In the context of the profound transformations that agriculture is undergoing on a global scale, driven by climate change, evolving markets, rural migration, and increasingly by digitalization, the role of rural youth as agents of local transformation is becoming ever more relevant. The phenomenon of Agriculture 4.0, known for incrementally and systemically integrating new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as sensors, robotics, data analytics, and artificial intelligence into agricultural production, management, and marketing processes, has been driving the optimization of decision-making and increasing the productivity and resilience of agrifood systems.
Various public policies are positioning digital technology as an indispensable engine for economic progress, productive efficiency, and environmental sustainability in the agricultural sector. This technological transformation is redefining farming practices, opening opportunities for new businesses, reducing the generational gap, and strengthening the resilience of productive systems against climate change.
However, family farming, a fundamental pillar of rural economies in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), faces significant challenges to fully incorporate this digital transformation. Gaps in access to digital technologies, connectivity, training, and resources limit the possibilities for millions of family farmers, peasants, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous peoples to optimize their productive processes, improve their competitiveness, and connect efficiently with markets. This situation not only highlights historical structural inequalities but also represents a loss of potential in achieving more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems.
Faced with this scenario, it is rural youth who emerge as strategic agents of change. The young men and women who inhabit rural territories have a direct understanding of the problems affecting their communities and, at the same time, possess a natural openness to adopting digital technologies. The Nexus Rural Award recognizes this transformative potential and places youth at the center of its strategy to help close the digital divide in family farming in the region.
This initiative is organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and PROCASUR, with funding from the People's Republic of China, aiming to catalyze the inclusive digital transformation of family farming by recognizing and scaling digital solutions developed or led by youth that address concrete problems faced by family farmers and their communities.
Through the Nexus Rural Award, youth innovating in the implementation of digital solutions for family farming will be rewarded, recognizing experiences that demonstrate the generation of shared value, where digital technology serves as a tool for empowerment and transformation in agrifood systems. Simultaneously, it strengthens participation and provides advantages to farmers throughout the value chain, impacting associative development, the productive base, and business diversification. The goal is to demonstrate that digital technology, when implemented in a contextualized and specific manner, can be a vehicle for rural development.
The call is aimed at young people between 18 and 35 years of age residing in rural territories who, individually or associatively, are using, developing, or scaling the use of digital technologies with verifiable results on productivity in agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture, market access, the strengthening of technical capacities, or are contributing to improving working and living conditions for rural families. Solutions led by youth that demonstrate a commitment to reducing social inequalities and promoting sustainable transformation opportunities for rural communities in Latin America and the Caribbean will be awarded.
The general objective of the Nexus Rural Award is to recognize, strengthen, and support the scaling of digital solutions developed or led by young innovators in the LAC region that are generating a demonstrated impact on economic progress, family well-being, productive efficiency, and environmental sustainability of family farming, contributing to the reduction of the rural digital divide and the construction of more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems.
The Nexus Rural Award adopts an open innovation approach to recognize digital solutions that prove to be effective in addressing the multiple challenges of family farming.
This approach explicitly values the creative appropriation of existing technologies, considering the innovative use of digital tools, free software, or publicly available open-source platforms that are adapted, reconfigured, or combined to solve specific challenges faced by family farmers to improve productive, organizational, or market access processes. It also values youth who have developed a digital solution that is ready to be adapted and scaled among more family farmers in the region.
The Nexus Rural Award understands digital technology as an application, platform, system, or tool based on digital data processing: software, mobile applications, web platforms, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Artificial Intelligence, and other data analytics tools aimed at improving productive, organizational, commercial, or decision-making processes currently being used in agrifood systems managed by family farmers.
This approach is crucial for giving visibility to the largest possible number of successful experiences in the use of digital technology that can demonstrate technical feasibility but face challenges related to their recognition, contextualization, optimization of operations, construction of business models, access to financing for growth, or the establishment of partnerships with organizations and institutions to scale operations to other rural contexts in the region.
Below is a description of the technological maturity scale to guide the experiences using digital technologies that can participate in the Nexus Rural Award:
Solutions that use free digital tools, social networks, or existing platforms to reorganize the production, marketing, and business management processes of family farming. The focus is on innovation by use, where a young person identifies a specific problem and adapts a technology to solve it.
Functional digital prototypes that have already been tested in a productive context with family farmers. Preliminary evidence of impact and the solution's capacity to operate in new contexts are valued.
Digital solutions with verifiable results, a defined business model, and the technical capacity to expand to new territories in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Nexus Rural Award is open to young people between 18 and 35 years of age, either individually or as a team, who are developing, implementing, or scaling digital technologies with demonstrable impact on family farming and rural territories in Latin America and the Caribbean.
A. Individual Application:
A young innovator who, autonomously or in collaboration with a tech company, research entity, or university, is developing or implementing a digital solution aimed at solving specific problems for family farmers. If awarded, they will be the direct recipient of technical and financial support.
B. Associative (Team) Application:
A team made up of two or more young people up to 35 years of age who work collaboratively, formally or informally, to implement a digital solution for family farming. The team may include youth linked to cooperatives, peasant communities, Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and other associative figures of family farming. The team must designate a young leader up to 35 years of age to represent them and act as the direct recipient of technical and financial support.
The young applicants must meet the following requirements, which will be verified during the admissibility analysis:
The digital technologies submitted must solve a concrete problem experienced in rural territories of LAC, especially in family farming. Regardless of the solution's technological maturity level, it must address at least one of the following areas:
Additionally, the digital solution submitted must demonstrate a tangible impact on improving the economic conditions and well-being of family farmers with measurable, verifiable indicators proportional to the declared level of technological maturity, and have scaling potential to reach a larger number of family farmers.
Applications for the Nexus Rural Award must be structured in five components which, together, allow for the evaluation of both the technical viability of digital technology-based solutions and their transformation potential for family farming.
10 young innovators or teams will be selected who stand out for developing and implementing high-impact digital solutions. The awards are distributed into three categories designed to ensure geographic representation, family farming diversity, and the inclusion of technologies at different maturity levels.
Additionally, to expand digitalization opportunities for family farming, 80 young applicants who obtain the best scores will be awarded a virtual course on the application of Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain in the agricultural and artisanal fishing sectors, specifically designed to meet the demands of family farming organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Nexus Rural Award seeks to transform digital solutions into sustainable and scalable initiatives so they generate greater impact on family farming in Latin America and the Caribbean. To achieve this, the Award for the 10 winners integrates financing, specialized technical advisory, and access to stakeholder networks that boost youth leadership in rural technology.
The 10 winners of the Nexus Rural Award will receive funding of $3,500 USD (three thousand five hundred US dollars) to maximize impact and inspire the next generation of family farmers. Each of the 10 Awards is structured as follows:
The 10 winners of the Nexus Rural Award will receive technical support through forty hours of personalized mentorship, based on the support needs defined by each winner to consolidate and/or scale the awarded digital technology.
The 10 winners will be able to select their mentor from a panel of entrepreneurs with training and experience in digital agriculture, technology, and business in the agricultural, aquaculture, and artisanal fishing sectors. The mentors will aim to help the winners connect with the rural entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, refine their processes, improve their impact, increase their operations and positioning, among other key areas to create valuable connections and build alliances with more family farmers regionally.
Additionally, the 10 winners will gain access to an in-person course on business for smart agriculture, focused on structuring business models and project scaling strategies to translate the awarded digital solution into clear value propositions, opening the doors of digital agriculture to a greater number of family farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Applications will be received exclusively through the digital platform www.nexusrural.org
Each individual youth or team may submit only one (1) digital solution. Applications can be submitted in Spanish, English, French, or Portuguese. Attached documents must be in system-compatible formats (.doc, .xls, .jpg, .pdf).
The application must include a video in which the young leader of the team explains the importance and impact of the digital solution. This video must not exceed 180 seconds (3 minutes) in duration and must be hosted on a free video streaming platform (youtube.com or other), free of passwords, and allowing verification of the upload date.
Additionally, applicants must complete a digital application form that collects the detailed information described in Section 5.1 of these Technical Guidelines. The form structures the presentation of the five mandatory components through specific fields that facilitate the comprehensive evaluation of each proposed digital solution.
The evaluation of applications will be conducted in two (2) stages.
The organizing team will review the admissibility of received applications. Applications that meet all requirements will advance to the evaluation stage. For admission to the evaluation stage, the application will be checked for compliance with:
If incomplete information is detected, the Award team may contact the applicants to request the correction of background information. From the closing date of the call, participants will have a maximum period of 5 business days to correct or provide the required information.
The evaluation of applications is structured around five criteria that, together, allow for a comprehensive assessment of each digital technology's capacity to generate real and sustainable transformations in family farming.
The set of criteria seeks to recognize both mature solutions with quantitative evidence and early innovations or adaptive use of digital technology that demonstrate transformative potential in family farming. Applications will be evaluated on clarity in identifying the problem, the relevance of the proposed solution, and the evidence of results provided.
The problem is real, significant, and the digital technology responds with technical and contextual relevance.
The applied digital solution has a clear, differentiated, and transformative purpose for family farming.
The digital technology can be adapted and replicated in new rural territories.
The youth or team possesses the capabilities and commitment to transfer the digital solution.
The application coordinates with companies, public institutions, academia, and financial entities that enhance its transformation capacity and impact on family farmers.
Below are the criteria that will guide the evaluation of applications to the contest.
Relevance of the problem and efficacy of the digital solution (30%). This criterion evaluates solutions addressing real problems of family farming in Latin America and the Caribbean. The relevance of the digital technology to a concrete challenge faced by territories, rural communities, and family farmers will be assessed. The clarity with which the problem is described based on the applicant's experience, the suitability of the proposed digital solution for that specific problem, and qualitative usage evidence (farmer testimonials, photographic records, descriptions of before-and-after processes) will be evaluated. Evidence provided by both users of the digital technology and the applicant regarding the benefits attributable to the digital solution will be highly valued.
Purpose of the technology (20%). This criterion evaluates the transformative purpose of the digital technology for sustainable, resilient, and inclusive family farming and agrifood systems. Originality and added value compared to other digital solutions will be valued, as well as how the proposed technology serves family farmers while respecting local contexts and empowering their capacities and well-being. Additionally, the presence of measurable, verifiable indicators proportional to the level of technological appropriation that demonstrate tangible impact in improving the economic conditions and well-being of family farmers will be evaluated.
Scalability (25%). This criterion recognizes digital technologies demonstrating the potential to multiply their impact in new rural territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. Technical viability, the applicant's strategic vision for scaling the technology to new territories, communities, or family farmer groups, and clarity on expected medium-term growth (three years) including milestones, adoption goals, and the technical development plan will be assessed.
Team capabilities (15%). This criterion evaluates the profile of the young person or team members applying for the contest. Technical knowledge in digital technologies, field experience with family farmers, and the demonstrated or potential capacity to scale the solution into new rural contexts of the region will be valued. Special attention will be paid to prior experience in applying digital technologies and the transfer skills required for other family farmers to adopt the proposed solution.
Strategic alliances (10%). This criterion evaluates the applicant's or team's capacity to build strategic relationships with stakeholders that enhance the impact, sustainability, and reach of the digital technological solution. Digital solutions connected to funding sources, receiving technical support, and maintaining ties with family farmer associations or cooperatives, rural entrepreneurs, private companies, universities, research centers, incubators, or public entities will be valued. Furthermore, the existence of a current or projected financial model guaranteeing the initiative's ongoing operations will be evaluated.
The evaluation will be performed individually by each member of the Evaluation Committee, using a standardized evaluation matrix that assigns points for each criterion according to the scoring scale established in the Technical Guidelines. The final score for each application will be the weighted average of the individual evaluations.
The evaluation will consider the level of technological maturity declared by the applicant, applying a matrix with requirement thresholds to ensure fairness among the diversity of applications.
PROCASUR and the Evaluation Committee reserve the right to request from applicants, during the evaluation process, complementary information, clarifications, or additional supporting documentation deemed necessary for proper understanding, verification, or assessment of the proposed solutions. The sole purpose of this request is to: clarify ambiguous or insufficiently explained aspects, verify the truthfulness of provided information, request additional evidence of impact or functioning, update information that may have changed between the application date and the evaluation, and correct minor documentary omissions that do not alter the essence of the proposal.
All requests for complementary information will be made strictly respecting the principle of equality among applicants. No information will be requested that disproportionately benefits one applicant over others. If a common deficiency among multiple applicants is identified, the request will be uniformly made to all those affected. Clarifications will solely aim to allow for a fair and complete evaluation, not to artificially improve a deficient application.
Scoring scale per impact dimension:
The Nexus Rural Award 2026 will proceed according to the following official schedule.
All dates and times indicated correspond to the Panama time zone (GMT/UTC-5). It is the exclusive responsibility of the applicants to verify time conversions corresponding to their respective countries and ensure compliance with the established deadlines.
IMPORTANT: Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted. The digital platform will close automatically at the indicated limit time. It is highly recommended to complete and submit the application form well in advance to avoid technical issues.
The information shared by applicants during the application and evaluation process will be treated confidentially by PROCASUR and IFAD and used exclusively for the purposes of the Nexus Rural Award evaluation process. The processing of personal data will be carried out according to international data protection standards established by the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable national laws in the applicant's country of residence.
Personal data of applicants will be retained solely for the time necessary to fulfill the purposes of the evaluation process and, where applicable, the execution of the Award. Once the awarding process is concluded and any derived obligations are met, personal data will be securely deleted.
The data of Award winners may be retained for an additional period necessary for the institutional documentation of the project, preparation of result reports, and systematization of lessons learned. In any case, this retention period is tied to the conclusion of the Award cycle, after which the data will be permanently deleted.
Applicants have the right to access their personal data, request correction if inaccurate or incomplete, request deletion when no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, object to its processing under certain circumstances, and request restriction of its processing as provided by applicable regulations. To exercise these rights, applicants may contact PROCASUR through the official communication channels of the Nexus Rural Award, reliably identifying themselves and specifying the right they wish to exercise.
Additionally, applicants have the right to withdraw their consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent prior to withdrawal. The exercise of this right will be communicated to PROCASUR via written request, which will be addressed within a maximum of thirty business days.
Access to applicants' personal data will be strictly restricted to PROCASUR and IFAD personnel directly involved in the evaluation process, as well as Evaluation Committee members who have signed confidentiality agreements. Under no circumstances will access to personal data be provided to third parties not formally linked to the Nexus Rural Award evaluation process.
Applying for the Nexus Rural Award does not imply the assignment, transfer, or licensing of any intellectual property rights over the proposed digital solution. Intellectual property rights concerning digital technologies, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and any other form of legal protection, remain at all times the exclusive property of the applicant or the team that developed them.
This provision ensures that young innovators retain full ownership and control over their technological creations, enabling them to commercially exploit them, license them to third parties, enter into technology transfer agreements, or make any other decision regarding the management of their intellectual assets without any limitations arising from their participation in the Award.
Any subsequent use of the digital solution for case documentation, technical publications, dissemination materials, audiovisual production, event presentations, or any other form of communication and disclosure by PROCASUR, IFAD, or their strategic partners will require the express written authorization of the winner. This authorization will specifically establish the scope of permitted use, authorized dissemination media, authorship credits to be acknowledged, and any other condition deemed relevant by the rights holder.
Winners of the Nexus Rural Award shall retain at all times the right to request prior review of any dissemination material involving information about their digital solution before publication or distribution, thereby ensuring control over the public representation of their innovation and safeguarding sensitive technical or commercial information the winner considers confidential.
