The first Ideathon on Agrinnovation among young people in the field of agriculture was held in Lankaran

The EU-funded project “Promoting Competitiveness, Cooperation and Modernization in the Fruit and Vegetable Sector in Lankaran Region” implemented by UNDP completed its 3-day Ideathon on Agrinnovation in Lankaran on June 2-4.

The main purpose of the competition is to apply innovations and encourage innovative ideas in the cultivation and processing of fruits and vegetables.

At the Ideathon on Agrinnovation competition, 18 teams of young people from different regions of Azerbaijan put forward their innovative ideas in two areas related to the cultivation and processing of fruits and vegetables.

On June 4, the event was attended by UNDP Resident Representative a.i. Ms. Charu Bist, Head of Cooperation Section of the EU Delegation Victor Bojkov and chairman of the Agrarian Services Agency under the Azerbaijani Agriculture Ministry Mirza Aliyev.

Victor Bojkov, head of the Cooperation Section at the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan alluded to the importance of promoting innovation in agriculture, notably to enhance its competitiveness, attract young people to work in a sector characterized by an aging workforce,  while helping agriculture to become more resilient to the challenges of climate change and overall more sustainable. “The EU 4Lankaran program under which this Ideathon is organized stands out in the EU’s current portfolio in that it is solely dedicated to the strengthening of a single economic region in Azerbaijan. Youth and women will help drive this development if afforded the opportunity  and this Ideathon is a first good step in that direction”.

UNDP Resident Representative a.i. Ms. Charu Bist stressed the importance of holding start-ups in the agricultural sector and the participation of young people in this direction.

“I am very happy to see women participating in this Ideathon. I am sure that this platform has provided you with a safe space where you have contributed to the teamwork to create solutions addressing the challenges of the horticultural sector in the Lankaran-Astara Economic Region. ”

On the same day, 18 teams presented their innovative ideas to the jury, and the winning teams in each direction were identified.

İnnovet, Zafer and Victory teams won.

The EU and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) would like to thank all the mentors, jurors and all partners who volunteered at Ideathon on Agrinnovation to increase the knowledge and skills of the ideathon teams in the field of agriculture, instilling in them the knowledge to innovate and modernize farmers.