UAE venture builder hatch & boost tackles food security

World of Farming (WoF) aims to reduce soaring costs of livestock feed through its circular farming proprietary technology that will enable local farmers to grow sustainable & fresh animal feed all year-round in the desert

Hatch & Boost Ventures, an Abu Dhabi-based venture builder, has announced the launch of the first agritech startup in its portfolio called World of Farming, which will tackle challenges related to food security that have been exacerbated by the pressure of rising global temperatures and limited water supply.

World of Farming (WoF) is introducing a hydroponic fodder (livestock feed) farming methodology for the meat and dairy industry to the Middle East market, which aims to enhance the sector’s sustainability.

Experts at the company explained that the UAE and other Gulf nations are known to have a harsh environment for farming due to high temperatures, scarcity of arable land, and limited freshwater resources. As a result, the UAE imports 80-90 per cent of the food it consumes, including livestock feed. In line with the UAE’s National Food Strategy 2051, WoF’s vertical farming model will enable local farmers to produce fresh, and cost-effective, local alternatives to international imports of animal fodder independently, efficiently, and more sustainably.

The startup will be making this possible through its patent-pending proprietary methodology called, ‘The Cattleyst’. This full circular farming methodology sustainably produces livestock feed through a closed loop system that reduces methane emissions to the atmosphere. This approach will supply the local dairy and meat industry with highly nutritious, herbicides and pesticides free animal feed at reduced cost, using up to 90 per cent less water and up to 90 per cent less land than traditional farming.⁠

Faris Mesmar, CEO and managing partner of hatch & boost, revealed that animal agriculture is one of the most harmful industries on the planet, directly responsible for 14 per cent of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. In addition, upwards of 50,000 acres of forest are cleared by farmers and loggers every day, around the world. This extreme clearing of land results in habitat loss, amplification of greenhouse gasses, and disruption of water cycles.

“Coupled with the effects of international mass shipping, and copious amounts of water consumption, the snowball effect of unprecedented global challenges we are seeing will continue to gather pace if we don’t do something about it today,” he said.