UEMF and AFD launch the “Tech4Farmers” program

Launch of the Tech4Farmers call for applications, a support program specially designed for project leaders in the sector of innovative technologies in agriculture (AgriTech).

At a launch conference that brought together key actors of the agricultural sector of the Fès-Meknès region on Thursday, March 7 at the Euromed University of Fes (UEMF), the University and the French Development Agency (AFD) officially kicked off the Tech4Farmers program, which aims to support the development and market introduction of AgriTech solutions that meet the needs of national agriculture and that of the Fès-Meknès region in particular.

The Tech4Farmers program is part of an ambitious project to build a Regional Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in agriculture and agri-food in the Fès-Meknès region. This project is led by UEMF and AFD in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, the Digital Agriculture Hub and a consortium of partners including government agencies, sectoral federations, universities and research centers.

Tech4Farmers: A comprehensive platform to accelerate the market introduction of AgriTech solutions

Tech4Farmers is a 12-month incubation program deployed by UEMF and AFD with the help of the firms IMPACT Lab and BearingPoint, which aims to support the acceleration of startups to bring AgriTech solutions to market that meet the needs of the Moroccan market, and of the Fès-Meknès region in particular.

Tech4Farmers will allow project leaders to work both on the development of their prototypes to reach marketable solutions, and on the development of their business plan and go-to-market strategies.

Project leaders will benefit from training and personalized coaching to structure their entrepreneurial approaches, define the key elements of their business plan and address their needs for specific expertise.

Thanks to access to the laboratories and equipment of the program’s partners, project leaders will be able to rapidly advance their solutions from a technological perspective. They will also benefit from financial support up to 100,000 dirhams to cover their equipment and expertise needs.

They will finally have access to collaboration opportunities with agricultural companies in the Fès-Meknès region that will allow them to confront market realities and validate the relevance of their offerings against the needs of their target customers, while collecting field data. Through this dynamic, the program aims to accelerate the diffusion of technological solutions to farmers in the Fès-Meknès region.

“The Tech4Farmers program is the first initiative we are launching as part of the Regional Hub for AgriTech Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fès-Meknès. Through this program, we want to inject new momentum among project leaders committed to a competitive and sustainable Moroccan agriculture, and we will continue to support them through the Hub’s future initiatives,” says Florent Sassatelli, Head of the Social Sectors Division at AFD.

Twenty projects will be selected to participate in this first cohort of the program

Selected projects must propose AgriTech solutions targeting the Moroccan market and must have a first prototype. They must also address the key themes chosen for this edition based on a study conducted with farmers in the region. 

Projects will be evaluated based on their application file submitted on the platform http://impactlab.africa/tech4farmers, and on an appearance before a jury of experts who will assess the innovativeness of the proposed solution, the maturity level of the prototype, alignment with the program’s themes, the quality of the project leaders, the relevance of the business plan, and the startup’s growth potential.

“Tech4Farmers offers a unique opportunity for AgriTech project leaders to contribute to the transformation of the agricultural landscape of the Fès-Meknès region, and to join a network that brings together the sector’s key institutions in Morocco. For this program, we are looking for talented and ambitious profiles, capable in time of taking their innovations beyond the Moroccan market,” states Ghada Bouhlal, Director of Partnerships and Entrepreneurship at UEMF.

The deadline for submitting applications is April 7, 2024.