Every year, the UN SDG Action Awards spotlight the Heroes of Tomorrow—changemakers transforming hope into action for a more sustainable and just world.
Among them is Smartel, the winner of the 2025 UN SDG Action Awards Creativity Award, making farming possible in areas where land and resources are scarce. By combining science with design and social impact, Smartel is not just producing food—it is building a resilient, climate-adapted food systems in Nigeria and beyond. Its vision is bold yet simple: every community, no matter how remote or resource-challenged, should have the tools to grow its own future.
In Nigeria, 33 million people face acute food insecurity, with the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe the hardest hit. While over 70% of Nigerians rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, 43% of the country’s land is degraded by desertification, with depleting land and water resources.
However, Smartel is proving that future-ready farming is already here. With its multi-award-winning modular hydroponic system—a soil-free farming method that grows crops using water enriched with nutrients—Smartel is transforming how and where food can be grown, from city rooftops to refugee camps, while creating new economic opportunities for marginalized communities.
Rooted in Resilience
At the heart of Smartel’s story is Smart Israel, a Nigerian climate-tech innovator and entrepreneur born to a mid-income household in Taraba State. Having experienced the struggles of food insecurity and seen its impact on people and planet, Smart turned personal hardship into purpose: to ensure no community is left behind in the fight for food security and climate resilience.
Drawing on his background in engineering and renewable energy, he developed an AI-powered, solar-driven hydroponic “farm-in-a-box” system made from recycled plastic. These portable, modular systems allow communities to grow fresh produce in even the harshest conditions—on rooftops, in schools, refugee camps, or arid lands.
Scaling a New Model of Agriculture
What started as a grassroots experiment evolved into a scalable model that blends technology, community co-creation, and environmental regeneration. Today, Smartel’s community-led hydroponic hubs serve as both food production centers and local innovation labs, where women and youth receive hands-on training in climate-smart agriculture. Each hub becomes a space for learning, experimentation, and entrepreneurship—turning unused spaces into centers of opportunity and hope.
Grow. Adapt. Thrive.
Smartel’s results speak for itself. It has already produced thousands of kilos of fresh food for vulnerable communities while reducing water use by up to 90% compared to conventional farming. Beyond food, it is creating livelihoods for women entrepreneurs, youth, and smallholder farmers—turning unused spaces into thriving economic hubs. To date, Smartel has reached more than 150,000 people across Nigeria and Rwanda, training over 15,000 youth in building and operating their own hydroponic farms. Recognized with multiple global awards including the UN SDG Action Awards Creativity winner, Smartel is setting a new benchmark for climate-smart agriculture.
Smartel invites governments, donors, and changemakers to invest in community-led agriculture that is scalable, sustainable, and ready to meet the challenges of a warming world.
From fighting food insecurity to rewriting the rules of agriculture, the Heroes of Tomorrow like Smartel are proving that creativity and innovation can not only grow hope but sustain the future—anywhere.
“To every young dreamer listening to me today, always remember that we are the bridge between the failures of the past and the blessings of the future. Now is the best time for you to act. Wake up, build with compassion, innovate with love, and take up the world’s biggest challenges because you can.”
— Smart Israel, Founder of Smartel Agri-Tech at the Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony in Rome
