The National Youth Agri-Innovation Challenge (NYAIC) 2024, organized to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship among young people, concluded in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
Aspiring young entrepreneurs from all seven provinces of Nepal were part of the event, which was organized by the Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The last day marked the culmination of a productive three-day bootcamp from 15-17 July designed to foster a collaborative environment for young agri-entrepreneurs to make significant contributions to agriculture and food systems.
NYAIC 2024 witnessed active engagement, with 38 entrepreneurs representing 21 agriculture-based startups out of a total of 58 applications. These participants engaged in meaningful discussions on topics ranging from agriculture, agri-tech, and food systems to business plans and other critical issues. The challenge brought together young innovators aged 18-30, showcasing innovations such as vertical farming, organic fertilizers, agri-tech solutions, and the promotion of indigenous Nepali products.
Speaking on the occasion, Honorable Member of Parliament Sobita Gautam, emphasized the importance of harnessing the energy of youth to innovate and drive change. She commended the agri-entrepreneurs for their efforts in implementing innovative solutions to the challenges in agriculture.
Similarly, Ken Shimzu, FAO Representative for Nepal and Bhutan, discussed the priority areas of the FAO, particularly their focus on youth-driven projects.
Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labé, Resident Representative, UNDP Nepal, highlighted the importance of investing in youth and encouraged experimentation in new ideas without fear of failure.
Likewise, Executive Director of Youth Innovation Lab Pradip Khatiwada expressed his appreciation for the young entrepreneurs who dedicated their time and effort to the bootcamp and highlighted the importance of engaging more youth in agriculture.
In the final round, seven teams from across Nepal presented their pitches and faced questions from a distinguished jury panel, including Co-Founder of Pahadi Sanjay Kafle, Founder of Khetipati Prakriti Gautam, Programme Specialist at FAO Nepal Arun G.C, and Environment and Resilience Portfolio Manager at UNDP Pragyajan Yalambar Rai. Gautam and Kafle shared their success stories and lessons learned from their extensive experience in the field.
Three of the most innovative and scalable startups were awarded a grant of NPR 100,000 each. The winning startups were Sattva Food Products, Towerganics Nepal, and Jyoti Health Snacks.
