Goumbook: Environmental Stewardship and Systemic Change in the Middle East
We are proud to announce that Tatiana Antonelli Abella, the Founder and Managing Director of Goumbook, and Marie Deschamps, Director of the MENA Regenerative Agriculture Programme at Goumbook, will return to Cities Leading Food Production during VIV Europe 2026 in Utrecht to host a roundtable on Environmental Stewardship and Systemic Change, and their extensive experience in the Middle East.
Goumbook is a pioneering social enterprise established in 2009 to accelerate sustainability and climate action across the UAE and the wider MENA region. A respected environmental advocate and thought leader, Tatiana has built a strong reputation for driving impactful initiatives that connect businesses, governments, and communities around environmental stewardship and systemic change.
Tatiana Antonelli Abella - Goumbook
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Tatiana at Cities Leading Food Production during VIV MEA 2025 in Abu Dhabi:
“More than half of our farmers are over 56, so who will produce our food in 10 years? Many don’t want their children to follow in their footsteps — they say, “Go study accounting or law.” That mindset creates a real food security challenge for the next decades. Our goal is to empower farmers to see themselves as entrepreneurs and adopt affordable, practical and scalable innovations.”
“These innovations must be accessible and grounded in ancestral wisdom. A century ago, farmers knew how to work with the land, it's our challenge to bridge this knowledge with modern methods. We need to develop regenerative agriculture for this region, considering water scarcity, salinity, and degraded soils. The good news is that regional collaboration is growing, and countries are coming together to confront these challenges collectively. Together we can create food security for all.”
Marie Deschamps - MENA
Cities Leading Food Production, Abu Dhabi, Nov 2025
Marie on MENA’s activities: “We brought regenerative agriculture into our innovation programme—not importing ideas, but finding the right innovation for the region. We launched a venture accelerator designed to support researchers as well as startups; we even accept research papers. When we find research‑backed, nature‑based solutions suited to our context, we integrate them. In the first year we had about 150 expressions of interest; within two years that grew to over 600 registrations from 65 countries, across five continents and more than 80 research institutes and universities.”
“This proves that relevant solutions exist worldwide, and that the innovations we need for our regional challenges are already being developed—challenges others will face in 10–20 years.”
Roundtable ‘Environmental Stewardship and Systemic Change in the Middle East’
Thursday, June 4th, Innovation Square 1, 13:30-14:30, VIV Hall 10, Jaarbeurs
Register your free ticket for VIV Europe 2026 in Utrecht and join us at Cities Leading Food Production’s Innovation Atelier!
