Meet the Climate Innovators: Ten ventures leading adaptation and resilience in the MENA region
Meet the ten innovators joining the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator Bootcamp this year to advance climate solutions in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.
By Sanjna Sudan
Climate change is impacting every region of the world, driving global hunger and food insecurity. This relationship is complex and interconnected: climate extremes destroy crops, livestock and degrade soil quality and damage critical agricultural infrastructure. In the last decade alone, 1.7 billion people have faced extreme weather events and climate-related disasters, with the hardest-hit communities often being those least responsible for the climate crisis and most limited in resources. Such impact often leads to loss of livelihoods and disruption across global food systems.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is committed to prioritizing climate action for the most vulnerable populations, particularly those in fragile regions. In July this year, we launched the call for applications for the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator, focusing on innovations in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. Recognizing that innovations that focus on local or regional needs offer the greatest potential for climate adaptation, we looked for startups already operating in these countries or international ones that were particularly well-suited to meet the identified needs. Working closely with WFP country offices, NGOs and government officials, we outlined these needs in the call for application.
Now, after rigorous review and selection, ten exceptional teams have been chosen to participate in the upcoming bootcamp.
This bootcamp is an opportunity for the teams to dive deep into country specific operational challenges, brainstorm innovative solutions and refine their project plans with guidance from experienced mentors. The WFP Innovation Accelerator will introduce the teams to key innovation techniques, including human-centered design and lean startup methodologies, while also incorporating WFP’s operational experience and lessons learned.
These selected teams represent the forefront of innovative climate solutions designed to build resilience and support communities most affected by climate change:
Visual Artificial Intelligence Solutions (VAIS)
VAIS is an AI-powered platform that enables precision agriculture, focusing on smart irrigation. Unlike traditional methods that require costly sensors and devices, VAIS’s technology is entirely sensor-free, making it accessible and scalable for smallholder farmers.
Climate change is causing unpredictable rainfall, droughts and crop diseases. According to the World Bank, agriculture uses more than 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater. With projected rainfall drops in regions like the Middle East and Africa, efficient water use is critical to prevent widespread hunger and economic hardship. VAIS is designed for a wide range of users — from smallholders in arid regions to large farm owners, agricultural traders, insurers, NGOs, and governments. It helps users manage water more efficiently, reducing waste and improving yields. It predicts crop diseases and stresses, allowing farmers to take early action. Additionally, it warns of adverse weather to protect crops and offers insights to improve crop health and boost profits.
Noornation of Renewable Energy
NoorNation transforms traditional flood irrigation into efficient, solar-powered systems with its Solar Irrigation as a Service (SIaaS) model.
In Egypt, where a substantial section of the workforce depends on agriculture, most small farms still rely on outdated, inefficient irrigation methods like flood irrigation and diesel pumps, leading to water waste, high costs and increased CO2 emissions.
NoorNation enables farmers to switch to smart, solar-powered irrigation without heavy upfront costs. Instead, they pay per use during pre- or post-harvest periods, with the option to own the system within 5 to 7 years. This model offers farmers affordable, sustainable irrigation that saves water, reduces costs and lowers emissions.
P-Vita
P-Vita’s bioprocessing technology converts Egypt’s agricultural waste, especially palm waste that would otherwise be burned or dumped in rivers, into valuable natural extracts.
Agricultural waste in Egypt and globally poses a major environmental and economic challenge, with millions of tons of crop residues like rice straw, corn stalks and sugarcane bagasse produced each year. Improper disposal impacts air quality, soil health and water resources, leading to long-term environmental damage.
Therefore, P-Vita partners with smallholder farmers, enabling them to help collect waste and create value. Additionally, P-Vita is working to make raw materials more affordable for the cosmetic and food industries, addressing the lack of local raw material manufacturers in the MENA region, where high costs have been a barrier. This process reduces pollution, lowers greenhouse gas emissions and produces affordable, locally sourced ingredients for various industries.
Adaptive Symbiotic Technologies (AST)
AST discovers, manufactures and distributes microbes that help crops become more climate-resilient, requiring less water and fertilizer.
In Jordan, climate change is severely impacting soil health, leading to increased desertification and land degradation. The country faces challenges such as soil erosion, reduced fertility and the loss of arable land, all of which threaten agricultural productivity and food security. Climate change is also intensifying the frequency and severity of these stressors.
AST is addressing these challenges by developing innovative microbial solutions that help crops thrive under more difficult conditions, making agriculture more sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change.
Responsive Drip Irrigation Manufacturing (RDI)
Responsive Drip Irrigation Manufacturing Ltd. provides an innovative irrigation system that helps plants self-regulate their water and nutrients using organic chemistry.
Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries, facing challenges such as declining rainfall, over-extraction of groundwater and rising demand due to population growth.
These factors put significant pressure on agriculture in the region.
RDI’s durable, cost-effective system reduces water and fertilizer use by over 50 per cent, helping manage water scarcity and resource allocation. It also boosts crop yields by up to 30 per cent, increasing farm productivity and income. Simple to install and operate without electricity, the system is accessible to smallholder farmers, even in remote areas and works for a variety of crops, even in poor soil or with low-quality water.
Deploy Tech
Deploy Tech has developed eco-friendly, easy-to-transport and easy-to-install concrete water tanks that address common issues in water management, especially in rainwater harvesting.
Traditional concrete tanks are useful for irrigation but are expensive, require expertise for maintenance and are difficult to repair if they crack. Affordable poly tanks are prone to damage, hard to clean and can cause water contamination due to high temperatures.
Deploy Tech’s modular design reduces implementation costs and CO₂ emissions by 77 per cent, using 75 per cent less water compared to traditional methods. The tanks’ concrete composite material offers superior heat resistance, keeping water at acceptable temperatures for drinking or irrigation, even in extreme heat. They can be used for various liquids, including potable water, wastewater and even diesel, making them a versatile solution for diverse water infrastructure needs.
Greener Herd
Greener Herd’s mobile app revolutionizes livestock management in the MENA region by offering advanced tools tailored to local needs.
Excessive grazing pressure leads to vegetation depletion, soil erosion and reduced biodiversity. This degradation diminishes the land’s capacity to support livestock and other agricultural activities.
Therefore Greener Herd’s app provides real-time tracking of methane emissions, feed optimization and health management, enabling farmers to enhance productivity and profitability. Additionally, it features a marketplace connecting farmers with essential supplies, fostering efficiency and growth. This comprehensive approach not only benefits livestock operators but also supports animal feed and additive manufacturers by providing a new channel to market innovative products.
Partners with Sun
Partners with Sun has an innovative industrial solar oven solution that can help reduce fossil fuel use in the bakery and food industry.
With climate change exacerbating global hunger, this technology provides significant environmental benefits, particularly in regions with abundant sunlight. After testing with a medium-sized bakery, this industrial solar oven solution saw impressive results: the solar oven cuts up to 90 per cent of the baker’s fuel bill, doubles the bakery’s production capacity and significantly reduces CO2 emissions.
This innovation not only supports sustainability by replacing fossil fuels but also improves economic efficiency for bakeries, making it an essential tool in the fight against climate-related challenges.
Remer SAL
Remer SAL’s bio-fertilizer enhances nutrient availability, promotes efficient nutrient cycling and stimulates root growth, leading to healthier plants with increased resistance to environmental stresses.
Modern chemical fertilizers often harm beneficial soil microorganisms, disrupting ecosystem functions and threatening food security. In contrast, Remer SAL’s bio-fertilizer utilizes effective microorganisms to decompose organic matter and form humus, boosting the soil’s carbon storage capacity by 10 per cent to 30 per cent, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions.
DOODA Solutions
DOODA Solutions offers large-scale production of organic, cost-effective, and highly efficient solid and liquid vermicompost fertilizers.
Farmers across the MENA region face significant challenges due to poor soil quality. Conventional farming practices, heavily reliant on chemical fertilizers, have exacerbated soil degradation, leading to increased water demands, elevated soil pH and higher salinity. These factors hinder nutrient absorption and reduce plant immunity to pests and diseases, resulting in lower yields, higher expenses, and diminished resilience to climate change.
Dooda products tackle key agricultural challenges caused by conventional farming practices. They restore soil health, reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers, lower salinity, regulate soil pH, and enhance nutrient absorption. Furthermore, Dooda’s fertilizers promote robust root development, improve crop quality, yield, taste, and color, and strengthen resilience against pests and adverse climate conditions.
The ten innovators will join a hybrid bootcamp in Munich this month, following which they will undergo a thorough due diligence process and once greenlighted, the selected teams will be inducted into the programme’s ‘sprint’ cohort and receive funding of up to US$ 200,000.
If you missed the deadline for this challenge, remember that anyone can apply at any time through our rolling call for applications.
The WFP Innovation Accelerator sources, supports and scales high-potential solutions to end hunger worldwide. We provide WFP colleagues, entrepreneurs, start-ups, companies,\ and non-governmental organizations with access to funding, mentorship, hands-on support and WFP’s global operations.
Find out more about us: http://innovation.wfp.org
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