AICCRA Zambia Accelerator Program

Proposing partnerships should present activities that ensure use of such innovations while improving gender and youth inclusivity and supporting environmental sustainability. Locally registered for-profit businesses and social enterprises are invited to contribute to an application as partnerships. They encourage proposals that include multiple components and present a cohesive market systems approach.

Successful partnerships should be able to:

• Work collaboratively in a partnership model to co-implement and scale market-system based solutions in climate-smart agriculture;
• Implement, scale, and refine sustainable finance mechanism(s) as part of the partnership’s scaling strategy;
• Integrate digital innovations into the design of the partnership’s scaling strategy;
• Provide evidence of impact and innovation users reached within a one-year period;
• Contribute to capacity development of food producers, women, youth and other marginalized groups in relevant topics directly related to activity;
• Implement a series of activities directly addressing the needs of women and youth.

The science-driven AICCRA Zambia Accelerator Program offers a win-win solution for SMEs and investors alike – showing how science can be used to catalyze finance into climate-smart agriculture for meaningful change.

Over the last year, AICCRA and partners have worked closely with a cohort of 14 Zambian agribusinesses. These were grouped into five innovation ‘bundles’ each focused on a different value chains or challenge specific to Zambia’s agriculture: The Grants aims to a) scale research innovations and b) catalyze private finance into these agribusinesses to increase their impact considering Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI).

AICCRA Zambia in partnership with national incubators and the private sector have nurtured innovations through the provision of accelerator grants for SME’s working in CIS delivery and CSA technology scaling to de-risk scaling innovations and to enhance climate resilience of value chains, social inclusion, and sustainable use of land and water.

What they offer?

• Scaling grant
  • Successful applicants will be awarded a scaling grant of US$ 30,000 per bundle, distributed over the course of the project duration according to the proposed budgeting and needs of the applicants. The funds will only be distributed if their purpose is proven to contribute to the proposed scaling activities. Participants are required to periodically produce audited financial statements.
• Technical assistance
  • During the active project duration (August 2024 – May 2025), CGIAR partners will provide technical assistance in form of development and implementation of agronomic best practices, commercial/business advisory, scientific assistance, networking opportunities in form of multi-stakeholder dialogues as well as monitoring & evaluation. Participants are expected to work closely with the CGIAR partners.
• Launch event
  • An official Launch Event will be held on the 19th of June in Lusaka. The aim of the event is to bring together high-level dignitaries from the private and public sector, non-government organisations and research institutions to explore possible partnership models with actors from across Zambia’s agricultural ecosystem.
  • It will be the official start of the Accelerator Grant call for applications on VC4A.com. The agenda will welcome representatives from the AICCRA project, the private sector and the government.

CSA Innovation Bundles

• CSA/CIS Bundle 1: Agriculture Water Management
• CSA/CIS Bundle 2: Integrated Aquaculture-Agriculture Systems
• CSA/CIS Bundle 3: Addressing Drought through Climate Smart Seed Varieties
• CSA/CIS Bundle 4: Mechanization

Who they are looking for?

• The aim of the Accelerator Grant is to identify partnerships with a for-profit business model that include the interventions presented in the CSA/CIS bundles. Under the second cohort of the accelerator grant, they are looking for companies with the following eligibility criteria:
  • Each partnership application should include at least one women/youth-led agribusiness partner. Locally-registered SMEs are encourage to apply.
  • Applicant businesses should demonstrate commercial viability and relevant experience in the technical areas proposed in the application.
  • For-profit businesses that have achieved the following:
    • For a product that retails at less than USD100 per unit, at least 1500-unit sales
    • For a product that retails at more than USD100, at least 500-unit sales
  • Non-government organizations, farmer cooperatives, consulting firms, business/member associations and non-profit entities will not be considered lead applicants but could form part of partnership applications.
  • At least two partners may be included in a consortium.
  • Each partnership application should have a digital agriculture technology component (with an ag tech company).
  • Each partnership application needs to have existing personnel with relevant experience and qualifications to implement the proposed scope of work.
  • Each partnership needs to demonstrate experience working in Zambia, including with producers and other market actors, development partners, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies and organizations. All applicants must have a presence and experience in the country and be able to operate legally in Zambia with documented evidence, such as appropriate visas, licenses, permits, local company registration documents etc.
  • The proposed partners should demonstrate that they have been working together for at least 9 months prior to the application submission and demonstrate a commitment to continue working together post the Accelerator program where possible.

For more information, visit VC4A.