Water scarcity is one of the most pressing development challenges of the early 21st Century. Approximately 2.8 billion people live in river basins impacted by water scarcity. Experts estimate that between 2000 and 2050, water demand is projected to increase by 55% globally, meaning that the number of people impacted by water scarcity will continue to rise. What's more is that 70% of all global water use occurs in the food value chain. In short, we must urgently find solutions that allow us to produce more food using less water, as well as make more water available for food production, processing, and distribution. 

And we believe that innovators like you can help solve the problem. We need your technological and business model innovations to secure water for food. 
That's why 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 at the opening plenary session of World Water Week in Stockholm 

Through this $25 million Challenge, the founding partners aim to source and accelerate promising new innovations that use existing water resources more efficiently, improve water capture and storage technology, and reduce salinity of existing resources to ensure new sources of water for agricultural production. 

The Securing Water for Food Call for Proposals will officially begin accepting applications on November 27, 2013 through January 17, 2014. The first call will provide up to $15 million in funding for innovative solutions that produce more food using less water, or that make more water available along the food value chain. 

Join the Securing Water for Food Challenge. Be a part of the solution to reducing water scarcity. 

To learn more about the Challenge, visit www.securingwaterforfood.org and follow SecuringWater on Twitter. 

Sincerely, 

The Securing Water for Food Team