Date: 25 May, 2025
Location: Dubai - UAE
Dubai, Sunday, 25 May 2025
The Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 6th Grain, a leading U.S.-based digital agriculture solutions provider, to foster cooperation in leveraging cutting-edge technologies that support sustainable agricultural development across the Arab region.
The signing ceremony was held at AAAID’s headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with H.E. Dr. Obaid Saif Hamad Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Board of AAAID, and Dr. Vladimir Eskin, Founder and CEO of 6th Grain, representing their respective organizations.
This agreement is a key component of AAAID’s strategic vision to harness digital innovation and data-driven solutions aimed at strengthening food security and enhancing agricultural investment efficiency in its member states.
H.E. Dr. Obaid Al Zaabi highlighted the significance of this partnership, stating: “The MoU with 6th Grain reflects our commitment to accelerating digital transformation in the agricultural sector, which plays a pivotal role in improving production efficiency and enhancing the competitiveness of agricultural projects. This initiative aligns with AAAID’s vision to adopt advanced, knowledge-based solutions that support food security across Arab countries and promote sustainable Agri-investment in accordance with international best practices.”
He added that this collaboration marks a major step in expanding AAAID’s international cooperation with leading Agri-tech firms and applying smart farming technologies in impactful investment projects. Digital tools for crop monitoring and data analysis will enable evidence-based decisions, optimize resource use, and improve production quality throughout the Arab world.
Dr. Vladimir Eskin, CEO and Founder of 6th Grain, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership:
“This agreement ushers in a promising new chapter for collaborative digital agriculture. Together with AAAID, we aim to deploy digital tools that empower policymakers with reliable intelligence, assist farmers in making timely and effective decisions, and build national capacity in utilizing remote sensing technologies.”
He continued: “Leveraging over a decade of experience in the MENA region, 6th Grain is prepared to deliver measurable results across multiple countries within the next 6 to 12 months. Since 2015, we have developed high-resolution crop classification maps and health indices for key crops such as maize, wheat, sunflower, and soybean. These tools have supported strategic decisions for clients including the World Bank, the Gates Foundation, PIF, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, and regional ministries of agriculture. We look forward to contributing this expertise to AAAID’s mission in the Arab world.”
Areas of Cooperation
Under the MoU, the two parties will collaborate in a range of key areas, aims to exchange expertise and develop technological projects that serve the objectives of sustainable agricultural development. Areas of cooperation include providing digital agriculture tools and solutions to support agricultural decision-making and improve production efficiency, monitoring crop health and productivity, mapping productivity at regional, national, and field levels, as well as offering specialized consulting in remote sensing technologies. Additionally, the memorandum includes implementing training and capacity-building programs for the personnel of the Authority and its affiliated companies in the field of digital agricultural solutions, ensuring full national data sovereignty and enabling the Authority to independently manage, maintain, and continuously improve the platform without any external support.
About AAAID
The Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID) is a multilateral organization comprising 21 Arab member states. As of the end of 2024, AAAID has equity participation in 45 agricultural companies across four main sectors: food processing, animal production, crop production, and agricultural services. AAAID’s total investments in these ventures amount to approximately USD 664 million.
The Authority supports sustainable agricultural development initiatives that aim to narrow the regional food gap and uplift rural communities. AAAID and its subsidiaries play a pivotal role in supporting smallholder farmers, transferring agricultural technologies, and delivering developmental programs that promote knowledge-sharing and applied research.
For more information, visit: www.aaaid.org
About 6th Grain
6th Grain (6G) leverages over a decade of expertise in digital agriculture and geospatial analytics to deliver actionable intelligence for agricultural development. 6G is uniquely positioned to meet these needs, as demonstrated by our strong track record in delivering similar solutions across the MENA region. Since 2015, we have created 10-meter resolution crop classification maps for maize, wheat, sunflower, and soybean, as well as detailed forage and rangeland health indices, supporting decision-making for clients such as the World Bank, Gates Foundation, PIF (Saudi Coffee Company, KSA), Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (UAE), Syngenta and regional ministries of agriculture. These maps and analytics have informed resource allocation, irrigation scheduling, and pasture management strategies—enabling stakeholders to optimize inputs and mitigate climate-related risks.
6G has already produced high-resolution agricultural and rangeland products for several Middle Eastern and North African countries. In the past, we have generated cropped area, pasture and productivity maps for Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Mauritania, and Egypt for previous years. All classification and monitoring models are fully operational and can be relaunched immediately under our partnership with AAAID. Generating these maps and analytics for the previous and current crop seasons across the AAAID countries will provide the Government officials with complete intelligence on expected food production during the current crop season.
For more information, visit: www.6grain.com
