Take part in a transformative journey: Apply Now for the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Programme - Cohort 2024/25

Applications Now Open

Programme Journey

Programme benefits

Upskilling

Support in validating your solution, develop business skills to evolve your research into an impact-driven proof of concept 

Acceleration

Access potential funding & incubation 

Community

Access to online digital community platform 

Courses

Free access to a range of online self-paced courses 

Exposure

Regional exposure & networking across the programme

Mentorship

Specialist training & world-class mentorship

Talks

Expert talks on innovation & trends 

Grant

Top 3 finalists win one of three $20,000 grants

Eligibility Criteria

We seek impactful research, science and nature-based solutions that meet the following eligibility criteria:

Profile

Researchers and innovators looking to scale and develop their research to a proof of concept stage and funding by enhancing their skills in business and entrepreneurship.

Domain

Solutions in the domain of regenerative agriculture

Solutions

Solution is rooted in research, science or nature based innovative solutions. Solutions can be process or technological innovations.

Regional Applicability

Solutions must be applicable and valid to agriculture challenges, opportunities, and conditions within the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) region. Countries excluded are: Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Sudan, and Syria.

Solution Relevance

Applications must address the food system challenges specific to the MENAT region, including: Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation; Restoring Soil Health; Combating Desertification; Carbon Farming and Sequestration; Increasing Biodiversity; Improving Food and Water Security; Supporting Farmers

Does it sound like your research profile?

MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Solutions

Solutions can be process driven or technological, across these examples of regenerative agriculture themes and topic examples:

Programme Achievements - Cohort 2023/24​

20

20 semi-finalist projects were selected by 12 expert judges

12 Mentors

30 hours of mentorship

17 Speakers

Over 20 hours of specialised workshops and subject matter talks

158

Registrations Received

certificat icon

53

Validated Applications From 18 Countries From The MENA region

19

Academic Regional Institutions Supported the Program

43% - 57%

43% of applications were from women and 57% were from men

Cohort 2023/24 Winners

The winners of the Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme will receive a range of awards and further supporting benefits, including financial grants of USD 10,000 each, incubation opportunities, and access to a supportive stakeholder community, to help them scale their solutions on regional farmland, developing proof of concepts and expanding across different crops and farming conditions. These resources will empower the winners to further develop and scale their innovative solutions, drive real-world impact, and contribute to the overall sustainability & food security efforts in the MENAT region.

waste management, food security, regenerative agriculture, global food security

Affordable Nanotech for Arid Environments

KAUST University, Saudi Arabia

Minimizing Chemical Footprint

Revolutionizing agriculture, MePhSIN, a groundbreaking nano-platform, encapsulates plant growth regulators, unlocking a new era of enhanced crop resilience, doubling wheat production by 2050, and overcoming challenges in global food security.

Researcher(s):

Katya Michelle Aguilar Perez, Valeriia Nikolaeva,

Viiktoria Zheltova, Khozama Al Mohawes

bio farming, farming and agriculture, regenerative agriculture

Cyanoboost: Transition to regenerative farming with biofertilizers

Heliopolis University, Egypt 

Biofertilizers

“Cyanoboost” is a bio-fertilizer product that enhance the whole plant growth performance, improve the extracted essential oils, and increase the diversity of the rhizospheric microbiome in medicinal plants.

Researcher(s)

Doaa Ibrahim, Eman Nour El-deen Hamed

food waste, environmental sustainability, regenerative agriculture

The Waste Lab - From Food Waste Rescue to Compost Production to Soil Building in the UAE and the Region

Individual, UAE

Organic fertilizers

The Waste Lab’s solution is to create an opportunity for every food scrap to become a solution for rather than a burden on our society and environment by combining nature-based principles, data-driven operations, local production and application of compost, and community engagement.

Researcher(s)

Lara Hussein, Ceylan Uren, Nick Little, Sara Al Darras

MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme Mentors 2023/24

MOHAMED AISSAOUI
CEO and Founder at My Farm Dubai


MEHDI YANN ECHCHADLY
Senior Manager & VP Sustainable Finance at HSBC

LOLA FERNANDEZ
Senior Associate at VentureSouq

HUSSEIN AL HUSSEIN
Farm to Plate

DANIELE CESANO
CEO and Cofounder at LandPrint


CHRISTINE GOULD
Founder at Thought for Food

TAMER EL-RAGHY
Managing Director at Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF)

MARIAM KAMEL
Manager at AUC Angels

EWA KAROLEWSKA
Senior Project Manager on Startup Support at EIT


FADI MUJAHID
CEO and Cofounder at Green Mawared

THERA ROHLING
Program Director at Sustainable Urban Delta

MILES THORNHILL
Head of Technology and New Economy at HSBC

MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme Judges 2023/24

DR MOHAMMAD AL-OUN
Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture Consultant


DR ABDOUL AZIZ NIANE
Food Security and Sustainable Regional Coordinator Arabian Peninsula Regional Program (APRP)

THOMAZ DOMINGUES
Senior Manager - Strategy and Industry Development at In5

MIRA EL GHAZIRI
Managing Director at HealthyPath and MENA Ambassador, Thought for Food

KARIMA EL HAKIM
Country Director at Plug and Play


HECTOR H. HERNANDEZ
Partner - Regenerative Agriculture at Amaly Legacy

KEVIN HOLLIDAY
Managing Director at C3

DR. CHRISTOPH MANDL
Head of Corporate Venturing at EIT Food


DR. DINA NAJJAR
Senior Gender Scientist at ICARDA

DAVID RAMOS
Acting Head of Sustainability MENAT at HSBC

SIMON SHARP
Partner and Venture Capitalist at Global Ventures

NEAL SPACKMAN
CEO and Co-Founder at Regenerative Resources

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MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Success Stories

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Want to support Initiative become a Mentor or Judge

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Researchers and innovators looking to scale and develop their research to a proof of concept stage and funding by enhancing their skills in business and entrepreneurship.

Mentor responsibilities here

Solutions in the domain of regenerative agriculture

Does it sound like your research profile?