FOODSHOT 4
WATER, THE ESSENTIAL INPUT
GROUNDBREAKERS
The Water FoodShot considers the Water Cycle as a whole and seeks innovations that protect water as an essential limited resource for both water and land-based food and agriculture. Through water, the future of both our land and aquatic foods are inexorably linked. In a world that recognizes water's essential role in all forms of food production, it is critical to develop solutions that link water to improved outcomes on nutrient cycles, soil health, ecosystem sustainability, and human health. This FoodShot also prioritizes the ways in which water cycles interact with our previous FoodShots related to soil health, precision protein, and bioactive foods
PRIZE WINNER
DR. LAURA CONDON
$250,000 to Laura Condon (Hydro Futures and University of Arizona) for the development of tools that provide unique insights into groundwater and soil moisture from the field scale to the regional scale.
DR. LAURA CONDON GROUNDBREAKER
PRIZE WINNER
Dr. Condon and her team will use the funding to support a new generation of groundwater and soil moisture forecasting tools for agriculture. The HydroGEN team has already developed the only national platform that can simulate watershed dynamics from the bedrock to the treetops across the United States. This platform provides predictions-as-a-service for any location in the US at 1/1000th the cost of traditional models. With the FoodShot prize, the team is excited to develop new capabilities to evaluate irrigation and crop choice scenarios within the platform. They also hope to work with the FoodShot network to build commercial applications for this technology and speed on-farm adoption of the new tools.
"The FoodShot global prize is a huge honor for both myself and our entire team!   It will provide us with the funding we need to expand our hydrologic modeling platform into agricultural settings, and to build a commercial application for direct use by farmers. We are excited for the opportunity to bring our technology into this space, and support farmers in optimizing water use."
PRIZE WINNER
DANIEL RUSSEK
$150,000 to Daniel Russek, CEO of Atarraya, for the modular Shrimpbox technology that reduces water usage by 98.33%, compared to conventional shrimp farming, and eliminates discharges by using biofloc technology, mitigating the impact on water resources and promoting efficient water management. Specifically, the funds will be matched by Atarraya to evaluate the effectiveness of biofertilizers from sustainable aquaculture on soil health and plant growth.
DANIEL RUSSEK GROUNDBREAKER PRIZE WINNER
Atarraya Inc.'s project focuses on harmonizing regenerative agriculture with sustainable aquaculture practices by utilizing biofertilizers derived from aquaculture byproducts. This initiative aims to significantly enhance soil health and crop productivity, addressing pressing global challenges of food security and environmental sustainability. The project is based at Atarraya's Smart Biotech shrimp farm in Oaxaca, Mexico, and features a comprehensive experimental design across three distinct crop types: citrus, legumes, and vegetables. The experimental protocols utilize a variety of treatments, including different biofertilizers such as Floc paste and Biol, and compare these with commercial organic fertilizers. Through this project, Atarraya Inc. aims to forge a sustainable loop that not only boosts agricultural productivity but also conserves environmental health, providing a scalable model for global adoption
"The FoodShot Groundbreaker Prize is an opportunity to implement our philosophical and scientific framework, affording us the time and resources to demonstrate how the organic fertilizer produced as a byproduct of our shrimp farm can become a commercial product that aids the transition to regenerative agriculture. Moreover, it signifies confidence in our efforts and endorses our vision for the sustainable transition of our food system."
SEED PRIZE WINNER
ALEXANDRA POUNDS
$80,000 to Alexandra Pounds (ThinkAqua) for the expansion in Uganda and Kenya of Resilient Aquaculture Designs (RAD), which create networked clusters around locally-owned hubs that provide farmers with a route to market, inputs and technical support.
ALEXANDRA POUNDS GROUNDBREAKER
PRIZE WINNER
RAD works with entrepreneurs to set up hubs that provide solutions to the question 'What do smallholders need to succeed?' RADs 'fill the gaps' in current supply chains and overcomes the common barriers faced by smallholder fish farmers in a truly local context. RAD assures farmers of a ready market by purchasing tilapia from farmers. RAD creates new markets of smaller tilapia that are not only more accessible to poorer consumers but also shorten production cycles and reduce farmers' risk. RAD hubs produce high-quality juvenile seed fish available at times and locations suitable for farmers. Hubs also produce live Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae that can cut fish production costs by 50%, encouraging farmers to feed more consistently and reduce production time. The frass (residue left after bioconversion of organic materials by BSF) offers benefits as an organic fertiliser for land crops. The circular economy approach utilises waste streams to produce food, increase overall productivity, diversify livelihoods and improve nutritional outcomes for poor households. Having proven the concept in western Uganda, they are replicating and scaling this model across Uganda, East Africa and eventually beyond.
"ThinkAqua is honoured to receive this award in recognition of a remarkable team effort to improve aquatic food systems in Eastern Africa. We will direct the funding towards expanding RAD model and collecting evidence of its impact. We are also excited to tap into the FoodShot Global network to amplify these efforts by developing partnerships to accelerate RAD expansion to 50 hubs, empowering 5000 farmers, creating 2500 jobs, and adding healthy fish to 24 million meals."