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If you can address food security with ICT, you could stand to win US $10 000 from Ericsson

According to the latest stats from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around 800 million people do not have enough food to eat. Worse still, unless there’s a change in the way we grow and distribute our food, that number isn’t going to change much for the next 15 years.

And the majority of those people are our neighbours in sub-Saharan Africa.

Food security is one of the biggest issues facing the continent of Africa today. The ongoing drought here in SA underlines how vulnerable we all are. The population of Africa is estimated to hit two billion by 2050, yet agricultural production has actually decreased since the 1960s. Most experts agree that the continent has more than enough arable land to feed itself, but unlocking that resource is going to take a bit of effort.

Fortunately, there’s a lot of that effort going on.

All over the world people are finding innovative ways to use new technologies to improve farming output. From drones which can inspect crops remotely to sensors that precisely time irrigation, some of humanity’s best minds are turning their attention to the future of food. Whether it’s giant hydroponic farms which reduce the need for water in agriculture or big data analysis for mitigating the effects of climate change, techies are teaming up with farmers to improve our lot.

But we need more innovation, and we need it closer to home. That’s why Ericsson has themed it’s 2016 Innovation Awards around the subject of “The Future of Food” and it’s clear that it’s an important theme for region sub-Saharan Africa too. If you’re a student or small business involved in bringing tech tools to bear on food security challenges, you can win $10 000 (R140 000) to help develop your ideas.

Jean-Claude Geha, Head of Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa, says: “Ericsson has always been a leading advocate for the positive role ICT can play in each one of the Sustainable Development Goals. Our theme for this year could directly impact the second goal of “No Hunger” by using ICT to create solutions that might enhance production, distribution, access to market information or even the final consumer experience in securing fresh or processed foods. With this competition, we seek to empower ideas that will change the future of the food industry as we know it – while opening doors for small innovative companies to a larger regional market. We are excited to see what this year’s Ericsson Innovation Awards has instore.”

The deadline is close, though. You’ll need to apply before 7 November 2016, because Ericsson will be announcing the regional winner at AfricaCom in Cape Town on 15 November 2016. A global competition on the same theme will open towards the end of the year.

Want to find out more? Visit Ericsson’s microsite (http://www.innovationawardssubsahara.com/) for more details.

[Image – CC Dept of Foreign Affairs]

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