From Waste to Wealth
Zero Agro“Waste” Competition is the 1st world competition for entrepreneurs, startups, makers and students that have innovative ideas/businesses and applications in the field of Agricultural Waste Management.
Zero Agro“Waste” Competition aims to keep our environment clean and provide an interdisciplinary platform for leading entrepreneurs, researchers, artisans, investors and industry professionals to encourage innovative ideas that can make wealth from agricultural “wastes” as resources for the sustainable development.
Contestants will receive support and mentorship from international top experts in the field of Agricultural “Waste” Management, business development. Contestants will be able to exchange knowledge, technologies, innovations, trends, and opportunities with each other.
Finals will pitch their business in the ByPalma World Conference for a chance to win financial and in-kind prizes.
Zero Agro“Waste” Competition 2018 Theme: “Rediscovering Palm By-products!”

Why palm trees?
The Palm family includes a wide variety of species (e.g. date, coconut, oil, doum, sugar, etc.). They’re considered the main source of livelihood for significant sectors of the world population. The main product (cash crop) was the focus of growers, startups, and investors. Their by-products (secondary products) received little attention from the community.
Most palm species have similar by-products of annual pruning including; palm leaflets, midribs, fruit branches and coir, as well as the trunk at the end of palm life. These by-products may represent a sustainable material base for a wide spectrum of industries ranging from compost, medium density fiberboards (MDF), block boards, and pulp, up to fiber reinforcements for advanced composites. This opens a wide potential for the sustainable development of rural areas possessing palm plantation.

Objectives:

1. Support and develop startups, entrepreneurs, innovators working in the field of Palm byproducts through technical, business and financial support scheme.

2. To bring together ideas, researchers, investors, experts and entrepreneurs working in the area of industrial utilization of palm by-products and provide a platform for a live dialogue and exchange of experience between them.

3. Raise awareness about promising business opportunities in the field of Palm byproducts and foster innovation in that sector.

4. To spread the culture of “Not Wastes, but By-products” between the public to encourage them to benefit from the sustainable resources.

Competition Tracks:

→ Ideas Track: For nascent entrepreneurs who have a business idea in products out of Agriculture wastes – by-products of palm trees.

→ Startups Track: For entrepreneurs and startups who have an established businesses working on Agriculture wastes – by products of palm trees.

Phase 1: Registration (1^st August – 15^th September):

Teams and Startups from different regions can register their projects and ideas from 1st August to 15th September, any entries made before or after this time will not be counted.

Phase 2: Mentorship Sessions (6^st October – 27^th October):

– First Webinar: Saturday 6 October.
– Second Webinar: Saturday 13 October.
– Third Webinar: Saturday 20 October.
– Fourth Webinar: Saturday 27 October.