The WAFA 2016 Sustainability Pioneers
The Kamalnayan Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation (KJBF), Tellspec, and Nishant Bioenergy!
183,571 votes were cast on the nine WAFA awards finalists. These inspiring winners show what can be done. Rivers and farmers’ lives have been restored. Each one of us can ensure the safety of the food we eat. And remote villages can move ahead with environmental-friendly enterprise!
The KJB Foundation – Reviving the Farmers’ Lifeline
In collaboration with local communities, KJBF revived 135 watercourses in Maharashtra State, India by building 91 dams to conserve monsoon water. Before this, silted seasonal rivers would flood and destroy crops, driving farmers to suicide. Now, conservation measures have rejuvenated the soil, agricultural production has increased substantially and the water table has stabilized.
Tellspec: Putting food testing in the consumer’s hands
Canadian-based Tellspec has developed an affordable real-time handheld scanner that determines the authenticity, safety, and nutritional value of food. The system includes a pocket-sized scanner, a cloud-based analysis engine, and a mobile application. It can identify contaminants, ingredients, calories, macronutrients, the glycemic index, and even verify the label’s accuracy
Nishant Bioenergy: Green Enterprise in rural India
Ramesh Kumar Nibhoria founded Nishant Bioenergy P. Ltd (NBPL) in 1999 to produce biomass pellet manufacturing plants and commercial stoves. The smoke-free stoves are suitable for commercial heating, cooking, and boiling. Biofuel costs less than fossil fuels. The technology reduces household pollution and related illnesses, prevents deforestation, and stimulates rural employment.