The aim of the challenge is simple but ambitious: unlock value for smallholder farmers, who often generate critical on-farm insights yet remain excluded from the value chain of the agridata economy.
- Transform raw farm data into usable interoperable formats
- Apply business models where farmers retain ownership of their data and receive fair compensation
- Integrate farm-level data into broader supply chains, sustainability reporting, and traceability tools
- Create transparent systems enabling farmers to sell or trade their data.
The impressive number of over 200 applications from 60 countries highlights the global interest on unlocking the value of farm data, as well as the diversity of approaches emerging in this nascent field of business. To ensure sustained impact,
"The Data for Farm Value Global Challenge is more than a competition, it’s the shared space to design fair data economies, where those who generate the data share in the value it creates. This conversation is one of the most underserved areas in the Data world, not just in Agrifood, and it's the reason we want to form a Data Refinery that would bring this topic to the world stage," says Vincent Martin, Director of the Office of Innovation at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In today’s agrifood sector, data is becoming a strategic asset. Yet farmers — the producers of this data — often do not share in its benefits. This imbalance can create mistrust, inequity, and lost opportunities for innovation across all food systems stakeholders. The Data for Farm Value Challenge aims to address this by promoting fairer business models, better ownership structures, and more equitable value distribution. It also supports businesses and policymakers in meeting growing demands for traceability, sustainability reporting, and resilient supply chains.
"We are thrilled to see so many startups taking on this difficult challenge! What’s especially interesting are those cases applying new thinking to business creation - taking business modelling to the next, inclusive level. That is the key to get the agridata economy going. Viikki Food Design Factory is excited and honoured to be able to work on this topic together with the FAO’s Office of Innovation," says Laura Forsman, Manager of Viikki Food Design Factory at University of Helsinki.
As the first group of startups the FAO and VFDF are looking to support in their development, the selected top 20 companies benefit from tailored mentorship, as well as practical workshops on pitching and business modelling. With the challenge already demonstrating the great potential of data-driven innovations to improve productivity, sustainability and farmers’ livelihoods, it provides a strong foundation to build on. Next on the agenda lies creation of a sustained structure, a Data Refinery, supporting the agridata startups and related stakeholders in co-innovating the partnerships, infrastructures, and business and governance models for a fair data economy in the agrifood sector.
"It's incredible to see the vibrant community come together at the Data for Farm Value Global Challenge and what a privilege to collaborate with the Viikki Food Design Factory in building a lasting initiative such as the Data Refinery. The community has needed such efforts and delivering on it will be rewarding to the entire agrifood community," says Harinda Katugaha, Senior Strategy Advisor from the Office of Innovation at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
"Amid the sector’s noise, working with the Viikki Food Design Factory has been refreshingly hands-on and outcome-driven. Together we’re building a focused pipeline of startups and the Data Refinery, turning farm data into deployable solutions and measurable value across the agrifood system," says Henry van Burgsteden, Senior Innovation Officer at the Office of Innovation at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Interested to learn more and participate in the Data for Farm Value Global Challenge action? Come join us at the semifinals in Rome (and online) at the FAOs Science and Innovation Forum, and/or the finals in Helsinki at the Y Science - an official Slush side event organized by the University of Helsinki.
The Data for Farm Value Global Challenge milestones are:
Semifinals at FAO Science and Innovation Forum (SIF)
Ten shortlisted startups will pitch live on October 16, 2025, at FAO’s flagship innovation event, Science and Innovation Forum in Rome, with also online attendance available for the audience.
The jury who will select the four finalists are:
- Albert Boogaard (Head of Smallholder Solutions, Rabo Partnerships, Rabobank)
- Stewart Collins (Senior program leader for digital solutions, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
- Jaana Sinipuro (CEO of DataSpace Europe, recognized by EU Business News as “CEO of the Year – Data Economy Innovator”)
- Simone Sala (Executive Director, Varda Foundation)
The Data for Farm Value Challenge startups pitching in Rome at the Science and Innovation Forum are:
- Agroboral (Colombia)
(Estonia) (Germany) (Israel) (Bolivia) (Finland) (Colombia) (Yemen) (Nigeria) (Netherlands) (Italy) (Rwanda) (Spain)
Some changes to pitchers are still possible due to visa processes.
See here the Data for Farm Value Challenge pitch session details and sign up as online audience:
The four finalists will pitch live before investors, innovation leaders, and agrifood system stakeholders in Helsinki, at Y Science, the official signature side event of
Both in-person events are ideal for meeting innovators and funders, attracting partnerships, and exploring investment opportunities.
Whether you are a company, investor, government official, or a researcher working with data-driven agrifood solutions, this is your opportunity to engage with the forefront of global agridata innovation!