Agricultural entrepreneurship competition awards 3 Jordanian start-ups

AMMAN — The latest Jusoor Agriculture Accelerator, which was designed to help small-scale farmers in Jordan and Lebanon enter new phases of agriculture, concluded with three winning teams from the Kingdom.

The three-month project aimed to support agriculture start-ups in addressing the changing business environment in Jordan and Lebanon, according to a Jusoor statement sent to The Jordan Times.  

“The agricultural sector faces many challenges. Being a farmer today is different […] and a lot of new skills have to be learned and incorporated,” said the statement.

Jusoor is an international NGO and a leading global actor in educational and entrepreneurial programmes for Syrians and host communities’ children and youth.

“This intensive programme has demonstrated that there is real talent in the region and that we need to continue supporting local entrepreneurs, and provide them with the necessary tools and knowledge to grow,” said Jusoor Executive Director Grace Atkinson, in the statement.

Entrepreneurship Programme Manager Ziena Abu Dalbouh said that poor planning and the lack of strategy and financial assistance are among the “most significant” challenges facing farmers in Jordan. 

He noted that Jusoor has implemented 15 accelerator and incubator projects, including this recent one.

The project, supported by Sanad Academy, a debt and equity financing actor, Marcho Partners, a technology-focused investment company, and Zain Zinc, helped farmers and agriculture start-ups adopt more sustainable practices by “proper planning and financial management”, Abu Dalbouh told The Jordan Times.

The project’s selected teams received one-on-one mentorship and training sessions, legal consultations, identity creation and design ideas. 

Additionally, the accelerator project conducted an in-depth assessment of the current agricultural landscape, identifying agriculture production, trading and finance, technology and related services, hydroponics, aquaculture, horticulture, and apiculture.

The six winning teams, three of which were from Jordan, received an equity-free money prize totalling $20,000, the statement added, noting that the six start-ups will create a “sustainable agricultural landscape” in Jordan and Lebanon.

The Jordanian winning teams included Mansoul, the first company in the Kingdom specialising in a computerised system for buying and selling crops, Khudretna, an aqua Pontic farming system, and World of Plant, an AI application to diagnose plant diseases.