Agriculture currently contributes more than 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, in part due to harmful products that are being used in the sector. But Dr Beenish Siddique has been working on a solution.

Dr Siddique is the CEO of AEH Innovative Hydrogel Ltd, a clean tech company designing the next generation of climate smart solutions, built to support global food security and regenerative agriculture.

The company's core innovation is its patented hydrogel, made from natural materials which retain water and nutrients efficiently.  As a result, it increases crop yield and reduces water and fertiliser use (in traditional farming it can reduce water and nutrient usage by around 40%), as well as generating higher germination rates.

AEH's hydrogel is 100% sustainable and 100% peat-free. When manufactured it produces no waste, so it's designed to help farmers and plant growers replace environmentally-damaging practices like peat harvesting, and to reduce their reliance on chemical fertiliser. It can also sequester carbon – storing carbon dioxide inside the soil, rather than releasing it into the environment.

AEH already serves two markets with their product: indoor/ greenhouse farming and more traditional agriculture, such as rice, wheat, or maize farming, with small-scale production currently taking place within Manchester's Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre.

Next year, they're planning to build on this production by establishing manufacturing facilities in both the UK and Malaysia (where they'll be able to target countries with lots of rice crop farming). Yet their long-term aim is for AEH to be a global supplier, helping to regenerate soil worldwide and reshape sustainable agriculture. As Dr Siddique notes, "It's a real chance to make a difference… to farmers’ lives and for future generations”.