KFAS Announces Call for Nominations for 2025 Al Sumait Prize for African Development in the Field of Food Security
The Al Sumait Prize is in its 11th year, and nominations for the million-dollar prize are called for in the field of Food Security on the African continent
KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT, March 26, 2025 / EINPresswire.com / -- The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) today announces the call for nominations for the 2025 Al Sumait Prize for African Development in the field of food security. Now in its 11th year, this prestigious award, valued at $1 million, is presented annually to individuals or institutions that have made significant contributions to the advancement of health, food security, or education in Africa.
The Al Sumait Prize is named in honour of the late Dr Abdulrahman Al-Sumait, a Kuwaiti physician who dedicated his life to helping disadvantaged communities across Africa. Established in 2015 at the request of the late Amir of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the prize recognizes groundbreaking research, innovative projects, and applied initiatives that contribute to Africa's sustainable development.
The Al Sumait Prize's Board of Trustees is led by Kuwait's Minister of Foreign Affairs and includes esteemed members from global organizations such as the Gates Foundation, FAO, UNESCO, and IAEA. Past laureates include renowned institutions such as the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases and the Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), demonstrating the prize's commitment to impactful advancements.
For 2025, the prize will be awarded in the field of food security, recognizing individuals or institutions whose research projects or initiatives have significantly contributed to one or more of the following areas:
• Developing new seed, crop, or livestock varieties to enhance food security and nutrition in Africa.
• Increasing the shelf life, caloric, and nutritional value of locally produced and consumed food.
• Improving smallholder farmers' access to agricultural inputs, techniques, technologies, and markets to ensure the availability of nutritious food for vulnerable communities.
• Enhancing farmers' resilience to climate change and extreme weather variability to secure sustainable food production and nutrition.
• Reducing food waste and food loss across Africa's agrifood systems.
• Advancing alternative agrifood systems to increase productivity while reducing water footprints, especially in marginal environments.
• Promoting the adoption of modern business strategies, digitalization, and marketing in the field of food security and nutrition.
• Implementing innovative and sustainable solutions to combat food insecurity and malnutrition.
• Addressing gender equality and women's empowerment in achieving food security.
• Developing strategies to improve agricultural livelihoods, food security, and nutrition during pandemics.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements:
Eligible candidates include organizations and research institutions whose initiatives and programs have significantly contributed to solving food security challenges in Africa, as well as outstanding researchers nominated by their institutions or peers.
Submitted work must be innovative, have a demonstrable high impact in Africa, and contribute to economic, social, human resources, or infrastructure development within the field. Research should be published in peer-reviewed journals and recognized at a global level, with practical applications in African countries over the past ten years.
Nominations must be submitted in English. If the original work is in another language, a comprehensive summary in English must be provided.
Deadline for Nominations:
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