Climate Resilient Agriculture Accelerator
The program runs from July 13 to September 14, 2021 | Online program | The weekly Learning Labs will be hosted virtually on the Zoom platform
Learn to scale your business and bolster the climate resilience of smallholder farmers.
The Problem
Climate change poses a significant threat to smallholder farmers across the world and undermines the global progress towards poverty alleviation, food security, and sustainable development. In India, there are approximately 120 million smallholder farmers with less than 2 hectares of land but who contribute significantly to the overall food supply. Despite their undeniable importance to Indian agriculture and food systems, a majority of the smallholder farmers are poor, experience food insecurity, and live in highly precarious conditions.
A new set of skills is needed if we are to tackle the imminent threat posed by climate change and build truly scalable, inclusive and sustainable solutions. Our new accelerator program will catalyze an ecosystem of agri enterprises with the grit, character and competence to scale.
The application window for our Acumen Academy Climate Resilient Agriculture Accelerator has been extended through June 16th.
The closed cohort 10-week accelerator supports agri entrepreneurs in India working on mitigation and adaptation solutions that improve the livelihoods and sustainability of smallholder farmers with the opportunity to learn, raise capital, and scale their venture.
Sensitive to the crisis that has impacted so many in India, we have taken the decision to extend our application window and delay the program start by a month. We hope this new deadline and a delayed program start will give entrepreneurs and their teams more time to submit their applications and access this opportunity.
New program dates and the link to apply for the accelerator are on our program webpage.
Please note that if you have already submitted an application, you are not required to take any further action.
Who is Qualified to Apply
This accelerator is open to agri entrepreneurs who:
Run an enterprise (for-profit) based in India that exists to build the climate resilience of smallholder farmers (directly or indirectly)
Specifically focused on climate change solutions across the following themes:
- Regenerative agriculture and resource conservation (e.g. eco-friendly inputs, natural resource management practices that seek to improve soil health, water management and conservation solutions, regenerative farming techniques that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and/ or put more carbon back into the soil)
- Supply chain innovations and wastage reduction (e.g. on-farm post harvest management and processing solutions, modular storage facilities including cold stores, distribution and logistics optimization solutions)
- Access to markets and finance, in order to strengthen the support ecosystem for smallholder farmers (e.g. aggregator models providing alternative market access to farmers, affordable agri credit and other financial products such as savings products and climate insurance, customized for smallholder farmers)
Have a demonstrated track record of at least 12-18 months and some market traction (evidence of customer demand and revenue generation)
Have a team equivalent to three or more full-time staff
Link : https://bit.ly/3y7YUaM
