MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Summit 2025 concludes

Zawya

26-05-2025

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The inaugural MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Summit, hosted by Goumbook's MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Initiative under the patronage of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The Summit, as the first dedicated platform for regenerative agriculture of its kind in the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye region (MENAT), convened over 150 regional and global stakeholders — including policymakers, academics, innovators, investors, and civil society — to chart a unified path toward a sustainable, regenerative, climate-resilient food systems.
In partnership with HSBC, Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB), EIT Food, the United Nations Climate Change High Level Champions Team and the Saudi Agrifood Tech Alliance (SAFTA), delivered a powerful call to action to scale regenerative agriculture in the MENAT region.
Centered around the theme "Cultivating Soil Capital: Regenerative Food Systems & Nature-Based Solutions," the day-long event featured high-level keynotes, expert-led panel discussions, a regional consultation, the live pitch finale and reveal of the three winners of Goumbook's Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme, which spotlighted the Cohort 2024/2025 finalists' science and research based innovations in food systems.
Dr Zeyad AlZeyadi - General Manager of Partnerships and Capacity Building, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (MEWA KSA) said, 'It was an honor for the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) to serve as a patron of the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Summit 2025. This summit marked a valuable milestone in advancing regional dialogue on sustainable agricultural practices and ecosystem restoration.
The quality of discussions, the diversity of participants, and the solutions-oriented agenda created a powerful platform for collaboration. I was pleased to take part in the closed session discussions, where we explored innovative approaches to soil health, food system transformation, and regenerative practices suited to the region's climate challenges.
MEWA also had the opportunity to present key national initiatives that support the transition toward sustainable and resilient agricultural systems in Saudi Arabia. We look forward to continuing the momentum generated by this summit and building stronger partnerships across the MENAT region.'
'We were honored to join the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Summit as an Impact Partner—a groundbreaking step toward reimagining agriculture in one of the world's most challenging regions.
This summit wasn't just an event—it was a collective call to action. It brought together leaders, visionaries, and changemakers to forge real solutions for climate resilience, food security, and ecological renewal across the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey.
At The Saudi AgriFood Tech Alliance, we believe that true leadership means building bridges across sectors, nurturing innovation, and empowering communities. We are proud to have contributed to a platform that reflects those values and sets a powerful precedent for future collaboration and impact. Together, we are planting the seeds for a more sustainable and regenerative future.
-Eng. Rakan AlOtaibi, Secretariat Director of the Saudi AgriFood Tech Alliance
Key Highlights:
Royal Endorsements & Leadership: Opening remarks were delivered by HRH Princess Mashael AlShalan and HRH Princess Noura bint Turki Al Saud, cofounders of Aeon Collective highlighting the critical role of regional leadership in advancing nature-positive strategies.
High-Level Panels tackled urgent topics including shaping supportive policy frameworks, scaling accessible innovation, unlocking catalytic financial mechanisms, and highlighting successful case studies in regenerative agriculture, to enable climate-resilient agriculture; with expert voices from Estidamah, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations(FAO), International Food Policy Research Institute IFPRI-CGIAR, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). EIT Food, Earthna- Qatar Foundation and UN Climate Champions among others.
Top Innovation Demo & Exhibition: 20 shortlisted solutions from Goumbook's Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme cohort 2024/2025 were showcased in a live exhibition, with 5 finalists pitching their projects on-stage. The top three winners were awarded grants and support to scale their innovations across the MENAT region.
Reveal & Awards Ceremony of the Top 3 winners of Goumbook's Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme cohort 2024/2025, who received $20,000 in grants each, mentorship, incubation opportunities and additional support from the enabling ecosystem of partners that contribute to the initiative; all aimed at supporting them to scale their innovations towards greater social and environmental impact.
The winners:
Actinobacteria – Isolation and characterisation of water stress tolerant actinobacteria for arid soils, Omaima MARHANE, Morocco
Farm to 2Fs (Fuel and Fertiliser) - Anaerobic Digestion converting animal waste into bioenergy & fertilizer, Dr. Budour A. Alghamdi, Eng. Wafa A. Alrasheed, Dr. Adil E. Abdelnour, Estidama, KSA
RedDot – RNA-based selective control for Red Palm Weevil, Teodoro Garcia-Millan, Fran Robson, Veronica Greco, UK
Regional Consultation Outcomes: A closed-door session brought together high level select to lay the foundation for a regional collaboration across key priorities with the aim to develop a regenerative agriculture framework that positions MENAT as a global seedbed of innovation and a center of excellence for arid land agriculture and climate-resilient food systems.
The insights from this session will be published in an upcoming Outcomes & Insights Paper, serving as a regional blueprint for action, guiding the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Initiative's next phase and reinforcing the region's leadership at the intersection of climate, food, and land restoration.
This landmark event is the result of Goumbook's rapidly growing MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Initiative, launched in December 2023 with partners including HSBC, SAB, EIT Food, and the UN Climate Change High Level Climate Champions Team. The initiative has already engaged interest from over 660 innovative research & science-based solutions, from 80 research institutions, and 65 countries, and fostered a dynamic network of cross-sector partners.
'This summit represents a major milestone in our journey to regenerate ecosystems and transform agriculture in water-scarce regions,' said Tatiana Antonelli Abella, Founder and Managing Director of Goumbook. 'It is clear from today's dialogue that the MENAT region holds immense potential to lead the way in regenerative solutions, as a seedbed of innovation and a center of excellence for arid, desert and climate resilient agriculture.'
As the summit closed, Goumbook reaffirmed its commitment to building an enabling ecosystem that connects science, innovation, policy, and finance — paving the way for towards transformative food systems within a regenerative future for the MENAT region.
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.
About Goumbook:
Goumbook is a social enterprise dedicated to accelerating Sustainability and Climate Action in the UAE and beyond since 2009.
Goumbook shapes the global sustainability landscape by offering local solutions to corporates, youth, civil society, and the public sector. Through their programmes and initiatives, Goumbook mobilises cross sectorial stakeholders to drive action. By addressing the unique challenges faced by the MENA region, Goumbook ensures that their region's priorities are at the forefront of global sustainability efforts.
Goumbook raises awareness, develops and runs initiatives, advise and consult to change mindsets and create impact on the current and future living experience of the people in the MENA region.
For more information, please visit: https://goumbook.com/