AgResults Recognizes Indonesia Aquaculture Competitor Achievements during Year 4 Award Ceremony

To recognize the achievements from Year 4 and to kick off its final year, the AgResults Indonesia Aquaculture Challenge Project held an award ceremony, learning event, and competitor induction on June 2-3 in Jakarta. The Pay-for-Results prize competition, which began in 2021, incentivizes businesses across Indonesia to deliver aerator and auto-feeder technologies to smallholder farmers. In Year 3, the competition added a technical assistance (TA) prize.

During Year 4, which ran from June 2024 – March 2025, nine competitors participated in the technology competition and six participated in the TA competition. Of those, six technology competitors and one TA competitor qualified for prizes. These winning competitors, who sold 2,486 technology units, rented 895 technology units, and provided 199 TA packages, received a total of $393,719 in prizes. Participants who have been verified and validated and have either sold or rented out at least 25 units of technology, or sold a minimum of 25 units of technical assistance service packages, were eligible to receive a prize.

“The project’s impact on the daily lives and livelihoods of farmers across the country is significant,” said Parasto Hamidi from the AgResults Secretariat. “And during this year, WWF-Indonesia developed roadshows and trainings to further engage farmers and address specific challenges that they have faced. It has been promising to observe the formation of new relationships in the aquaculture sector.”

The Indonesia project tackles longstanding challenges in the nation’s aquaculture sector, focusing on feed costs, water quality, and shrimp and fish quality — issues that have historically hindered the efficiency of smallholder aquaculture, especially in traditional pond settings. This inefficiency has not only stifled productivity but also negatively impacts the environment and the sustainability of fish and shrimp farming practices. By promoting the use of on-farm technologies like feeders and aerators and facilitating essential technical support, the competition seeks to enhance value chain connections and increase the incomes of smallholder farmers. In Year 4, technology competitors served a total of 735 smallholder farmers.

“This prize is not just a form of appreciation, but also a motivation for us to continue innovating and giving our best for shrimp and fish farmers in Indonesia,” said Syahril Rizkiyah, Project Leader of CV Asia Cahaya Teknik, the top winner of the Year 4 Technology Competition. “We hope that in Year 5, the final year of this program, we can continue to spread a positive spirit and encourage smallholder farmers to achieve even greater success in aquaculture.”

The technical assistance (TA) prize focused on encouraging competitors to teach farmers aquaculture best practices, including how to perform water quality monitoring and test for disease. Competitors that participated in the TA competition served a total of 190 smallholder farmers.

“Previously, we were unable to support more farmers with technical assistance,” said Ardian, Director of the Aceh Aquaculture Cooperative (AAC), which was the top winner in the Year 4 TA competition. “However, by participating in the AgResults project, we can now provide farmers with the tools they need to improve their farming practices and increase productivity. I am confident that they have seen improvements in their farming.”

As the project prepares for its final year, it is clear that AgResults’ efforts are paying off: By incentivizing the private sector to engage smallholder aquaculture farmers, these farmers are gaining valuable opportunities to enhance their skills and manage their farms more effectively and sustainably.

“We are excited to enter Year 5 with strong momentum from Year 4,” said Project Manager Team Lead Nur Ahyani. “New fish commodities were introduced this year, reflecting growing interest beyond shrimp and motivating farmers to adopt better methods through technology and technical assistance. Competitors have received more than $865,000 total in prizes, and we hope to build on these positive trends to drive further growth among smallholder farmers in Indonesia.”

The Indonesia Aquaculture Challenge Project is part of AgResults, a $152 million collaborative initiative between the governments of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Gates Foundation, and the World Bank Group that uses prize competitions to incentivize the private sector to overcome market barriers and create lasting change. Under AgResults’ Pay-for-Results model, these competitions encourage actors to achieve predetermined results thresholds and quality for monetary prizes.