Water and Energy for Food Grand Challenge (WE4F) and Southern and Central Africa Regional Innovation Hub (S/CA RIH) have launched a call for projects. The initiative aims to support companies and organizations working to promote climate-resilient agriculture in Central and Southern Africa by improving water and electricity services. Applications are due by January 4th, 2022.
With the worsening of climate disruption, several sectors of activity are impacted in Africa with sometimes irreversible consequences. It is now time to adapt and in the Central and Southern Africa sub-regions, companies and organizations are working specially to strengthen the resilience of farmers who are paying a heavy price for the drought. The phenomenon dries out the soil, reducing the agricultural production on which populations depend for their food.
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It is in light of this situation that Water and Energy for Food Grand Challenge (WE4F) and Southern and Central Africa Regional Innovation Hub (S/CA RIH) are working in these sub-regions. The two partners have just launched a call for projects on innovation for climate resilient agriculture. “Applicants should propose water-food, energy-food, or water-energy-food solutions that can help smallholder farmers sustainably grow more food using fewer resources,” says WE4F, a joint international initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union (EU), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Netherlands, Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The S/CA RIH is managed by the consortium of Tetra Tech, Open Capital Advisors, and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
Grants of up to $200,000
Companies and organizations (non-profit and academic) interested in the call have until January 4th, 2022 to submit their projects. The list of 30 companies and organizations selected will be announced in May 2022. Winners will receive tailored support in the form of technical assistance, investment facilitation, enabling ecosystem support, and grants of up to $200,000 to bring their innovations to fruition to mitigate the effects of water stress in the agricultural sector and to support the transition to renewable energy use.
Inès Magoum
