With climate change threatening harvests, malnutrition afflicting millions and unsustainable practices degrading ecosystems, the food industry is confronting an urgent crisis.
Yet, across the globe, innovators are rising to the challenge with extraordinary ideas. Such as HarvestPlus, which is tackling vitamin A deficiency in Zambia through biofortified porridges; and Naadi Foundation, helping Indian farmers transition to regenerative practices.
Too often, however, great ideas get stuck at the grassroots level and lack the resources needed to drive real change. That’s where the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge steps in: an annual competition designed to uncover and support visionaries tackling the most critical issues in global food systems.
Last year, over 900 teams of food innovators and entrepreneurs from 78 countries competed for a share of the $1 million prize funded by the Seeding The Future Foundation.
The solutions to the world’s most pressing food challenges are within reach – this is your chance to turn them into reality.
In the end, just 13 winners emerged, each bringing a unique approach to tackling challenges like malnutrition, food waste and sustainable agriculture. These projects aren’t merely technically impressive: they are deeply rooted in personal and community needs, delivering tangible impacts on real lives. From biofortified porridges in Zambia to pumpkin seed-enriched maize flours for school feeding programmes in Uganda and portable water purification systems in Ukraine, these initiatives showcase how fresh, bold ideas can reshape the future of food.
A catalyst for change
“The Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge prize has provided HarvestPlus with a tremendous opportunity to highlight the importance of biofortification, from production to consumption,” said Dr Katharine Diehl, scaling specialist at HarvestPlus.
“The prize has underscored the relevance of our work in tackling food and nutrition security, with biofortified crops as a key strategy for change.”
In Zambia, where Vitamin A deficiency remains a critical issue, HarvestPlus is developing climate-smart crops that not only reduce health risks but also improve livelihoods for farming families.
A 2023 Grand Prize winner, HarvestPlus used its $250k prize to scale up its efforts, developing nutrient-rich composite flours and ready-made products like porridges for school feeding programmes. The meals are designed to be both tasty and nutritious, providing critical support to the health of learners, especially young and adolescent girls.
“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,” added Dr Diehl.
The recognition from Seeding The Future validated our approach.
Erich Midigo
The same sentiment is echoed by Erich Midigo, founder and CEO of Ndalo Heritage Trust, which won a Seed Grant for its sorghum flours to combat malnutrition in Siaya, Kenya. These flours, enriched with climate-smart crops like amaranth, sweet potato and pumpkin seeds, are a lifeline for expectant mothers and children, promoting cognitive and physical development while reducing anaemia and stunting risks.
“What makes this innovation impactful is its simplicity and scalability,” said Midigo.
“This low-cost, community-driven model has the potential to be replicated across regions facing similar challenges of malnutrition. The recognition from Seeding The Future validated our approach. It’s a global stamp of approval that’s opened doors for us to expand and empower more communities to fight malnutrition with locally available resources.”
Scaling ideas that work
The Challenge isn’t just about funding; it’s about visibility and credibility. For Uganda’s Nurture Posterity International (NutriPosh), which won a Growth Grant last year, this meant scaling its pumpkin seed-enriched composite maize flours to almost 300 schools, feeding over 240,000 schoolchildren, while supporting 2,700 farmers in adopting regenerative practices.
“Our recognition has been transformative,” sid NutriPosh MD Ibrahim Kasujja.
“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 that lack important nutrients.
“Not only are we improving children’s cognitive health with better nutrition, but we’re also creating an environmentally sustainable value chain. Farmers are adopting regenerative practices and schools are switching to flours that actually support health. It’s a win-win for the community.”
The ripple effects of these innovations are profound. In India, the Naandi Foundation’s ReGen project is helping farmers transition from chemical-based farming to biodiversity-focused regenerative practices. The result? Healthier soil, better crops, and a farming community that’s more resilient to climate change.
Searching for new faces of collaboration
The 2024 Challenge is now open for applications and the stakes have never been higher.
We are inspired by the significant impact potential on people’s lives and the environment.
Bernhard van Lengerich
This year’s competition is upping the stakes, with the introduction of a Global Food System Innovation Database and Network. This peer-reviewed platform will connect applicants who pass the first phases of the review process (or reached at least semifinal level in another food system competition) with global organisations like the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme, as well as investors and other philanthropic organisations.
If you want a slice of the $1 million prize pool, you’ll need to make your case – and do so fairly soon. Applications for the 2024 Challenge close on 6 January 2025.
“The submissions we’ve [already] received this year have been outstanding and we are inspired by their novelty and significant impact potential on people’s lives and the environment,” said Bernhard van Lengerich, founder of the Seeding The Future Foundation.
From the Philippines to Ukraine: Stories of hope
That spirit of collaboration is evident among past winners. One of the most striking aspects of the Seeding The Future Challenge is its breadth, tackling issues as diverse as water access to food waste.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Association 3535 used its Growth Grant to expand solar-powered cooling hubs, reducing post-harvest losses and improving farmer incomes. In Indonesia, Kopernik brought indigenous farming practices into the modern era, turning food waste into compost and animal feed through a circular economy model.
Seed Grant winner UV4Good created portable UVC LED-based water disinfectant systems that provide clean drinking water in Ukraine and other crisis zones around the globe.
“Winning the Challenge gave us the resources to act quickly, bringing clean water to people in desperate need,” said Tatiana Koutchma, CEO of UV4Good.
Even in the Philippines, where food sovereignty is a pressing issue, the Challenge is making waves.
“Being selected as a Seed Grant winner 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 Programmes, 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.”
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is calling on aspiring innovators to take action for the 2024 Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge. The solutions to the world’s most pressing food challenges are within reach – this is your chance to turn them into reality.
