FSD Africa Impact Empowering Growth: Catalyst Fund’s tailored support accelerated Sand to Green’s take-off

Sand to Green, supported by the Catalyst Fund through the Catalysing Climate Resilience (CCR) Programme, uses agroforestry and solar desalination to transform deserts into productive farmland. With $100,000 in initial capital and tailored support, the firm secured $1 million in seed funding, expanded its land holdings to 30 hectares in Morocco, and grew its annual turnover from €30,000 in 2019 to over €100,000 in 2020.

• Sand to Green utilizes a combination of agroforestry, solar desalination, and climate-smart farming to combat desertification and create regenerative farms that produce food, biofuels, and carbon credits.
• Through the 11th cohort of the Catalysing Climate Resilience (CCR) Programme, Sand to Green received $100,000 in capital and venture-building support focusing on financial management, technological development, and marketing, which helped the firm secure $1 million in seed funding.
• Within three years, Sand to Green achieved several operational milestones: it tested its agroforestry model on 5 hectares, acquired a 30-hectare parcel in the Guelmim Region of Morocco, created eight jobs, and grew its customer base to over 100 clients.
• The firm's annual turnover increased from €30,000 in 2019 to more than €100,000 in 2020.
• Sand to Green intends to scale its operations by seeking 300-500 hectares of land over the next year and envisions a global franchise model featuring modelling software, farmer training programs, and a monitoring platform to monetize impacts.

APA

FSD Africa (n.d.). FSD Africa Impact Empowering Growth: Catalyst Fund’s tailored support accelerated Sand to Green’s take-off. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FSD-Africa-Impact-Sand-to-Green-20.09.2023.pdf

Chicago

FSD Africa. FSD Africa Impact Empowering Growth: Catalyst Fund’s tailored support accelerated Sand to Green’s take-off. n.d. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FSD-Africa-Impact-Sand-to-Green-20.09.2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=FSD Africa Impact Empowering Growth: Catalyst Fund’s tailored support accelerated Sand to Green’s take-off |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FSD-Africa-Impact-Sand-to-Green-20.09.2023.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fsdafricandfsd, author = {{FSD Africa}}, title = {{FSD Africa Impact Empowering Growth: Catalyst Fund’s tailored support accelerated Sand to Green’s take-off}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FSD-Africa-Impact-Sand-to-Green-20.09.2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }