The Policy Assessment and the White Paper​

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In addition to the Sustainable Agtech Challenge, we conducted a bolt-on policy assessment. 

The innovation policy assessment is the capstone to the agtech challenge, highlighting the 3-5 startups that were selected, the food system problems they are attempting to solve, related market and policy settings. 

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The deliverable is a White Paper with the purpose of informing policymakers in the region about gaps, barriers, limitations, and opportunities to develop innovative agtech solutions that help fight climate change and advance relevant Sustainable Development Goals to meet the goals of Agenda 2030, such as SDG 2 End hunger

(via sustainable food production), SDG 6 Clean water, SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy, SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13 Climate action, and SDG 15 Sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

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This white paper aims to inform policymakers about the state of Sustainable AgTech in the LAC region and suggest policy recommendations for supporting AgTech companies to transform them. As an industry, Sustainable AgTech is still in its infancy, mainly consisting of SMEs and startups.

The challenge for the policy community is to produce an innovation ecosystem that enables Sustainable AgTech to be impactful at scale. This requires an in-depth understanding of what AgTech start-ups are doing, the extent to which they are driving sustainability and their needs. Then, with an ambitious policy, AgTech start-ups can be encouraged to be the force needed to drive sustainability in agri-food values chains.