Applications are open for the 2024 Challenge, offering up to $1 million in funding

The 2023 Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge, funded and initiated by the Seeding The Future Foundation and hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists, attracted over 900 submissions from 78 countries. Scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and multidisciplinary teams showcased their groundbreaking innovations addressing critical food system challenges.

Ultimately, 13 winners were awarded a total of $1 million in prize funding: Eight Seed Grant winners ($25,000 each), three Growth Grant winners ($100,000 each), and two Seeding The Future Grand Prize winners ($250,000 each).

"Last year's winners again demonstrated an incredible level of ingenuity and commitment in addressing the most pressing issues facing food systems globally," said Bernhard van Lengerich, founder of the Seeding The Future Foundation. "The submissions we've received this year have been outstanding, and we are inspired by their novelty and significant impact potential on people's lives and the environment."

Applications for the 2024 Challenge opened on November 1, 2024, and close on January 6, 2025. To learn more or to submit an application, click here or to go www.ift.org/food-system-challenge.

New this year, applicants who pass the first phases of the review process or reached at least semifinal level in another food system competition can earn a spot in the Seeding The Future Global Food System Innovation Database and Network. This peer-reviewed, interactive database will showcase innovations to global organizations such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme, as well as philanthropic organizations and the investment community, fostering opportunities for funding and collaboration.

Reflections from 2023 Winners:

International Food Policy Research Institute (HarvestPlus) - Seeding The Future Grand Prize Winner

Innovation: By using nutrient-dense, climate-smart crops, HarvestPlus addresses Zambia's high rates of Vitamin A deficiency. These porridges support child development, reduce health risks, and improve likelihoods for farming families. Through the Seeding The Future Foundation grant, HarvestPlus is developing nutrient-rich flour formulas and food products for school feeding programs that will provide tasty, ready-made, nutrient-rich meals that contribute to the nutritional health of learners, particularly young and adolescent girls.

"The Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge prize has given HarvestPlus a huge opportunity to showcase the value of biofortification - from production to consumption. The prize has greatly emphasized the relevance of our work in addressing food and nutrition security with biofortified crops as one significant strategy for change," said Katharine Diehl, PhD, Scaling Specialist, HarvestPlus. "With the grant, we can now significantly accelerate the availability of nutritious food in Zambia, helping address nutritional deficiencies that prevent children from reaching their full potential."

Learn more at www.harvestplus.org.

Naandi Foundation - Seeding The Future Grand Prize Winner

Innovation: Regenerative agriculture model (ReGen) in India. Naandi Foundation's approach helps farmers transition from chemical-based farming to biodiversity-focused regenerative practices, improving soil and crop health.

Learn more at www.naandi.org.

Nurture Posterity International (NutriPosh) - Growth Grant Winner

Innovation: Affordable composite flour for school feeding programs in Uganda. The grant enabled expansion to 297 schools, feeding over 240,000 children while supporting 2,700 farmers in adopting regenerative practices.

"Nurture Posterity International's recognition as a Growth Grant winner has brought significant attention to the organization while recognizing the importance of creating an environmentally sustainable value chain around the provision of affordable, safe, and trusted pumpkin seed enriched composite maize flours for school feeding programs in Uganda," said Ibrahim Kasujja, Managing Director, Nurture Posterity International. "The grant helped our team to significantly accelerate our efforts to help schools switch to these composite flours with a better nutrient profile while transitioning away from using maize flours with a better nutrient profile while transitioning away from using maize flours that lack important nutrients known to improve cognitive health. Our team is so incredibly grateful to the Seeding The Future Foundation."

Learn more at www.npi-ssa.org.

Association 3535 - Growth Grant Winner

Innovation: Solar-powered cooling hubs for farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. By reducing post-harvest losses, this initiative enhances food security and farmer incomes.

Learn more at www.association3535.com.

Kopernik - Growth Grant Winner

Innovation: Indigenous farming practices and waste conversion in Indonesia. Through composting and circular economy approaches, Kopernik fosters climate-resilient food systems.

Kopernik was recognized for its Pangan Initiative, addressing food insecurity in West Timor, Indonesia. By adopting an innovative approach that prioritizes the return to and use of indigenous farming practices, food preservation technologies, and a circular economy approach utilizing black soldier flies to convert organic and food waste into animal feed and compost for farming, the Pangan Initiative will create a more climate-resilient and self-sustaining food system and community.

Learn more at www.kopernik.info.

Ndalo Heritage Trust - Seed Grant Winner

Innovation: Sorghum-based composite flour enriched with climate-smart crops to combat malnutrition in Siaya, Kenya. This flour made from locally available crops like amaranth, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin seeds, addresses micronutrient deficiencies in expectant mothers and children, promoting cognitive and physical development while reducing anemia and stunting risks. The innovation promotes both nutritional health and agricultural diversification, empowering communities to combat the impacts of climate change.

"Winning the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge meant a stamp of global approval for our innovation," said Erich Midigo, Founder and CEO, Ndalo Heritage Trust. "What makes this innovation impactful is its simplicity and scalability. This low-cost, community-driven model has the potential to be replicated across regions facing similar challenges of malnutrition."

Learn more at www.ndaloheritage.co.ke.

UV4Good - Seed Grant Winner

Innovation: Portable UVC LED-based water disinfectant systems for emergency and field use. These systems provide clean drinking water to underserved regions, including Ukraine where UV4Good has continued to build and donate units while also creating an inventory of water treatment kids.

"Being recognized by Seeding The Future validates our commitment to innovation in addressing global water crises. This grant has given us the means to transform our vision into actionable solutions, bringing safe drinking water to communities in desperate need," said Tatiana Koutchma, CEO and Co-founder of UV4Good. "Winning has been a transformative milestone for UV4Good. This recognition has not only validated our innovation approach but also provided us with crucial funding to advance our mission of improving access to safe drinking water in Ukraine and other emergency-affected regions worldwide."

Learn more at www.uv4good.org.

Global Seed Savers - Seed Grant Winner

Innovation: ECOSEEDS Project - Seed sovereignty initiatives promoting diverse, nutritionally rich crops in the Philippines. This project expands access to diverse, nutritionally rich crops through education and seed production centers.

"Being selected as a Seed Grant winner has had a tremendous impact on our growing international non-profit. It has allowed us to more than double the number of communities and direct beneficiaries we serve at Global Seed Savers and allowed us to expand our Seed Saving Community partners from three across the Philippines to 12 communities in all three regions in the country," said Sherry Manning, Founder and CEO of Global Seed Savers. "We have also trained over 500 farmers this year alone through our dynamic Seed School Education and Training Programs, and launched our second Seed Production site, which will serve as a key local seed production trial site, hub for seed education, and support growing a wide variety of crops that will ensure food and seed sovereignty for the region."

Learn more at www.globalseedsavers.org.

For a full list of 2023 winners, visit www.ift.org/food-system-challenge/winners.

About Seeding The Future Foundation

The Seeding The Future Foundation is a private, non-profit organization motivated by its core value that everyone should always have equitable access to safe, nutritious, affordable, appealing, and trusted food. It seeks to inspire innovative solutions that can help transform the global food system to be more sustainable and benefit the health of people and the environment. The Foundation provides seed funding and support to promising ideas and high impact innovations to improve food systems globally, technologies to reduce post-harvest losses in developing regions, as well as foundational work in academia and research. For more information, please visit seedingthefuture.org.

About Institute of Food Technologists

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a global organization of approximately 11,000 individual members from more than 90 countries committed to advancing the science of food. Since 1939, IFT has brought together the brightest minds in food science, technology and related professions from academia, government, and industry to solve the world's greatest food challenges. IFT works to ensure that its members have the resources they need to learn, grow, and innovate to advance the science of food as the population and the world evolve. IFT believes that science and innovation are essential to ensuring a global food supply that is sustainable, safe, nutritious, and accessible to all. For more information, please visit ift.org.