Dubai (Etihad)
The Dubai World Trade Center announced the launch of the inaugural edition of the Future of Food Summit, which is being held in cooperation with the Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods Week at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The summit will be held from February 23-24 at the Dubai Exhibition Center, during the activities of “Expo 2020 Dubai” in the same location as the International Exhibition for Agricultural Technologies and Innovation, which provides strong support for the path of innovation and progress in the sector.
The Future of Food Summit, hosted by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “FAO” as strategic partners, contributes to supporting the national food security strategy and stimulating all agricultural sectors and food supply chains to reach a sustainable food system available to all.
Her Excellency Maryam bint Mohammed Al Muhairi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “We are proud to host the Future Food Summit, which brings together a wide range of specialists, stakeholders and decision-makers in the food sector around the world, to explore innovative solutions that enhance and accelerate the global transformation towards sustainable food systems.”
Her Excellency added that this event coincides with the comprehensive approach of the UAE in dealing with the issue of food security, which stems from the National Food Security Strategy 2051.
Her Excellency stressed that the summit represents an exemplary platform to review the latest innovative solutions in the field of agriculture that contribute to efforts to achieve food security. Her Excellency also expressed her happiness at strengthening cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), through this important event.
The main focus areas of the summit include artificial intelligence, nutrition, Internet of things, cloud solutions, drones, robotics, automation, adaptive irrigation systems, indoor agriculture using artificial lighting, data management, supply chain management, climate-smart agriculture, food waste, as well as controlled agricultural environments and ICT in the agricultural sector. The use of machinery, organic farming, precision farming systems, biotechnology, agricultural soil safety, saline irrigation, renewable energy, and water management.
Supporting startups’ journey
All parties working in the food and agriculture sector, including producers, technology providers, suppliers and customers, participate in this multi-faceted event, through the summit exhibition and workshops organized by partners, including technical training courses organized by the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in the field of technology. Plant biotechnology and a geographic information system (GIS), designing investment models and platforms for biosaline farming technologies and startup programs, in addition to organizing a symposium on exchanging leadership experiences in the field of food security and activating community participation.
The summit will also host the UAE Food Technology Challenge, the MENA Agri-Food Technology Challenge, and the region’s first agri-food challenge for start-ups, which is organized in partnership with Thought for Food.
The first-of-its-kind summit is expected to attract the participation of a large number of institutions and startups from more than 50 countries, as it received high-level support from senior leaders in the sector, such as Dr. For ADM’s EMEA regions, Magdy Batatou, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of Nestlé, and major organizations such as Siemens and Al Dahra Agri, among others in New Zealand, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Singapore, Poland, Canada, Israel and Argentina. The summit is taking place at a time when the expectations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “FAO” indicate the need to increase global food production levels by 60% by 2050 to keep pace with the needs of the global population growth, which will exceed nine billion people. Participating startups include TevelTech, a leading food technology company that relies on the use of autonomous aircraft during harvest seasons to reduce labor costs and enhance production efficiency, and Meetic 3D, which employs 3D printing in the production of processed meat. Commenting on this issue, Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “Food insecurity remains one of the challenges that has greatly exacerbated over the past six years, and currently affects a quarter of the world’s population, and in response to these challenges Today, we are witnessing a quantum leap in the field of global food production, as the world’s eyes are directed towards the agricultural technology sector to invent the necessary solutions. This is what prompted the UAE, Jordan and the Netherlands recently to stress together the need to unify efforts and enhance vital resources in order to achieve food, water and energy security.
global hub
The Future Food Summit and the Global Exhibition for Agricultural Technologies and Innovation are attracting the most prominent global players in the agricultural and food supply sectors to Dubai, where the vertical farming sector alone has recorded remarkable growth, with a market value of $1.2 billion.
The countries of the region are seeking to intensify their initiatives in the field of agricultural technology, as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is investing $ 665 million in the local agricultural sector, and the United States is cooperating with the UAE in implementing the mission of agricultural innovation for climate, an initiative that aims to increase investments in the field of climate-smart agriculture and innovations Diets from 2021-2025.
Abu Dhabi also launched a $270 million business accelerators program to enhance the emirate’s presence as a leading global center for agricultural innovation in desert environments, while Egypt invests $2.1 billion in food security projects, and Wafra International Investment Company in Kuwait allocated $100 million in investments in Pure Harvest Smart Farms, an agricultural technology startup.
“Agriculture and food offer unprecedented opportunities to make a significant impact on the world,” said Henry Gordon-Smith, founder and CEO of Agritech Consulting, a global sustainability strategist and agrotechnology advisor, best known for his focus on urban farming systems, water and emerging technologies. The Future of Food Summit and the Global Exhibition for Agricultural Technologies and Innovation highlight the latest technologies in food and agriculture along the value chain, from planting seeds to selling crops.”
Exchange of experiences
The Future of Food Summit is a unique platform to accelerate business-focused discussions, initiate industry conversations and share knowledge and expertise through eight key events, including a sourcing platform built on groundbreaking technologies from some of the world’s most innovative food and agricultural technology providers.
Haifa Al-Rasheed, Development Leader at Madar Farms, a Dubai-based vertical farming company, said: “We look forward to confirming our mission of actively contributing to addressing food and water security challenges in the UAE and the region. We are confident that the summit will play a pivotal role in supporting successful and fruitful dialogues in the sector, by integrating the efforts of the private sector with the strong support provided by the public sector.”
The Leadership Exchange Symposium seeks to be an annual platform that brings together senior leaders, experts and pioneers of innovation, to present collaborative and coordinated programs and prepare the necessary policies to address the most important food security challenges.
“Agricultural Technologies and Innovation”
The exhibition highlights the most prominent global companies and institutions leading in the field of innovation and technology in the areas of the Fourth Agricultural Revolution, agricultural crop production, livestock, agriculture and health, in addition to aquaculture – which is expected to become the fastest growing sector in the animal food sector, valued at $275 billion by the year 2025; The NEOM City project, ADM, Nestlé and Siemens are among the main participants.
knowledge exchange
The Forum for Knowledge Exchange and Community Participation, which is held on the sidelines of the summit, is considered one of the think tanks that brings together leaders of non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, government agencies, and institutions specialized in technology, food production and hospitality to formulate food security agendas.
The summit will also host Foodwise, a food security hackathon for university and school students, which is held in cooperation with the Jumpbook Company, with the participation of 300 students from 50 schools and 10 universities in the UAE, and encourages them to solve problems related to food waste and production.