Agribusiness Incubator
Women Entrepreneurs are Solving Minya's Agribusiness Challenges
Agribusiness Challenges
Challenge 1
Access to Information
- Access to Rural Extension for Non-traditional crops:
- Access to Market Opportunities
- lack of supply visibility (buyers do not know what farmers are selling).
- lack of demand visibility (farmers do not know how much buyers are willing to pay).
lack of logistical coordination (inefficient transportation skyrockets costs).
- Improve financial literacy for farmers:
Challenge 2
Reducing Food Loss/Waste
Currently, a third of all food produced globally – worth USD 1 trillion – is thrown away each year. This represents a huge loss of nutrients and a major cause of environmental issues. Yet, still, 10% of the global population continues to go hungry.
- Reducing/Preventing food loss and waste along the value chain
- Creating Value from Waste loss (Circular economy):
Challenge 3
Enhancing Access to Low-Cost Equipment
Access to equipment is essential to both farmers, and micro and small food processors. Mechanized farm power can help farmers in different ways: It allows them to plant earlier and to the correct density, it helps them manage weeds and harvest on time. And it can improve post-harvest handling, which means farmers get more yields from their land.
- Developing new business models for sharing equipment between farmers
- Developing low-cost, small scale postharvest processing equipment
Challenge 4
Improve Post-Harvest Storage and Transportation
Although there are many angles from which to address postharvest losses, grain losses attributable to temperature and humidity may be one of the key areas to tackle to reduce overall waste. One research team reviewed 300 studies of postharvest loss-reduction interventions in 57 countries between 1970 to 2019.18 It found that research on storage-technology interventions accounted for 83 percent of the studies.
- Innovative ways to storage and transportation of crops along the value chain
Challenge 5
Increasing Export Awareness and Services
Market-oriented agricultural production can be a mechanism to increase smallholder farmer welfare, rural market performance, and contribute to overall economic growth.
Increase export awareness and know-how:
Smallholder farmers and SMEs need more awareness about:
Export opportunities.
Export strategy, certificates, trade Agreements.
Export techniques and logistics
Standards & quality assurance for exporting to different countries.
Challenge 6
Access to Finance
Farmers’ decisions to invest and to produce are closely influenced by access to financial instruments. If appropriate risk mitigation products are lacking, or if available financial instruments do not match farmers’ needs, farmers may be discouraged to adopt better technologies, to purchase agricultural inputs, or to make other decisions that can improve the efficiency of their businesses.
- New business models for financing smallholder farmers.
Challenge 7
Access to Business Development Services
Agriculture BDS are “services that improve the performance of an agricultural enterprise, be it individual or cooperative, in its access to markets, financial services, and enhanced agribusiness environments. Hence, BDS could include an array of services such as: Training and advisory services, Market information services and business linkage information.
- Making Business Development Services Markets Work for the Poor
- Providing affordable high quality training for SMEs and Small holder farmers:
- Access to quality labour
Challenge 8
Empowering Women in Agribusiness
Despite women’s contribution to the economy through agriculture, they are frequently overlooked in both data and investment. The Principal Bank of Development and Agriculture, a major financial institution responsible for providing agricultural credit in Egypt, neglects to grant many long-term loans to women. Only one in twenty-six long-term borrowers and one-third of short-term borrowers are women. Furthermore, women make up only 5 percent of agricultural landowners.
- Expand women’s access to land and rural finance
- Link women to agricultural value chains
- Improve rural women’s access to training and information
Why To Apply?
Validate your Business Model
Our experts will help you define your business model, avoid high risk through validated learning, using lean startup methodology.
Get Funding
Get an equity-free initial funding to build your MVP and make better experiments.
Enhance Your Product/Service
We will help you build better product by utilizing agile and lean methodologies, in addition to our product reviews..
get Tailored business Training and Mentoring
Based on needs-assessment, you'll be linked to a high profile mentor, who will assist you during the incubation period.
And One More Thing
Get Access to Athar Alumni Free Service
Access to Free Office Hours
You can access to free mentoring sessions even after graduation.
Introductions to our network
Get access to our network of investors, funders and mentors.
Access to Funding Opportunities
We'll update you with new relevant funding opportunities based on your industry and your startup stage.
Fundraising Support
Including: - reviewing your applications, pitch rehearsals, support in negotiation with investors.
Do you have a solution or idea in agribusiness?
FAQ
What Are You Looking For? (Selection Criteria)
- Initial validation: Startups and SMEs must have done some sort of validation. (prototype – MVP – etc.)
- Female-led: Startups and SMEs must have at least one female founder.
- Industry: Startups and SMEs must have a strong relation to agribusiness.
How many startups/SMEs you'll Accept?
We’ll accept 30 startups/SMEs to the program.
Do you offer financial funding?
Yes, we’ll select the best startups to receive a financial grant.
What Stage Of A Startup Are You Looking For?
We accept both idea-stage startups as well as those with an MVP.
Can I Apply As A Single Founder?
Yes.
Where Is The Program’s Location?
The program is based in Minia. All the activities will be held in Minia, and we don’t accept applicants from other governorates.
What is the deadline for Applciation?
The deadline is 26, June 2022.
Our Partners
The program is provided in a partnership with OWAP and funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
