When Agrilinks decided to launch a photo contest, we had no idea what to expect. We knew that many of our blog submissions, events and other content needed good images to illustrate the subjects being discussed. Finding those photos for our 11 topic areas was often challenging.

As usual, the Agrilinks community stepped up to the challenge, with 111 entrants submitting more than 500 incredible photos depicting the work you and your organizations are doing in agricultural development around the world. We’d like to sincerely thank the entrants for taking the time to select and share your wonderful photographs!

The creative shots we received depicted a diverse array of initiatives to further food security — from floating vegetable gardens and rabbit farms to simple technologies to detect pests and fight mycotoxins. Many gorgeous photos portrayed important staple crops like maize that people rely on for food and income. Others showcased niche crops and nutritional sources like seaweed, spirulina and snake gourds. Some photos documented the struggles many face in accessing food, income and markets. Nearly all showed the human faces of our work — faces of resilience, hope and ingenuity.

After intensive review and debate, we have a shortlist of five finalists for each of Agrilinks’ 11 topics. You’re invited to cast votes and select winners using Facebook and Twitter. Every weekday on Facebook and Twitter, we will roll out finalists in two of the Agrilinks topic categories, and link to the albums here (see below for list of Facebook albums, updated daily). Follow us to cast your votes and share with your networks of friends and colleagues. After voting concludes February 13, we’ll announce the winners you loved on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

Links to albums of finalists:
Agricultural Productivity
Climate & Natural Resources
Food Safety
Education & Extension
Markets & Trade
Gender
Nutrition
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
Youth
Resilience
Policy & Governance

While waiting for the final results, please explore a selection of some of the stunning entries on Flickr. We will continue to build on this library, so if you have photos you’d like to share for future use on Agrilinks, email us for more information: [email protected].