The DOEN Foundation, in partnership, with Seedstars, has launched the DOEN Land Restoration Prize.

 

The prize seeks to award start-ups, having the best solution, enabled by technology, for land restoration.

 

This is coming, on the backdrop, of land degradation and deforestation, facing lands today, in Africa, even, arable lands, are not spared, from this turn of rising population and industrialisation.

 

In Africa, nearly, two-thirds of the land is, degraded and this hampers economic development.

 

With Africa’s vast expanse of land, spanning a region of, more than 1.7 billion acres, of forest that, has been degraded, the continent has, a huge opportunity, to implement the largest land restoration.

 

The potential benefits that, the continent is, set to get, from the restoration, include improved food and water security, biodiversity protection, climate change resilience and economic growth.

 

African Union has, therefore, set an ambitious target, to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, by 2030.

 

The prize challenge aims to seek out environmental, social and financial start-ups, with a focus on land restoration activities.

 

Criteria For Selection Include;

 

Start-ups, applying for this challenge, must have:

 

* Solutions, already tackling a problem, in the land restoration space that, is not older, than 4 years
* Or an existing start-up, less than, 4 years, with zero activity, but sees the opportunity, to adapt their current solution, to the land restoration space
* Solution with the potential, to reach scalability, in low resource areas
* Solution, showing the clear environmental impact
* The solution can show, a clear social impact
* Preferably, ventures that operate and are based in Africa
* Technology start-ups that, can demonstrate a business model, or, technology innovation

 

Start-ups That Can Apply?

 

* Solutions that finance the restoration of degraded land, for production and/or, conservation purposes
* Start-ups, using big data and technology, to reverse land degradation
* The technology used, to optimise resource efficiency, reduce impacts, on ecosystems and lower carbon emissions
* Water-Saving, Soil Technologies
* Technologies, focused on improving livelihoods and communities
* Planning, management and education tools, for land restoration
* Agriculture, (with a focus, on precision conservation) and Agro-Forestry
* Clean Energy solutions that, aid in the combat of land degradation
* Responsible Eco-Tourism that, aids in the support, of land restoration

 

Benefits Of The Challenge

 

* The top 3 solutions, will be invited, for an all-inclusive trip, to the Seedstars Africa Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on December 5, 2019, for a week-long training program and conference
* The winner, will receive 9 months access, to the Seedstars exclusive investment readiness program
* A $10,000 grant, will be awarded, to the winning solution

 

How to apply

 

Start-ups, with eligibility satisfied above, can start the application here. Applications for the DOEN Land Restoration prize challenge, closes on Tuesday, October 15, 2019. The winner of this challenge, will be awarded, 9 months’ access, to the Seedstars Investment Readiness Program and will, also, assess a $10,000 grant.