The United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP), with the support of Cargill, has identified the eight most promising teams for the Global Innovation Challenge for Zero Hunger.

One of the selected teams was FeedCalculator that has developed an app that generates least-cost and high-quality feed recipes based on locally available ingredients. Livestock farmers often lack the knowledge and tools to make their own balanced and low-cost feed. Approximately 70% of total farm costs are spent on feed, which is often premixed and not fit to every circumstance, resulting in expensive animal products.

The FeedCalculator app empowers farmers to formulate their own optimized feed recipes, based on locally-available ingredients with the latest scientific knowledge. This results in lower feed costs and higher productivity of protein-rich animal products. The mobile recipe maker is available for six different animals including catfish and tilapia. It has been tested in Nigeria, Rwanda and Bangladesh and has been downloaded over 30,000 times, with over 3,000 repeat users. This project is sponsored by the WFP Nigeria CO.

Teams were selected for their expertise in the areas of nutrition, food processing and digital solutions for smallholder farmers, amongst others. The incoming bootcampers were evaluated not only on their level of innovation, but also their team strength, business model, existing traction and, most importantly, the potential to positively impact the lives of thousands of people. At the bootcamp, teams will dive deep into field-level challenges, ideate solutions and refine project plans with the support of mentors. Collaborating with Cargill, the WFP Innovation Accelerator introduces teams to innovation techniques such as human-centered design and lean startup methodologies, integrating WFP’s operational excellence.

More information about FeedCalculator here.