Seeds of Innovation: Startups from Japan spotlighted in private sector engagement webinar

The Private Sector Unit (PSUS) within the Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division (PSU) at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ‎hosted a dynamic webinar to showcase the potential of private sector engagement, titled Seeds of Innovation: Partnering with Startups for Sustainable Agrifood Systems. The event spotlighted pioneering Japanese startups, AgVenture Lab, EF Polymer, and Faeger Co. Ltd., whose cutting-edge solutions are helping transform agrifood systems to be more resilient, inclusive and sustainable.

Innovation in action

Carlos Watson, Chief of the FAO Private Sector Unit, opened the session by emphasizing the importance of informal, collaborative engagement with startups: “These structured yet non-binding interactions are aimed at advancing shared objectives through mutual learning, co-creation and trust building“ he noted, mentioning exciting opportunities for start-ups to engage with FAO in hackathons, accelerators, innovation labs and other informal collaboration spaces to facilitate knowledge co-creation and sharing.

The session featured compelling presentations from three Japanese startups:

• AgVenture Lab showcased its accelerator programmes and investment funds supporting early-stage startups in agriculture, food and sustainability. Its Chief Executive Officer, Koki Ogino highlighted successful ventures like Towing, which uses biochar to boost crop yields and sequester carbon, and Strout, which applies artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) data to climate-resilient aquaculture.

• EF Polymer, led by Chief Executive Officer Kunihiro Shimoji, presented its 100 percent natural, biodegradable, superabsorbent polymer made from orange peels. The innovation helps farmers retain water and nutrients in soil, reduce fertilizer use, and improve yields. It is already benefiting over 30 000 farmers across India and is expanding globally.

• Faeger Co. Ltd., represented by Chief Executive Officer Takahiro Ishizaki, introduced its carbon credit and climate adaptation technologies. By working directly with farmers, Faeger promotes water-saving practices like Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and biochar use, while leveraging satellite and sensor data to tailor solutions. The company has scaled from 60 to over 3 000 farmers in Japan and is expanding into Southeast Asia and Africa.

Engaging with the private sector to scale-up innovation

Harinda Katugaha, Senior Strategic Advisor from FAO’s Office of Innovation (OIN), emphasized the importance of user-centred design, product-market fit, and real metrics in scaling innovation. He highlighted FAO’s unique value as a global convener, policy influencer, and technical mentor for start-ups seeking impact at scale. “Startups bring agility and bold ideas. FAO brings reach, expertise, and credibility. Together, we can accelerate transformation“, Katugaha said.

Outcome

The webinar exemplified FAO’s commitment to fostering partnerships with the private sector and co-developing impactful, innovative solutions to support agrifood systems transformation. By engaging with startups and promoting collaborative engagements, FAO is creating new pathways to tackle global challenges such as soil and land degradation, and climate change.

The event encouraged FAO colleagues to explore future partnerships with the private sector and share knowledge and co-create solutions that benefit smallholder farmers and food producers worldwide.