The use of the smart projectors is a core element of the project Access Agriculture is implementing in Egypt: the Innovation for Small-Holder Resilience - iNashr project, in partnership with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture. The project will run in 6 governorates with the goal of promoting sustainable farming of wheat and fava beans, with a focus on improved irrigation management, with over 100 000 smallholder farmers.

As part of the i-Nashr project, Access Agriculture seeks to identify young people (ERAs) that are actively involved in their local communities to screen farmer-to-farmer training videos developed in partnership with ARC and ICARDA. These young people will be equipped with projectors and will play a key role in disseminating and collecting feedback on the technologies promoted in the videos.

If you are a young entrepreneur passionate about sustainable agriculture and wish to apply to this project, here are the benefits that will be provided:
The opportunity to play a key role in propagating sustainable agriculture and aiding local farmers;

• A chance to contribute to disseminating and collecting feedback from farmers for ICARDA and ARC on the technologies promoted in the videos
• A free Digisoft smart projector as the main tool for capacity building of local farmers
• A local coach dedicated to guiding you through the process of integrating the smart projector into your services
• Coaching on the use of the smart projector, video dissemination techniques, growing and sustaining your services, as well as other topics based on your individual needs
• A small stipend to partially cover your costs for holding screenings of Access Agriculture videos using the smart projector
• The opportunity to work under ICARDA and ARC, and be a part of their networks as well as Access Agriculture’s international network in sustainable agriculture
• To participate in a community of practice with other ERAs in Egypt through which you can share knowledge and experiences

Applicants: One person or teams of up to 4 young people can submit an application 
Age: All applicants must be under the age of 35 years
Country:  Egypt
Governorates:  Assiut, El Minia, Beni Suef, Kafr El-Sheikh, Dakahlia, Al Sharkia
Technology: Applicants must own smartphones as they will need to provide regular updates to Access Agriculture using an internal Application, as well as other communication channels

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We suggest you consider each of the questions below and work on the answers to the questions.

1. What motivated you to apply for this challenge fund? (100 words maximum)
2. If you are part of a team, have you worked together before applying to this challenge? if YES please describe how you have worked together (100 words maximum)
3. Please give a brief description of you, and your team members’ professional backgrounds (200 words maximum)
4. What experience, if any, do you or your team members have in facilitating workshops and/or outreach events in rural communities? (200 words maximum)
5. Are you working on a current project in which you will incorporate activities related to the smart projector?
   If you select YES there are some additional questions about your current project
   • Please describe the project (100 words maximum)
   • How long have you been working on this project, and what are its greatest achievements? (100 words maximum)
   • Please provide a link to your project’s website and/or social media accounts, if applicable
   • How will you incorporate the smart projector as a part of your current services? (200 words maximum)
6. What problem/s in your community do you think you would be able to solve using a smart projector and showing videos? (100 words maximum)
7. How many farmers in the surrounding rural communities do you expect to reach per month to attend video screenings? And how will you mobilise these farmers (especially youth and women) to view videos? (200 words maximum)
8. What other services can you provide with the smart projector along with the video viewings? (100 words maximum)
9. How do you plan to generate revenue in rural communities from using the smart projector? (200 words maximum)
10. Who is your target audience/anticipated clients (projects, farmer groups, organisations, individuals) and how will you reach them? (100 words maximum)

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We will review and assess the proposals based on:

1. The applicants’ capacity to integrate the smart projector into their current services or propose innovative and sustainable ways to create revenue from the use of the smart projector
2. Their capacity to reach a large number of farmers (especially women) and
3. Their capacity to facilitate discussions around sustainable farming practices, and report that information back to Access Agriculture.

• A shortlist of pre-selected applicants will be contacted via email to set-up an interview online with all team members - make sure to regularly check your email.
• Winners will be requested to attend a 2-3 day workshop in Cairo where they will be coached on using the smart projector.

If you are a winner, you will be expected to:

• Sign an agreement that stipulates that you will continue using the smart projector for at least 18 months to grow your business, after which the projector will become your property.
• Provide pictures and details of participants in every screening you hold using the smart projector.
• Reach 1500 farmers throughout the duration of the project (1 year) - approximately 125 farmers per month.
• Start activities using the smart projector after 1 month of signing the agreement - this will require you to start doing test screenings within the first month.
• Attend a 2-3 day workshop in Cairo where you will receive the projector and work with your coach to create a plan to reach the above targets.
• We reserve the right to disqualify applicants which do not adhere to the above stated requirements.

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