July 13, 2016

Mobile App for Rain Forecasts Raising Farmers’ Yields

NAIROBI- A mobile, phone-based innovation that can predict rain is helping farmers in six Sub-Saharan African countries sow, fertilise and harvest crops at the optimum time. The innovation is being used in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana,…

July 8, 2016

Success Story: How Reel Gardening Went From an Idea to a Successful Business

At 16 years old, Claire Reid was determined to start a garden, but the process was more difficult than she anticipated. She had to buy seeds and fertilizer in industrial quantities, and she had no…

June 30, 2016

Hydro-Powered Pump Offers Eco-Friendly Irrigation Solution

The company behind an innovative hydro-powered irrigation pump has recently installed its first system in Spain, and now has its eyes on the Latin American market. The Barsha pump, developed by Netherlands-based aQysta, is a…

June 20, 2016

How Rain Forecasting Via Text Can Help Farmers In The Developing World

There are lots of types of data that Ignitia, a weather forecasting startup, could have focused on. But, after talking with farmers in West Africa, it realized only one question really matters to its customers:…

June 17, 2016

SWFF Seeks Undergraduate Seniors or Graduate Students for Grand Challenge Round 4 Call for Entries Evaluation

Undergraduate seniors or graduate students with a background in water, ag, tech innovation or business, would you like to be part of solving some of the world’s greatest challenges for development? USAID is now recruiting…

June 10, 2016

Ignitia Wins Second Place in the AIIS Pitch Competition

Washington, D.C. – Last week, 24 Securing Water for Food innovators participated in USAID’s first-ever Agriculture Innovation Investment Summit (AIIS) with colleagues from Powering Agriculture and Feed the Future. The Summit, designed to help bridge connections…

June 7, 2016

The Art of the Pitch: How Startup Social Enterprises Pitch Impact Investors (Devex Impact)

The funding challenge has always loomed large over social entrepreneurs wanting to change the world. For many, the difference between their breakthrough innovation going big and their business going back to the drawing board can…

June 3, 2016

New Irrigation System Reaches the Poorest Farmers

Mandera is one of the poorest parts of Kenya where 88% of the population live below the poverty line. By cooperating to spread one innovation together, the two innovators SunCulture and Islamic Relief Kenya have…

May 27, 2016

USAID and Partners Host First Agriculture Innovation Investment Summit

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its partners will host their first Agriculture Innovation Investment Summit from June 1- 2 in Washington, D.C. The Summit will connect investors with innovators…

May 12, 2016

Out of Boston, Three Innovators on a Quest to Provide Drinkable Water (The Boston Globe)

The world is a thirsty place. In many parched lands, including parts of the United States, desalination technologies are helping turn sea water and brackish ground water into clean water for drinking, bathing, and irrigation….