Nigeria’s Darkpore shortlisted for $200,000 Rockefeller Foundation food vision prize

Darkpore Media Africa Limited in Lagos has been named as one of the ten finalists for the $200,000 Rockefeller Foundation food system vision prize.

The organisation was shortlisted for its Food Innovation Nervecenter vision to identify six key food challenges ranging from food waste to aging farmers in Lagos.

The vision also outlines a multi-faceted plan to build a more regenerative and nourishing food system.

“These Visions are a great example of the importance of—and opportunity for—innovation during a crisis. This is even more urgent given the severe stresses placed on food systems as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Roy Steiner, senior vice-president-food initiative, Rockefeller Foundation in a statement.

“We look forward to seeing how they move their ideas from vision to action,” Steiner said.

The 10 finalists were selected from a pool of more than 1,300 applicants from 110 countries, all seeking to develop a Vision of the regenerative and nourishing food system that they aspire to create by the year 2050.

The top 10 finalists, whose visions focus on Kenya, Nigeria, Canada, China, India, the Netherlands, Peru, and the U.S., were chosen among 76 semi-finalists.

They were selected based on their potential to inspire real, positive, and bold transformation of a specific food system that is actionable, concrete, and believed to be attainable by 2050.

These visions aim to tackle challenges tied to six themes: environment, diets, economics, culture, technology, and policy.

“These Finalists give us a reason for optimism, offering exciting and tangible possibilities to transform food systems, from production to consumption, to ensure a healthy and sustainable future for people and our planet,” said Maria Balcazar Tellez, program manager and Food System Vision Prize Lead at SecondMuse.