What MetaMeta does

MetaMeta is a Netherlands-headquartered social enterprise, founded in 2004 and now operating as part of GOPA AFC within the GOPA Consulting Group since 2024. The firm delivers applied research, technical assistance, and program implementation focused on water, land, and climate management in developing economies, serving governments, multilateral development banks (World Bank, Asian Development Bank), UN organisations, bilateral donors, NGOs, and research institutions. Its service portfolio spans water management, salinity management, Green Roads for Water, flood-based livelihoods, regenerative agriculture, landscape rehabilitation, groundwater governance, urban water resilience, and SMART Centres for affordable water technologies.

Name

MetaMeta

Legal name

MetaMeta

Website

https://metameta.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MetaMeta is a Dutch social enterprise and consulting firm that delivers applied research and program implementation in water, land, and climate management for governments and multilateral development organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Consulting (Water and Land Management)

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)

Keywords

• Water management consulting
• International development consulting
• Climate resilience services
• Regenerative agriculture advisory
• Flood-based livelihoods consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Wageningen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. International Development Consulting Services: MetaMeta generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements with development organizations, governments, and multilateral agencies. Services include applied research, program management, training, guideline and policy development, and implementation support across water, land, and climate themes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MetaMeta is a social enterprise providing applied research, program management, consulting, and training services in water governance, land management, and climate resilience. It serves governments, multilateral development banks, UN organizations, and NGOs through project-based engagements across eight thematic pillars: water management, green roads for water, flood-based livelihoods, regenerative agriculture, landscape rehabilitation, groundwater management, urban water resilience, and SMART Centres. Delivery is supported by Horizontal Learning and Games with a Heart methodologies and knowledge dissemination via TheWaterChannel platform.

Product overview

MetaMeta is a technical consulting organization (social enterprise) specializing in water, land, and climate solutions, operating through three specialized companies in the Netherlands (MetaMeta Research, MetaMeta Management, and MetaMeta Communications). The organization offers a portfolio of integrated service pillars: Water Management Services (including salinity management and agricultural productivity), Green Roads for Water (roads-as-water-infrastructure solutions), Flood Based Livelihoods Network (managing productive flood systems), Regenerative Agriculture (soil health and climate-resilient farming), Landscape Rehabilitation (3R water buffering approaches), Urban Water Resilience (sponge city concepts), Groundwater Management, and SMART Centres (affordable water technologies). These are supported by horizontal learning methodologies and Games with a Heart educational tools, all disseminated through TheWaterChannel media platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Water Channel: A public service outlet with more than 2500 videos, blogs and special dossiers for water management content.
• SMART Centre Group
• Flood Based Livelihood Network
• Green Roads for Water Alliance
• Games with a Heart

Products and services

• Water Management Services Comprehensive water management consulting including stakeholder engagement, big data analysis, agricultural water productivity improvement, salinity management, and institutional strengthening for water distribution.
• Green Roads for Water A flagship initiative transforming roads into instruments for water management, climate resilience, and secure transport. Includes guidelines, training materials, and a Learning Alliance working with governments, road authorities, and communities in more than 10 countries.
• Flood-Based Livelihoods Network (FBLN) A global network connecting members working on flood-based livelihood systems, promoting stability and socio-economic development in areas where livelihoods depend on floods, including spate irrigation and floodplain farming.
• SMART Centre Group A network promoting Simple, Market-based, Affordable, Repairable Technologies for domestic water, irrigation, and sanitation. Currently supporting SMART Centres globally.
• Horizontal Learning A peer-to-peer learning methodology using video-based exchange, competitions, and smartphone-based knowledge sharing among farmers, practitioners, and policymakers. Includes a manual and video production training.
• Games with a Heart Educational games catalog of over seventy self-created games and puzzles for building skills, creating awareness, and promoting learning in natural resources management, agriculture, health, WASH, and social justice.
• TheWaterChannel A media platform and public service outlet with more than 2,500 videos, blogs, and special dossiers focused on water management, agriculture, and climate topics, organizing frequent webinars, master classes, and virtual or hybrid conferences.
• Regenerative Agriculture Agriculture practices improving soil health, carbon sequestration, and climate resilience, including ecologically based rodent management, composting, cover crops, and integrated cropping systems.
• Landscape Rehabilitation Landscape restoration combining regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, water buffering (3R approach: Recharge, Retention, Reuse), micro-climate management, and regreening initiatives.
• Urban Water Resilience Solutions for cities including sponge town concepts, source-to-tap management, water safety plans, non-revenue water reduction, and community awareness campaigns using tools like Google Earth Engine and Kobo Toolbox.
• Groundwater Management Groundwater governance support including hydrological analysis, aquifer planning, local user-based management, recharge promotion, and policy development for sustainable groundwater use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Agricultural water productivity improvements of 25% or more through better field preparation
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.

• GOPA Consulting Group / GOPA AFCflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024In 2024, MetaMeta joined the GOPA Consulting Group, one of Europe's largest providers of international development services, becoming part of GOPA AFC headquartered in Bonn, Germany. This move brings MetaMeta's 20+ years of water and climate expertise together with GOPA AFC's global experience in agriculture and financial sector development, strengthening GOPA's portfolio and extending MetaMeta's reach.
• The Water ChannelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Water Channel (thewaterchannel.tv) is supported by MetaMeta and serves as their primary knowledge dissemination platform, hosting over 2,500 videos and organizing frequent webinars and master classes.
• The SMART Centre GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SMART Centre Group is supported by MetaMeta and promotes Simple, Market-based, Affordable, Repairable Technologies for water, sanitation, and irrigation. MetaMeta supports the development and networking of SMART Centres globally.
• Flood Based Livelihood Network (FBLN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Flood Based Livelihood Network (floodbased.org) is supported by MetaMeta. FBLN connects members on the ground globally and promotes stability and socio-economic development in flood-dependent areas.
• Green Roads for Water AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Green Roads for Water Alliance (roadsforwater.org) is supported by MetaMeta. It is a community of practice working with governments, road authorities, private sector, civil society, and communities to transform roads into instruments of water management and climate resilience.
• Jagrata Juba SanghacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerJagrata Juba Sangha is a local partner in Bangladesh for MetaMeta's Horizontal Learning project in the polders. They handle logistics, event management, and video screenings with Water Management Groups.
• Access AgriculturecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAccess Agriculture is a partner in the Bangladesh Horizontal Learning project, providing training delivery and video production support alongside MetaMeta.
• HKV lijn in watermajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHKV lijn in water partnered with MetaMeta in the Flood Community Awareness and Preparedness Project for ENTR0, contributing flood risk assessment expertise across 17 sites in Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan.
• Institute of Water Studies of the University of JubamajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInstitute of Water Studies of the University of Juba partnered with MetaMeta in the Flood Community Awareness and Preparedness Project for ENTR0 in South Sudan.
• Niccolò Cusano University (UniCusano)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNiccolò Cusano University in Rome hosted and organized the SAPHiRA project kickoff meeting in March 2025. UniCusano leads this collaborative initiative with partners from Tunisia, Turkey, Spain, and Italy.
• University of El ManarmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of El Manar (Tunisia) is a partner in the SAPHiRA project alongside MetaMeta Anatolia, Granada University, and CREA.
• Granada UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGranada University (Spain) is a partner in the SAPHiRA project working on collaborative research with MetaMeta Anatolia and other partners.
• CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCREA (Italy) is a partner in the SAPHiRA project contributing to the collaborative research initiative.
• Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU) at American University of BeirutmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESDU leads the RESOLVE project in Lebanon, with MetaMeta piloting Ecologically-Based Rodent Management as part of efforts to strengthen local food systems through regenerative practices.
• AfricaRicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetaMeta collaborated with AfricaRice on salinity management in rice fields, developing training materials and guidelines for rice cultivation in salt-affected areas.
• Salt Farm TexelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetaMeta worked with Salt Farm Texel on testing and private sector introduction of salt-tolerant potato varieties in Pakistan, achieving yields at par with and even higher than normal lands.
• Games with a HeartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetaMeta supports Games with a Heart - a company dedicated to educational games for building skills, creating awareness, and making education more compelling in development sectors. The catalogue includes 50+ games.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IRC (International Water and Sanitation Centre): The Hague-based non-profit focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene systems in low- and middle-income countries. Directly comparable as a Dutch-headquartered development organization advising governments and donors on water service delivery.
• SNV Netherlands Development Organisation: Dutch development organization with major portfolios in water, sanitation, agriculture, and climate across Africa and Asia. Overlaps MetaMeta on donor-funded program design and implementation in water/food/climate.
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI): CGIAR research institute delivering applied water-management research for developing countries. Strongest comparable research-to-practice peer; competes for the same CGIAR/World Bank/ADB-funded mandates.
• FutureWater: Netherlands-based consultancy applying remote sensing, modelling, and field services to water and climate projects globally. Comparable to MetaMeta on water-management consulting, satellite-data use, and developing-country project delivery.
• IHE Delft Institute for Water Education: UNESCO-affiliated water-education and research institute based in Delft, Netherlands. Comparable to MetaMeta on water-capacity building, applied research, and developing-country partnerships, with overlap in Dutch water-sector ecosystem.
• Winrock International: US-based non-profit implementing donor-funded programs in water, agriculture, environment, and climate resilience. Comparable on project-based delivery for USAID, World Bank, and bilateral donors in similar geographies.
• Acacia Water: Dutch water-resources consulting firm specializing in groundwater, salinity, and integrated water resources management for developing countries. Closely matches MetaMeta's domain focus and Wageningen-adjacent Dutch origin.

Broad incumbents

• WRI (World Resources Institute): Global research organization operating major Water and Food programs. Comparable to MetaMeta on water-and-climate applied research and donor engagement, but at significantly larger scale.
• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with a substantial Water and Environment practice serving development banks and governments. Overlaps MetaMeta on water-management consulting but operates as a multi-billion-dollar generalist.
• DAI Global: Large international development consulting firm delivering water, agriculture, and governance programs for USAID, FCDO, World Bank, and ADB. Comparable buyer base and project-based delivery model, but at much larger scale and broader thematic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TheWaterChannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/metametawageningen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metameta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MetaMeta