Rockefeller Foundation announces 10 finalists for the Food System Vision Prize

 

 By Temitope Musowo, Lagos

Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, the  President of The Rockefeller

The Rockefeller Foundation, in partnership with SecondMuse and OpenIDEO has announced the Top 10 Finalists for the 2020 Food System Vision Prize, a global challenge to develop Visions of a regenerative and nourishing food system by the year 2050. 

According to a statement made available to Devcom Nigeria by Ouma Onyango, the Programme Assistant, Global Health Strategies, Nairobi, the finalists were selected from a pool of more than 1,300 applicants from 110 countries.

They were selected based on their potential to inspire real, positive and bold transformation of a specific food system that is actionable, concrete and believed to be attainable by 2050.

An esteemed panel of Judges, including food system leaders from across academia, civil society and the private sector, was said to have reviewed the Semi-Finalist submissions which selected the 10 Finalists.

According to Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, the  President of The Rockefeller Foundation, who said, “The inspiring Visions they have put forward paint a picture of a more hopeful future food system – one that is equitable, sustainable and can transform our planet and improve the diets and health of people across the globe,”

 “These Visions are a great example of the importance of -and opportunity for -innovation during a crisis. This is even more urgent given the severe stresses placed on food systems as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic,” added Roy Steiner, Senior Vice President of the Food Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation.

Meanwhile, Darkpore Media Africa LTD based in Lagos, Nigeria, was named as one of the finalists and has identified six key food challenges for the region, from food waste to aging farmers, to address in a multi-faceted plan to build a more nourishing food system.

According to a recent report from the United Nations, 2 billion people face food insecurity and preliminary estimates suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may add an additional 83-132 million people.

Given the fragility of our global food system right now, The Rockefeller Foundation’s prize is supporting Visionaries who are answering the question of how to address these sobering statistics and make our food system more resilient to future crises.

The prize finalists, who hail from Canada, China, India, Kenya, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, and the U.S., were selected from a diverse group of 76 semi-finalists from around the world. Following completion of the Accelerator phase, finalists will be eligible for a prize of $200,000 USD.