Nidhi Pant

29 / Mumbai, India

Born in the Himalayas into a family of farmers and raised in Bombay by scientist parents, Nidhi has been actively involved in helping her local communities from a young age, particularly in the wake of natural disasters.

Travelling between local villages and larger cities in the wake of earthquakes and floods, Nidhi noticed a paradox developing, with devastating hunger at one end, and food wastage on the other. Nidhi began looking for a solution for both problems simultaneously. S4S Technologies, an acronym for Science for Society, was established. Putting her degree in Chemical Technology to the test, Nidhi designed an electricity-free solar-powered food dehydrator that helps to alleviate vulnerable communities from hunger and help farmers preserve crop yields. The invention reduces the moisture content in agricultural produce, preserving crops for as long as a year without chemicals.

Nidhi’s technology is particularly directed towards women in the industry and S4S trains landless female farmers how to use their machines as well as marketing and finance strategies.

Nidhi has won many national awards for her advancements in food security and her dehydrator has received international recognition, but Nidhi doesn’t plan to stop there. S4S Technologies are currently working with over 12,00 farmers who provide the produce, and 800 female microentrepreneurs who process it. Nidhi works with major conglomerates including Nestlé and Unilever and is currently looking for ways to expand her company worldwide.