Announcing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Climate Resilience

Call for proposals: AI for Climate Resilience

Mercy Corps Ventures is launching a call for proposals focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Climate Resilience. This initiative seeks startups or organizations deploying innovative AI-based solutions for climate resilience in emerging markets. This is the second call for proposals from our Climate Venture Lab, following the Climate Tech Facility launched in November 2023, which received 412 proposals from over 50 countries. Through these initiatives, we are committing up to $1,000,000 to test first-of-a-kind solutions increasing the resilience of climate vulnerable people in Africa, Asia and Latin America, aiming to build the knowledge base on how innovative technology can increase climate resilience for the most vulnerable.

In May 2024, the world completed 12 consecutive months of record high temperatures, with the global average temperature 0.65 degrees celsius above the 1990–2020 average. While the effects are felt worldwide, emerging markets are disproportionately affected by rising temperatures and are significantly underfunded, with an estimated finance gap of $366 billion per year. Record temperatures in 2024 have affected forests, damaged crops and threatened livelihoods and health of people globally. For example, in May 2024, Mexico experienced temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius, leading to fatalities, loss of biodiversity, and leaving 70% of the country in drought. Between January and March 2024, Southern Africa received only half of its typical rainfall, resulting in crop damage and threatening food security for millions. Overall, 3.3 billion people live in countries that are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

At the same time, we live in a time of dramatic technological advancement, creating opportunities to solve challenges in new ways. The advancement and reach of technology including smartphone and mobile internet penetration, big data, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and decentralization and Web3 are reshaping our ability to adapt to the changing climate.

At Mercy Corps Ventures we are investing in the next frontier of climate resilience solutions for those most vulnerable to the effects of a changing climate. We believe advanced climate analytics and AI can be leveraged to improve weather forecasting, early warning systems, flood and wildfire prediction, and farming advice for better climate adaptation. In addition, AI’s capabilities in measuring, predicting and optimizing complex systems hold tremendous potential for strengthening climate resilience, and accelerating the development of sustainable and scalable solutions for those most in need. For example, recent innovations in AI related to our Resilient Futures Thesis, include:

• Adaptive Agriculture: AI is being used to enhance precision farming, for pest and disease control, soil diagnostics, and providing timely and localized weather information for smallholder farmers in emerging markets.
• Inclusive fintech: AI algorithms can improve credit scoring, enhance risk management through weather prediction tools, and facilitate market access via AI-driven platforms that connect farmers to buyers.
• Climate-smart technologies: AI and climate analytics are deployed in environmental monitoring of forests and biodiversity, tracking and protecting the biosphere, and optimizing supply chains.

In the AI for Climate Resilience call, we seek partners to test these potential uses of climate analytics and AI to enhance the resilience and sustainability of agriculture and food production, increase access to finance, and address climate change in emerging markets. We are looking for solutions that benefit low-income and underserved populations.

We will select applications that intersect AI with the following themes, in line with our Resilient Futures Thesis:

• Adaptive Agriculture: How can we feed the world without harming the environment? Can AI improve soil diagnostics, help scale regenerative agriculture, or make supply chains more efficient and less wasteful? We seek AI-based solutions that help smallholder farmers in emerging countries improve yields, protect the environment, transition to sustainable practices, and reduce waste, among others.
• Inclusive Fintech. How can we facilitate financing for climate resilience? What role can AI play in increasing access to finance for smallholder farmers? We seek innovative financial solutions in the food and agriculture space that can unlock finance for climate resilience.
• Climate smart technologies: How can AI help address other challenges related to strengthening climate resilience? For example, how can we protect forests, land, oceans and glaciers? How might AI enhance the use of renewable energy for productive use? We welcome ideas that leverage AI to strengthen the climate resilience of smallholder farmers, indigenous communities, and low-income communities.

In addition with thesis alignment as described above, Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV) will select pilots based on the following criteria:

1. Impact. Who is the pilot serving and what impact will be achieved? We expect proposals to include actionable plans to demonstrate impact on MCV’s target populations, including smallholder farmers, refugees and migrants, underserved women, marginalized communities, and those living in climate-vulnerable contexts.
2. Innovation. How transformative is the solution? How likely is this product / service to scale / replicate broadly? Is it first-of-a-kind?
3. Traction & team. How likely is this team to execute as designed? Does the team have the capacity to successfully deliver the pilot? This can be evidenced through current track record, team credentials, technological maturity of the product / service, etc.
4. Geographic scope. Will the pilot be implemented in one or more MCV’s target regions: Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America?
5. Scalability. For for-profit solutions, how do the economics work? For for-profit and nonprofit solutions, who will carry the work forward if the pilot succeeds?

The selected pilot partners will receive equity-free grants of up to $100,000 each. Alongside capital, MCV will also provide mentorship, impact measurement advisory, access to partnership opportunities, knowledge exchange, and brand exposure.

Apply Now

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Deadline for submission Jul 21, 2024. To apply, fill in this form.

We will hold an info session about the AI for Climate Resilience on July 10, 2024 at 8:00 am GMT -6.

Register here

If you would like to learn about Mercy Corps Ventures’ AI for Climate Resilience Accelerator details in the links below.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Info Session

Mercy Corps Ventures invests in and catalyzes venture-led solutions to increase the resilience of underserved individuals and communities. Founded in 2015 as the impact investing arm of global development agency, Mercy Corps, we’ve supported 50 early-stage ventures to scale and raise over $443 million in follow-on capital. Our portfolio is 49% female-founded and centers around resilience-building solutions in adaptive agriculture and food systems, inclusive fintech, and climate-smart technologies, so that those living in frontier markets can withstand disruption and plan for the future. Through capital and support, piloting new approaches, action-oriented insights, and rigorously managing impact, we catalyze the ecosystem toward smarter, more impactful investments.

Learn more at www.mercycorps ventures.vc; if you have any further questions, please contact Climate Venture Lab Manager Maria Gomez: margomez@mercycorps.org