BANGKOK – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) today announced the top three youth teams to present their technology-based solutions at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology in late October.

The YSEALI World of Food Innovation Challenge invited youth in the region to submit their technology solutions to challenges in agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries. The 10 semifinalist teams joined a three-day Innovation Challenge Technology Bootcamp in Singapore in July to gain skills needed to develop and pitch their solutions. Youth then went back and worked with mentors from industry experts such as Cisco and Intel to further develop their solutions and pitch.

Last week, the teams presented in a live online pitch with a judging panel of government and business representatives, demonstrating why their solutions would make the most beneficial impact to their communities and the region.

The finalist teams are:

MINO Microbubble Technology

Country: Indonesia
University: Gadjah Mada University
Team Members:

• Muhammad Nabil Satria Faradis
• Fajar Sidik Abdullah
• Untari Febrian Ramadhani
• Dr. Deendarlianto (Instructor advisor)

Solution: The MINO Microbubble technology increases the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water for better fish growth.

iSEA Forces

Country: Malaysia
University: INTI International University
Team Members:

• How Ming Tan 
• Zien Lew
• Nur Syafiyah Nabilah bt Arman
• Assoc. Prof Wong Ling Shing (Instructor Advisor)

Solution: This app serves as a management tool, an interactive forum, a one-stop marketplace and a dictionary for fishermen in Malaysia and elsewhere in the region.

Cam Fermentation Kits (CFKs)

Country: Cambodia
University: Institute of Technology of Cambodia
Team Members:

• Panhchapor Chhim
• Seyha Doeurn
• Sereyvuth Thai
• Dr. Reasmey Tan (Instructor Advisor)

Solution: To improve quality and sanitation in cucumber pickling, these fermentation kits include an optimum fermentation tank, a special recipe, and a bio-degradable sealable pouch for market distribution.

To learn more about the finalists, follow #FoodChallenge2016 on the Lower Mekong Initiative Facebook page and the MekongS2Work Twitter page. The grand prize for the winning team will be a study trip to Austin, Texas, one of the main technology hubs in the United States, in March 2017.