Tathmeer Agri Tech, the UAE’s first Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA)-approved and Sharia-compliant AgriTech crowdfunding platform and ecosystem, has launched MENA’s first Integrated Agri-Tech Innovation Centre in partnership with Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK) in Sharjah. Set to be established on a dedicated land plot within SPARK, the centre will create a real-world environment for agricultural technologies to be demonstrated, tested and validated before commercial deployment and scale-up.

It will bring together controlled-environment agriculture, hydroponics, vertical farming, automation, IoT and AI-enabled monitoring, alongside Tathmeer’s FarmBridge digital platform, the platform says. It will also support applied R&D pilots, farmer training, technology selection, startup development and connections between agricultural producers, technology providers, investors and markets.

The initiative reflects SPARK’s role in attracting technology-driven companies and enabling them to develop, test and commercialise solutions within an integrated innovation ecosystem. By providing land, infrastructure, ecosystem access and facilitation, SPARK will support the development of a dedicated platform for advancing agricultural technologies in Sharjah and the wider region.

Tathmeer Agri Tech has also partnered with Elevate Farms, a leading vertical farming technology company with operations and presence in Canada, the US and Switzerland. The partnership is expected to strengthen the centre’s access to advanced vertical farming technologies and support their demonstration, validation and potential deployment in the UAE and the wider region.

The initiative comes as the UAE continues to place food security and sustainable agricultural production among its strategic priorities, with advanced technologies playing an increasingly important role in addressing challenges including water scarcity, limited arable land and demanding climatic conditions.

Hussain Al Mahmoudi, chief executive officer of the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK), says, “SPARK’s mandate is to transform research, technology and innovation into practical economic value. This collaboration with Tathmeer Agri Tech reflects the type of investment we want to attract to Sharjah: companies that combine technology, applied R&D, physical infrastructure and market access to address strategic priorities such as food security, sustainability and economic diversification.

“By providing land, ecosystem access and facilitation, SPARK will support Tathmeer in developing an Agri-Tech centre that can demonstrate solutions, connect with government and industry, and help accelerate sustainable agriculture innovation. More broadly, initiatives such as this strengthen Sharjah’s ability to bring international technologies into the region and create an environment where they can be tested, developed and taken towards commercial application.”

A component of the centre will be Tathmeer’s FarmBridge Agri-Ecosystem, designed to connect farmers, technology companies, investors, government entities, entrepreneurs, SMEs, supply-chain operators and food and beverage businesses through a coordinated digital and physical platform. The model aims to help farmers address three fundamental commercial questions — what to grow, how to grow and where to sell — while enabling agricultural technologies to be tested under practical conditions before wider investment and deployment.

Training and capacity building will form another major component of the centre, with planned certification, field-learning and skills-development programmes for farmers, agronomists, entrepreneurs and technology adopters.

The facility will also serve as a testbed for emerging agricultural technologies, supporting startups and technology providers seeking to demonstrate their solutions, validate their performance and establish their commercial viability.

Tathmeer is additionally expected to participate in the Agriculture Innovation Zone at Sharjah Next – Sustainability, with potential technology demonstrations and workshops contributing to the wider innovation programme.

The collaboration supports wider UAE priorities in food security, sustainability, entrepreneurship, innovation and economic diversification, while reinforcing Sharjah’s efforts to attract technology companies capable of developing and scaling commercially relevant solutions.