Team 1-B Proposed Solution → RioRize: Rising with the River, Rooted in Resilience in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Hannah Pugh, LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/h-pugh44
Tanyasingh Mokashi, LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tanyasinghmokashi
Carolina Garcia Maranho, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolina-garcia-maranho-b5
Badea David Stefan, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/badea-david-114b4a368?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BRP7vfaWNTAqvO3Zzf4fjlg%3D%3D
The 2024 floods in Eldorado do Sul marked one of the most devastating chapters in local history—not only in economic loss, but in the deep emotional scars left behind. Sweeping across nearly 93% of the region, the disaster disrupted the lives of over 2.3 million people. More than 629,000 residents were forced to abandon their homes, and tragically, over 200 lives were lost. Beyond these staggering numbers lie painful realities. The catastrophe exposed long-standing vulnerabilities, including faulty drainage systems and the lack of protection for rice plantations—an essential pillar of Eldorado and Porto Alegre’s economy. Vital crops were destroyed, businesses closed, and deforestation worsened the devastation. This was more than a natural disaster—it was a human crisis that revealed systemic failures and forced a community to mourn and rebuild. That’s why our solution begins where the damage struck hardest: agriculture—the heart of culture, economy, and recovery.
RioRize is a floating rice cultivation system designed for flood-prone regions like Eldorado do Sul. Inspired by traditional floating farms during the Aztec Civilization that are adapted to modern-day challenges, RioRize uses locally available materials like bamboo and water hyacinth, to allow rice crops to continue thriving even during flash floods. With minimal training and tools, farmers can build the raft easily. In addition, the raft anchors flexibility, rising with the water levels, and returning to the soil, post-flood enriching the soil naturally for the next rice plantation. Rio Rize goes beyond farming-it is a revolution in climate resilience, and a beacon of hope for food security. As climate change reshapes our world, RioRize shows that from rising waters, we can rise stronger.
Our solution is based on the assumption that communities in Eldorado do Sul have access to natural, low-cost materials such as bamboo, compost, and water hyacinth. We also acknowledge uncertainty in resource availability, climate variability, and community readiness. To address this, the first phase of implementation will focus on partnering with local leaders and farmers to adapt and test the floating raft design using materials that are readily available in the region. We plan to host hands-on workshops to educate community members on how to utilize the resources they already have. While we have conducted extensive research to ensure our solution aligns with local environmental and cultural conditions, we remain open to iteration and community feedback. We understand that no one-size-fits-all solution exists, but we hope our design will serve as a sustainable and practical tool for resilience in this vulnerable, flood-prone area.