WFP Innovation Accelerator’s Adaptation Fund Programme Targets Climate Solutions for Pakistan, Nepal and Philippines

Islamabad, August 24, 2026 — The World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator, in partnership with the Adaptation Fund, is running the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA) programme, a multi-year initiative supporting locally rooted climate adaptation solutions across vulnerable regions. The 2025 call for applications focused specifically on innovations for Nepal, Pakistan, and the Philippines, offering selected startups up to US$200,000 in equity-free funding along with mentorship and field-testing opportunities.

Background

Shocks and stresses such as drought, heatwaves, storms, and floods are increasingly putting lives and livelihoods at risk, disrupting the functioning of global food systems at every level — from production to consumption — and eroding hard-won development gains. In response to these growing crises, WFP and the Adaptation Fund launched the AFCIA programme to identify, support, and scale climate adaptation innovations in communities most affected by extreme weather.

Run by the WFP Innovation Accelerator, the programme consists of four cohorts running from 2024 to 2029, with each year focused on a different region. For Pakistan specifically, the programme sought solutions in water management, post-harvest management approaches that reduce losses and address contamination (such as aflatoxin) and pest infestation, and scalable land restoration solutions to rehabilitate land degraded by landslides and floods.

Programme Objectives

The AFCIA partnership aims to enhance climate adaptation and gender equity, foster inclusive economic opportunities, engage youth, and strengthen community resilience. By supporting groundbreaking climate innovations, the programme seeks to boost local, regional, and global collaboration, expand the knowledge base for climate adaptation, and deliver sustainable solutions for vulnerable populations — contributing directly to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

What the Programme Offers

Startups and innovators admitted to the programme receive a comprehensive support package, including:

• Up to US$200,000 in equity-free funding per startup, awarded through competitive grants based on the solution’s stage of development
• A nine-month Sprint Programme combining business-oriented training, mentoring, and technical assistance
• Access to a diverse pool of mentors from top-tier organizations across various sectors
• Access to WFP’s field operations for comprehensive field testing
• Extensive visibility across WFP’s social media channels and other platforms
• Expert innovation management assistance from the WFP Innovation Accelerator

Eligibility and Evaluation

To qualify, applicants must be an established legal entity — for-profit, not-for-profit, social business, NGO, or INGO — with a presence or willingness to build a presence in one of the target countries. Innovations must be at least at the seed stage, with ideas or early pre-seed concepts not eligible, and must demonstrate a clear pathway to scale within the programme’s timeframe.

Applications are evaluated against criteria including the level of innovation, relevance to local context, financial sustainability and scalability, team expertise, climate adaptation impact, evidence of tangible results, environmental and social sustainability, and gender and inclusion considerations.

Application Timeline and Regional Precedent

The Asia-focused call for applications closed following the review period, with 10 to 12 successful candidates selected in November 2025 for an Innovation Bootcamp held in January 2026. Acceptance into the bootcamp does not guarantee funding, as shortlisted teams undergo an additional assessment phase before final grants are awarded.

The programme’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) cohort offers a preview of the kind of ventures the Asia round may eventually support. Nine ventures were selected for that region’s sprint programme, spanning sensor-free AI-powered irrigation platforms, solar-powered irrigation-as-a-service models, agricultural waste bioprocessing, climate-resilient microbial crop treatments, water-efficient drip irrigation systems, modular rainwater harvesting tanks, livestock methane-tracking apps, industrial solar ovens for bakeries, and soil-enhancing bio-fertilizers.

Conclusion

As Pakistan continues to grapple with water scarcity, post-harvest losses, and land degradation intensified by floods and landslides, initiatives like AFCIA offer a structured pathway for homegrown innovators to access funding, mentorship, and international visibility. With the Asia cohort’s bootcamp already concluded and grant decisions following a further assessment phase, the coming months will reveal which Pakistani innovations move forward into WFP’s nine-month Sprint Programme — and what impact they may have on climate resilience across the country’s food systems.