Date: April 28, 2025
Location: New York City & Colombo (Virtual Ceremony)
Overview
At the United Nations Headquarters on April 28, 2025, the MillionPaths Foundation received the UNDP “SDG Innovation Award” for its pioneering IoT-Enabled Smart Irrigation & Weather Network pilot in Anuradhapura District. The award recognizes projects demonstrating scalable technology for climate-resilient agriculture.
Project Highlights
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Sensor Network: Deployed 50 soil-moisture probes and 6 weather stations, feeding real-time data into an open-source dashboard.
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Water Savings: Achieved a 20% reduction in cumulative water usage over three cropping cycles.
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Yield Improvements: Participating farmers reported an average 15% increase in groundnut and chili productivity.
Why It Matters
This accolade underscores how low-cost, community-driven technology can help smallholder farmers adapt to climate variability, conserve scarce water resources, and boost livelihoods in Sri Lanka’s dry zones.
“Winning the UNDP award validates our belief that grassroots innovation can deliver global impact—this is just the beginning.”
— Dr. Anjali Fernando, Head of Tech Innovation, MPF