An environmentally sound program is good for business. These are words that could easily be plastered in bright neon on the side of the USAID building in Washington, DC. It's a guiding philosophy of the Securing Water for Food (SWFF) program, a unique, five-year initiative aimed at conserving vital water resources around the world.
"Protecting the environment is our first commitment," said program chief Dr. Ku McMahan. "We tell our innovators that this makes for good business."
In other words, if any of the SWFF innovators don't meet strict environmental standards put forward by USAID, the businesses will not move forward with funding.
SWFF Publishes Three New Innovator Impact Evaluations. Impact, sustainability, and growth lie at the heart of the mission guiding Securing Water for Food (SWFF). Fulfillment of this mission is only made possible through the exemplary work of SWFF innovators and partners around the world. SWFF is proud to share the following three impact reports documenting progress toward these goals:
Naireeta Services Evaluation: Bhungroo Water Harvesting System in India View;
World Hope Impact Evaluation: Low-Cost Greenhouse Farming in Mozambique View; and
FutureWater Evaluation: ThirdEye Project in Mozambique View.
SWFF and Powering Agriculture Now Working With the Efficiency for Access Coalition. Augusta Abrahamse and Ku McMahan from USAID discuss this important coalition and the importance of both group's partnerships with innovators around the world. View Efficiency for Access Coalition's April 2019 newsletter
here.
Cut/ITIKI is Featured on Voice of America. Dr. Muthoni Masinde was invited to speak about ITIKI, a drought early warning system, integrating indigenous knowledge and scientific weather forecasts to predict localized weather. This interview is a key component of Voice of America's story about drought and climate change in Mozambique aired on their flagship news program, AFRICA 54. You can watch the video
here.
Naireeta Services' Bhungroo Technology is Featured in The Better India. The Bhungroo pipe technology was featured on The Better India in an article titled, "Bhungroo to Olla: 5 Simple Ideas That Can Help Farmers Save Water in Summer." The article praises their innovation as a "simple yet impactful farming method centered upon water conservation that will help farmers beat summer at its own game."
Read article.
SkyFox Launches Second Integrated Aquaculture and Crop Production Project. SkyFox has launched the second phase of its integrated aquaculture and crop production program. SkyFox continues to lease ponds and irrigation land in select parts of Africa's hilly drylands, producing two tons of catfish biannually and nutrient-rich water for crop irrigation.
Showcase Your Innovation for the Future of Food. Future Food-Tech is accepting applications for start-ups looking to showcase innovative food-related solutions. If you're an innovative food-tech start-up interested in sharing a groundbreaking solution to an audience of global food brands, corporate leaders and venture capital investors, Future Food-Tech invites you to submit an application to present your innovation at the organization's 2019 Technology Showcase in New York City. Learn more.
SWFF Evaluation Global Impact Infographic: Can We Grow More Food with Less Water?
Dexis Consulting Group conducted a comprehensive study of 21 of the 40 SWFF innovations in seven countries. Findings concluded that SWFF has great relevance, is effectively run, has effective oversight, is efficiently set up, is making significant impact, and is progressively moving toward greater sustainability, both with respect to climate change and to gender inclusion. Performance Evaluation | Infographic
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