Episodes

  • 2024-25 Winners of the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme

    2024-25 Winners of the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme
    Jun 30 2025
    Tatiana Antonelli-Abella sits down with the winners of the 2024-25 cohort of the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Initiative. Now in its second year, the Venture Programme received 660 registration and 190 innovation solutions, each focused on soil regeneration, climate and water-resilient agricultural practices, and addressing food security. This years’s winners are: Omaima Marhane from Actinobacteria, developing solutions to tackle water stress in arid soils. Dr. Budour A. Alghamdi, Eng. Wafa A. Alrasheed, and Dr. Adil E. Abdelnour from Farm to 2Fs, turning animal waste into bioenergy and fertilizer. ⁠Teodoro Garcia-Millan, Fran Robson, and Veronica Greco from RedDot, revolutionizing pest control with RNA-based technology. You can find out more about the Venture Programme, the winners, and the Top 20 solutions here. You can also listen to the winners of the first cohort here. We also want to thank our partners, HSBC and ⁠Saudi Awal Bank, who worked with us to both upskill and empower innovative solutions like these through funding and mentorship, helping them progress towards becoming viable commercial possibilities.
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Cultivating the Future: Transforming Arid Agriculture with Dr. Ismahane Elouafi

    Cultivating the Future: Transforming Arid Agriculture with Dr. Ismahane Elouafi
    Apr 24 2025
    For the final episode of our special mini-series, Tatiana Antonelli-Abella is joined by Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural innovation network. Dr. Elouafi was just named as one of the 100 most influential people of 2025 by TIME Magazine. Dr. Elouafi shares more about her work at CGIAR and their groundbreaking research, which has transformed food security in regions facing salinity and water scarcity. This episode is part of Our Land, Our Future, a special mini-series of Forward Talks by Goumbook focused on land restoration and combating desertification. This special series is brought to you in partnership with Saudi Awwal Bank. Find out more at: https://www.sab.com/esg/.
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • Polar regions sentinels of climate change, biodiversity, and human resilience, with Wassim Said

    Polar regions sentinels of climate change, biodiversity, and human resilience, with Wassim Said
    Mar 21 2025
    Tatiana Antonelli-Abella is joined by Wassim Said for a special episode of Forward Talks to mark the inaugural World Day for Glaciers and 2025 being the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Wassim is a Steering Committee member of the Emirates Polar Program in addition to being an Advisor with the UAE’s Presidential Court. Wassim explains the critical role of glaciers as freshwater sources and in the context of climate change, and the work of the Emirates Polar Program.
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • Take a Breath Webinar 1: Indoor Air Quality and Health: Global to Local Challenges and Opportunities

    Take a Breath Webinar 1: Indoor Air Quality and Health: Global to Local Challenges and Opportunities
    Mar 7 2025
    Part of ‘Take a Breath’ Webinar Series: "Breathing into the Future: Creating Healthier Spaces for Resilient Cities and Communities”. Our opening session, "Indoor Air Quality and Health: Global to Local Challenges and Opportunities" was held on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Panel of experts included: Heba Safi – World Health Organisation, Technical Officer on Air Quality and Health Vahid Hosseini- Lead on Transportation-Related Air Pollution at UNU-INWEH Kholood Altassan - Assistant Professor in Environmental and Occupational Health and Head of the Preventive Medicine and Public Health Unit at King Saud University Frank Hammes - IQAir Global CEO (IQAir: First in Air Quality) For more information on Take a Breath visit: www.TakeaBreath.ae
    Show More Show Less
    58 mins
  • FAO’s Role in Combating Desertification: Insights with Feras Ziadat

    FAO’s Role in Combating Desertification: Insights with Feras Ziadat
    Feb 4 2025
    Tatiana Antonelli-Abella is joined by Feras Ziadat, who is currently a Land and Water Officer with a specific focus on land resource management and planning at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. Mr. Ziadat played a pivotal role in coordinating the FAO flagship report titled The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture, SOLO, and he also updating the FAO Guide on integrated land use planning. In this episode, he talks about fostering participatory and integrated land use planning, combating land degradation and desertification, and the dangers of sand and dust storms. Prior to this role, Mr. Ziadat held the position of Senior Scientist at ICARDA and served as an Associate Professor at the University of Jordan. He has also served as the chair of the United Nations Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms. This episode is part of Our Land, Our Future, a special mini-series of Forward Talks by Goumbook focused on land restoration and combating desertification. This special series is brought to you in partnership with Saudi Awwal Bank. Find out more at: https://www.sab.com/esg/.
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • Financing the Future: Driving Sustainability and Regenerative Growth in KSA, with Ali Tariq Khan

    Financing the Future: Driving Sustainability and Regenerative Growth in KSA, with Ali Tariq Khan
    Jan 13 2025
    Tatiana Antonelli-Abella is joined by Ali Tariq Khan, Senior Advisor for ESG Matters at Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB), a leading corporate, institutional and trade finance bank in Saudi Arabia with a strategic partnership with HSBC Group. In this current role, Ali’s ESG responsibilities include disclosures, governance, policy, training, net-zero commitments and he leads multiple industry initiatives as well. Ali is a seasoned banker with 20 years of experience with strategic positions at Standard Chartered Bank and the HSBC Group across multiple geographies both worldwide and in the Middle East. This episode is part of Our Land, Our Future, a special mini-series of Forward Talks by Goumbook focused on land restoration and combating desertification. This special series is brought to you in partnership with Saudi Awwal Bank. Find out more at: https://www.sab.com/esg/.
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Land Restoration: Regenerative Solutions for Arid Lands, with Neal Spackman

    Land Restoration: Regenerative Solutions for Arid Lands, with Neal Spackman
    Jan 6 2025
    Tatiana Antonelli-Abella is joined by Neal Spackman to discuss the Al Baydah Restoration Project in Saudi Arabia, a groundbreaking project he led in partnership with the King Faisal Foundation, starting with a 100-acre prototype watershed in 2010. Neal is co-founder at Regenerative AquaForestry Technologies, and partner at Regenerative Studios, a design & Strategy consultancy. He focuses on enterprise development and disrupting conventional methods of agricultural production, and has led and advised regenerative projects in Latin America, the US, West & East Africa, Southern Europe as well as in the Middle East. This episode is part of Our Land, Our Future, a special mini-series of Forward Talks by Goumbook focused on land restoration and combating desertification. This special series is brought to you in partnership with Saudi Awwal Bank. Find out more at: https://www.sab.com/esg/.
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • Water Bankruptcy: Rethinking Drought, Soil, and Agriculture, with Professor Kaveh Madani

    Water Bankruptcy: Rethinking Drought, Soil, and Agriculture, with Professor Kaveh Madani
    Dec 19 2024
    Welcome to Our Land, Our Future, a special mini-series of Forward Talks by Goumbook focused on land restoration and combating desertification. Our first episode features Professor Kaveh Madani, a prominent environmental scientist, educator, and leader known for his work on complex human-natural systems at the interface of science, policy, and society. With over 300 publications, Professor Kaveh is currently the Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). Funded by the Government of Canada, the Institute leads efforts to address global water, environmental and health challenges through research, capacity building and policy solutions as the academic arm of the United Nations. Professor Madani discusses the concept of "water bankruptcy," and argues that simply increasing water supply is not a sufficient solution to address our water needs. He also explains the need for a global approach to addressing desertification and land degradation. This special series is brought to you in partnership with Saudi Awwal Bank. Find out more at: https://www.sab.com/esg/. Links: UNU-INWEH | United Nations University UN: Invest in Nature to Cut Billion-Dollar Costs of Droughts | United Nations University Five drought myths experts say must be shattered Hurricane Helene Posed a Threat to Over 31,000 Properties in the U.S., with a Combined Value Exceeding $12.5 Billion | United Nations University
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins