Semilla Nueva Wins the 2024 F.M. Kirby Prize for Scaling Impact!

Semilla Nueva has been named the 2024 F.M. Kirby Prize for Scaling Social Impact winner. This is a huge honor and provides $150,000 to support our work at a critical moment when governments in El Salvador and Guatemala are investing in piloting our model to achieve the widespread adoption of biofortified corn seeds.

Funded by the F.M. Kirby Foundation and implemented in partnership with the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, the Kirby Prize recognizes “enterprises pursuing strategic pathways to impact at scale, who are close to the challenges at hand, who center the voice and experience of the populations they serve, who have demonstrated traction, and who embody courageous and collaborative leadership.”

The Prize shared a wonderful video announcing the win. 

The Kirby Prize selection committee was particularly impressed by our systems approach. They noted that our strategy aligns incentives for all stakeholders, leading to a win-win situation: consumers gain access to higher-nutrition maize, smallholder farmers can increase profits, seed companies have a higher-value product, and governments benefit from a healthier population and a more resilient agriculture sector.

We are deeply grateful for this recognition and for the tireless efforts of our staff, board, advisors and funders who are helping us scale the adoption of biofortified corn seeds. This honor takes us one step closer to our 2036 goal: 3 million farmers nourishing 100 million people. We’re excited to become part of the Kirby Prize family and look forward to working with CASE in the future.