5 firms unveil smart solutions to support agricultural sector

The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) and the National Agriculture Center have concluded Agriboost 2026 – a comprehensive training and hands-on programme to empower agritech startups, develop innovative solutions to support the sustainability of agriculture, and reinforce food security ecosystems in the UAE.

The closing ceremony took place as part of the Emirates Agriculture Conference & Exhibition 2026, organised by the National Agriculture Center, and featured live demonstrations in which the five winning startups presented their business models and technological solutions.

The event was attended by Eng. Amal Abdulrahim, Assistant Undersecretary for the Support Services Sector at the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), Sultan Al Shamsi, Director of the National Agriculture Center, and Sara Abdelaziz Al Nuaimi, CEO of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa).

Sultan Al Shamsi, Director of National Agriculture Center said: “Agricultural entrepreneurship is our goal, and the Agriboost programme received more than 100 applications. Following a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation process, a distinguished group rose to the top, presenting practical and innovative solutions that are scalable and applicable, and that directly contribute to advancing the agricultural sector and enabling its sustainable future. This comes in line with the National Agriculture Center’s commitment to adopting smart solutions and raising awareness, as it continues to support startups across diverse fields and create broader opportunities for innovation and growth.”

Sara Abdelaziz Al Nuaimi, CEO of Sheraa: “Agriculture sits at the heart of how nations plan for the future, shaped by priorities such as sustainability, food security, and economic resilience, and enabled by the effective use of technology. Through Agriboost, we saw five startups apply this in practice, developing solutions tailored to the UAE’s environment and long-term needs. This reflects the kind of innovation Sheraa is committed to enabling: ideas that move with clarity from concept into application, contributing to a more resilient agricultural sector.”

During the Demo Day pitches, CropGuard presented its integrated approach to protecting high-value crops through soil sensing, smart precision irrigation, and an adaptive shading system, a unified platform purpose-built for harsh, arid climates where precision directly determines crop survival and profitability.

Hareth demonstrated how intelligent, IoT-driven solutions can address the UAE’s water scarcity challenges in agriculture by optimising irrigation, reducing resource waste, combating soil salinity, and enabling farmers to make data-driven decisions that improve yields while supporting national food security goals. Agrotunes introduced its AI-powered platform for intelligent farming within the built environment, integrating crop planning, environmental control, and harvest forecasting, while connecting farms to buyers, consumers, and new revenue streams through its community layer.

INNOFarms.AI showcased its enterprise AI and robotics platform that connects farms, supply chains, and food enterprises through a unified intelligence layer, delivering real-time traceability, supply risk visibility, and farm automation across the agrifood system, including through a chat-based interface for on-the-ground decision-making. Madiya Farms presented its vertically integrated platform combining standardised greenhouse infrastructure, AI-driven farm management, and an integrated supply chain, positioning itself as a national operating system for scalable, investment-accessible food production in the UAE.

Madiya Farms secured first place in the pitch ranking, followed by Hareth in second, CropGuard in third, Agrotunes in fourth, and InnoFarms.ai in fifth. The rankings reflected the overall strength and progression of the cohort.

The rankings were announced during the Agriboost Demo Day, where founders pitched their startups to a curated judging panel, including Abeer Al Ameeri, Director of Ecosystem Development at Sheraa; Kamal Rasool, Chief Technology Officer at RDI; and Hamad Al Hamed, CEO of Gracia, in the presence of investors, partners, and sector stakeholders.