Berikan Protein - FAO AgriInnovation Challenge 2026 (Hangzhou, China)

The Global AgriInno Challenge 2026 is an international innovation competition that accepted applications until June 20, 2026, focusing on sustainable agrifood systems in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Co-organized by the FAO, Zhejiang University, and Pinduoduo, the challenge focuses on resilient agrifood systems under the "four betters" framework (production, nutrition, environment, and life). Selected from a pool of 191 applications, of which 137 met the eligibility requirements, the finalist teams represent a broad geographic range, spanning Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific and Caribbean island states. Co-organized by FAO, Zhejiang University and Pinduoduo, the Global AgriInno Challenge has, over six consecutive editions, established itself as a flagship initiative supporting youth-driven innovation in agrifood systems. The 2026 edition is dedicated to the theme "Accelerating Innovation for Resilient Agrifood Systems in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)." The theme responds to the particular vulnerabilities faced by SIDS, which experience disproportionate exposure to climate change impacts, food insecurity, geographic isolation and constrained innovation ecosystems, while remaining largely outside the focus of global investors and technology developers. In recognition of this, the competition introduced a dedicated SIDS Track alongside its established Global Track. The finalist teams competing in the Global Track are: Berikanpreneur (Indonesia); Biotermica Innovación (Colombia); AI-Enabled Biopesticide Platform for Sustainable Crop Protection (United States of America); Island Green Core – Dual-Insect Smart Cycle: Agricultural Waste Conversion and Climate Resilience (China); Agri PREDICT AI (Pakistan); AI-powered Circular Bio-Input Industry (United Republic of Tanzania); AgriKonnekt: Connecting Smallholder Farmers to Regenerative Agriculture, Climate Finance, and Sustainable Markets (Kenya); and Bionic Agriculture System (Singapore). The finalist teams competing in the SIDS Track are: Compost'Île: Youth-Led Coastal Composting for Resilient Island Communities (Mauritius); The C-SAC Caribbean Pilot (Grenada); Teivaka – Verified Agricultural Identity Infrastructure for Pacific Smallholders (Fiji); The Fiji Food Innovation Lab: Combating NCDs Through Local Agrifood Innovation (Fiji); and Agrifood Transformation (Vanuatu).