NaFarm Foods Wins 2025 Zayed Sustainability Prize for Groundbreaking Food Security Innovation
NaFarm Foods, an innovative agricultural solutions company based in Kaduna, Nigeria, has been awarded the 2025 Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Food category. This prestigious recognition highlights the company’s pioneering efforts to address post-harvest losses, boost food security, and promote sustainable agricultural practices across Nigeria. With its flagship solution, the Hybrid Solar Food Dryer, NaFarm Foods is tackling one of the most pressing challenges in agriculture—food spoilage—by developing a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable technology.
The Hybrid Solar Food Dryer harnesses the power of solar energy, combining both solar heat and electricity generated from solar panels to create an efficient drying process that operates regardless of weather conditions. This groundbreaking dryer can continue to function even on rainy or cloudy days, ensuring consistent food preservation throughout the year. Each unit has a drying capacity of 500 kilograms per batch, making it suitable for large-scale food drying. Most importantly, it preserves the nutritional quality of the food while minimising energy costs, which is crucial for smallholder farmers in rural areas.
Since its introduction, the Hybrid Solar Food Dryer has impacted over 80 communities in six states across Nigeria. The technology has provided solutions to more than 65,000 farmers by reducing post-harvest losses and enhancing food security. Beyond this, it has been instrumental in driving rural economic empowerment, particularly through its potential to create jobs and sustainable income opportunities in farming communities.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize, established in honour of the UAE’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is one of the world’s most prestigious awards for sustainability. It recognises organisations and individuals whose work brings transformative solutions to global challenges. NaFarm Foods’ award is a significant achievement, underlining the company’s substantial contributions to sustainable development.
Empowering Communities and Women
Dr. Lamya Fawwaz, Director of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, expressed her admiration for NaFarm Foods, highlighting its innovative approach to sustainable food preservation. “NaFarm Foods’ solution not only tackles food security but also empowers rural communities, especially women and youth, by creating income-generating opportunities,” she remarked. “This aligns perfectly with the Prize’s mission to drive progress and improve livelihoods.”
Fatima Jimoh, CEO of NaFarm Foods, expressed her gratitude upon receiving the recognition, calling it a global endorsement of their efforts. “We are deeply honoured to receive the Zayed Sustainability Prize,” Jimoh said. “This award acknowledges our commitment to fighting food insecurity and promoting equitable and sustainable agriculture in Nigeria and beyond. This recognition motivates us to continue pushing boundaries and enhancing our work, knowing that we are not only transforming lives locally but also contributing to a more sustainable world.”
A Game-Changer in Food Preservation
The Hybrid Solar Food Dryer is revolutionising food preservation techniques in several key ways. By reducing spoilage rates, it helps cut down on the greenhouse gas emissions caused by decomposing food, addressing a critical environmental issue. At the same time, it reduces the need for fossil fuels, as it uses renewable solar energy, making it a sustainable alternative for farmers and food processors.
The dryer’s cost-effectiveness is one of its standout features. With a whole-of-life cost of less than 1 cent per 100 litres, it is an affordable solution for smallholder farmers. This accessibility has made the dryer a game-changer in food preservation, particularly in rural areas where access to modern, energy-intensive drying equipment is limited. As a result, the technology has proven to be economically viable, enabling farmers to significantly reduce their post-harvest losses.
NaFarm Foods has set an ambitious target for 2030. The company plans to empower 2 million farmers and reduce carbon emissions by 50,000 metric tonnes annually. These goals align with the company’s broader mission to create long-term sustainable change, not only in Nigeria but across the wider African continent.
Scaling Operations and Expanding Impact
The US $1 million prize fund that NaFarm Foods received as part of its Zayed Sustainability Prize award will help the company scale its operations and impact. With this funding, NaFarm Foods plans to manufacture and distribute 100,000 Hybrid Solar Food Dryers throughout Nigeria and West Africa. This will significantly increase the reach of their technology and its ability to address food security issues in these regions.
In addition to scaling up production, NaFarm Foods intends to expand its training programs to empower an additional 25,000 women and youth. These training initiatives will provide the necessary skills and knowledge to help these individuals not only become adept at using the Hybrid Solar Food Dryer but also to explore entrepreneurship opportunities in sustainable agriculture. By creating these income-generating opportunities, NaFarm Foods hopes to contribute to sustainable economic growth and uplift disadvantaged communities.
Further plans include establishing distribution hubs to facilitate access to the dryers and implementing advanced cluster mapping systems. These measures will ensure that the technology reaches the farmers who need it most, while also improving the marketability of agricultural produce. These efforts will contribute to more sustainable agricultural practices and ensure that farmers can optimise their production, reduce waste, and increase their income.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize: A Visionary Legacy
The Zayed Sustainability Prize was established to honour the legacy of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates, who was a visionary in promoting sustainability and development. Since its inception, the Prize has celebrated outstanding contributions to sustainable development in the categories of Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools.
This year’s winner, NaFarm Foods, joins an esteemed group of past recipients who have driven transformative change across the globe. Over the past 17 years, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has recognised 128 winners, whose efforts have positively impacted over 407 million lives worldwide. By spotlighting innovative solutions to global challenges, the Prize has created a ripple effect, inspiring countless others to contribute to a more sustainable future.
NaFarm Foods’ win exemplifies the power of innovative solutions in addressing global challenges. As the company continues to scale its operations and impact, it is expected to play a significant role in tackling food insecurity and promoting sustainable agricultural practices not just in Nigeria, but across the African continent. The recognition from the Zayed Sustainability Prize will undoubtedly accelerate the company’s mission and inspire other entrepreneurs and organisations to adopt similar approaches to sustainability.
As NaFarm Foods continues to grow, its commitment to creating a more sustainable and equitable future remains at the core of its mission. The recognition from the Zayed Sustainability Prize is not just a moment of celebration for the company, but also a call to action. With the support of the prize fund and the growing momentum behind their efforts, NaFarm Foods is poised to make an even greater impact in the coming years. By empowering farmers, reducing food spoilage, and promoting sustainable practices, the company is helping to create a brighter, more sustainable future for agriculture in Nigeria and beyond.
