The food system is massive — it’s the largest industry in the world. Think about what it takes to feed 8 billion people… and it’ll be 10 billion people in 2050, so there are some big challenges around sustainability for our planet and for equity and accessibility as well. Upwards of 50% of the earth’s habitable land is used for food production, and the food system utilizes 70% of our fresh water. The current outcomes seem dire around pollution, sustainability, and the infrastructure and economics that support and drive the system — it’s a huge design challenge. In this episode, we learn all about it all from two experts. Our guest co-host is Lauren Abda, CEO of Branchfood, the largest community of food entrepreneurs and startups in New England. She’s also Co-founder at Branch Venture Group, an angel network for investment in early-stage food startups. Lauren schools us on the food system overall and shares how entrepreneurs turn our biggest food challenges into smart business opportunities that support people and planet. Then we’re joined by Matthew Ridenour, Senior Portfolio Lead at IDEO. Matt is part of the team, along with others from OpenIDEO, The Rockefeller Foundation, and SecondMuseum, who recently announced the 10 finalists for the Food System Vision Prize, an effort to move toward a more regenerative and nourishing food future for 2050. The finalists will share in $2 million and join an accelerator program to make their visions a reality and create a collective vision on how we can improve the overall food system. Matt shares stories of some of the finalists and how design plays a role in shaping a positive future. And as always, we have our weekly dose of good design.

For links to resources we discuss on this episode, visit our show page:

Visions for a Future Food System that’s Sustainable and Equitable by Design