Partnering for Green Innovation: What Role can a Hackathon Play?

In the first weeks of November, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, the COP26, drew the world’s attention as policymakers, the private and public sector, and civic groups came to reflect and negotiate countries’ actions to tackle climate change. Unsurprisingly, sustainable agribusiness held a significant position in the discussion and has become part of the new agreements among different stakeholders to accelerate the shift to more accessible, affordable, and greener agriculture and land-use practices.

The commitment to a more climate-resilient practice needs to be adopted by all parties if targets are to be taken seriously. Global partnerships are key for green innovation and sustainable development. United by a shared goal, partners from governments, businesses, local communities, and international organizations bring different perspectives and know-how to tackle challenging and urgent problems.

Recognizing the importance of global partnerships, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), together with the European Training Foundation (ETF) and WorldSkills International, engaged in a joint effort to ignite concrete solutions to a puzzling problem: how can agribusiness generate less waste, carbon emissions, and reduce energy consumption?

The partnership among the three organizations led to the LKDF Hackathon, a virtual event in September that gathered young people from all over the world to develop tangible solutions to the proposed question. The six teams worked extensively for three days, and judges voted for the best three solutions. Click here to find out more about the teams’ proposals.