Algerian vertical farm wins Mediterranean award for young entrepreneurs

Mokhtar Bouazza, the 31-year-old founder of a vertical farm called Gardens of Babylon, and Beanoumeur Bakhti of the business incubation team at Mascara University in Algeria were presented with the ARLEM Award: Young local entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean on 7 November by the co-chairs of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM).

The award, which was created in 2019, recognises successful collaboration between entrepreneurs younger than 35 and local authorities in the Mediterranean region.

Mr Bouazza's business draws on smart technology to maximise yields while minimising environmental impact, including the use of water. The company emerged out of a business-incubation programme created by Mascara University.

The selection panel also praised the level of technological innovation – including its use of sensors, computer vision, farm-management software, and artificial intelligence – and its impact on the local rural community. The business employs 12 people and has trained 100 farmers and entrepreneurs.

The award was developed by ARLEM, which brings together local and regional politicians drawn from the 43 countries in the Union for the Mediterranean, in cooperation with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and other partners. ARLEM's members from European Union countries are drawn from the European Committee of the Regions, which founded ARLEM in 2009 and serves as ARLEM's secretariat.

Quotes:  

• Mokhtar Bouazza, founder of Gardens of Babylon and winner of the ARLEM Award: Young local entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean: "Agriculture was once the source of life in my home state, Mascara, but environmental problems left many areas dry, including my family's land. Support from local institutions for emerging companies made us bold and we started asking: how can we bring life back to this land? This is where Gardens of Babylon technology came in. This AI-driven system saves 90% of water and helps farmers to grow more in less space: in 300 square metres what once required 4 hectares. What makes this solution innovative is that farmers do not need to learn anything about technology because AI works for them. Mascara University's incubator opened many doors for us. We are only a company; we cannot do everything alone." 

• Joško Klisović (HR/PES), member of the Assembly of the City of Zagreb and co-chair of the ARLEM plenary meeting on behalf of the European Committee of the Regions: "This award celebrates much more than innovation — it recognises the power of young people and local communities to drive the green and digital transition in the Mediterranean. Mokhtar’s project shows that when universities, local authorities and entrepreneurs work hand in hand, they can turn ideas into jobs, sustainability and hope. This is exactly the kind of partnership our region needs for a fairer and more resilient future." 

• Samir Chibani, Wali of the waliya of Oran, Algeria and ARLEM co-president for the Mediterranean partners' group: "We believe that the future belongs to our youth. The ARLEM Young Entrepreneurs Award embodies this conviction: it highlights local innovation and supports the potential of the next generation, the essential driving force behind sustainable and inclusive development in our region."  

• Joan Borrell, Deputy Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean: "The ARLEM Award underscores how partnerships between young entrepreneurs and their local and regional authorities turn innovation into jobs and resilience across the Mediterranean. The Union for the Mediterranean is proud to support this initiative. Congratulations to this year’s Algerian laureates and their public partners."

More information:  

• Background information on the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) is available on the website of the European Committee of the Regions. 

• The ARLEM award is open to young entrepreneurs from the EU's partner countries in the Mediterranean whose businesses have been active for three years or more and have been supported in their development by a local or regional authority.  Applicants must be 35 or younger. Applications accepted this year came from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Türkiye and Tunisia.  

• The evaluation committee was chaired by the European Committee of the Regions, which serves as the secretariat of ARLEM. The committee also included representatives from: the Union for the Mediterranean; the European Training Foundation; the Inter-Mediterranean Commission of Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions; and Anima Invest. 

• The winner of the award in 2024 was Aïda Kandil, who, with the support of the Casablanca Chamber of Crafts, established an online platform – MyTindy – selling hand-made products. Previous winners are: Oğuzhan Saritaş from İzmir, Turkey, creator of the Car4Future app for owners of electric vehicles; Manar Ramadan of Banlastic Egypt, a company in Alexandria, Egypt, that offers alternatives to single-use plastic bags and provides green services; Erilda Krasi of 1001 Albanian Adventures, a tour operator based in the city of Berat, Albania; Zimni Jadeed, whose fashion business for women is based in Tripoli, Libya; and a date-processing business – Rima Dates – in Ghardaia, Algeria.