Recently, a lot of money has been spent on climate technology in the Middle East. Climate technology reduces greenhouse gases and contributes to adaptation to climate change.
The Pure Harvest startup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) distributes fruits and vegetables in smart farm greenhouses. This company received significant attention from the government by manipulating the temperature and humidity required for vegetable cultivation. The characteristics of crop cultivation combine agriculture and technology to design and operate a greenhouse system that can grow fruits and vegetables anywhere, regardless of climate. South Korean and international companies are making a lot of investments in this company.
This interest is because the Pure Harvest company has established a robust food infrastructure in the desert. Growing crops with smart farms in deserts with temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius is a very innovative technology. Sky Kurtz, CEO of Pure Harvest, said, “In the Middle East, more than 80% of crops are imported via air transport to the desert climate, making fruits and vegetables up to four times more expensive than in other countries. To solve this problem, I decided to build a smart farm using innovative technology.”
There is also an example of a company in Climate Tech that has set up a fish farm and crops in the middle of the desert. Ocean Harvest is a salmon farming company founded in the UAE that relies on imports for more than 70% of the 220,000 tons of fish consumed yearly. This company operates by developing technologies that combine recirculating aquaculture systems with advanced wastewater treatment systems. It also has the skills to set up aquaculture in the desert and raise Atlantic salmon, working on Climate Technology. Jawad Jamil, CEO of Ocean Harvest, said that after the UAE, the goal is to expand into countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Saudi Arabia. He also revealed that he is considering expanding his business to Asia, including South Korea, Japan, and China.
The climate technology craze is expanding in Middle Eastern countries because they have abundant capital. However, the demand continuously increases due to a lack of capacity to produce directly based on their technology. Therefore, investment in climate technology in the Middle East will not likely fade quickly.
