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EnvironmentLatest News

Lush Cosmetics UAE, The Waste Lab Launch Composting Initiative

by Madaline Dunn
written by Madaline Dunn

Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics (UAE) has announced a partnership with The Waste Lab, a women-led start-up in Dubai, specialising in transforming food scraps and leftovers from hotels, businesses, restaurants, and communities into compost.

Together, the two are launching a new composting initiative, with Lush’s manufacturing hub in Jebel Ali, Dubai, utilising The Waste Lab’s composting solutions to manage all food and compostable scraps that are generated.

Lush shared that it uses fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs as the basis for many of its products.

Commenting on the composting initiative, Anita Baker, Managing Director – Lush MENA, said: “We were ecstatic to find a partner like The Waste Lab, a company that aligns with our vision for a circular economy. Turning what is essentially waste destined for landfill into a valuable resource to support the growth of plants and food in the local community.

“Sustainability is simply not enough, regenerative practices, circulative practices, and permaculture are all needed to leave the world lusher than we found it!”

Lara Hussein, Co-founder & CEO – The Waste Lab, commented: “Our collaboration at the Lush manufacturing hub in Jebel Ali exemplifies how innovative and nature-based waste management can transform food scraps into valuable compost.”

Hussein explained that the compost will reduce waste while supporting local farms by enriching the soil and fostering regenerative agriculture.

“The compost produced through this partnership is currently being used for R&D purposes to create compost mixes that support local farms, enhance soil quality, and promote regenerative agricultural practices. This initiative underscores our commitment to environmental sustainability and increased food security and aligns with the UAE’s goal of achieving zero landfill waste by 2050,” added Hussein.

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FoodLatest News

Goumbook Announces Winners of MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme

by Madaline Dunn
written by Madaline Dunn

Social enterprise Goumbook has announced the winners of its inaugural MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme.

The programme aims to empower and upskill researchers, students and entrepreneurs who are addressing fundamental agricultural challenges in the MENAT region while focusing on early-stage research and nature-based solutions integrating regenerative agriculture practices. 

The Programme received over 158 applications from 18 countries, showcasing solutions from the region. A key criterion for these solutions was to be scalable and accessible, particularly to small and medium farmers who represent 60-80 per cent of the MENAT region’s current agricultural landscape.

It concluded with three winners: 

  • The Waste Lab, From Food Waste Rescue to Compost Production to Soil Building, Lara Hussein & Team, UAE, in the Organic Fertilizers category. 
  • Smart Encapsulation of Plant Growth Factor for Elevated Germination in Wheat Seeds, Katya Aguilar Perez & Team, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KSA, in the Minimizing Chemical Footprint category, and
  • Cyanoboost: Transition to Regenerative Farming with Biofertilizers, Doha Ibrahim & Team, Heliopolis University, Egypt, in the Biofertilizers category. 

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.

Samantha Kayruz, Goumbook’s Strategy & Sustainability Impact Director, commented: “The MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme embodies the spirit of collaboration and innovation that is essential for addressing the pressing agricultural, food security & climate change challenges of our time, through research and science. We congratulate the winners and all those who participated from 18 regional countries, and their invaluable contribution to building a regenerative tomorrow. We look forward to supporting them on their journey towards scaling for environmental and social impact.”

Goumbook’s partners and supporters in the Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme include HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB) and the European Institute of Technology Food (EIT Food).

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FoodFood & WaterLatest News

Finalists announced for Goumbook’s Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme

by Madaline Dunn
written by Madaline Dunn

Social enterprise Goumbook has announced the top ten finalists for its Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme. The initiative aims to foster innovation through research, science, and nature-based solutions matched with entrepreneurship in the regenerative agriculture space in the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) region.

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach to farming that focuses on restoring and enhancing soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystems, which seeks to build resilience against climate change, improve food security, and promote sustainable land use. 

Following an open call for submissions from 18 countries, the program process received numerous process-driven and technological innovation-based applications.

The top ten finalists, comprise researchers and entrepreneurs from the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey, who have submitted solutions related to soil health and regeneration, minimising chemical footprint, diversified crops, technological solutions, and fertilisers. 

In the next phase, these finalists will further develop their solutions into proof of concepts and scale for impact.

These finalists include:

  1. More Drop, More Crop: Sustainable water conservation for arid regions (UAE) –Technological Solutions
  2. Systemic Farming Method: Carbon Sequestration for Future Food Security (UAE) –Technological Solutions
  3. Food Waste Rescue, Compost Production to Soil Building in Waste Lab’s solution for sustainable agriculture (UAE) – Organic Fertilisers
  4. Farm as an Ecosystem: Diversified, resilient farm ecosystem and microbiome bioreactor (KAUST University, Saudi Arabia) – Healthy Soil Regeneration
  5. Smart Encapsulation of Plant Growth Factor for Elevated Germination in Wheat Seeds: Revolutionising agriculture and crop resilience (KAUST University, Saudi Arabia) – Minimising Chemical Footprint
  6. Sesame Breeding: High-Value Production and Improved Varieties in Hot and Dry Climates: Improved sesame varieties, high value, low inputs, returning biomass carbon to the soil. (KAUST University, Saudi Arabia) – Diversified Crops
  7. MicroFert: Customised bio-products for enhanced crop productivity and soil fertility (Heliopolis University, Egypt) – Organic Fertilisers
  8. Cyanoboost: enhanced plant growth and diversity of rhizospheric microbiome in medicinal plants (Heliopolis University, Egypt) – Biofertilisers
  9. Egrobots: AI-powered farming bots for crop protection (Egypt) – Technological Solutions
  10. Conservation & Organic Agriculture of Olive Trees (Turkey) – Diversified Crops

According to Goumbook, each of these projects presents innovative solutions to pressing challenges facing agriculture in the MENAT region and beyond, addressing issues such as soil degradation, water scarcity, food waste, and climate change, through a blend of science, technology, and organic approaches.

Samantha Kayruz, Goumbook’s Strategy & Sustainability Impact Director, commented: “Their work underscores the MENAT region’s capacity for research and innovation in tackling agricultural challenges with science and nature-based solutions. This also emphasises the importance of supporting our region’s innovators and researchers in developing solutions tailored to our unique agriculture, food security, and climate change challenges.”

The finalists will now embark on Bootcamp 2, which will include subject matter-led sessions and additional mentorship one-on-one sessions. 

This will culminate in the judges selecting three winners as recipients of grants to help them scale their research and innovations for impact. 

The final three winners will be announced following a live pitch presentation and assessment by the judge evaluation committee. The winners will collaborate with local farmers to integrate their concepts into real-world agricultural practices, and gain access to a supportive stakeholder community. 

The Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme is spearheaded by Goumbook in partnership with HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB), and supported by the European Institute of Technology Food (EIT Food).

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FoodFood & WaterLatest News

The Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme (RAVP) receives 158 applications from over 18 countries

by Madaline Dunn
written by Madaline Dunn

The Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme (RAVP), an initiative spearheaded by Goumbook, has announced that it has received 158 registrations from over 18 countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) region and beyond. 

Registrations have been submitted by researchers, students, and entrepreneurs, it was shared.

The Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme, in partnership with HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB), and supported by the European Institute of Technology Food (EIT Food), focuses on early-stage research and nature-based solutions integrating regenerative agriculture practices. 

These solutions aim to be scalable and accessible, particularly to small and medium farmholders who represent between 60 and 80 per cent of the agricultural landscape.

The programme targets the upskilling of researchers, students and entrepreneurs who are addressing key agricultural challenges in the MENAT region. 

These regenerative agriculture solutions address various issues, including: 

  • Soil health,
  • Food security, 
  • Water scarcity, 
  • Biodiversity loss, 
  • Climate change mitigation and adaptation, 
  • Carbon sequestration, 
  • Combating salinity and desertification, 
  • Enhancing yields and nutrition, 
  • Promoting crop resilience, 
  • Utilising natural fertilisers and pest control, and 
  • Benefiting social welfare.

Submissions were received from 18 countries, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt each contributing 24 per cent. Meanwhile, the UAE represented 19 per cent of the applications, Turkey 10 per cent, and Morocco and Algeria 5 per cent each. 

Further, applicants are 43 per cent female and 57 per cent male applicants.

RAVP explained that following the verification process, applicants engaged in a virtual boot camp, where they collaborated with experts, mentors, and entrepreneurs to explore regenerative agriculture’s potential from environmental, social, and economic perspectives. 

The boot camp sessions covered ideation, transforming research proposals into business pitch decks, and exploring funding mechanisms to support regenerative agriculture solutions.

The semi-finalists were selected based on their capacity to address agricultural challenges, food security, and climate change within the MENAT region. Their projects cover a wide range of innovations, including new methods to improve soil health, applications of circularity within agriculture waste, enhancing crop and climate resilient varieties, reducing reliance of synthetic chemicals, tackling salinity and water scarcity, to cutting-edge technological innovations. 

The top 21 semi-finalists submitted their initial business pitch decks for evaluation by a panel of experts. The next phase will equip the top 10 finalists with skills in entrepreneurship, intellectual property protection, pitching, and investment strategies to further develop their solutions commercially.

Goumbook’s Regenerative Agriculture Programme has also announced the Judge Evaluation Committee, composed of diverse regional and international subject matter experts, who will assess semi-finalists’ solutions and select the top ten finalists.

Going ahead, finalists will showcase their solutions to a panel of judges, competing to secure one of three $10,000 awards with further support and potential funding available to them, subject to their solutions’ needs requirements. 

The winners will collaborate with local farmers to integrate their concepts into real-world agricultural practices. 

They will also be able to access supporting stakeholder community calling on public institutions, private entities and NGOs.

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