Each month we take one global critical challenge and explore what’s happening on the frontier of innovation, where FCDO colleagues are working with partners to test solutions in the real world. This month? We're on the Frontier of Sustainable Agriculture.

Learn more about Zero Circular’s overarching goal: to introduce biodegradable plastics into the plastic ecosystem in Nepal

Read about Zero Circular’s retrofitting of existing plastics machines to manufacture bioplastics in Nepal

Read the report for our pilot 'Smart GeoSeals to track delivery of humanitarian aid' here

Read the report for our pilot 'EmpatIA - enhancing healthcare access to remote areas in Peru' here

Read on to find out how the team on one of our current pilots, ‘Turning Drylands into Global Carbon Sinks’ are trying to mobilise carbon finance through the Voluntary Carbon Market, and the challenges that lay ahead.

Read more about our progress to date on providing assistive tech and digital mapping to help wheelchair users in Kenya.

We want to bring you the best stories from the frontlines of innovation around the world, so we’re excited to introduce Stories from the Frontier. Listen to the first 20 minute episode here.

The global demand for humanitarian aid is surging, with 308m+ people expected to need assistance by 2024. Traditional supply chains are struggling to keep up, and the pressure mounting to deliver aid faster, smarter, and more efficiently has never been greater.

This blog post by FCDO Pioneer Robert Phillips explores some of the results of user engagement surrounding the pilot 'Using LLMs as a tool for International Development professionals'.

Read the final installation of a three-part series about the journey and learnings from our pilot AI as a tool for International Development professionals. This article discusses the UI development for the tool and directions for further improvement and scaling.

Read the second installation of a three-part series about the journey and learnings from our pilot AI as a tool for International Development professionals. This part explores the building of effective retrieval systems and prompt engineering.

Read the first installation of a three-part series about the journey and learnings from our pilot AI as a tool for International Development professionals. This blog focuses on the preparation of the data and the approach taken by the team.

Read the study findings from our pilot EmpatIA: AI to enhance healthcare in remote areas of Peru.

Read about the impact of the AI conversation agent on the Project EmpatIA pilot and the learnings from incorporating generative AI into healthcare.

Learn more about the idea behind our pilot ‘Using LLMs as a tool for international development professionals’ in this piece by Seb Mhatre, FCDO pioneer.

Design engineer Ruby Hill hand-made 13 hubs to be installed 3000km away in Ethiopia, to prevent stock-outs of life-saving malnutrition supplements, needed by millions of babies across the world annually.

Read about the fifth sprint of our pilot ‘Pnyx: the digital public assembly; redefining representation’

It’s nearly 8AM, and I’m at London Paddington station, walking down the long platform towards the waiting area. It’s a Friday morning, so it's quieter than usual. As I walk, my mind cuts to a different time and place: February 2022 in Samburu County, Kenya, where I remember watching a hefty, squat drone flying overhead.

There’s just one week to go until the application deadline for our 9th call for ideas, and we’re already seeing signs that an incredible new cohort of FCDO Pioneers is soon to arrive.