Key Highlights
- Record Participation: Over 510 registrations from 65 countries, a 223% increase from the first cohort of the 2025 MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme.
- Top 20 Semi-Finalists: Selected from research institutions across MENAT and beyond.
- Focus on Innovation: Solutions address desertification, soil degradation, and climate resilience.
- Bootcamp Training: Selected teams will enter a mentorship phase to develop and scale their solutions.
- Final Pitch Event: Top 10 finalists will compete in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 2025.
Goumbook Announces 2025 Semi-Finalists for MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme
Goumbook, a MENAT-based social enterprise dedicated to sustainability, has announced the 20 semi-finalists selected for the 2025 MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme. The initiative is delivered in partnership with Saudi Awwal Bank, HSBC Bank Middle East, the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Food, and the Climate Champions Team.
The second cohort of the programme attracted 510 applications from more than 80 institutions across 65 countries. This year’s semi-finalists bring research-backed, scalable innovations tailored to the MENAT region’s climate and agricultural challenges.
Addressing Urgent Environmental Needs in MENAT
The MENAT region faces increasing environmental stress, with 89% of land classified as drylands and over 45% affected by desertification. Soil degradation has impacted half of all land and 25% of arable land, contributing to vegetation loss and declining productivity.
Regenerative agriculture offers a framework to reverse these trends by restoring degraded land, enhancing water security, and supporting long-term food production. The MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme by Goumbook seeks to harness regional research talent to respond with innovative, locally adapted solutions.
Semi-Finalists Tackle Diverse Agricultural Challenges
The 20 selected teams represent a broad range of solutions, including agri-robotics, biofertilizers, AI-powered disease detection, and sustainable livestock systems. Semi-finalists include:
- 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 (UK/UAE)
- Smart Relay-Intercropping (ICARDA, Morocco)
- SmartAgri-AIoT (Egypt)
- TarLab Biyoteknoloji (Turkey)
- VerdiSol (UAE)
These teams will participate in Bootcamp 1, featuring expert-led training and mentorship to help refine their business models and sustainability strategies.
Regional Collaboration and Goumbook’s Role in Agricultural Innovation
The semi-finalists were selected based on six criteria: alignment with regenerative agriculture principles, scientific merit, regional relevance, innovation, potential impact, and scalability. The top 10 finalists will pitch in Riyadh in May 2025 for funding, incubation, and partnership opportunities.
Samantha Kayruz, Strategy and Sustainability Impact Director at Goumbook, said: “The Venture Programme has become a crucial bridge between science and entrepreneurship. By building on regional strengths, we aim to transform MENAT into a hub for climate-resilient agriculture.”
Tatiana Antonelli Abella, Founder and Managing Director at Goumbook, added: “Our mission is to foster conditions where local innovation can thrive. This initiative supports the emergence of scalable, nature-positive agricultural models in response to pressing climate challenges.”
