IFT and Seeding The Future Foundation Announce 2024 Global Food Innovation Challenge Winners
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the Seeding The Future Foundation have just revealed the winners of the 2024 Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge! Now in its fourth year, this Challenge is all about supporting and speeding up innovative ideas that aim to build a more nutritious, sustainable, and fair global food system.
This year, the Challenge received an incredible response, with nearly 1,200 submissions from scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and teams from various disciplines around the globe. The program offers three levels of funding: Seed Grants, Growth Grants, and the highly sought-after Seeding The Future Grand Prize.
Back in May 2025, eight recipients of Seed Grants were awarded $25,000 each. Now, the Foundation has announced two winners of the Grand Prize, each taking home $250,000, along with three recipients of Growth Grants, who will each receive $100,000.
Grand Prize Winners:
- Oorja Development Solutions Limited (India):
Scaling Climate-Smart Farming Solutions
Oorja is helping smallholder farmers in India by offering a complete Pay-Per-Use service package that includes solar-powered irrigation, sustainable farming advice, seed distribution, soil testing, and a dedicated mobile app. - Savory Institute (United States):
KENYA MARA: Regenerating Traditional Foods, Lands & Livelihoods
This initiative is supporting the Maasai community in Kenya by allowing livestock to graze on conservancies, promoting land regeneration, and preserving traditional, animal-based diets.
Growth Grant Winners:
- CSIR – Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (Ghana):
NIR Tool for Aflatoxin-Resistant Groundnuts
This initiative is all about tackling aflatoxin contamination by using near-infrared screening along with natural antifungal compounds. It’s a sustainable approach that aims to support peanut farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa. - Toothpick Company Limited (Kenya):
Bioherbicide for Striga Control
This company has developed a fungal bioherbicide that’s applied to crop seeds to help eradicate Striga weed, a significant threat to food security in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Ghana. - Yayasan Kopernik (Indonesia):
PANGAN Programme for Sustainable Indigenous Farming
The PANGAN initiative is revitalizing indigenous farming practices in West Timor, promoting local nutritious crops, and testing a Local Food Hub model that connects small-scale farmers with markets. This effort is all about enhancing food security and building community resilience.
All winners, finalists, and semi-finalists are showcased in the Seeding The Future Global Food System Impact Innovators Database and Network. This resource, powered by AI and peer-reviewed, is designed for investors, policymakers, and global organizations like the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. It facilitates the strategic discovery of innovative projects that tackle food security, sustainability, and planetary health, including efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, preserve biodiversity, and ensure equitable food distribution.
Dr. Bernhard van Lengerich, Founder of Seeding The Future Foundation, shared his thoughts:
“Congratulations to our Grand Prize and Growth Grant winners. These projects showcase truly impactful and innovative solutions to some of the most urgent challenges facing our global food systems. We take pride in supporting such visionary work that aims to provide safe, nutritious, affordable, and trusted food for everyone while also promoting environmental sustainability.”
For more details about the Challenge and its winners, check out www.ift.org/food-system-challenge.
