'Anyone who has eaten today should care about the food that we're eating': Climate changemakers delve into disruptive solutions for food security and carbon emissions in Singapore

Climate change may be a phrase all too familiar to most, but nonetheless, daunting to think about.

Even with Singapore's talks about a sustainable food system – including a slightly ambitious 30 by 30 goal – and determination to mitigate climate issues, the threat of global warming remains ever looming.

Despite this fierce climate battle, many aspiring climate changemakers out there are still trying to make an impact in their own ways.

In the latest edition of The Liveability Challenge – a global platform that convenes investors and innovators looking to scale solutions that tackle sustainability challenges – two such climate changemakers have emerged victorious among some 600 submissions.

Run for the sixth time by Singapore-based non-profit organisation Temasek Foundation, the Challenge seeks sustainability projects that specifically tackle two fronts: climate change, and food and nutrition.

AsiaOne had the chance to sit down with the winners this year – synthetic biology startup TeOra and clean fuels venture Susteon – who each walked away with $1 million in funding and resources to bring their solutions to the next level.

With aims to feed 10 billion people and reduce carbon emissions respectively, the people behind TeOra and Susteon spill it all about their disruptive solutions and hopes for the climate.

What's in our food today?

When it comes to food security, the focus typically falls on food of the future. Think lab-grown meat, and insect- and plant-based food.

But CEO and founder of Singapore-based company TeOra, Rishita Changede, poses a question: "What about food that is already feeding 100 per cent of the people today?"

"While we work on the new future of food, current food also needs to be cleaned up, which is going to continue feeding a major part of the population for a long time to come," said Rishita.

"Where is [our food] coming from? Is it clean? Is it traceable? If it's not clean, what are the problems that farmers are facing, which are forcing them to use these chemicals?

"But if they stop using [these chemicals], they'll stop producing. What are we going to eat?"

The food of today seems to be in greater danger than known. According to Rishita, one-third of food produced is being lost to diseases or pests, and the conventional solution of using antibiotics or pesticides to deal with them is simply unsustainable.

Diving into aquaculture

This has thus led TeOra to embark on a mission to design natural, sustainable solutions for disease management in plants and animals, starting with the fastest-growing food production sector globally – aquaculture.

Starting with aquaculture was also a strategic move as it is one of the healthiest and least wasteful animal proteins, with "almost very few to no solutions available - for disease management in tropical species aquaculture - in the market", said Rishita.

For The Liveability Challenge, TeOra's project was an orally-delivered solution that can prevent and treat scale drop disease virus (SDDV) – an emerging virus in Asia that infects barramundi, or Asian sea bass.

"SDDV is a very devastating disease where the scales of the fish drop off and they become very sick. Within 15 days, 60 to 70 per cent of the fish experience mortality.

"It's like you've grown the fish to a certain size, you've put in a lot of resources, such as baby fish, feed, farm management, until that point in time, and then everything's gone," said Rishita.

Diseases also spread very fast as fish live in extremely dense environments, and it is difficult to isolate the fish once they are sick, she added.

Just a month ago, Barramundi Group – the only fish farm operator in Singapore – had stopped commercial production of sea bass due to outbreaks caused by SDDV. The Group reportedly said farming will be held off until an "efficacious vaccine is available".

TeOra's orally-delivered vaccine that can be coated on fish feed, supersedes current vaccination methods which are injection-based – meaning that every single fish must be removed from the water and injected individually.

"Because we moved from injection to orally delivered solutions, it is now possible to reach a very large number of small and medium-holder farmers in Asia, which is close to 100 million farmers," Rishita added.

Rishita believes winning The Liveability Challenge this year has helped to spotlight TeOra's solution and issues with food security and aquaculture.

"It gives an opportunity for different parties to come together, talk about the problem, and then see what are the potential solutions and outcomes that can be brought forth."

'Anyone who has eaten today should care about food'

This project may have started as a local innovation for Asian sea bass, but TeOra is setting their sights far – scaling this solution globally, for different species of animals and plants.

The team already has requests from neighbouring countries Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, and even South America. Beyond barramundi, they also intend to look into other animals and species such as salmon and shrimp.

"TeOra doesn't stop at aquaculture. Our mission is to feed 10 billion people in a clean, natural and sustainable manner. Given that this platform is prepared for aquaculture, it can easily be applied to other plants and animal diseases out there," said Rishita.

"With these platform technologies supported by foundations like Temasek Foundation, we can bring our readiness to the next level, where we are reactively and proactively designing solutions for new diseases that might crop up because of the changing climate, changing atmosphere like high-density production, and current ways of producing things to reduce the use of unsustainable chemicals."

And this challenge of food security cannot just be left in the hands of changemakers like Rishita and her team.

"Anyone who has eaten today or plans to eat tomorrow should care about the food that we're eating. Living in the urban areas, we are very far away from how food is produced, so it becomes important to look into these problems and discuss these problems in the mainstream," said Rishita.

It is about being mindful and thinking of ways where you can show support, she continued.

"Simple, everyday things like being mindful of what you're eating and where it's coming from. Once you are mindful, you will be in a position to bring about the change that is required to make food sustainable."

It's time to clear the air

What does clean fuel venture Susteon have in common with the scientists featured in the blockbuster movie Oppenheimer?

It's a no-brainer that the two teams are working on vastly different causes, but they may just have one thing in common: both feature individuals who are united and focused on a single goal.

For Susteon, that goal is to make a dent in climate change and do their part to make a difference, said the company's chief operating officer, Sudarshan Gupta.

Hailing from the US, Susteon clinched the winning prize of $1 million at The Liveability Challenge for disruptive innovations that tackle carbon emissions at scale.

Their solution is one that converts carbon dioxide in combustion flue gas to synthetic natural gas (SNG) using dual-function materials, which can then be used to produce electricity.

This idea started about five years ago when the team first looked into ways to capture carbon dioxide more affordably.

This year, they faced a unique task of revamping their innovation when participating in The Liveability Challenge.

Looking outside of the 'US bubble'

Senior research engineer Vasudev Haribal said the team had to look at it through a different lens and see how the technology could be made more applicable to the Singapore market.

"The most challenging moment was switching lenses and properly educating ourselves on Singapore's market, potential local partners, and how we can marry our technology solution to the existing infrastructure of Singapore and make a significant dent in Singapore's emissions," said Vasudev.

This had to start with understanding the source of Singapore's emissions. Given that half of Singapore's emissions come from industrial sources, it is more economical to capture carbon dioxide from combustion flue gas – also known as point-source emissions.

"It's easy for us to be in a 'US bubble' but this challenge really helped to broaden our perspective. If we adapt the solution, it could be relevant for other places in Southeast Asia and hopefully the rest of the world," added Sudarshan.

As for the impact of the technology in Singapore, senior process engineer Jonathan Peters explained that it has the potential to reduce emissions by 20 per cent, and displace all the country's liquefied natural gas imports for use in industrial, residential or transportation industries.

This innovative technology developed by Susteon later went on to win the top prize at the Challenge, which the team admitted came as a shock to them.

While the rest of the team watched the live stream with bated breath in the US, Sudarshan – who was representing the team in Singapore – said he did not expect the win, as the team had come in last on the popularity vote.

"Winning this challenge means a great deal to us, as it gives us the opportunity to collaborate with Singapore, demonstrate our technology and make a real impact on the international stage," said Jonathan, adding that it will allow Susteon to build a pilot unit in Singapore and collect the necessary data to further scale it.

Sudarshan chimed in on the significance of the win: "It provides a market signal from a company such as Temasek Foundation, and hopefully generates additional interest from around the world from various industry partners and other research collaborators.

"That signal has been key for us in validating our approach and giving us the confidence to further pursue this technology, now on a global stage."

But the work does not stop here for Susteon.

"For us at Susteon, we want to use innovation to reduce our emissions and evolve the way we generate energy. This is a vision that will take many years, potentially decades to accomplish, but with initiatives like The Liveability Challenge, we get one step closer to achieving our mission," said Vasudev.

yukiling@asiaone.com

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