Application Call for Climate and Agri-tech Fellowship 2026

Application Call for

Climate and Agri-tech Fellowship 2026

About the organization

Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) is a not-for-profit civic tech company that works at the intersection of emerging cutting-edge technological tools and their applications by equipping young professionals to solve emerging challenges in our community. YI-Lab’s mission statement is, ‘to engage young people to bridge science to people and policy through innovation’. YI-Lab harnesses indigenous knowledge, citizen science approach, develops low-cost technological solutions, promotes open data, promotes entrepreneurship, and conducts evidence-based advocacy campaigns. YI-Lab provides a conducive environment for young people to co-create solutions for inclusive development.

Project Summary

GRAPE 2 drives sustainable economic development in Nepal by fostering entrepreneurship, strengthening climate resilience, and placing women and youth at the forefront of new growth opportunities. Implemented under the strategic guidance of the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation (MoLCPA), the project is jointly financed by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

With support from GRAPE 2, Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) is implementing a ‘Climate and Agri-tech Fellowship’ from September 2025 to May 2027. This activity aims to strengthen climate-smart, gender-transformative, and innovation-driven agribusiness ecosystems in Karnali, Sudurpashchim, And Koshi provinces of Nepal by empowering youth, promoting inclusive digital learning, supporting smallholder farmers, and fostering youth-led agri-enterprises. It focuses on enhancing data-driven agricultural planning, piloting innovative technologies, delivering participatory training, and providing mentorship and bootcamps to build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agribusiness systems across these three provinces.

Climate and Agri-tech Fellowship

The Climate and Agri-Tech Fellowship provide an experimental platform for young professionals aspiring to build careers in agriculture, innovation, governance, and related fields. With the Fellowship Program, the focus lies on strengthening the capacity of municipalities and provincial ministries to make data-driven and evidence-based decisions, plans, and policies for climate-smart agriculture that are gender-transformative, socially inclusive, and promote innovation-driven local agribusiness.

Over a five-month period, nine trained youth professionals will be deployed to selected provinces and municipalities in Koshi, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim. Working alongside municipal and provincial authorities and subject matter experts, fellows will provide technical and advisory support in organizing and digitizing agricultural and climate data, conducting municipal-level agri- and climate-risk assessments, and analyzing agricultural, environmental, and social conditions to identify climate vulnerabilities, institutional gaps, and GESI considerations. From these findings, they will offer evidence-based recommendations to support the localization and integration of climate-smart agricultural practices and policies within existing municipal and provincial planning frameworks, including Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPAs) and Municipal Agricultural Development Plans (MADPs).

Fellows will strengthen the capacity of provincial and municipal officials and cooperatives through training, knowledge-sharing, and outreach on climate-smart agricultural practices, GIS mapping, data digitization, and gender-transformative approaches, while supporting smallholder farmers and youth through outreach and the dissemination of online courses on climate-smart agriculture, digital tools, and AI for small businesses, enhancing technical skills, digital literacy, and the adoption of climate-smart practices.  They will also identify local agri-entrepreneurs, support Business Incubation Labs, and facilitate agri-tech bootcamps, mentorship programs, and innovation events, connecting governments with entrepreneurs, cooperatives, youth, and women to promote inclusive agribusiness growth.

We strongly encourage applications from youth from the project provinces, particularly women, Dalits, Janajatis, indigenous peoples, and marginalized groups.

All applications will be reviewed carefully. Applicants are advised to follow the instructions and ensure that all required documents are complete and submitted within the deadline.

Application Summary

Application must be completed online and consists of the following components:

1. Personal Information
2. Motivation Letter (Max. 300 words)
3. CV/Resume (CV no longer than 2 pages)
4. One Reference letter (Academic Recommended); Optional but required in later stages

While preparing for the application process, please ensure the following:

1. A motivation letter stating your interest and qualification for the Climate and Agri-tech Fellowship
2. Your CV/Resume in a PDF format
3. A recommendation letter from your academic institution or workplace in pdf format

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

To be eligible for the Climate and Agri-tech Fellowship, applicants must:

• Be a Nepali citizen aged 29 years or below at the time of application
• Hold at least a bachelor's degree in agriculture, Environmental Science, Climate Change, Agricultural Engineering, Development Studies, Natural Resource Management, or related fields
• Preferably local from the project municipalities or anyone willing to relocate to the project municipality
• Demonstrate interest in climate-smart agriculture, agri-technology, data, GIS, or digital learning
• Have basic knowledge of computer applications, digital tools, GIS, and MS Office
• Show willingness to work closely with provincial and municipal government officials
• Possess good communication skills in Nepali and English (local language is an advantage)
• Demonstrate commitment to Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)
• Have strong teamwork, integrity, and learning attitude
• Have outstanding personal character, integrity, good teamwork, and collaborative skills
• Have excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to work in a cross-cultural and multidisciplinary team
• Flexible to adapt to challenging working environments

Key Responsibilities of the Climate and Agri-tech Fellows

Selected fellows will be responsible for:

• Supporting provincial ministries and municipalities in climate-smart agriculture planning
• Assisting in data needs assessments, vulnerability mapping, and agricultural data digitization
• Supporting the preparation of municipal map books, climate-smart agricultural action plans, and planning documents support climate-smart, gender-inclusive, and evidence-based municipal and provincial planning. 
• Using GIS and data analysis tools to support evidence-based decision-making 
• Supporting integration and use of digital platforms and datasets relevant to agriculture and climate sector
• Coordinating with municipal and provincial focal persons, agriculture officers, and IT staff for capacity transfer
• Supporting community-level trainings and knowledge dissemination activities particularly on Climate-smart agricultural practices and gender transformative approach
• Facilitate agri-tech bootcamps, mentorship programs, and innovation events connecting provincial and local government with local entrepreneurs, cooperatives, youth, and women to promote innovation-driven and gender-transformative agribusiness
• Disseminate online courses on digital tools, AI, and climate-smart agriculture through community learning hubs, building the capacity of municipalities and provinces, women, smallholder farmers, while supporting agribusiness development.
• Documenting progress, challenges, and lessons learned, and submitting regular reports to YI-Lab

Project Areas

Click on the link below for detailed Application Call Guidelines:

Application Guideline in English - https://bit.ly/47GjZww

Application Deadline-  18 April, 2026, 23:59 PM

Application Form Link- https://bit.ly/4dDAdKF

Contact

For any queries and more information, please feel free to contact:

E-mail: fellowship@youthinnovationlab.org

Website: https://youthinnovationlab.org