FAO and the University of Helsinki’s Viikki Food Design Factory have launched the global Data for Farm Value Challenge to support startups using farm-level data in innovative ways. The goal is to unlock value for smallholder farmers, who often generate key insights but are left out of the data-driven agrifood economy.
The connection between agricultural data and smallholder farmers is in dire need to be strengthened. To unlock its innovative potential, we are seeking fair business models that have the capacity to include smallholder farmers in the compensation mechanisms in the data ecosystem surrounding the agrifood world.
Startups are invited to:
Develop scalable digital solutions that render, and structure data generated at the farm-level in a usable, useful and more commonly used format.
Create/Propose business models where farmers are included and fairly compensated for their data contributions, i.e. business models capturing value also for the farmers as data producers.
Facilitate the integration of farm-level data into the supply chain, sustainability, and market access platforms
Design transparent mechanisms that enable farmers to sell or trade data while maintaining ownership
Connect farm-level data with broader public and private sector initiatives to drive sustainability and economic value across the value chain
Eligibility criteria
Registered companies with a minimum team size of 2 people working 50% of their working hours on the solution
Technology Readiness Level 3-7 (between Proof of Concept and Approved Prototype)
Funding level: At minimum pre-seed funding, at most Series A funded, with annual revenue no more than €500K/year
Startups can be located anywhere around the world
Availability and funds to attend the FAO Science and Innovation Forum in Rome, Italy, on October 16 and (for the selected four pitching finalists) the Y Science and Slush events on November 18-20, 2025, in Helsinki, Finland
All submissions ,presentations and communications are required to be in English
Benefits
Workshops on pitching and product-market fit related to data-focused startup
Networking opportunities in the agrifood innovation ecosystem spanning the UN, public and private sectors, and academia
Opportunity for 10 startups to pitch on stage at the FAO’s Science and Innovation Forum (SIF) in Rome on October 16, 2025
Access to the World Food Forum during FAO’s 80th anniversary celebrations.
The top 4 startups from the SIF pitchers will pitch at Y Science, a side event of Slush, in Helsinki on November 19, 2025
A free ticket to Slush for the 4 finalists
A cash prize of 5,000 euros for the winner of the pitching competition.
Access to the Data Refinery, a joint initiative by FAO and the University of Helsinki’s Viikki Food Design Factory including accesing and using valuable data sets from FAO and partners
Mentoring with FAO’s global digital agriculture and data experts through 1:1 office hours
