Savanna Institute Selected As Food Planet Prize Finalist

Savanna Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Illinois and Wisconsin, is a finalist for the Food Planet Prize.

This annual award, which is open to nominations worldwide and from all parts of the food system, goes to initiatives that show the greatest potential for restoring environmental resilience while feeding the world. The Savanna Institute conducts research, demonstration, and education to support the widespread adoption of agroforestry and perennial agriculture across the Midwest.

“We are honored and humbled to be included among the four finalists for this year’s Food Planet Prize,” says Keefe Keeley, Executive Director of the Savanna Institute. “Here on farms in the central U.S., we are working towards a vision for perennial agriculture that has been shaped by those who came before us and shared by many across the world.”

This year’s Food Planet Prize will consist of a $1.5 million award to the winner, with the other three finalists each receiving $150,000. The award ceremony will reveal the winner in Båstad, Sweden on June 2.

The Savanna Institute will use its prize money to accelerate work across three key areas:

1. providing agroforestry technical assistance directly to farmers and landowners,
2. scaling up the network of demonstration and partner farms that serve as tangible examples of agroforestry enterprises,
3. and accelerating the development of improved tree crop varieties that can financially outperform annual crops.

Agroforestry refers to a suite of practices that incorporate trees and woody crops into livestock and crop production, including examples such as windbreaks, silvopasture, and alley cropping.

Over the past three years, the Savanna Institute has helped over 400 farms establish more than 5,200 acres of agroforestry. Its unique combination of a research institute and a practitioner network enables the organization to rapidly implement promising practices and crop varieties while receiving immediate feedback and insights from practitioners in the field.

“We know that it’s possible to build healthy soil, preserve our water quality, and maintain abundant wildlife while also providing nutritious food and supporting prosperous communities,” says Keeley “And frankly, we have no other choice. That is what is required of our agriculture, and if we equip farmers with the science, skills, and support needed to integrate trees on farms, we can transform agriculture to work better for all of us.”

The Curt Bergfors Foundation distributes the Food Planet Prize. The foundation’s mission is to drive a rapid transition to a sustainable global food system through research grants, awards, and information campaigns. Finalists will travel to Båstad, Sweden in early June to meet with a jury, attend the award ceremony, and participate in a day of interactive discussions with guests and members of the press.