Below Farm showcased how we are using nature's decomposers to up-cycle date palm and convert it into nutritious food.
Below Farm was hosted at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2023 by the Ma'an Social Incubator, Cohort 7: Green Cities & the Circular Economy, and had the opportunity to pitch to an esteemed audience of Excellencies, investors, entrepreneurs, and media, demonstrating how Below Farm is addressing some of the UAE's key strategic priorities: Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and the Circular Economy.
Fungi are nature's tool in the circular economy, breaking down organic matter that otherwise wouldn't have been recycled. At Below Farm, we use this power of nature to break down the palm leaves from date farming. In the UAE, date's account for 35% of the agriculture, but the actual fruit is only a tiny portion of the biomass that is grown. The rest ends up in "palm graveyards", where leaves and trunks are piled up, but do not decompose, because it is too hot, and too dry. Below Farm takes this waste date palm and uses it to produce nutritious food, in the desert, all year round. What's not to love?