Seed to Scale: Data for Farm Value Global Challenge – FAO Preselects Farmer-Centric Data Innovators at the Science and Innovation Forum 2025 for Slush

Farm-level data is becoming a cornerstone of digital agrifood systems, underpinning traceability, sustainability reporting, and investment decisions across value chains. Yet while farmers generate this data, they often remain excluded from the value it creates. At the Science and Innovation Forum (SIF) 2025, the Seed to Scale: Data for Farm Value Global Challenge addressed this imbalance by spotlighting startups developing inclusive, farmer-first approaches to data-driven innovation. Co-launched by FAO and the University of Helsinki’s Viikki Food Design Factory, the challenge reinforced that scaling digital agriculture depends not only on technology, but also on equitable business models, trust, and collaboration.

From data generation to shared value:
Participants explored how farm-level data can unlock new opportunities for smallholders when paired with participatory governance, interoperable systems, and transparent value-sharing mechanisms. Discussions highlighted the need to move beyond pilots and emphasized:

• Trusted data-sharing frameworks that respect farmers’ rights
• Interoperable systems enabling data reuse across value chains
• Farmer-centric business models that ensure fair benefit distribution
• Multi-stakeholder collaboration to bridge the digital divide

Throughout the session, innovators demonstrated how inclusive experimentation and policy-aware innovation are essential for scaling responsible digital agriculture.

Winning startups - innovation rooted in farmer needs:
The 2025 winners showcased diverse approaches to turning data into tangible benefits on the ground:

1. Pedro Viera – Hola Tractor: IoT-enabled solutions improving access to farm mechanization for smallholder farmers
2. Giovanni Dal Mas – Zertifier: A farmer-first data management platform making farm data secure, interoperable, and economically valuable.
3. Anita Licata – VAIMEE: Lightweight and accessible decision-support systems for irrigation management across farm sizes.
4. Lorena Vargas Arias – La Indiana: Lean and agile practices strengthening financial controls, efficiency, and sustainable growth in agribusinesses.

Together, the startups illustrated how data-driven tools can support productivity, resilience, and inclusion when designed around farmers’ real needs.

Expert guidance and collective momentum:
The session brought together leaders from FAO, academia, finance, and philanthropy, reinforcing that innovation must be grounded in collaboration rather than top-down technological solutions. Speakers and jurors included:

• Vincent Martin, Director, FAO Office of Innovation
• Harinda Katugaha, Senior Strategy Advisor, FAO Office of Innovation
• Henry van Burgsteden, Senior Innovation Officer, FAO
• Laura Forsman, Head, Viikki Food Design Factory, University of Helsinki

Reflecting on the role of innovators, Vincent Martin stressed the urgency of collective action: “Transforming agrifood systems is very abstract—you are here to show us how we make it happen.”

Key takeaways and what’s next:
Seed to Scale: Data for Farm Value highlighted several core lessons:

• Data as shared value: Farm-level data has economic and social value that must be equitably distributed, especially for smallholders.
• From pilots to scale: Scaling requires partnerships, iterative testing, and enabling policies—not isolated solutions.
• Empowering farmers through governance: Trust depends on transparency, clear benefit-sharing, and farmer representation.
• Innovation with purpose: Technology guided by inclusive principles can drive measurable, system-level impact.

By connecting farmer-centred startups with global platforms, FAO continues to strengthen innovation ecosystems that place farmers at the heart of digital transformation and advance more equitable, resilient agrifood systems.

Following the Science and Innovation Forum, the four winning startups advanced to pitch at Y Science, a signature side event of Slush 2025 in Helsinki, where they presented their solutions to an international audience of investors and ecosystem leaders. As one of the world’s leading startup and investor events, Slush provided a global stage to demonstrate how farmer-centric, data-driven innovations can move from pilots to scale.

Watch the session and learn more about the winning startups: ST16 - Seed to Scale: Data from farm value global challenge | UN Web TV

Check the outcomes of Y Science and discover which startup was selected as the overall winner here: FAO at Slush 2025: Advancing Farmer-Centric Data Innovation through Y Science