Today from the slums of West-Delhi Director of Food Ladder,Kelly McJannett, and Australia’s High Commissioner, Patrick Suckling, announced
the extensive roll out of Food Ladder’s custom designed hydroponic greenhouse systems to address food security and empower impoverished women throughout India.
The project has been partially funded by the Australian High Commission through the coveted Direct Aid Program reserved for projects making huge impact and progress in crisis areas, and will be used to micro-finance 20 systems to slum communities.
“It’s great to see Australia and India working together to support economic development and sustainable food production in India’s most disadvantaged communities. The Australian High Commission’s Direct Aid Program is proud to support such an innovative and unique project” said Mr Patrick Suckling, Australia’s High Commissioner to India.
With a mission to address food security by creating innovative and sustainable social enterprises, Food Ladder has appropriated commercial hydroponic technology to enable disadvantaged communities to grow high-yields of nutrient-rich produce in a way that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.
Each Food Ladder system becomes a social business to promote economic development and aims to employ 30 women as well as supplementing the diets of hundreds of people who do not have access to high-nutrient produce.
“We are thrilled to have received funding from the Australian High Commission for our urgent expansion throughout India,” Kelly McJannett, Director and co-founder of Food Ladder said. “For the last 2 years we have scaled at an impressive rate, but we are going to need further high-level support if we are to achieve our vision.
“We have found a way to use existing technology in an way which removes communities’ reliance on aid organisations and places it in the hands of the people themselves. We believe this is the most sustainable way to address the worsening crisis of food security not only in India but around the world.”
In conjunction to the rollout, Food Ladder is developing an online training model that will enable communities anywhere in the world to up-skill themselves on the technology and hydroponic system prior and as a precursor to the Food Ladder’s implementation.
With more than half of India’s population affected by food insecurity, the country is most endangered by the effects of climate change. Addressing food insecurity for India’s poor is one of India’s greatest challenges. Doing so in a fashion that alleviates poverty through employment is a game changing opportunity.
For more information contact:
Food Ladder CEO Kelly McJannett
Phone: +61 412 620 871
Email: [email protected].