FAO Award for Innovation
Innovation is changing the way food is produced, processed, traded and consumed and building more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.
The FAO Award for Innovation recognizes ground-breaking innovations in areas under FAO’s mandate to Members or non-state partners, including institutions, individuals, international/regional organizations, academic or research entities, civil society groups, private sector entities and FAO employees.
The call is now open.
Basic Criteria
The winning institution/organization demonstrates that they successfully contributed to an area of work related to FAO’s mandate, meeting one or all of the following criteria:
Award specific criteria:
- Have an impact on more than one level of the supply chain from farmers to consumers.
- Strengthen the link between farmers and consumers, e.g., through tracking sustainability features of traded food and agriculture products on labels, innovative institutional mechanisms etc.
General criteria:
- Quality and merit of the innovation
- Potential benefit, impact and sustainability
- Scalability
- Value for money
- Role of youth (under 35), and/or women, and/or marginalized groups
Selection Process
Proposals for nominations presented by national, regional or global institutions should be submitted to FAO Representatives (in countries with an accredited FAO Representative) or to FAO Regional and Subregional Representatives (in countries with no accredited FAO Representative), as appropriate, for submission to the Awards Secretariat.
The Award is conferred for activities and programmes with remarkable achievements during the biennium preceding the current one. The Award will be presented by the Director-General to the individual or representative of the recipient institution during a special ceremony at the 181st session of the FAO Council on 30 November-6 December 2026.
TIMELINE
December 2025 - Call for nominations
February 2026 - Close call
March/April- Screening
May - Selection
December - Ceremony
WINNERS
The Freza Nanotech Limited, Uganda provides an emission free, nanotechnology-based fruit preservation solution to extend fruit shelf life of fruits by up to 30 days. It contains organic formulation that inhibits the activity of phospholipase D, a key enzyme involved in fruit ripening. This Innovation applies to multiple levels of the supply chain by providing benefits to both producers (farmers) and consumers, and reduces postharvest losses, promotes healthier diets, and minimizes environmental impact. The innovation can generate value and economies of scale - at the producer level, farmers can use the innovation to extend the shelf life of their fresh fruits, reducing postharvest losses and increasing their marketable yield and by reducing losses along the supply chain, the innovation helps in stabilizing prices, making fruits more accessible to consumers at affordable rates. The innovation creates economic opportunities for youth, women, and marginalized groups involved in agriculture.
Pinduoduo, expanding its work and impact by partnering technology teams with research institutes, works to bridge the gap between academic research and the real-world application of agricultural technology. The innovative and inclusive solutions offered allow smallholder farmers to increase their incomes and invest in making their farms even more productive and environmentally sustainable. Furthermore, these agricultural entrepreneurs create jobs in their rural communities, creating income streams for many villagers and contributing to the vitalization of the rural economy, also stemming the tide of rural-urban migration, especially important for youth and marginalized communities.