WFP Innovation Accelerator, Adaptation Fund
About the programme

Every region of the world is experiencing the effects of climate change, a major driver of global hunger. In the past decade, 1.7 billion people have faced extreme weather events and climate-related disasters. Communities contributing the least to the climate crisis suffer the most, with limited coping means. The WFP Innovation Accelerator, with support from the Adaptation Fund, launched the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA). This initiative aims to identify, support and scale high-impact innovations that enhance climate adaptation in vulnerable regions. 

We call on innovators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers to bring forward groundbreaking solutions to drive resilience, enhance climate adaptability, and promote sustainable development in affected communities. By strengthening local capacities and fostering partnerships, we strive to enhance climate resilience and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 2: ‘Zero Hunger’ and SDG 13: ‘Climate Action’.

This programme comprises four cohorts running from 2024 to 2029. The first cohort, focused on innovations operating in the Middle East and North Africa region, and is running from 2024 to 2025. The second cohort, slated to be launched later this year, will invite applications from innovations in the Asia region. The regions for the remaining two cohorts have yet to be determined.

What we offer

This partnership between the WFP Innovation Accelerator and the Adaptation Fund through the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator Programme aims to enhance climate adaptation and gender equity, foster inclusive economic opportunities, engage youth, and increase community resilience. By supporting groundbreaking climate innovations, the programme will boost local, regional and global collaborations, expand the knowledge base for climate adaptation, and deliver sustainable solutions for vulnerable populations, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals and building a more resilient future for communities worldwide. 

 Innovation Consultancy
Visibility
Funding
Access to WFP's Field Operations
Mentors Support 
Expert innovation management assistance from the WFP Innovation Accelerator.
Extensive visibility across multiple WFP social media channels and other platforms.
More than US$ 1 million in equity free funding will be available for 8-10 startups that will be admitted to the sprint programme through competitive grants based on the stage of your solution.
Access to WFP’s field operations and opportunity to engage in comprehensive field testing.
Six-month Sprint Programme combining business-oriented training, mentoring, and technical assistance from the WFP Innovation Accelerator. Access to a diverse pool of mentors from top-tier organizations in various sectors.


Learn more about our call for applications in 2024 here.

 

Inception Workshop 2024

In preparation for the call for applications in 2024, the WFP Innovation Accelerator, together with WFP country offices in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, organized three workshops to align on prevalent country specific climate challenges and identify solutions that can be sourced through the innovation challenge and scaled as part of the Climate adaptation Innovation Accelerator Programme. Here's a glimpse of all the work behind the scenes:

How we evaluate innovations
Eligibility Criteria
  • Your organization must be an established legal entity (for-profit, not-for-profit, social business, NGO, INGO).  
  • Your organization should have a presence or willingness to build a presence in one of the three countries of implementation (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon). This could take the form of a country office or other permanent presence, subsidiary, long-term operations or partnerships in the country. 
  • Your innovation addresses at least one of the above-mentioned priority areas related to pressing challenges faced in the climate adaptation space of the country of implementation.  
  • Your innovation must be at least in the seed stage. Solutions that are still at the idea, research or early pre-seed stage are not eligible. 
  • Your innovation should have a clear pathway to scale, adequate resources and a proposed plan to implement during the six-month Sprint Programme with the available funding.  
  • Applicants are expected to have strong intentions to collaborate with relevant humanitarian stakeholders, build relationships with the country offices, and connect with the innovation ecosystems. 
  • Interventions classified as Category A based on the environmental and social sustainability framework indicating a high risk of irreversible adverse impacts, will not be accepted. For further details on risk categories, kindly refer to WFP's environmental and social sustainability framework, specifically paragraph 23 on page 8. 
Evaluation criteria

Following the requirements mentioned on the left, your application will be evaluated according to the following criteria:  

  • Level of innovation/innovativeness: The solution is novel, innovative and has a strong climate adaptation regarding the mentioned themes. 
  • Relevance to the context: The solution addresses at least one of the above-mentioned priority areas, is suitable to at least one of the three country contexts, and provides concrete solutions to end-users or the ecosystem. 
  • Business model and scalability of the solution: The solution showcases a clear business model and a robust sustainable revenue model relative to its maturity stage. 
  • Team expertise and capabilities: Proven competence, technical coherence, commitment, motivation, entrepreneurial mindset and a diverse and inclusive team. 
  • Climate adaptation: The solution effectively enhances resilience to climate impacts, promotes sustainable practices and improves resource efficiency. 
  • Level of Impact: Evidence of tangible historical and projected impact towards solving a defined challenge related to climate adaptation.  
  • Environmental and social sustainability: The solution adheres to the environmental and social principles of the Adaptation Fund. 
Application Process

The call for applications for the Middle East and North Africa region cohort is closed. For the Asia cohort, we will review and select 8 to 10 successful applications in September 2025, inviting those selected to an Innovation Bootcamp in January, 2026. Please note that acceptance into the bootcamp does not guarantee you will receive funding. The bootcamp teams will go through an additional assessment phase, and only successful candidates will be awarded equity-free funding. 

Current Sprint Innovations

Sprints are structured support programmes in which selected innovators are guided toward implementing their solutions and testing their hypotheses. The WFP Innovation Accelerator provides tailored support to innovations to roll out or scale their activities and impact. After a competitive selection process and a bootcamp, the following nine ventures were selected for the AFCIA sprint programme.

Visual Artificial Intelligence Solutions (VAIS) | Egypt
VAIS is an AI-powered platform that enables precision agriculture, focusing on smart irrigation. Unlike traditional methods that require costly sensors and devices, VAIS’s technology is entirely sensor-free, making it accessible and scalable for smallholder farmers.
Noornation of Renewable Energy | Egypt
NoorNation transforms traditional flood irrigation into efficient, solar-powered systems with its Solar Irrigation as a Service (SIaaS) model. enables farmers to switch to smart, solar-powered irrigation without heavy upfront costs. Instead, they pay per use during pre- or post-harvest periods, with the option to own the system within 5 to 7 years. This model offers farmers affordable, sustainable irrigation that saves water, reduces costs and lowers emissions.
P-Vita | Egypt
P-Vita’s bioprocessing technology converts Egypt’s agricultural waste, especially palm waste that would otherwise be burned or dumped in rivers, into valuable natural extracts.
Adaptive Symbiotic Technologies (AST) | Jordan
AST discovers, manufactures and distributes microbes that help crops become more climate-resilient, requiring less water and fertilizer. In Jordan, climate change is severely impacting soil health, leading to increased desertification and land degradation. AST is addressing these challenges by developing innovative microbial solutions that help crops thrive under more difficult conditions, making agriculture more sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change.
Responsive Drip Irrigation Manufacturing | Jordan
Responsive Drip Irrigation Manufacturing Ltd. provides an innovative irrigation system that helps plants self-regulate their water and nutrients using organic chemistry. RDI’s durable, cost-effective system reduces water and fertilizer use by over 50 per cent, helping manage water scarcity and resource allocation. It also boosts crop yields by up to 30 per cent, increasing farm productivity and income. Simple to install and operate without electricity, the system is accessible to smallholder farmers, even in remote areas and works for a variety of crops, even in poor soil or with low-quality water.
Deploy Tech | Jordan
Deploy Tech has developed eco-friendly, easy-to-transport and easy-to-install concrete water tanks that address common issues in water management, especially in rainwater harvesting. It's modular design reduces implementation costs and CO₂ emissions by 77 per cent, using 75 per cent less water compared to traditional methods. The tanks’ concrete composite material offers superior heat resistance, keeping water at acceptable temperatures for drinking or irrigation, even in extreme heat.
Greener Herd | Lebanon
Greener Herd’s mobile app revolutionizes livestock management in the MENA region by offering advanced tools tailored to local needs.
It app provides real-time tracking of methane emissions, feed optimization and health management, enabling farmers to enhance productivity and profitability. Additionally, it features a marketplace connecting farmers with essential supplies, fostering efficiency and growth.
Partners with Sun | Lebanon
Partners with Sun has an innovative industrial solar oven solution that can help reduce fossil fuel use in the bakery and food industry. After testing with a medium-sized bakery, this industrial solar oven solution saw impressive results: the solar oven cuts up to 90 per cent of the baker’s fuel bill, doubles the bakery’s production capacity and significantly reduces CO2 emissions.
Remer SAL | Lebanon
Remer SAL’s bio-fertilizer enhances nutrient availability, promotes efficient nutrient cycling and stimulates root growth, leading to healthier plants with increased resistance to environmental stresses.

It uses bio-fertilizer utilizes effective microorganisms to decompose organic matter and form humus, boosting the soil’s carbon storage capacity by 10 per cent to 30 per cent, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions.