Agri-Aqua Innovation Challenge
Agriculture plays a significant role in the Philippines, what with the country’s abundance of farming terrain, bodies of water, and the tropical climate conditions best suited for sustaining crops, livestock, and fisheries. However, the country is still behind its neighbors in farm productivity, crop diversification, and agri/sea-based exports. Furthermore, farmers and fisherfolks remain the top two poorest groups in the country. Currently, the Philippines needs innovative measures for its agri-aqua sectors. Fortunately, public and private sectors are working on different projects that help improve and sustain this.
Asian Institute of Management (AIM), The Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) are offering a 1-year Innovation Challenge to empower the country’s agriculture and aquaculture startups in addressing the country’s agriculture and aquaculture challenges.
The Agri-Aqua Innovation Challenge has the following objectives:
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Enhance the innovative capacity of participants by providing experiential learning to expand their knowledge, skills and behavior needed in their innovation journey.
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Improve commercial readiness of their product through customer-centered, market-driven and competitive process on seed funding and investment grants.
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Support development of our agri-aqua innovation ecosystem to address the needs and realize the potential of our agriculture and aquaculture sectors.
With these objectives, the Innovation Challenge aims to inspire and engage the next generation of Filipinos in shaping a modern, scientific, and more relevant agriculture and aquaculture sectors. It shall empower Filipino farmer-entrepreneurs and students to spur innovation in the agri-aqua sectors. It shall fast-track the creation and translation of agri-aqua technologies to actual products or services that will eventually benefit the farmers and fisherfolks, and the Filipinos in general.
The Partners
DOST-PCAARRD
The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) is one of the sectoral councils under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the premier science and technology body of the Philippines. While the Council has been tasked to provide a unified and focused direction for the country’s agricultural research, it serves as an apex organization that supports and manages the national network of government and higher education institutions involved in crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries, soil and water, mineral resources, and socio-economic R&D.
DOST-PCAARRD has implemented several projects and workshops that help sustain and strengthen the agricultural sector of the Philippines. They have also supported has also supported various initiatives from different public and private sectors advocating agri-aqua innovation. Recently, DOST-PCAARRD joins 22 countries on an international project on how climate change impacts tropical fruit production.
Asian Institute of Management
The School of Executive Education and Lifelong Learning (SEELL) is one of the four schools in the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), a pioneer business school in Asia. SEELL offers Open Enrollment Programs (OEP) and Custom Programs, catering to the needs of both private and public sectors. The executive programs are aligned to SEELL’s mission to develop professional, entrepreneurial, and socially responsible Asian business and development leaders and managers.
SEELL has consistently partnered with the country’s top businesses and various government units and agencies, earning high satisfaction ratings from OEP and Custom Programs participants. As a result, AIM was recognized in the 2024 Financial Times (FT) Ranking, placing 6th in Asia and 70th globally.
Management Association of the Philippines
The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) is a prestigious organization composed of top-level executives and business leaders from various industries in the country. Founded 74 years ago on December 18, 1950, it counts among its members about 1,200 CEOs, government heads, management educators and other leaders from the most prestigious institutions in the country.
From among MAP’s ranks rose many past and present government leaders who carried out their mandate to serve the country with professionalism, dedication and integrity. Cabinet secretaries, undersecretaries, high-ranking officials of the country’s financial institutions and regulatory agencies, justices of the courts – these appointments are testaments of the depth and breadth of expertise, experience and managerial excellence that MAP offers.
