Winning MIT Solve 2022

At reNature, we are pleased to announce that our entry with Kelp Blue and the Kelp Forest Foundation is among the 8 winners of this year’s MIT Solve Global Challenge Climate: Ecosystems + Housing. Becoming a Solver team is a prestigious recognition for social impact leaders or startups with innovative solutions to global issues. Each prize winner receives a grant and other support needed to scale their solution. 

MIT Solve has catalyzed over $60 million in commitments and 600+ partnerships for Solver teams and social entrepreneurs. MIT Solve has supported 268 teams selected over the years, with teams headquartered in 49 different countries.

During this year’s Global Challenge, out of the over a thousand entries, only forty teams were chosen as winners. They attended the Solve Challenge Finals, where they pitched their solutions under the sectors below:

• The Care Economy
• Re-Engaging Learners
• Climate: Ecosystems + Housing
• Equitable Health Systems
• 2022 Indigenous Communities Fellowship

The 2022 Solve Challenge Finals took place in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly week. Several world leaders were gathered to discuss pressing global issues, and the timing was perfect as they met with individuals and communities poised to solve them. Almost 300 people from different organizations and sectors attended the Solve Challenge Finals with the desire to support various social impact leaders and startups addressing global issues with innovative solutions.

The 2022 Solver Class was revealed during the event, and several connections were established with supporters for future empowerment to upscale their solutions. Over $2M in prize funding was available this year as several generous contributions came in from supporters.

Our MIT Solve solution; Regenerating Soil with Cultivated Kelp

Felipe Villela presented our solution in New York, an ecological-based approach to regenerate degraded soil with cultivated kelp. Loss of soil fertility and biodiversity has been proven to be a reoccurring issue in the food sector. Therefore, most conventional farmers rely on chemical fertilizers to restore soil fertility, neglecting that misuse and overuse of chemical fertilizers reduce biodiversity. The loss of soil biodiversity prevents the soil from being able to promote continuous crop productivity, thereby contributing to climate change. 

Our team, in partnership with Kelp Blue and the Kelp Forest Foundation, developed a sustainable approach to implement a system of cultivating kelp as biostimulants to reduce the dependence on chemical fertilizers.

Kelp is large brown algae that live in cool, shallow waters close to the shore. They are suitable for various products, from high-quality pharma/nutraceuticals to biofertilizers, animal feed, biodegradable packaging, dietary supplements, and textiles.

Biostimulants are products derived from organic material that, when applied in small quantities, can stimulate the growth and development of several crops under both optimal and stressful conditions [PDF]. In small concentrations, these substances are efficient, favoring the good performance of crops and allowing high yields and good-quality products.

As the world is shifting towards sustainability, agricultural practices to restore soil health should also be adopted globally. Our solution will set a pace by serving as a better alternative to chemical fertilizers. The solution is also affordable so smallholder farmers can benefit as they transition to regenerative agriculture.

We are working towards scaling up to a global level to ensure that our solution is accessible to all smallholder farmers, promoting global food security without degrading the environment.

Kelp is large brown algae that live in cool, shallow waters close to the shore. They are suitable for various products, from high-quality pharma/nutraceuticals to biofertilizers, animal feed, biodegradable packaging, dietary supplements, and textiles.

Biostimulants are products derived from organic material that, when applied in small quantities, can stimulate the growth and development of several crops under both optimal and stressful conditions [PDF]. In small concentrations, these substances are efficient, favoring the good performance of crops and allowing high yields and good-quality products.

As the world is shifting more towards sustainability, agricultural practices aimed at restoring soil health should also be adopted globally. Our solution will set a pace by serving as a better alternative to chemical fertilizers. The solution is also affordable so smallholder farmers can benefit as they transition to regenerative agriculture.

We are working towards scaling up to a global level to ensure that our solution is accessible to all smallholder farmers, promoting global food security without degrading the environment.