Smart City Playbook

Environment & Agriculture

Usecases

Zero Food Waste Platform “Ne3mah”

The “Ne3mah” Platform, meaning blessing in Arabic, is aimed at realizing a zero-food waste by serving as a marketplace where private entities (i.e. homes and social gatherings) as well as commercial entities (i.e. restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, and bakeries) can offer their surplus of food to charities and people in need. Amid the high dependency on food imports, sensible consumption and mindful waste management are key for Al Madinah’s city’s food security given the poor adoption of sustainable habits across households and businesses. Al Madinah city, therefore, needs to minimize city-level food waste by connecting sources that have excess food supply with segments in need. Through “Ne3mah” platform, users are connected to stores, restaurants, and bakeries in their proximity, from which extra food is shared free-of-charge or purchased at reduced rates. The platform is backed by a logistics network to help connect supply and demand seamlessly through automated schedules.

KEY

CHALLENGES

Sector stakeholders are unaware of sustainability commitments and environmental responsibility principles

KEY EXPECTED BENEFITS

Reduced Food Waste

Excessive food will be utilized instead of being wasted

Awareness and Engagement

Residents will be more aware and encouraged to participate and engage socially in this cause

Less Cost

Charities and NGOs will bear less costs to help people in needs

ALIGNMENT TO SMART CITY OBJECTIVES

Efficient

TARGET USERS

Hospitality Business Owner / Manager

Campaigner

National Environmental Centers

Resident

Tourist

USE CASE

JOURNEY

Andrea, an Italian chef who runs a restaurant in Al Madinah, is looking for sustainable solutions to reduce food waste. He decides to sign up on the “Ne3mah” Platform, which is made available to the public to link surplus food sources with people in need.

Following the inventory of excess food in the restaurant, Andrea shares a post on the online platform, including the location of his restaurant, his contact information, and pictures of the excess food with the quantities available.

Registered charities automatically receive notifications of the listing, enabling them to connect with Andrea. Via a click on the platform, they confirm their interest and dispatch drivers to pick-up the needed quantities. Quantities on the listing are then automatically adjusted as different charities make real-time bookings. Upon the depletion of quantities, the listing is automatically deleted by the platform.

By the end of each year, Andrea can access a report showing the number of charities and people who benefitted from his food donation, motivating him to keep on using the platform to reduce food waste in the city.

POTENTIAL SERVICE FEATURES

Integration with beneficiaries

Real-time fleet management

Automated scheduling

Loyalty program

Nearest truck option

KEY TOUCH POINTS

Website

Mobile Application

Charity Centers

Implementation
Timeline

Within 6 months

12 – 18 months

Over 24 months

Technology Commercial Viability

Currently commercialized

1 – 3 years to commercialize

5+ years to
commercialize

Regulatory Conduciveness

No New Policies and
Standards

Some Policies &
Standards to be
Introduced

Complex Policies to be
Introduced

Investment Requirement

Low

Medium

High

Use Case Ownership

Government Driven

Piloted by Gov. & Transitioned to Private Sector

Private Sector

Startups & Entrepreneurs

IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS

Policies for water usage in private properties

Integration with smart home management systems

Regulations for seed imports

POTENTIAL TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

IN THE MARKET

Environment & Agriculture

Use Cases

Smart Farming Solutions

Eco Digital Wallet

“Farm-to-Table” 
Transformation Toolkit

Sustainable Living Dashboard “Rasheed”

Zero Food Waste Platform “Ne3mah”

Smart Waste
Management

Central Farmers Community & Marketplace

Vertical & Community Agriculture

Smart Green Buildings

Interactive Connected Street