Meet the Top Visionaries

These bold Visions for 2050 lead the way to a more nourishing and equitable food future. Meet the 10 global visionaries looking to improve the world’s food systems from the ground up.
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The Rockefeller Foundation is thrilled to announce the Top 10 Finalists for the Food System Vision Prize. These Finalists were selected from a pool of more than 1,300 applicants from 119countries, 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 Canada, China, India, Kenya, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, and the U.S., 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), while showing the systemic inter-dependencies between these themes.

In September, the Finalists will advance to a three-month virtual Accelerator during which they will receive support to further refine their Visions and find pathways for implementation and impact. The Accelerator will focus on stakeholder engagement, storytelling, communications, and action planning, and will include opportunities for mentorship from key leaders in the global food space.

The Food System Vision Prize was launched by The Rockefeller Foundation, in partnership with SecondMuse and OpenIDEO, nearly a year ago as an invitation for organizations, institutions, companies, universities and governments across the globe to develop actionable solutions for the food systems of tomorrow.

Each Finalist is eligible to become a Top Visionary and to receive a prize of $200,000 USD. Top Visionaries were announced in December 2020.

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Food 2050 Video Series

Emboldened to unleash a nourishing, regenerative, and equitable food future, The Rockefeller Foundation and Media RED collaborated to create this breathtaking series that documents the extraordinary efforts of 10 global visionaries looking to improve the world’s food systems from the ground up.

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These bold Visions for 2050 lead the way to a more nourishing and equitable food future:

  • 7Gen Food System

    Led by the Sicangu Lakota people, this Vision for the Rosebud Indian Reservation of South Dakota, USA outlines a regenerative agricultural system that creates economic opportunities for tribal members; increases the accessibility of locally produced, nutrient-dense foods; and re-establishes the Lakota as primary stewards of the lands [Lead Organization: Sicangu Community Development Corporation].

  • Arakunomics

    Focusing on the regions of Araku, Wardha, and New Delhi, India, this Vision empowers tribal communities and seeks to ensure environmental sustainability, fair profits for farmers, and food and nutrition security for all [Lead Organization: Naandi Foundation].

  • Eat Right India

    This Vision from New Delhi, India looks to create a national movement towards healthier diets through a systems-based approach of reducing food waste; improving hygiene and sanitation across the value chain; and increasing access to and affordability of healthy foods [Lead Organization: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India].

  • FoodNerve

    This Vision from Lagos, Nigeria identifies six key food challenges for the region, from food waste to aging farmers, and outlines a multi-faceted plan to build a more regenerative and nourishing food system [Lead Organization: Darkpore Media Africa LTD].

  • From Mama's Kitchen to Metropolitan Beijing

    This Vision from Beijing, China imagines a plant-based dietary transformation for the world’s most populous nation, contributing to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and pollution [Lead Organizations: Good Food Fund of the China Biodiversity Conservation & Green Development Foundation].

  • kwayeskastasowin wahkohtowin

    This Vision from Canada’s Prairie Provinces aims to create a just and sustainable agrifood system while addressing the process of decolonization and reconciliation between Indigenous and settler populations [Lead Organization: The Prairie Food Vision Network].

  • Lima 2035

    This Vision for Lima, Peru imagines a regenerative and nourishing food oasis by 2035, with the aim of securing climate-resilient running water for all in Lima's fragile desert environment [Lead Organization: International Potato Center and Grupo Alimenta].

  • Re-rooting the Dutch Food System

    This Vision from the Netherlands outlines a transformed, circular Dutch food system that safeguards natural resources, promotes a healthier and more sustainable plant-based diet, and recycles unavoidable losses and wastes [Lead Organization: Wageningen University & Research].

  • Restoring Nairobi to “A Place of Cool Waters”

    This Vision for Nairobi, Kenya aims to develop a more equitable, just and sustainable urban space, where access to nutritious food is a reality for everyone [Lead Organization: African Population and Health Research Center].

  • Stone Barns Center: R&D Lab for an Ecological Food Culture

    This Vision from the Hudson Valley in New York, U.S. seeks to bring about a new food culture—rooted in the ecological, nutritional and communal potential of organic agriculture—through groundbreaking culinary experimentation [Lead Organization: Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture].
In addition, we wish to acknowledge the following Visions with Special Mentions:

Food System Vision Prize

Envisioning Regenerative and Nourishing Food Futures for 2050

EXPLORE THE VISIONS

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The Rockefeller Foundation announced the Food System Vision Prize in October 2019, issuing a call to disparate global food system actors to unite, source and support positive Visions for our future food systems. History shows that systemic change requires shared direction, time, and collective effort. The purpose of the Food System Vision Prize was to […]

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