LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the German Agricultural Society (DLG), is gathering students, researchers, faculty members, startups, engineers, developers and innovators across Southeast Asia to participate in the Agritechnica Hackathon and compete for the SEARCA Agrinnovate Farmer-First Award.
The hackathon will take place during the Agrinnovate Southeast Asia Summit at Agritechnica Asia 2026 from May 20 to May 22, 2026, at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre in Thailand.
According to SEARCA, the summit will gather regional and global leaders in smart farming, digital agriculture, automation, sustainability and agricultural innovation.
At the center of the summit is the Agritechnica Hackathon, organized in collaboration with the DLG Prototype Club, where participants will work onsite to design and develop practical, AI-powered solutions to address real-world agricultural challenges.
The hackathon is open to individual participants and teams from Southeast Asia, including students, researchers, teaching faculty, startup founders, developers, designers, young professionals, and agricultural and engineering innovators.
Participants will be tasked with solving four defined agricultural technology use cases that reflect current operational challenges faced by farms in the region:
– "Where's My Machine?" Machine Tracker for Big Farms. Contestants are asked to develop a real-time machine tracking and monitoring system that enables farm operators to monitor the location and utilization of agricultural machinery across large-scale operations.
– Driver Monitoring. "Who Is Doing the Best Job?" This challenge requires designing a system that evaluates and compares driver performance using data-driven insights to improve safety, efficiency, and operational accountability.
– Master of Plowing. "Plow as Much as Possible Before the Rain." Participants will create an intelligent path-planning or optimization solution that maximizes field operations under time constraints and unpredictable weather conditions.
– Surprise Box. "Get the Most Out of One Machine Interface." The task is to transform limited machine data into a practical and intelligent application that delivers actionable insights for farmers through an innovative interface design.
Winning teams will receive the SEARCA Agrinnovate Farmer-First Award, recognizing AI-driven and technology-enabled solutions that deliver meaningful impact for farmers through practical, accessible and human-centered innovation.
Submissions will be assessed based on their contribution to four sustainability dimensions identified by SEARCA: Pocket — improving farmer income, productivity, and economic resilience; Plate — strengthening food security, nutrition, and food systems; Place — promoting environmental sustainability and climate resilience; and People — enhancing inclusion, community well-being, and quality of life.
Award recipients will gain access to SEARCA's innovation ecosystem, which includes incubation and acceleration support, mentoring and capacity-building programs, and networking opportunities with international experts.
Recipients will also be linked with universities, innovation hubs, and technology business incubators across Southeast Asia and beyond.
SEARCA stated that these pathways are designed to help promising prototypes progress toward piloting, commercialization, and real-world deployment.
"Farmers must remain at the center of agricultural innovation," said Emil John Cabrera, program head of SEARCA's Emerging Innovation for Growth Department.
"Through the Agrinnovate Southeast Asia Summit and the Agritechnica Hackathon, we aim to empower the next generation of innovators to develop solutions that are not only technologically advanced but also practical, inclusive, and responsive to the realities faced by farming communities," added Cabrera.
Interested participants may register and learn more via the Prototype Club Hackathon Page or the Agritechnica Asia Official Website.