Lotus for Agricultural Investment & Development and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT Sign a Memorandum of Understanding to Drive Agri-Tech Innovation in Egypt and MENA
This Strategic Collaboration Aims to Drive Sustainable Agricultural Practices through Innovation Matching and Pilot Testing Initiatives
Lotus for Agricultural Investment & Development and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT are proud to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding – a strategic collaboration aimed at driving the growth of the agrifood and climate-tech ecosystem in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP) – an initiative hosted within the Partnerships Unit at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT – will lead the activities of this partnership. The collaboration focuses on co- designing and launching open innovation projects that accelerate the development of disruptive agri-tech startups, with a special emphasis on innovations at the pre-seed and seed stages. These innovations will enhance sector efficiency by addressing context-specific needs while also aligning with Egypt’s Sustainable Agricultural
Development Strategy towards 2030, Egypt’s Vision 2030, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Areas of focus will include, but are not limited to, nanotechnology, robotics, genetic innovations, big data and precision farming, biotechnology, remote sensing, software, and smart irrigation.
Lotus for Agricultural Investment & Development and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT Sign a Memorandum of Understanding to Drive Agri-Tech Innovation in Egypt and MENA This Strategic Collaboration Aims to Drive Sustainable Agricultural Practices through Innovation Matching and Pilot Testing Initiatives Lotus for Agricultural Investment & Development and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT are proud to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding – a strategic collaboration aimed at driving the growth of the agrifood and climate-tech ecosystem in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP) – an initiative hosted within the Partnerships Unit at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT – will lead the activities of this partnership. The collaboration focuses on co- designing and launching open innovation projects that accelerate the development of disruptive agri-tech start- ups, with a special emphasis on innovations at the pre-seed and seed stages. These innovations will enhance sector efficiency by addressing context-specific needs while also aligning with Egypt’s Sustainable Agricultural Development Strategy towards 2030, Egypt’s Vision 2030, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Areas of focus will include, but are not limited to, nanotechnology, robotics, genetic innovations, big data and precision farming, biotechnology, remote sensing, software, and smart irrigation. A core component of this collaboration is innovation matching, which integrates A4IP’s agri-tech pipeline of innovations with Lotus’s agricultural practices for pilot testing. It offers concrete opportunities for product validation and establishes a robust feedback loop from end-users, such as farmers and value chain actors within Lotus’s network and farms. This activity will be implemented in core accelerator projects, starting with the AgriTech4Egypt Innovation Challenge 2024 – supporting agrifood-tech entrepreneurs in identifying potential challenges and refining their solutions to ensure the technologies meet farmers’ needs. The partners will prioritize external engagement by forming collaborations with public and private sector stakeholders across Egypt and the MENA region, fostering knowledge sharing and a culture of innovation. They will co-develop and share research in agrifood-tech. They will also organize events, workshops, consultations, and exhibitions, and fundraising activities to facilitate resource sharing and support start-ups in the sector.
Lotus and the Alliance of Bioversity of International and CIAT, through A4IP, will serve as ecosystem enablers committed to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation that can transform agricultural practices in Egypt and the MENA region
About Lotus for Agricultural Investment & Development
Lotus for Agricultural Investment and Development, a publicly listed company on the Egyptian Stock Exchange, is a leading player in Egypt’s agricultural sector, with a primary focus on sugar beet and corn production. Leveraging its extensive experience in crop cultivation and mechanization, Lotus is committed to enhancing agricultural efficiency and supporting the development of sustainable practices. With a strong focus on driving innovation and fostering collaboration, the company aims to support the growth of agri-food and climate-tech solutions across the region, further expanding its role in advancing Egypt’s agricultural capabilities and contributing to a more sustainable future for Egypt and the MENA region by extension.
For more information, visit www.lotusagri.com
About the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR works for a world with sustainable and resilient food, land, and water systems that deliver diverse, healthy, safe, sufficient, and affordable diets, and ensure improved livelihoods and greater social equality, within planetary and regional environmental boundaries. Our mission is to deliver science and innovation that advance the transformation of food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis.
For more information, visit www.alliancebioversityciat.org – www.cgiar.org
About CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform
The CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP) is the venture space that leverages CGIAR’s legacy in research and innovation to co-design, accelerate, and de-risk the development and deployment of science-based technology- driven solutions for sustainable agriculture and climate action. A4IP pioneers entrepreneurial models that bridge research products from lab to market, create demand for CGIAR science, and strengthen its function in the innovation ecosystem. The initiative plays a catalytic role for entrepreneurial scientists, start-ups, and other strategic partners driving agri-, food-, and climate-tech innovation to make our agrifood systems healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable. A4IP is an initiative powered by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; a CGIAR research center
For more information, visit http://a4ip.cgiar.org