Farmer Field Schools Innovation Award 2025: Apply Now

Application Deadline: May 15, 2025

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is proud to launch the Farmer Field Schools (FFS) Innovation Award 2025, following the success of its inaugural edition in 2024. Organized by FAO’s Global FFS Platform in collaboration with the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) and Prolinnova, the award celebrates innovation at the grassroots level—where real change in global agriculture begins.

Supporting Local Innovation for Sustainable Agrifood Systems

In today’s rapidly changing world, climate change, food insecurity, and fragile rural economies pose major threats to global agriculture. The key to overcoming these challenges lies in scalable, inclusive innovation that is grounded in community-driven action. FAO’s Farmer Field Schools have already proven to be powerful platforms for transformation, providing more than just training—they cultivate co-creation, local experimentation, and sustainable solutions.

Active in over 90 countries, FFS initiatives have helped farmers adopt practical, locally relevant solutions. These programs encourage collective learning, empower rural communities, and support environmentally sound farming practices. However, much of the innovation sparked through FFS remains undocumented and under-recognized.

Recognizing and Scaling Grassroots Innovations

The FFS Innovation Award 2025 aims to shine a light on these often-overlooked innovations. It seeks to recognize impactful practices that contribute to regenerative agriculture, rural entrepreneurship, and inclusive food systems. More than just a recognition, the award is a platform to inspire, mentor, and scale ideas that can revolutionize the future of farming.

With an upgraded format, the 2025 edition offers a more inclusive, accessible, and collaborative application process. Whether you are a smallholder farmer, an FFS facilitator, part of a development organization, or a social entrepreneur, your innovation matters—and this award is your chance to share it with the world.

Why You Should Apply

The award offers an unparalleled opportunity to:

• Gain Global Recognition: Finalists will travel to Rome to present their innovations at the FAO Science and Innovation Forum from October 14–17, 2025.
• Receive Expert Mentorship: Winners will gain access to expert support through the Global FFS Platform, enhancing their capacity to scale and sustain their solutions.
• Inspire Change: Share your success story with a global network, inspiring others in similar contexts to adopt and adapt your innovations.

What Makes a Winning Innovation?

Eligible innovations should showcase:

• Positive impact and practical application in farming communities.
• Creative use of the FFS model to improve sustainability, equity, and resilience.
• Alignment with FAO’s New Ambition for FFS, focusing on:
  • Regenerating Agroecosystems: Innovations that restore soil health, biodiversity, and water systems using agroecological methods.
  • Boosting Local Economies: Approaches that enhance market access, rural entrepreneurship, and smallholder profitability.
  • Promoting Inclusion: Practices that empower women, youth, and marginalized groups in farming and decision-making.

Simple and Accessible Application Process

The application process is open from April 16 to May 15, 2025. Submissions can be in writing or video, and the multilingual application form is available online and offline to accommodate all levels of digital access.

Shortlisted candidates will receive support to pitch their innovations during a live session on June 24, 2025, with the final laureates announced on July 5, 2025.

Join the Movement

The Farmer Field Schools Innovation Award is more than a competition—it’s a global call to action. It’s about recognizing those who are turning challenges into opportunities and transforming agriculture from the ground up. If you’re working to make agriculture more sustainable, inclusive, and innovative, this is your chance to be seen, heard, and supported.

For more information and to apply, CLICK HERE