Nestlé Türkiye Seeks Young Ideas to Shape the Future of Agriculture

Nestlé Turkey's Young Business Agriculture program, designed to encourage young people to play an active role in the future of agriculture and food ecosystems, is moving into the idea development phase following education and community-building stages. Applications for the Young Business Agriculture Idea Marathon, the program's new phase, will be accepted between 3-24 August. Young people aged 18-30 living throughout Turkey can participate in the program by forming teams of at least two people.

Participants will develop their projects based on the question: "What innovative solutions can we develop to make agriculture and food systems more sustainable, efficient, inclusive and climate-resilient?" The nine focus areas identified within the program have been shaped in line with this core question.

End-to-end support for young entrepreneurs
The Young Business Agriculture program, designed to support young people who want to develop enterprises in agriculture, contributes to bringing their innovative ideas to life in the agriculture and food ecosystem through its comprehensive structure comprising campus meetings, online training sessions, community work and mentoring periods.

Applications for the Idea Marathon, opened for participants who have completed the program's training phase, will continue until 24 August. The program will accept teams of at least two people who want to develop projects in one of the identified focus areas. Application conditions and detailed information about the program can be accessed through Nestlé Turkey's website.

Ideas will be transformed into enterprises with expert support
During the 2.5-day Idea Marathon to be held online between 17-19 September 2026, teams will undergo intensive training in fundamental entrepreneurship stages such as problem definition, value proposition creation, solution and business model development, and effective presentation preparation.

Participants will have the opportunity to receive training from expert names in the field as well as gain mentoring and feedback support from sector professionals to develop their ideas and transform them into implementable solutions.

Evaluations will be conducted according to criteria including problem definition, solution innovation, value proposition, impact potential, team competence and motivation. At the end of the process, 10 finalist teams will present their projects to a jury composed of Nestlé managers and experts.

The first-place team will gain direct participation rights in the Young Business Agriculture Incubation Program; the second and third-place teams will benefit from six hours of special coaching support over three months and awards offered within the program.

Solutions for agriculture's future will be sought across nine focus areas
Within the scope of the Idea Marathon, teams will develop solutions aimed at making agriculture and food systems more sustainable, efficient, inclusive and climate-resilient. The program's focus areas consist of the following:

Smart Agriculture Technologies
Water Management
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Protection
Regenerative Agriculture Practices
Circular Food Systems
Empowerment and Inclusivity
Supply Chain and Logistics
Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Adaptation
Agricultural Finance

Participants will aim to contribute to the future of agriculture and food by developing innovative, implementable and high-impact potential solutions under their chosen title.