The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Smart Africa Secretariat have opened the third edition of the Innovate Africa Challenge, themed “From Ideation to Deployment,” to move AI solutions for climate-smart agriculture from pilot to field use. The challenge will identify one proven AI-driven solution and deploy it within a Smart Africa member state with national governments, FAO country offices, and agricultural stakeholders. It addresses pressures including climate variability, food insecurity, limited agricultural information, low digital adoption, fragmented data, skills gaps, and inequality. Earlier editions engaged innovators from more than 40 African countries and helped deploy AI-enabled weather stations. The 2026 challenge seeks solutions in precision agriculture, crop yield prediction, pest surveillance, climate risk modelling, and water management, requiring integration with national systems and adaptability to low-connectivity, mobile-first, multilingual farming contexts. Deployment will occur in Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda, with national ministries and FAO country offices.