Goumbook, a leading social enterprise accelerating sustainability and climate action across the MENAT region, has officially announced the semi-finalists for this second cohort of the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme, in partnership with Saudi Awwal Bank, HSBC Bank Middle East, with the support of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Food and the Climate Champions Team.
Following 510 registrations of interest from over 80 research and academic institutions across 65 countries – representing a 223 per cent increase from the first cohort – 20 innovative, research & science-backed solutions have been shortlisted to progress into the next phase. These solutions are designed to directly respond to the region’s unique agricultural and environmental challenges.
The MENAT region is experiencing some of the world’s most critical climate-related pressures. According to the World Bank, 89 per cent of the region’s land is classified as drylands, with over 45 per cent already affected by desertification. Over the past two decades, more than half of all land and one-quarter of arable land in the region suffers from soil degradation, contributing to a 40 per cent loss in vegetation. This is driven by rising temperatures, which are increasing, in the region, 1.5 times faster than the global average as per a recent study, as well as unsustainable land management and resource exploitation. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, salt-affected soils now stretch across more than 2.3 million square kilometres in the Near East and North Africa, threatening the productivity of future farming.
The principles of regenerative agriculture are well positioned to address these key environmental and social challenges. Despite these daunting conditions, the region is rich in untapped scientific and research talent, and demonstrates a strong heritage in desert integrated and climate resilient farming expertise. The Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme was created to harness this potential by supporting researchers and scientists who are developing regionally relevant, regenerative innovative solutions that can restore degraded land, improve food & water security, and build long-term climate resilience.
Samantha Kayruz, Strategy and Sustainability Impact Director at Goumbook, said: The Venture Programme as part of the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Initiative has quickly emerged as a vital bridge between research, science, and entrepreneurship. The overwhelming response to this year’s programme underscores the urgent need for regionally relevant solutions, while transforming the region into a global incubator for climate resilient and desert integrated agriculture. By leveraging the region’s heritage and expertise in harsh agriculture and desert conditions, we aim to scale high-impact solutions that can drive sustainable and regenerative agriculture worldwide.”
This year’s semi-finalists include researchers, scientists, and entrepreneurs working on solutions ranging from organic and bio-fertilisers, agri-robotics, climate -resilient crops, agrivoltaics, biotech, to AI-powered early disease detection and sustainable livestock systems. Their work demonstrates how homegrown innovation can effectively respond to local conditions and global challenges alike.
- Actinobacteria (Ibn Zohr University, Morocco)
- AOS AI’griculture (Turkey)
- AquaShade Oasis (University of Jordan)
- Bactorhiza (Egypt)
- BlueBounty ProMix (India/UAE)
- DiseaseExpert (Oman)
- ECOVER (Morocco)
- Endophyte Biofertilizers (Dhofar University, Oman)
- Farm to 2Fs (Estidamah, Saudi Arabia)
- FertiSolo (KAUST, Saudi Arabia)
- Indigenous Silvopasture (Qassim University, Saudi Arabia)
- Microfluidics System (NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE)
- No-Till Seeder (University of Mohammed VI Polytechnic, Morocco)
- OZ-TECH (Heliopolis University, Egypt)
- RedDot Red Palm Weevil (United Kingdom/UAE)
- Smart Relay-Intercropping (ICARDA, Morocco)
- SmartAgri-AIoT (Egypt)
- TarLab Biyoteknoloji (Turkey)
- VerdiSol (UAE)
The 20 semi-finalists were selected by an expert judging evaluation committee using across six evaluation criteria: alignment with regenerative agriculture principles, scientific and research credentials, relevance to addressing the MENAT specific conditions, uniqueness of innovation, environmental social and economic impact of the solutions, and potential for scalability. These semi finalists will embark on Bootcamp 1, a learning journey composed of mentorship and expert-led training modules; that will help capacity build and upskill the participants, to drive their solutions forward – strengthening their regenerative, sustainability & entrepreneurial transferrable skills, and preparing them for implementation and scale.
The Top 10 Finalists will be shortlisted to then progress to the final pitch event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 2025, to select the top 3 winners; where they will compete for grants funding, incubation opportunities, and the chance to collaborate directly with cross sectoral agricultural stakeholders across the region.
Tatiana Antonelli Abella, Founder and Managing Director at Goumbook, said: “The solutions to our agricultural challenges already exist within our region. Our mission is to create the conditions that allow these innovations to thrive. Through collaborative efforts with partners, the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Initiative is cultivating a new generation of homegrown innovators capable of transforming MENAT’s agricultural future while providing globally relevant models for climate adaptation, soil restoration, and water stewardship.”
As global climate pressures intensify, the innovations emerging from the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme have the potential to influence agriculture practices towards nature-positive solutions far beyond the region. Designed for extreme heat, water scarcity, salinity and land degradation, these solutions represent a scalable approach to food security, biodiversity & land restoration, and environmental resilience in a changing world.
Supporting information on regenerative agriculture:
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reports that irrigated agriculture—which increasingly depends on groundwater—consumes around 85% of renewable water resources in the MENAT region. Small-scale family farms, responsible for over 80% of global crop and livestock production, face critical challenges like water scarcity, soil degradation, and limited support, with many proposed innovations remaining inaccessible to them. Approximately 45% of agricultural land is impacted by salinity, nutrient depletion, and erosion, with overall land degradation estimated between 40% and 70% over the past two decades.
Regenerative agriculture, through its fundamental principles and adoption of resilient crop varieties that require less water, fewer pesticides, and reduced chemical inputs, is an approach that translates as a vital component in addressing the region-specific agriculture and climate challenges of the MENAT region. Regenerative agriculture also holds the potential to sequester carbon dioxide, making it a climate change mitigation and adaptation solution.