Ethiopia has earned a proud place on the world stage of community-led environmental innovation. Laboscience has been selected as a 2026 Finalist for the Water Air Food Awards (WAFA) in the Food category. The Water Air Food Awards is a global platform that celebrates community-led solutions tackling the world’s most urgent environmental challenges.
In the Gamo Zone of southern Ethiopia, small-scale farmers faced a compounding crisis. Fruits and vegetables left unsold during peak season rot without markets, storage, or processing facilities. Organic waste was dumped into Lakes Chamo and Abaya, polluting vital water sources, decreasing fish stocks, and threatening the crocodile populations essential to the region’s ecotourism. With livestock feed in short supply, desperate communities have resorted to grazing animals inside Nech Sar National Park, endangering zebra populations and fragile biodiversity. Women farmers, despite being at the center of agricultural production, lack access to tools, knowledge, and income. Laboscience set out to break this cycle of food insecurity.
Public voting is open now until April 30, 2026. Ethiopia’s votes can help carry Laboscience to the winner’s stage in the Generation Green Forum, hosted at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, Egypt, Summer 2026.
