For generations, agriculture has been the backbone of life in Kurdistan. Yet farmers today face unprecedented challenges: chronic droughts, polluted water sources, and the heavy use of pesticides that damage both health and the environment. Many are finding it harder each year to grow crops or earn a stable living.
In the face of these pressures, a new wave of entrepreneurs is proving that farming in Iraq doesn’t have to be a casualty of climate change. With support from IBB’s Innovation Hub, local startups are blending tradition with technology to keep food production alive. Among those leading the way are two young startups from Kurdistan: HydroLife and Eco Fruits.
HydroLife: Farming Without Soil, Thriving Without Waste
HydroLife began with a simple but radical idea: what if farmers could grow crops without relying on soil or polluted water supplies? Founder Sherko Karim and his team spent three years experimenting with hydroponics—growing plants in nutrient-enriched water instead of soil.
The results were remarkable. HydroLife’s prototypes produced vegetables with higher nutritional value and used up to 90% less water than traditional farming. Consumer surveys showed that 92% of buyers prefer healthier produce, proving strong demand for clean food.
HydroLife’s approach also avoids energy-hungry, large-scale farming equipment, making it easier and cheaper for farmers to adopt. “Farmers in Kurdistan were struggling,” Karim explained. “Water shortages, pollution, and chemical overuse were making it impossible to grow healthy food. HydroLife was created to solve these problems.”
Recognition came quickly. HydroLife won first place at the Smart Suli competition, presented at the Sulaimani International Forum for Innovation, and partnered with Sulaimani University and the VIM Foundation on a 350-meter hydroponics project. The venture is now seen as a model for climate-resilient farming in Iraq.
Eco Fruits: Strawberries That Fight Climate Change
While HydroLife rethinks vegetables, Eco Fruits is revolutionizing fruit farming in Kurdistan. Founder Hussam Falih uses AI-driven monitoring systems to control the indoor environment of his farms, producing pesticide-free strawberries with far less water than conventional methods.
For Hussam, the project is about more than fresh produce. “I hope Eco Fruits will trigger the Iraqi economy to focus on climate-friendly businesses,” he said. With Innovation Hub support, Eco Fruits has expanded production and is planning future growth into Saudi Arabia.
The impact is already visible: consumers are gaining access to healthier food, young farmers are learning sustainable practices, and Eco Fruits itself has become a model for climate-conscious entrepreneurship.
Reviving Agriculture Across the Region
HydroLife and Eco Fruits are part of a broader wave of innovators who are redefining farming under some of the toughest conditions in the Middle East. Through IBB’s Innovation Hub, entrepreneurs across Iraq and Lebanon are finding creative ways to preserve heritage crops, protect family farms, and pioneer new technologies:
Reviving Iraq’s Agricultural Legacy: In Baghdad, Waleed Alfatlawy’s startup Shamarekh is using biotechnology and plant cloning to restore Iraq’s once-thriving date palm industry — a cultural and economic symbol nearly destroyed by decades of war.
Harvesting Heritage in Lebanon: Sarah Joseph, a food engineer, turned her family land into an organic farm and agri-tourism business. With Innovation Hub support, she expanded her product line of olive oils, tapenades, and soaps, creating jobs for women while preserving agricultural traditions.
Olive Farming in Times of War: IIn southern Lebanon, Samer Hasbany is keeping his centuries-old family olive groves alive despite cross-border attacks and soil contamination. With Innovation Hub support, he is turning olive waste into sustainable fuel logs, ensuring his farm can adapt through crisis.
Together with HydroLife and Eco Fruits, these stories show how local innovation can confront global challenges: water scarcity, climate change, food insecurity, and war.
HydroLife, Eco Fruits, and other Innovation Hub projects prove that even in the face of drought, conflict, and economic crisis, local innovators can deliver real solutions. By rethinking how food is grown and how resources are used, they are building resilience where traditional systems are failing.
At Ideas Beyond Borders, we see this every day: small investments in local entrepreneurs translate into healthier communities, stronger economies, and hope for the future.
🔗 Want to support more innovators like HydroLife, Eco Fruits, and Shamarekh? Explore our Innovation Hub program and see how small investments are powering big change.