PALM Innovation Challenge

Iraq is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, facing extreme temperatures, unpredictable precipitation, intensified drought, desertification and increasing water scarcity. At the same time, rapid population growth, urbanization and inefficient water use by the agricultural and industrial sectors are propelling a demand for more water.​​ The multifaceted stressors have led to further losses of agricultural livelihoods, thus aggravating food insecurity.

As Iraq transitions from a humanitarian to a development context after decades of conflict and political unrest, the country is focused on building a strong, home-grown innovation ecosystem that supports a climate-smart and resilient future capable of withstanding the challenges posed by climate change. To support this transition, the World Food Programme (WFP) works across the country to strengthen resilience, through food assistance, skills training, school meals, social protection and climate action, laying the foundation for long-term recovery and adaptation.

In 2024, the World Food Programme (WFP) launched its first-ever Innovation programme in Iraq. The PALM (Promoting Adaptation through Localized Methods) Iraq Innovation Programme aimed to identify and support local cost-effective solutions, both low-tech and high-tech, to build resilience and enhance climate adaptation of affected communities. The programme's main objective was also to identify and activate the local innovation ecosystem in Iraq through innovation coaching, long-term sustainable partnerships and building a strong local ecosystem that can enable growth of innovations.

We invited innovators, entrepreneurs and organizations from Iraq to contribute impactful and fit-for-purpose solutions to strengthen the capacities of local communities to adapt to climate change and improve livelihood opportunities. WFP in Iraq provides comprehensive support to selected teams, facilitating the development and scaling of the most promising solutions. Our focus layed on nurturing innovations that were not only novel to the context of Iraq but also sustainable, scalable and capable of bringing long-term change within the local ecosystem.​​

The selected innovation teams:

• were eligible to receive up to US$25,000 equity-free grant from WFP;
• had the opportunity to take part in an innovation coaching workshop held in Iraq in Feb 2025, combining business mentoring, ecosystem mobilization and roadmap planning facilitated by the WFP Innovation Accelerator;
• participated in a 5-6-month WFP Sprint Programme (May - Nov 2025) to pilot the solutions and receive operational support, with the potential to be scaled further within the national and global landscape; and
• may receive for further support and fundraising opportunities.

For this innovation challenge, we were looking for cost-effective, context-appropriate solutions, both low-tech and high-tech to enhance WFP in Iraq's climate resilience activities. We aimed to identify homegrown innovations based in Iraq that could be implemented in governorates across Iraq. While we encouraged innovative wildcard proposals, we asked ventures to ensure they align with WFP current innovation priorities in Iraq.

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, three ventures were selected for the sprint programme.