IFAMA World Conferences invite members from academia, industry, government, NGOs, and young professionals from around the world to share, learn, explore, and build upon the latest research trends and innovations currently shaping the agribusiness sector.

We are pleased to announce that the IFAMA 2022 Student Case Competition will be hosted in Costa Rica as part of the 32nd annual World Conference on June 18-19, 2022, on the theme: “Sustainability in agribusiness: the role of technology, of network management and consequent value chain disruptions.”

Guidelines

In its 17th year, IFAMA's International Student Case Competition is the only global case competition specifically targeting the agribusiness sector bringing together students from around the world in a rare venue that enables them to demonstrate their analytical and problem-solving skills before a panel of judges representing Industry and Academia. The competition provides students and their universities a global stage to showcase the next generation of leaders in the ag sector.

Team Structure

The 2022 competition will provide the opportunity for teams to compete in three divisions: undergraduate students; graduate students, or early career professionals. Early career professionals should be under 35-years old. Teams can have from 3-5 members.

Undergraduate teams must be comprised of only undergraduates. Mixed teams are allowed among the graduate and young professional levels; However, the team must be primarily composed of members within that category.

Universities may also send multiple teams. Individual student applications are also accepted, and teams can be formed with students from multiple universities (IFAMA can assist in this pairing if needed). A current IFAMA membership is required before team members can participate.

Competition Structure

Each team must have either an academic or industry advisor. The advisor will be the key point of contact between IFAMA and the team prior to the competition. Although advisors play a major role in helping students prepare for the competition, students must work independently from their advisor during the competition. Students and advisors will be given the scoring rubric to be used by the judges after enrolling in the competition.

preliminary rounds

All teams will gather before the preliminary competition for a meeting on Saturday, June 18. Exact start times and complete details will be provided in advance of the competition. Teams will receive the case five hours prior to their assigned presentation time.

Each team will have four hours (with a 1-hour break) from the time they receive their packet, to analyze the case, formulate a solution and create a PowerPoint presentation, which they will present before a panel of industry and academic judges. It is expected that team members will have comparable speaking roles and significantly contribute to their team's presentation.

The presentation will be public but participating teams may not attend the presentations of other competing teams. Approximately 25 minutes will be allocated for each presentation, five minutes for set up, 15 minutes allotted for the presentation, and five minutes for a question and answer period with the judges. The judges will evaluate each team based on their written documents, presentation, and responses to the judges' questions.

Final Round

The top two or three teams selected by the judges in each division will be invited to advance to a final round of the competition. Although complete details are not yet available, teams advancing to the Final Round can expect to complete one of the following scenarios: 1) Review their preliminary round presentation after receiving further guidance from the Student Case Chairs; 2) Prepare a revised presentation after receiving a short addendum to the preliminary case; or 3) Receive an entirely new but shorter case in which they are required to analyze and develop a presentation.

The final round will take place during the final session of the first day of the conference, on Sunday, June 19, 2022. Twenty minutes will be allotted for the presentation and 10 minutes for questions and answers. Teams may not attend any other team's presentation until after they have presented. Judges will assign scores based on the prepared reports, presentations, and responses to the judges' questions.

The winners in each division will be formally recognized during the IFAMA awards ceremony. Cash awards and other prizes are to be announced.

You do not have a team and want to participate in the SCC ?, IFAMA welcomes applications from unattached Graduate Students or young professionals who want to compete but do not have a team. They will be placed on a level-appropriate, international team, if a minimum of three members submit to participate. Submit your application and let you know when teams are complete and register to IFAMA 2022 World Conference. A special rate fee will be available for people who are not in a team. 

Timeline

2022 Student Case Competition Committee

chair: Juan José Bolaños Herrera, CEO, Piñalbo; Costa Rica
Co-Chair: Esteban R. Brenes, INCAE Business School, Costa Rica

Questions? For questions about the Student Case Competition contact: Kathryn White: mkwhite@ifama.org

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