Two innovative approaches to farming that achieve the soil regeneration and climate action goals are among the Indian winners of the five Earthshot Prize 2023 worth £1 million each.
Founded three years ago by Britain’s Prince William, the prize has become known as the Eco Oscars for their quest for climate action initiatives that are delivering results around the world. This year’s winners span the globe, protecting and restoring the environment and supporting local communities across six continents.
Prince William said: “The light of optimism is burning bright… our winners and all our finalists remind us that, no matter where you are on our planet, the spirit of ingenuity, and the ability to inspire change, surrounds us all.”
S4S Technologies’ solar-powered dryers and processing equipment combats food waste, enabling small-hold farmers to preserve crops and turn produce that might otherwise go to waste into valuable products. Founded in 2013 by six university friends, Maharashtra’s S4S Technologies combats food waste, rural poverty, and gender inequality by helping smallholder female farmers preserve and market surplus produce. The organisation provides rural communities with cheaper solar-powered conduction dryers and food processing equipment to prepare their crops on-site, rather than using cold storage or other more expensive methods of conventional industrial food preservation.
Nidhi Pant, Co-Founder, S4S Technologies, said: “S4S, along with women farmers, are creating a new food ecosystem that reduces wastage and mitigates the increase in GHG emissions while meeting the world’s food needs.
“With empowered women farmers taking leadership to fight climate change by ensuring food security, increasing incomes, creating jobs, boosting local economies, and advocating with the government, women farmers have emerged as key partners in driving lasting impact.
“We are honoured to be recognised by the Earthshot Prize. We aim to create a waste-free food system and to transform lives of millions of women farmers.”
Boomitra, which means “friend of the earth” in Sanskrit, is a soil carbon marketplace that rewards farmers for sustainable land management practices. The company works with more than 150,000 farmers, from half-acre smallholder farms to large ranchers, managing more than five million acres of land in some of the poorest parts of Africa, South America and Asia. Satellites and AI technology are used to monitor improvements farmers make to the soil, tracking its ability to store carbon over time.
Aadith Moorthy, Founder and CEO, Boomitra, said: “On behalf of the Boomitra family, I’m deeply honoured and humbled to accept the Earthshot Prize.
“This prize is a recognition of the hard work and dedication of our partners on the ground, the Boomitra team, and all the farmers we work with, who work every single day towards moving the needle on climate change.”
During a glittering awards ceremony in Singapore to be telecast over the weekend, the five winners chosen from among the 15 worldwide innovators and entrepreneurs named as 2023 Earthshot Prize finalists were each awarded a catalytic £1 million prize to help scale their solutions and accelerate their growth and impact.
*Info: S4S Technologies; Boomitra
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