Water and Energy for Food (WE4F)

WATER AND ENERGY FOR FOOD (WE4F)

LOCATION

Nationwide

LIFE OF ACTIVITY

July 2021 - July 2025

USAID FUNDING

$3.5 million

IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS

Berytech, CEWAS Middle East, Chemonics Egypt, International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 

OVERVIEW

USAID, through its WE4F project, is helping Iraqi companies, organizations, and innovators to produce more food while using less water and energy. The private sector is at the forefront of addressing this challenge with innovative technologies. 

GOALS

Together with investors and partners, the WE4F project scales mid-to-later stage enterprises that have an environmental and social impact on the water-energy-food nexus.

Through WE4F, innovators access the financial and technical support, as well as investment matching, to improve the sustainability and productivity of food production and farming across the country. Supported projects must fulfill strict environmental, social, and governance criteria, have positive effects on the environment, strive for social inclusion, and ensure secure access to food for all. 

IMPACT

• Helped 12,500 smallholder farmers produce more than 45,000 tons of food while saving over 9 GWh of electricity and four million liters of water. This reduced CO2 emissions by more than 44,000 tons.
• Sales of water and energy- saving solutions reached over $2.7 million in 2023. 
• With access to over $1.7 million in funding, 25% of innovators were able to scale up.
• Leveraging $1.4 million in funding from the Swedish International Development Agency, an additional nine innovators had access to $2 million in grants in 2024.