WFP/UNICEF Youth in Food Security Innovation Pitch Day winners announced

AMMAN — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) awarded seed funding to five young women and men, to help them launch their start-ups that will positively impact food security in Jordan.

The winners were among 22 young people between 18 and 26 years old who received entrepreneurship and food security training to turn their ideas into action as part of the WFP/UNICEF Youth in Food Security Innovation programme, according to a UNICEF statement.  

The programme ended with a pitch day for 12 finalists, including 10 women, who presented their ideas to a panel of experts.

The five winning innovations — ranging from healthy school meal alternatives, managing solid waste, to recycling carbon dioxide — will receive seed funding of JD2800 and mentorship to help bring their ideas to life and contribute to making sure everyone in Jordan will have reliable access to adequate and nutritious food in the future.

“WFP has been innovating since the first use of commercial airlines to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance, 60 years ago. Today, we use cutting-edge technologies like blockchain to deliver digital cash assistance. Innovation is in our DNA,” said WFP Jordan Country Director Alberto Correia Mendes. 

“We deeply believe that these talented young people with their brilliant ideas and the support from WFP and UNICEF can become the backbone of food security in the future,” he added.

“Young people in Jordan have the ideas that can transform the world and tackle the greatest challenges facing their generation including climate change, water scarcity and food insecurity. Our partnership with WFP is helping to turn that potential into real and meaningful action,” said UNICEF Jordan Representative Tanya Chapuisat. 

These innovative projects all help address Jordan’s most pressing food security issues; rising population, water scarcity, low agricultural production, unemployment and the growing impact of climate change, the statement said.

The WFP/UNICEF programme ensures that entrepreneurs and start-ups working on food security solutions are given the support they need to bring their ideas to scale and create employment opportunities for young people, read the statement.

WFP’s innovation programme has been made possible through support from the governments of Australia and Ireland. UNICEF’s Youth Social Innovation programme is supported by the Government of the Netherlands.