Cohort 1 - Call for Applications Report

The Call for Applications resulted in a total of 849 applicants, out of which 288 met the high-quality standards for prequalification. The accelerator program successfully attracted women-led or co-led agribusinesses, with 69% of applicants featuring at least one woman in the founding team. The majo...

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Main Authors: Ng'anga, Salome, Zulu-Hume, Mercy F.
Format: Informe técnico
Language:Inglés
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130728
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author Ng'anga, Salome
Zulu-Hume, Mercy F.
author_browse Ng'anga, Salome
Zulu-Hume, Mercy F.
author_facet Ng'anga, Salome
Zulu-Hume, Mercy F.
author_sort Ng'anga, Salome
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The Call for Applications resulted in a total of 849 applicants, out of which 288 met the high-quality standards for prequalification. The accelerator program successfully attracted women-led or co-led agribusinesses, with 69% of applicants featuring at least one woman in the founding team. The majority of applicants (72%) indicated that they were targeting smallholder farmers in their business model, and 52% claimed to have a digital innovation, highlighting the potential for technology in transforming the food systems sector. The most mentioned crops were maize, beans, soya beans, potatoes, livestock, and rice, underscoring the importance of diversifying food production. The accelerator program core team analyzed the performance of the Call for Applications and recommended several strategies to improve the next Call. Based on the insights gained, the team suggested reducing the number of required attachments to increase the completion rate of applications. The team also plans to target previous applicants who almost made it to the shortlist with personalized emails to encourage them to reapply. In addition, the team recommended exploring alternative marketing strategies to reach potential applicants who are not active on social media, and partnering with local accelerators and incubators to leverage their networks and resources.
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spelling CGSpace1307282025-11-05T12:35:42Z Cohort 1 - Call for Applications Report Ng'anga, Salome Zulu-Hume, Mercy F. agro-industrial sector capacity development climate-smart agriculture food systems The Call for Applications resulted in a total of 849 applicants, out of which 288 met the high-quality standards for prequalification. The accelerator program successfully attracted women-led or co-led agribusinesses, with 69% of applicants featuring at least one woman in the founding team. The majority of applicants (72%) indicated that they were targeting smallholder farmers in their business model, and 52% claimed to have a digital innovation, highlighting the potential for technology in transforming the food systems sector. The most mentioned crops were maize, beans, soya beans, potatoes, livestock, and rice, underscoring the importance of diversifying food production. The accelerator program core team analyzed the performance of the Call for Applications and recommended several strategies to improve the next Call. Based on the insights gained, the team suggested reducing the number of required attachments to increase the completion rate of applications. The team also plans to target previous applicants who almost made it to the shortlist with personalized emails to encourage them to reapply. In addition, the team recommended exploring alternative marketing strategies to reach potential applicants who are not active on social media, and partnering with local accelerators and incubators to leverage their networks and resources. 2023-04-01 2023-06-15T07:59:27Z 2023-06-15T07:59:27Z Report https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130728 en Open Access application/pdf Ng’ang’a, S., & Zulu-Hume, M. (2023). Cohort 1 - Call for Applications Report. Ukama Ustawi CGIAR Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa. Pretoria, South Africa.
spellingShingle agro-industrial sector
capacity development
climate-smart agriculture
food systems
Ng'anga, Salome
Zulu-Hume, Mercy F.
Cohort 1 - Call for Applications Report
title Cohort 1 - Call for Applications Report
title_full Cohort 1 - Call for Applications Report
title_fullStr Cohort 1 - Call for Applications Report
title_full_unstemmed Cohort 1 - Call for Applications Report
title_short Cohort 1 - Call for Applications Report
title_sort cohort 1 call for applications report
topic agro-industrial sector
capacity development
climate-smart agriculture
food systems
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130728
work_keys_str_mv AT ngangasalome cohort1callforapplicationsreport
AT zuluhumemercyf cohort1callforapplicationsreport