The Grow Asia Innovation Challenge 2025 is open! Following the success of the 2024 Innovation Challenge that focused on rice, Grow Asia is launching its 2025 Challenge in the Philippines. The Grow Asia Innovation Challenge provides a catalytic launch pad for founders of climate-smart agri-tech solutions by matching them with mentors and partners who can accelerate their go-to-market journey and advance the transformation toward more climate-resilient agriculture in Southeast Asia.

The challenge is open to innovators with market-ready digital solutions that address at least one of the identified challenge statements aimed at supporting smallholder producers of coconut, cacao, and coffee in Southeast Asia – particularly in the Philippines.

The Philippines faces a digital literacy gap, particularly in rural farming communities, where weak connectivity and inadequate infrastructure hinder technology adoption. According to the 2019 National ICT Household Survey,¹ digital literacy remains relatively low, with only 2 out of 5 Filipinos possessing at least one of the six basic ICT skills monitored for sustainable development goals. To address this, government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Training Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology are implementing digital literacy programs and technology initiatives nationwide. In response, the Grow Asia Innovation Challenge aligns with these national efforts, serving as a platform to identify and scale farmer-friendly digital solutions that enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability. The challenge will focus on three key areas: traceability and logistics tools to improve certification and sustainability compliance, digital advisory solutions to expand access to climate-smart farm insights, and technology adoption strategies that enhance digital literacy and usability for smallholder farmers.

“Innovation and digital solutions play a crucial role in transforming agriculture in Southeast Asia. Through the Grow Asia Innovation Challenge, we are not only identifying groundbreaking technologies but also building the necessary support systems to ensure their successful adoption among smallholder farmers,” said Chrissa Marey Borja, Head, Programs, Grow Asia. “We are grateful to our partners at Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and IFAD for their relentless commitment to furthering innovation across the region.”

Finalists will receive direct mentorship from industry leaders, strategic advisory sessions, and exposure through Grow Asia and PPSA’s networks. By bridging the gap between technology providers and farmers, the innovation challenge aims to build a more inclusive and resilient agricultural ecosystem in the region.

This year, the Grow Asia Innovation Challenge 2025 will be supported by Grow Asia’s country chapter in the Philippines, the Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA). Angel Bautista, Country Director of PPSA, said, “The Grow Asia Innovation Challenge presents a unique opportunity to support local agribusinesses in harnessing digital solutions that can drive sustainable growth for smallholder farmers. Agriculture plays a vital role in the Philippine economy, contributing approximately an eighth of the national GDP. As a significant player in the global market, PPSA realizes the need to focus on coconut, cacao, and coffee by addressing key sectors with high economic potential while ensuring that farmers benefit from cutting-edge technologies that improve livelihoods and resilience.”

Additionally, Villgro Philippines joins GAIC 2025 as a key program partner, bringing its expertise as an incubator that funds, mentors, and nurtures enterprises tackling critical social and climate issues. Priya Thachadi, Co-Founder and CEO of Villgro Philippines, expressed her enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “Innovation is at the heart of solving agriculture’s most pressing challenges.

Through our partnership with Grow Asia, we aim to empower startups that are developing sustainable solutions while creating tangible economic opportunities for smallholder farmers—especially women in agriculture. Fostering entrepreneurial solutions will be key to creating lasting change across broken food systems.”

Grow Asia and PPSA invite partners —including agribusinesses, technology providers, development organizations, and investors—to collaborate on this initiative in scaling innovative AgTech solutions for smallholder farmers.

For more information on the Grow Asia Innovation Challenge 2025, visit https://www.growasia.org/innovation-challenge-2025

About Grow Asia

Grow Asia was established by the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2015, to bring together governments, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other key stakeholders in the region to convene, facilitate, and scale efforts that promote more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems.

It does this by brokering commercial and non-profit partnerships at the field, level, regional, and global levels between more than 700 public, private, civil society, academic, and farmer organizations that make up the Grow Asia Network. This catalytic network creates an ecosystem that supports knowledge sharing, collaboration, innovation, and policy change.

To date, we have reached over 3.4 million smallholders and small rural enterprises. Through 6 Country Chapters and 44 value chains, our collective effort has increased farm incomes by $81 million a year for selected value chains, and enabled more than 185,000 farms to adopt new technologies.

Grow Asia’s work is characterized by four operating principles:

• Smallholder-focused, keeping the farmer at the center of all initiatives and investments.
• Country-led and locally-driven, owned by stakeholders, and aligned with national plans, strategies, and goals.
• Multi-stakeholder and inclusive, engaging government, private sector, international organizations, civil society, farmer organizations, and others.
• Market-based, focusing on catalyzing and expanding sustainable, inclusive investments and market-based activities.

About Villgro

Villgro Philippines is a gender-smart incubator that funds, mentors, and nurtures enterprises addressing the most pressing social and climate issues. Over the last 5 years, Villgro Philippines has supported more than 120 enterprises across climate, health, education, agriculture, affordable housing, and women and girls in South and Southeast Asia. Villgro Philippines established the Nüshu Network (formerly WE Rise Community) in partnership with UN Women in 2021 to connect women entrepreneurs with investors, mentors, and resources. In collaboration with xchange and USAID, Villgro launched the Impact Pioneers Network, providing early-stage impact entrepreneurs access to debt and equity investments. Their gender-focused initiatives have earned numerous awards, including recognition as a Youth Gender Champion in 2020 and a Gender Responsive Marketplace for SMEs in 2021 by the UN Women Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Awards. Villgro Philippines is certified under the GLIA standards by ygap and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

¹ https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/PUBLICATIONS/pidspn2110.pdf