On March 9th, Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development launched its third call for game changing innovations to increase water availability and promote efficient use of water in agriculture. The Challenge will be accepting applications now through May 22 at 5pm EST. Between 2000 and 2050, water demand is projected to globally increase by 55%, as the world’s population grows from almost 7 billion to over 9 billion. More than 70% of global water use occurs in the food value chain, which will make making food and water security a pivotal issues in the coming years.
The Challenge aims to source and accelerate innovations in the following areas: water efficiency and reuse, water capture and storage, and salinity and salt water intrusion. This newest round places an increased focus on cutting-edge, advanced technologies and business models, as well as innovations that engage women. Securing Water for Food seeks exceptional initiatives that have already demonstrated success during pilots that go beyond traditional development programs and conventional approaches.
In its inaugural round, Securing Water for Food selected 17 winners out of 520 applications from universities, start-ups, and NGOs in more than 93 countries.