On September 2, 2013 in Stockholm, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), launched Securing Water For Food: A Grand Challenge for Development (WGCD).

As part of the White House initiative to stimulate science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, the WGCD will be granting $25 M to the most promising water tech solutions. The program will identify and accelerate science and technology innovations and market-driven approaches that improve water sustainability to boost food security and alleviate poverty. It focuses on three areas that are critical to reducing water scarcity in to the food value chain: onsite water efficiency and reuse, water capture and storage and salinity.

Artemis has been retained as an advisor to the WGCD as it designs the company selection process.

USAID has been charged with the challenge of bringing the best science technology and innovation to developing and emerging markets. The goal is to go beyond showcases and pilots and achieve wide scale impact.  The program faces a daunting task.

Advanced water tech innovation will be critical for us to address the water challenges that await us. By 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world’s population living in water-stressed regions as a result of pollution, overuse, and climate change.  Meeting these water challenges will take more than new policies or incremental improvements.  Innovation must recast water management to save water, energy and waste.