US-headquartered social media company Facebook has partnered Brazil-based startup accelerator operator Baita Aceleradora to form an agribusiness-focused accelerator dubbed Campo Digital.
Campo Digital is the first Facebook-backed accelerator focused on agriculture, Baita said. Operational-stage agricultural technology developers based in Brazil will have until October 18 to apply, ahead of a final selection the following month.
The scheme will select 10 small and medium-sized enterprises that will be tasked with providing products or services targeting agriculture digitisation or technology to improve productivity, efficiency and sustainability.
The finalists will have access to a four-month online mentoring programme culminating in a demo day in April next year. They will participate in lectures, workshops and networking events with professionals from Facebook and Baita.
In addition, members of technology incubator EsalqTec, State University of Campinas-backed innovation agency Inova Unicamp, agtech-focused research organisation Embrapa Informática Agropecuária and innovation research institute Instituto de Pesquisas Eldorado will provide technical training to the startups.
The Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock will assist in the selection and acceleration processes, providing insights into specific problems encountered in the agriculture sector in different parts of the country.
