Morocco’s Sand to Green Wins $50K Grant for Climate-Resilient Farming

STARTUP VENTURE CAPITALMay 21, 2025 at 11:02 AM UTC

TLDR

Moroccan agri-tech startup Sand to Green has won a $50,000 grant at the DeepTech Summit 2025, securing funding to expand its land restoration operations
Founded in 2021, Sand to Green converts arid, degraded land into productive farmland using satellite mapping, solar desalination, and regenerative agroforestry
The company has raised $1 million in seed funding from backers including Katapult and Catalyst Fund

Moroccan agri-tech startup Sand to Green has won a $50,000 grant at the DeepTech Summit 2025, securing funding to expand its land restoration operations across Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe. The company was awarded the prize in the Green Economy category during the event held on May 8–9, hosted by Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P).

Founded in 2021, Sand to Green converts arid, degraded land into productive farmland using satellite mapping, solar desalination, and regenerative agroforestry. The company has raised $1 million in seed funding from backers including Katapult and Catalyst Fund.

Sand to Green monetizes its model by managing climate-resilient farms, selling carbon credits, and offering consulting services. It plans to expand operations in Morocco’s Tan-Tan region, with support from NextAfrica, an accelerator co-run by UM6P and Paris-based STATION F.

The grant reflects growing investor interest in agri-tech and land restoration amid climate pressures. The case will also be closely watched as a potential blueprint for scaling regenerative agriculture in drought-prone regions.

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Key Takeaways

Sand to Green’s win underscores a shift in climate-tech investment toward scalable agri-based solutions. With over 40% of global land already degraded and Africa losing 3 million hectares of productive land annually, the economic cost of soil depletion and deforestation is rising. According to the FAO, Africa loses nearly 3% of its GDP each year due to land degradation, while spending over $35 billion on food imports. Sand to Green’s approach—blending traditional farming knowledge with environmental data and renewable energy—positions it to address two major challenges: restoring ecosystems and reducing food insecurity. Its emphasis on co-developing projects with local communities also aligns with donor and policy trends favoring inclusive, tech-enabled development models. As public and private institutions like the World Bank and Moroccan government increase climate-smart agriculture funding, startups like Sand to Green could become central players in land regeneration and sustainable food systems across arid and semi-arid regions.

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Agriculture