🚀 Project SPARK | Joint Innovation Facility (JIF) - Grant Funding for Digital Agriculture & Food Systems Innovation in Africa
Project SPARK - a pan-African initiative supporting digital and data-driven innovation in agriculture and food systems across Sub-Saharan Africa - has launched the Joint Innovation Facility (JIF), a competitive grant mechanism inviting African agritech startups, SMEs, research organisations, and innovation consortia to apply for funding to develop, pilot, and scale digital innovations that address critical challenges across African agricultural value chains - supporting solutions in digital farm advisory services, climate-smart agriculture, market linkages, financial inclusion for smallholders, supply chain digitalisation, and food systems data infrastructure - combining grant financing with technical assistance, ecosystem building, and partnership brokerage between African innovators and international development partners - with a particular focus on innovations that demonstrably improve outcomes for smallholder farmers, women, and youth across rural and peri-urban agricultural communities.
📅 Key Dates & Application:
Applications to the Joint Innovation Facility are open from 10th February to 30th April 2026 (23:59 EAT / 22:59 CET)
🔗 Official Details & Resources: https://lnkd.in/d_WXJvRk
Application Checklist:
✅ Digital agriculture solution: Farm advisory, market access, finance, climate, food systems data, inputs
✅ Sub-Saharan Africa focus: Registered/operating in target eligible countries
✅ Smallholder impact: Primary beneficiaries are smallholder farmers
✅ Pilot evidence: Proof of concept or pilot data demonstrating traction
✅ Gender inclusion: Explicit women farmer strategy and targets
✅ Youth inclusion: Rural youth engagement as users or entrepreneurs
✅ Joint innovation: Partnership model with development organisations or anchor buyers
✅ Commercial sustainability: Revenue model and pathway beyond grant dependence
✅ Climate relevance: Adaptation or mitigation benefits for smallholder communities
✅ Organisational capacity: Track record in digital agriculture and grant management
✅ Co-funding contribution: Ability to cost-share alongside JIF grant
✅ National policy alignment: Connection to digital agriculture strategy in target country
📩 Need help applying? Need help finding the right topic or building your consortium? Send the message to our team: Sofia Drobychevskaya and Nick Mikulich
12 Mars 2026 à 09h30
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