On Monday, December 14, 2020, the Curt Bergfors Foundation announced The Land Institute has been awarded the $1 million Food Planet Prize for efforts to reshape the food system. The Foundation awarded a total of $4 million to four prize winners.
The Food Planet Prize recognizes initiatives, organizations and individuals working to secure the world’s food supply while fostering a healthy and resilient biosphere. It is the largest monetary reward in the global food arena.
The Land Institute joins three other winners from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Kenya. The awardees were chosen from more than 650 nominations from all over the world, illustrating a diverse global community devoted to solving the food system’s shortcomings and reimagining food in all its complexity.
The Land Institute’s prize will be used an ignition source for their New Roots International (NRI) initiative, aimed at launching a global movement for perennial agriculture. This initiative is anchored by the Food Planet Prize and will require continued growth and investment over the coming years.
The Land Institute has expanded its network of global collaborators throughout the decades and in the last year have formalized efforts to further deepen and expand that network, as interest in a vision for a perennial agricultural revolution continues to grow. The largest international contribution to The Land Institute’s work, this award is proof of concept that a global movement for perennial grain development is recognized as a critical endeavor.
Line Gordon, Co-chair of The Food Planet Prize offered,” The Jury has concluded that the prizewinners have made substantial progress within their respective fields, devising innovative solutions that have considerable potential to scale.”
Land Institute Acting President, Rachel Stroer, states, “The Food Planet Prize will help us launch the New Roots International initiative, a decisive step toward a global perennial revolution in agriculture. The prize provides a foundation for us to collaboratively grow research, educational opportunities, network infrastructure, advocacy, and funding for perennial grain development on a global scale.”
The Land Institute has been at the epicenter of the perennial agriculture movement, to advance ways of farming that help protect biodiversity, preserve and improve soil, reduce climate impacts, and feed people. As momentum builds and understanding increases, the Institute will share its knowledge and continue to learn, while persisitng in connecting people across the world to build a truly sustainable food future for the planet.
About the Food Planet Prize
2020 marked the launch of The Food Planet Prize. New research reveals an urgent decline in human and planetary health. So far, the harmful effects of today’s food systems have not been properly understood. To address the urgency and help reverse this development, the Curt Bergfors Foundation decided to double its stake in the fight to save the Food Planet. This year, The Foundation is awarding four US $1 million prizes, instead of the previously announced two.
The 2020 Food Planet Prize Jury was comprised of world-leading scientists, policymakers and entrepreneurs. The Jury is chaired by Professor Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Line Gordon, Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.
To learn more about The Land Institute’s New Roots International initiative, please visit our website here or contact us directly at info@landinstitute.org.
For media inquiries: contact Anita Chase: chase@landinstitute.org