Farmers need right-sized technology. 

Tools and technology can help farmers improve efficiency, save labor and connect with their customers. But many of the innovations in agriculture today are being built for large-scale production, out of reach for most family farms all while contributing to ecological degradation and yet more consolidation in the industry, perpetuating a vicious cycle. Despite America’s technological progress, every day 4 farms go out of business. Creeping ever-upward at an alarming rate, the average age of farmers has now surpassed 60. Meanwhile, many of those farms that do stay afloat are doing so at a loss. Over half of our nation’s farms report negative net income. Coupled with a “get big or get out” ideology, it would seem that technology has left smaller farms behind, all to the detriment of rural economies, social equity and even the health, sustainability and quality of our food. But does it have to be this way?

Whether you’re an engineer or just a crafty farmer, a startup or a team of grad students, we’re challenging you to share or develop a new innovation that can help smaller-scale farms compete, survive and thrive. From hardware to software, mechanical harvesters to marketing apps, we’re seeking proposals for technologies that will help level the playing field, strengthen local food systems and promote on-farm sustainability. As part of the 2023 Small Farms Conference, submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges representing farmers, investors, entrepreneurs and the tech industry. Winners will be showcased at the conference as well as at several other agricultural conferences, in video and online with the aim of helping shine a light on your innovation and you make your bright idea a reality.

This Challenge is open to global submissions and can include individuals, teams, students and start-up businesses. Please note that the bulk of promotion and recognition will take place in California, which is the nation’s largest agricultural state producing over 400 commodities at nearly $50 billion.

Three winners will be announced in February. A formal award ceremony will take place at the Small Farm Tech Expo on ___  in Fresno, CA following the 2024 Small Farm Conference, which takes place Feb. – March 2024.

Submissions will be accepted in any phase of development but must be received before November 15, 2023, 12am PST. Winners will be selected from three tracks.

While DIY Innovations submissions are intended to be open-source and shared freely, all designs and intellectual property submitted to the Software & Hardware Innovation tracks will remain with submitters. Elements of your proposal may be kept confidential. Patents welcome.

Submissions will be judged by CAFF staff and selection committee members based on the attributes below. Please read “SELECTION” for more details. 

• Promotes the economic viability of small-scale farm businesses 
• Novelty
• Financially accessible to small farm budgets
• Adaptability to a variety of farm systems and circumstances
• Promotes ecologically sustainable farm practices
• Repairable / adjustable by user
• Enables direct sales and local food systems
• Maintains farm autonomy; avoids dependence, monopolization 
• Long-term relevance
• Compatibility with diverse crop systems
• Ease of us15

The winner of the 2019 Small Farm Innovation Challenge was The Farm Hand Tractor.

2022 winners featured HarvestPath, Hand-E, and the No-dig Removable Endpost.

2023 winners featured the elbow-operated hand wash station, Amiga, and ecommerce for food justice. 

Examples of Relevant Categories and Farmers Needs:

• Harvesting and planting tools
• Soil management & monitoring
• Sales, Inventory Management & Tracking software
• Wash & Pack
• Record Keeping
• Fencing, On-farm Energy, Livestock Management Tools
• Poultry Equipment
• Irrigation & Water Systems
• Season Extension, Crop Storage
• Weeding Tools

Submissions will be accepted through our online application portal and must be received before the deadline, November 15, 2023, 12am PST.

Three winners total, one winner from each application portal, will be selected by a committee of individuals representing the small farm agricultural sector. 

Each application will be reviewed by CAFF staff and complete applications will move to next stage of review. Selection committee members will review applications from each category and provide a score based on the rubric listed below. 

DIY Innovators:  Graded focused on overall practicality and accessibility for the small farmer. Innovations should be reproducible, provide price information, and parts should be easy to get.

Software & Hardware Innovators: Graded on readiness to tackle the more complex challenges facing the small farm community.  The Innovation is a marketable product that can be scaled nationally or globally, have a clear customer base and is relatively unique. 

All Applications:

• Viability
  • What is the demand?
  • How competitive will it be in the current marketplace?
• Novelty
  • Does the product/service already exist? 

• Financially accessible to small farm budgets
  • What is the cost to implement?
  • Is the product/service affordable to small farm businesses with limited operating budgets? 
• Ease of use
  
  • Can a farmer of any skill level understand how to use it?
  • Can it be applied to a farm business without a substantial need to increase resources (labor hours, inputs, new equipment, etc.)?
  • Can farmers seek technical support for this product/service if they need it?
  • Can the product be modified/updated?
• Adaptability to a variety of farm systems and circumstances
  • Can it be applied to different production methods?
  • Can a farm producing the same item easily adopt?
  • Is it feasible for farms of any size to use?
• Repairable/adjustable by user
  
  • Can the user can repair as needed without relying on another company?
  • Is the innovation open source?  

Recognition at small farm conferences, agriculture publications, and $10,000 in cash prizes! Join us for the awards ceremony at the Small Farm Tech Expo in Fresno, CA in March 2024! 

Innovation Challenge winners will have the opportunity to present their innovation to a wide audience including conferences such as the Small Farms Conference. All innovators who submit complete applications will receive free registration for the 2024 Small Farms Conference. Winners will be celebrated via social media and to CAFF’s broad-based audience of farmers, agricultural and food industry professionals, and small farm advocates.

Momentum and attention gained from this challenge can help propel your innovation into new avenues and help make important connections. The winner of the 2019 Innovation Challenge, FarmHand Tractor has now made his idea a business reality and was selected as a 2021 cohort member of the business accelerator program Food System 6. 

$10,000 cash prizes presented to this year’s winners. Please note that cash prize amounts depend on sponsors and vary year-to-year.

Alexia Estrada, Director of Operates at Semillero de Ideas

Centering farmworker innovation

Alexia is the granddaughter of farmworkers and director of operations at Semillero de Ideas, a nonprofit centering farmworkers as leaders of innovation. 

Hanna Kahl, Ecological Pest Management Specialist at Community Alliance with Family Farmers

Pest Management

Hanna specializes in building farmer co-learning networks and conducting research on ecological pest management practices. She has received a masters in Entomology at University of Maryland and is finishing a Ph.D. at UC Davis. Her current work is on using mating disruption for codling moth and navel orangeworm and enhancing biological control for spider mite management in walnuts. Her past research has focused on herbivory by earwigs in citrus, using living mulches to enhance beneficial insects, and the role of wolf spiders as cucumber beetle predators. In her free time, Hanna enjoys hiking, running, reading, skiing, and gardening. 

Hung Kim Doan, Small Farms & Specialty Crops Advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension

Indoor farming, Small & Urban Farming, Hands on Experience 

Hung serves the Inland Empire of Southern California, comprising San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. He completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of California, Davis. He acquired a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology in 2011. He subsequently earned an M.S. in plant pathology under the guidance of Dr. Mike Davis working on sustainable controls for Fusarium wilt of cotton and completed his Ph.D. studying pathogenic Escherichia coli on leafy greens. His research and extension activities are focused on the areas of plant pathology, vegetable and speciality crops production systems, integrated pest management, biological control of pests, water management, soil health, sustainable food systems, and food safety. 

Patrick Koppula, Advisor, Coach, Fractional Executive at Innovate for Society

Innovation systems and innovation leadership

Patrick is a wide-ranging expert in innovation systems and a practitioner of innovation leadership with a background in entrepreneurship, design thinking, and systems science. Patrick earned a bachelor’s in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard University, founded successful innovation economy businesses, and served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow. Patrick has dedicated their career to fostering innovation and collaboration that cultivates inclusive prosperity. 

Having come to believe that increasing the viability of small farms will result in higher food system resilience in the face of pandemics and other emergencies, Patrick is adapting their innovation expertise to focus on the decentralized agricultural landscape. The will extend Patrick’s support of technology that empowers small-scale enterprises to thrive. 

Charity May, Principal at Sacred Futures

Business Development, Impact Investing, Regenerative Agriculture

Charity May is the Principal and Founder of Sacred Futures. As a multi-hyphenate, she has amassed experiences, networks, frameworks and insights across the fields of investment banking, economics, real estate, policy, agroecology, spirituality, and systems design. Integrating these disciplines in service of rebuilding our relationships to the living world for planetary health and wellbeing is her passion. With an affinity for enterprises working closest to the earth, Sacred Futures was launched as a means to catalyze and empower stewards renewing our food, fibers and finance systems.

Samuel Oslund, Director of Ag Tech at 11th Hour Project

Tech development and research

Samuel focuses on supporting the development of technologies that advance agroecology and food sovereignty movements. Prior to joining the 11th Hour Project, Samuel was leading a Farm Hack initiative to strengthen international collaboration between researchers, technologists, and farmer-led organizations working on open-source agricultural technology. His background in participatory tool development is grounded in 13 years of organic farming and grassroots organizing in Montreal. 

Hector Reider, Senior Manager of Farm to Market at Community Alliance with Family Farmers

Sustainability, Protected Agriculture, Precision Agriculture

With a Master’s in Urban Environmental Management and experience implementing and providing precision agriculture consulting services with IoT technology, designing urban growing systems and protected agriculture projects, Hector worked to support sustainability in the field of Agriculture. In his current work, he supports small producers by providing technical assistance and working closely with them to move their products through the value chain. 

Manpreet Singh, Technology & Innovation for Small Farms Advisor, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources

Vegetable Production, Irrigation Management, Crop Physiology

Manpreet Singh serves in Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Originally from Punjab, India, he grew up in a rural farming community. He earned his bachelor’s in Agricultural Sciences and Master’s in Horticulture with a focus on Vegetable breeding from Punjab Agricultural University. With a resolute passion for enhancing agricultural practices, he holds a Ph.D. in Plant and Soil Science from Texas Tech University. Singh focuses on advancing technology and research relevant to small and diversified farms in the region. 

Elizabeth Vaughan, Tech Hub Specialist at Community Alliance with Family Farmers

Appropriate Technology for Small Farms

Elizabeth brings over 10 years of experience in strengthening healthy, just, and sustainable food systems. At CAFF she manages the Small Farm Tech Hub, supporting farmers across California with their technology and business needs. Elizabeth’s education is in business economics from UC Santa Barbara and sustainable horticulture from Cuyamaca College. She also stewards her family’s five-acre ranch located in San Diego County.

Josh Volk, Owner/Operator at Slow Hand Farm

Systems for Small Farms

Josh Volk runs Cully Neighborhood Farm, a small urban CSA farm in Portland, Oregon. He also consults, writes, and teaches workshops on vegetable production under the name Slow Hand Farm. He is a regular contributor to Growing For Market and the Author of the books Build Your Own Farm Tools, and Compact Farms: 15 Proven Plans for Market Farms on 5 Acres or Less. He has been farming in the Pacific Northwest for over 20 years and before that he worked on farms in California, the Southwest, and the Northeast. He has a degree in mechanical engineering and started farming because he saw it as a way to combine his interests in social justice, care for the environment and eating well.

Evan Wiig, Director of Membership & Communications at Community Alliance with Family Farmers

Amplifying the voice of family farmers, organizing the grassroots, preaching a gospel of healthy soils.

Amy Wu, Founder of From Farms to Incubators 

Telling the stories of women innovators and entrepreneurs in agrifoodtech

Amy Wu is an award winning journalist and filmmaker.

Lisa Yeo, Assistant Professor at UC Merced

Security, Privacy, & User Experience

Dr. Lisa Yeo is an Assistant Professor in the Ernest & Julio Management Program at UC Merced. She is a collaborative problem solver who helps decision makers understand their operational challenges and identify solutions. Her focus is on the use of information systems and technology (IS/IT) to address social and organizational needs while also examining the new problems that IS/IT can create, especially with respect to information security and privacy. She challenges students and industry to consider the security and privacy impacts of IS/IT so that they can build a solid foundation and respect for different experiences with technology.