNCDF’s work under the Global Centre for Financial Health, with subsequent support on scaling the solution as well.” /BI/