A teenager's brainchild is helping to connect consumers with affordable and nutritious goods straight from the farm while helping growers sell produce that would otherwise go to waste.
As ABC affiliate 13 On Your Side detailed, Krishna Mano has a deep appreciation for farmers, as his family in southern India has run a farm there for nearly a century.
His respect for the profession informed the development of his app, "Krishi," which means "agriculture" in Sanskrit and Hindi.
"Every time I go back, it's awesome to see just the teamwork and commitment that it takes to bring the produce from the farm to the hands of consumers," Mano told 13 On Your Side.
"Here in America, a lot of people lack that vision to see just how important it is to have the agricultural industry back us up for the entire food chain, and we don't even give them credit for that."
The junior at City High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, first began to formulate Krishi after visiting the Fulton Street Farmers Market as a 10th grader. After chatting with local farmers, he realized many of them were having trouble selling all of their produce before it went bad.
This struggle not only results in sunk costs for farmers, but it also causes a significant problem of food waste. According to Feeding America, the United States throws out more than $473 billion worth of food each year — the equivalent of 145 billion meals, even though millions of people in the country are grappling with food insecurity.
All of this food waste is bad for the planet, too. When food breaks down in landfills, it produces methane, a potent heat-trapping gas contributing to rising global temperatures and the associated uptick in more intense extreme weather, which further threatens global food security.
While composting is one way people can take action at home to reduce methane emissions from landfills, Mano realized he could use his passion for computer science and programming to address a food-waste crisis while providing a win-win service for farmers and consumers.
After farmers create a Krishi account, they can list their available produce on the app, Mano told 13 On Your Side. Consumers using the app can then see which nearby farms have food available and order their items to be delivered by a driver, similar to UberEats or DoorDash.
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Not enough time ⏳ "Hopefully, through this app, there is, you know, more credit being given to our local farmers who support our food systems every day," Mano said.
Krishi is still in its pilot stage, but it was honored as the winner of Michigan's 3rd Congressional District in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge, a competition aiming to inspire middle school and high school students to consider careers in computer science.
"The app Krishi stood out because it helps directly connect our hard-working West Michigan farmers with consumers to ensure fresh, local produce is easily accessible," Hillary Scholten, U.S. Representative for the 3rd District, told School News Network. "This app is a creative, real-world solution that benefits our economy and reduces food waste."
Mano, who envisions a career in public policy and international relations following his formal education, told 13 On Your Side that people should keep an eye on Krishi's website for updates regarding the app's full launch.
"We all have the ability to solve problems as long as we're willing to think critically enough about them and find the root of the issue and use our personal experiences, and the shared experiences of other people, to solve them," Mano said to School News Network.
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