2023 Youth Hackathon open for application!

The “2023 Youth Hackathon for Green Low-Carbon Agriculture” is co-conducted by FAO China, the Center for International Agricultural Research (CIAR) of CAAS, and Young Professionals for Agricultural Research (YPARD). Its primary objective is to leverage the resourcefulness and business acumen of young individuals and to find out technology solutions to global agricultural and rural green low-carbon development.

Global challenges

The current global population is increasing, with an estimated projection of 9.7 billion by 2050. This necessitates the production of more food and other products on limited land and water resources, challenging agricultural production and resource management. Meanwhile, climate change is another mounting challenge. Countries around the world are actively seeking ways to reduce carbon emissions and promote green low- carbon development, along with the specific goal of “Climate Action” outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Green low-carbon agriculture

Green low-carbon agriculture seeks to achieve agricultural and rural carbon emissions reduction and carbon storage together with sustainable development in agriculture and rural areas. Hence, ways to improve agricultural production efficiency, optimize resource utilization, reduce emissions and pollution and promote ecosystem protection and restoration should be utilized.

With varied development among countries due to factors such as productivity, population, resources, labor and consumer mindset, achieving green low-carbon agriculture urgently requires countries to support the dual carbon goals, promote high-quality development of agriculture and rural areas as well as exploring country-specific strategies for agricultural green development.

To evoke the creativity and activeness of young people in low-carbon agriculture and to encourage young generations to exchange their ideas with their peers from all over the world, the 2023 Youth Hackathon is devoted to inspiring young people in contributing their wisdom toimprove global food security by adopting innovative and inclusive methods. Specifically, the 2023 Youth Hackathon aims to:

Build a global network focused on the whole chain of low-carbon agriculture with frontline executives, entrepreneurs and industry experts; identify innovative opportunities and create an enabling environment through public and private sector cooperation.

Share cutting-edge information, technologies and business models to develop low-carbon agriculture with innovation in feasible ways that can be applied in a true sense by countries around the world.

Provide ongoing support for young creators during and after the events through the efforts of FAO, CAAS and other partners, thus empowering all hackers to solve problems.

Topics and tracks 2023 Youth Hackathon encourages young people to participate in the three tracks of “New Technology (Low-carbon Technology), “New Pattern (Green Market)” and “New Service (Ecological Society)”.

A focus needs to be placed on energy conservation and emissions reduction, as well as carbon reduction and sink increasing in the whole agricultural value chain of forestation, herding, fishing and other tertiary industries.

Tournament rules Team members would ideally be between 18 and 40years old and of any nationality. Students may have their mentors as part of the project team. Their mentor’s role in the project must be highlighted. All proposals and presentations shall be conducted in English.

This Hackathon will be divided into three stages: Preliminary Selection, Training Session and Final Competition.

Timeline and key points

▫️10 April – 20 July: Application

▫️20 July – 20 August: Preliminary selection

▫️20 August: Announcement of shortlist teams

▫️Late August – Early September: Training Session (Online)

▫️The 3rd Week of October: Final Competition (Online)

▫️The 4th Week of October: Award Ceremony (Onsite, China)

Application materials

Please complete the application as a team and send the requested materials to ciar@caas.cn and ccypardchina@outlook.com.

Applicationdeadline: 20 July 2023, 23:59 (GMT+8,Beijing Time)

Application Form (scan the QR code belowfor access)

Innovation Solution including a project proposal and a PowerPoint Presentation(scan the QR code for more info.)

Video Presentation for 5 min (scan the QR code for more info.)

For inquiries or more information, please send an email tociar@caas.cn and copy ypardchina@outlook.com