WAFLA is proud to announce an opportunity for farmworkers with innovative agricultural solutions to gain recognition for their ideas.

Each year Semillero de Ideas holds a contest to surface new innovations from farmworkers.

This year's challenge focuses on apple harvest and processing. We recommend that all orchardists encourage workers to participate in this challenge. 

The announcement of this contest from Semillero de Ideas is below. 

To help spread the word to worker communities, Semillero de Ideas has produced informational materials in Spanish. Here are the links to the flyer and handout. Please use these resources to help promote this opportunity.

2024 Innovation Challenge Announced

Pasco, WA -- Semillero de Ideas, a Washington State non-profit focused on supporting farmworker innovation, announces its "Your Ideas Matter, Manzana Challenge 2024." Following up to last year's successful challenge, this year's competition invites farmworkers from across the region to share their ideas as how to improve the apple harvest for themselves and their employer while caring for the environment.

"We know that farmworkers have a wealth of knowledge and experience that can both improve working conditions for themselves and co-workers while helping their employers compete in the global marketplace," said Erik Nicholson, Executive Director of Semillero de Ideas. "Our mission is to support farmworkers giving voice to their amazing ideas and to provide the recognition they deserve," he added.

This year’s competition includes an increase in prizes and total prize money. “Last year, we were humbled by the number of workers with impactful ideas,” said Nicholson. “We got busy and raised the funds needed to offer more prizes and larger awards,” he said.

The competition is open to teams of two or more farmworkers. During the challenge, Semillero de Ideas staff will be engaging with farmworkers across Eastern Washington, offering support and workshops to interested workers and community members.  

Last year, Luis Barrera, a Mattawa area farmworker, won the $1,000 prize with his submission of a cherry-picking harness that both reduced worker injury and stress while improving productivity. Semillero de Ideas has been supporting Barrera to get a patent for his innovation and support him getting his product to market.

 
The challenge will run through October 31st. For more information about the challenge, visit our Facebook page at /SemilleroDeIdeas

About Semillero de Ideas

Based in the Tri-Cities, Semillero de Ideas supports farmworkers to lead much needed innovation in the production of fruits and vegetables. Embracing the wisdom of "closer to the problem, closer to the solution", Semillero systematically engages farmworkers through the creation of a safe community of worker inventors while partnering with industry and other stakeholders to recognize and reward innovation. Semillero de Ideas provides additional support to innovators, helping them to secure the IP rights to their insights while assistance in identifying pathways to bringing their insights to market.