The beauty of Rourkela, India's city-changing idea is in its simplicity. Giving farmers affordable access to cold storage for their crops reduces waste and increases sales.
What turned that idea into an award winner in the annual Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Mayors Challenge was the ambition of its execution. Rourkela made the cold storage affordable by powering it with solar panels. It enlisted women from the community to manage the units, providing them with new skills and a new source of income. And it encouraged farmers to store excess produce there rather than selling at reduced prices to avoid spoilage in the Indian heat.
"This is not new technology. It is not rocket science," said Rourkela's commissioner Ashutosh Kulkarni. "It is a question of ideas. I believe that ideas can move mountains."
To support more innovative ideas from cities around the world, Michael R. Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, Wednesday announced the largest Mayors Challenge ever. The expanded initiative will provide 50 cities with 50,000 and an invitation to Ideas Camp so the city leaders can hone and test their ideas. The 25 cities with the best ideas will then receive 1 million and the technical support needed to enact them.
"This new challenge will empower cities to re-think the way they deliver essential services in ways that better meet the everyday needs of residents," Bloomberg said in a statement from the Bloomberg CityLab 2024 meeting in Mexico City. "Bloomberg Philanthropies believes in the power of cities to affect change and we're looking forward to seeing the bold proposals that mayors put together - and helping their cities bring them to life."
