The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its partners will host their first Agriculture Innovation Investment Summit from June 1- 2 in Washington, D.C. The Summit will connect investors with innovators to accelerate game-changing technologies that can help smallholder farmers improve their productivity and competitiveness, in line with the goals of the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future.

Innovators from Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development;  Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development; and Feed the Future's Partnering for Innovation program will:

• Showcase their innovations in TED Talk-style presentations;
• Participate in a pitch competition;
• Receive business acceleration support; and
• Participate in "match-making" sessions with potential funders.

USAID Administrator Gayle Smith and representatives from the Swedish and German Embassies will deliver remarks on June 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. EDT. The Summit is co-sponsored by USAID, the Government of Germany, the Government of Sweden, the Government of the Netherlands, South Africa's Department of Science and Technology, the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and Duke Energy. For more information about the summit, please visit the AgTechXChange.