Olam and French research organisation Agropolis Fondation are offering a $75,000 grant to “ground-breaking” scientific research that tackles food security.
The Olam Prize for Innovation in Food Security seeks to scale up research projects that aim to tackle the UN’s second Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger.
Research should show evidence of its potential impact on the availability, affordability, accessibility and adequacy of food.
Applications are welcome from academic or research institutions, civil societies and the private sector, and can focus on any region, environment, crop or part of the agricultural supply chain.
Last year’s prize went to durum wheat breeder Filippo Bassi of The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) for his development of a strain of heat-tolerant wheat. Able to withstand the 40°C temperatures of Sub-Saharan Africa, the wheat can also grow quickly so farmers can maximise land that lies fallow after the eight-month rice crop.
Since receipt of the prize funding, the first 10 tonnes of certified grains have now been produced by two Senegalese farming communities. Once fully scaled, the goal is to produce 1,000 tonnes of seeds in the next three years.
Commenting on the funding, Bassi said: “Receiving the Olam prize was, first of all, a great honour and an outstanding recognition of the hard work we did on the ground. Thanks to the funding, we’ve achieved excellent visibility of this work both with farmers and with the government – the Senegalese Ministry of Agriculture has declared their intention to reach wheat independence in the next five years. Millers and food producers have echoed this interest and are waiting to buy the grains from the farmers for processing.”
“Given that Senegal has never produced wheat before, this is potentially life-changing, not only for over one million smallholder farmers in the Senegal basin but for all farmers struggling with increasing climatic temperatures. I wish the very best to the next Olam awardee as this prize offers incredible opportunities of development, professional recognition, and linkage with all spheres of key actors along the agriculture sector.”
Olam CEO Sunny Verghese added: “The exciting discovery of Dr Bassi and his team exemplifies the impressive new scientific insights and techniques being developed by research teams around the world. The Olam Prize aims to support breakthrough innovations so that together we can reimagine agriculture for greater food security.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024