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The agricultural sector in Nigeria is full of potential, but most of the innovative startups have not been funded to reach their potential. In come the grants for agricultural startups, acting as that helping hand in establishing new ideas and building successful businesses.
Otherwise known as funding for agricultural startups or agritech grants, these are monetary aids dedicated to young companies in Nigeria that are developing solutions to revolutionize the present agricultural landscape.
In this article, we will walk you through the top 10 grants available for Nigerian agricultural startups: breaking down eligibility criteria, application processes, and the kind of support they offer.
So, whether you’re building a mobile app to connect farmers with markets or a sensor-based precision irrigation system, continue reading to find the grant likely to catapult your agritech dream to the next level!
Grants for Agriculture startups are a financial seed to sow young business ideas in a bid to give them a chance to grow.
This grant funds startups working in varied innovative ways on solutions for farmers, ranchers, or rural communities.
This money can be utilized in developing new technologies, bringing efficiency into farming practices, or promoting sustainable agriculture. There can be grants from government organizations, non-profits, and even private entities—each with its focus area.
A grant win could be transformational to a startup, giving them the wherewithal to pursue their ideas and actually change things by making real impacts on agriculture.
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Before one delves deep into applying, it would be proper to understand the various agricultural grants and funding available in Nigeria. They are broadly divided into the following categories:
There exist varieties of funds that finance agricultural ventures, all with their own application procedures. In this regard, one ought to undertake a little homework to find financing options that best suit one’s agricultural project or business.
Several major funding opportunities open calls for proposals on agriculture projects across Nigeria. Here are list of 10 grants to consider applying for:
The Arrell Global Food Innovation Awards recognizes people making a meaningful contribution to global food security. The prize consists of two awards of $100,000 CAD annually.
One prize goes to a researcher or group that has made outstanding contributions to improve knowledge production, processing, and distribution, which helped lessen hunger and improve nutrition in the human diet. The other prize goes to those who have either established or strengthened organizations dedicated to better nutrition or food security for disadvantaged communities.
The USADF, in partnership with the Ekiti state government of Nigeria, provides grants between $50,000 and $250,000 to farmer cooperatives/producer groups/ agribusinesses working on projects within the rice and cassava value chains.
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The SMEDAN Conditional Grant Scheme is an initiative of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, in support of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.
The scheme is proposed to provide a conditional grant of up to N50,000.00 to micro, small, and medium enterprises that have properly registered their businesses with SMEDAN.
The SMEDAN Conditional Grant Scheme is set up to improve the chances of MSMEs in Nigeria, particularly in terms of better access to funds, training, and support services. Businesses, by registering with SMEDAN and applying for its Conditional Grant Scheme, are provided with support to aid growth and development.
The Heritage Management Organization offers mini-grants of $5000 – $ 50,000 to individuals, groups, and organizations working with heritage in different parts of Africa. The grants are offered through the Heritage Management Project – Africa under its Humanities in Place Programme.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation is the leading continental philanthropy concerned with entrepreneurship and economic development. TEF grants funding to any startup or small business operating in any sector, including agriculture.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is providing one-of-a-kind funding support to Nigerian agribusinesses that are working to improve nutrition. Equity-free grants are available to select small and medium-sized firms in Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa, and Oyo states that focus on biofortified crops.
This new effort intends to increase biofortified food production and sales, hence helping Nigerian consumers.
Go to the GAIN micro-grants official website and click the ‘Apply Here’ button at the bottom of the page.
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The Pitch AgriHack Challenge is a call for ideas that support young agricultural entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Through the challenge, startups can have their ideas pitched and win funding with mentorship.
The Pitch AgriHack Challenge identifies and supports innovative, scalable business ideas with high job creation potential and a positive contribution to the growth of the agricultural sector in Nigeria.
The competition is open to any young entrepreneurs with innovative ideas or solutions that might transform the Agricultural sector.
Note: The Pitch AgriHack Challenge is competitive, and therefore, only the best ideas and solutions will be selected.
Heifer International has launched an enterprise development program—AYuTe Africa Challenge in Nigeria to identify, nurture, and support innovative and technology-driven agric-centric enterprises.
The program seeks to empower early-stage agritech businesses or startups that are youth-led and have unique, innovative solutions impacting smallholder farmers.
Those selected will compete for prizes in the form of grant money or investment to support growth and scale. This year, the prize money increased from $20,000 to as high as $40,000.
GroFin Fund is a Nigerian financing solution for SMEs. This fund shall provide financing and business technical assistance to SMEs that operate in the agricultural value chain.
The GroFin Fund aims to address part of the challenges SMEs face in accessing finance-to-scale technologies.
The NIRSAL program is an initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria to improve access to finance among agriculture value chain players. The fund provides incentives and risk-sharing mechanisms that encourage Banks to lend to Agriculture businesses.
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A good agriculture business grant proposal should be logically based on the goals of the funding agency and its objectives, followed by a good proposal write-up. Here are steps that will help you to successfully write an agriculture business grant proposal:
Remember, a fine grant proposal takes some real time and effort to be written. Start early, and do not hesitate to request assistance as needed.
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Grant selection for Nigerian agritech startups is based on understanding your stage, goals, and grant specifics.
Through these steps, be one step towards the best grants aimed at fueling your venture in agritech. Just remember, research is key!
These top 10 grants for agricultural startups in Nigeria give entrepreneurs the much-needed capital to innovate and grow in the agritech sector.
Grants for agricultural startups serve to give businesses quite a key financing, thereby standing to have expansion, enhance efficiency, and boost productivity.
Whether just starting out or looking to scale, such opportunities can be a game-changer for your agribusiness.
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Yes, some grant programs target early-stage businesses. Look for grants with terms like “seed funding” or “startup incubator” programs.
Not all grants require equity in exchange. Grants are normally awarded as non repayable funds, while investments often involve some kind of ownership stake.
Most grants focus on innovation and initiatives that can solve the challenges in agriculture in Nigeria. Identify whatever is in line with your goals for the startup, like promoting sustainable practices, improving efficiency, or matching farmers with markets.
The amount of money varies from one program to another and is contingent on the nature or aspect of the project in question. Some grants can provide seed funding and others providing fairly larger amounts.
While competition for grants may be fiercely competitive, backing up a great proposal with explicit social impact markedly yields better odds.