Abstract:
Over 20 million tonnes of organic waste are produced annually in Saudi Arabia and virtually all of it ends up in landfills, causing significant damage to the environment through the release of greenhouse gases and harmful leachates. Edama began with the mission to turn this waste into a resource by using composting to transform organic waste into products to support sustainable agriculture. After building Saudi Arabia’s first composting facility to solve the organic waste issue at KAUST, Edama has grown to become the leading company developing and deploying organic waste recycling solutions and products in Saudi Arabia, allowing it to set sights on tackling the issues of landfill pollution, water scarcity and desertification at a national scale.

After a 20 min talk, bus transportation will be provided for attendees who would like to visit Edama’s facilities upon registration.

Bus registration: https://forms.gle/5UhbECmnfW1zz1Bo8

Bio:
Dr. As CTO, Mitchell leads Edama’s facility design, operations, and science and technology teams, applying his experience and scientific know-how to optimize our composting processes and design innovative products that address the needs of desert agriculture. Mitch holds a Bachelor’s in Biology from Imperial College London, a Masters in Bioscience, and Ph.D. in Plant Science from KAUST. He has spent the last 10 years specializing in plant science and desert agriculture, managing field trials in desert environments around the world, and learning about the challenges of growing plants successfully and sustainably in arid conditions