Mohannad’s ‘less is more’ approach to a tech-enabled solution for the Ministry of Agriculture in Jordan

To Mohannad, 30, technology is a double-edged sword. He strongly believes in its unequivocal potential but also warns against its uselessness when it’s too complex and off-putting.

This is why he became a strong believer in the 'less is more' approach when harnessing tech to solve problems.

To do so, the young entrepreneur participated in our Idea Bank project's hackathon in Jordan to help the Ministry of Agriculture find solutions to a challenge they've been facing. While the ministry has material and experts providing education, training, and development support for farming, it has faced difficulties in reaching and attracting interest and demand from farmers.

"Similarly, many farmers are illiterate, so they, too, experience difficulties in getting the agricultural advice they need. Therefore, to be able to actually reach them, I created a simple, user-friendly, and interactive solution for learning and educational material using short, to-the-point Arabic videos", explains Mohannad.

In doing so, Mohannad's solution helped the Ministry in boosting farmers' demand for their education, training, and development support. This will in turn increase the quality and quantity of their crops, driving more sales and international exports and hence improving livelihoods.

The project, funded by the U.S. State Department and the US. - Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), brings together young, creative entrepreneurs and problem-solvers with government ministries.

The public-private partnership between the two yields very positive results with entrepreneurs helping governments digitise and solve their challenges accordingly.

In doing so, Idea Bank creates new economic opportunities for Jordanian youth while advancing digital transformation and innovation within participating ministries. It also bolsters the government’s efforts in reflecting and advancing transparency, accountability, and civic participation and empowerment.