Food for Future Summit & Expo to debut at Expo 2020

Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has launched its brand-new Food For Future Summit and Expo in association with Expo 2020 Dubai’s Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods Week.

Running from February 23-24 at Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo 2020 Dubai, the Food For Future Summit & Expo will be co-located with the Global Agtech Innovation Expo to form a powerhouse of industry innovation and progression.

Hosted by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN FAO) as strategic partners, the Food For Future Summit& Expo will reinforce the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy and galvanise all sectors of the agriculture and food supply chains to create a sustainable food ecosystem for all.

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “We are proud to host the Food For Future Summit & Expo that brings together like-minded stakeholders from around the world to explore innovative ways of advancing the global transition to sustainable food systems.

“The event aligns with the UAE’s holistic approach to food security, as reflected in the National Food Security Strategy 2051, and provides an ideal platform to showcase state-of-the-art agricultural solutions that address the critical water-food-energy nexus. We are pleased to join forces with FAO once again, and are confident that its support will add significant value to the event.”

Key focus sectors will include AI& Nutrition; IoT, cloud solutions, UAV, robotics and drones, automation, adaptive irrigation, grow lighting, data management, supply chain management, climate-smart agriculture, food loss and waste, controlled environment, ICT in agriculture, mechanisation, organic agriculture, precision agriculture, biotechnology, soil plant health, saltwater agriculture, renewable energy and water management.

Nurturing the global agritech start-up ecosystem

The multi-faceted event will engage the end-to-end food and agriculture ecosystem of producers, tech providers, suppliers and consumers, through an exhibition, partner workshops - including technical training organised by the ICBA (International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture) on plant biotechnology, GIS technologies and modeling and biosalineagri-tech - investor platforms, startup programmes, a food security leadership exchange symposium, and community engagement. The Summit will also host the UAE Food Technology Challenge and the region’s first dedicated Agri-Tech food contest for startups, the Mena Agri-Food Tech Challenge, organised in partnership with Thought for Food.

With anticipated participation from a raft of organisations and start-ups from over50 countries, the first-of-its-kind event has already garnered C-suite support from industry leaders.

“Food insecurity remains a critical issue which has been increasing over the past six years; it now affects one quarter of the world’s population,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, Events Management, DWTC.

“In response, a paradigm shift is underway in global food production and the world is turning to the agritech sector for innovative solutions. Just recently, the UAE, Jordan and the Netherlands issued a joint call to work together on food, water and energy security by strengthening critical resources.

“A recent 2022 trends forecast by the International Food Information Council said consumers in urban areas will turn to vertical agriculture in their efforts to promote sustainability, nutrition and food security. The trend is growing at hyper-speed and the inaugural Food For Future Summit and Global Agtech Innovation Expo will highlight the urgency of the challenge and explore the harvest of business opportunities that will emerge as the global agritech sector grows in value,” Trixie LohMirmand added.

The Food For Future Summit& Expo and Global Agtech Innovation Expo will bring the world’s agriculture and food supply industries to the heart of the Mena region, where the vertical farming sector alone has grown to a market value of $1.2 billion. Mena countries are ramping up agritech initiatives, with Saudi Arabia investing US$665 million in local agriculture and farming; United States and UAE are partnering on Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate ,an initiative to increase investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation from 2021-2025; Abu Dhabi is launching a $270 million accelerator program to position the emirate as a global centre for agricultural desert innovation; Egypt is investing $2.1 billion in food security projects; and Kuwait’s Wafra Inc. is investing $100 million in the Pure Harvest agritech startup.

"There have never been more opportunities to improve the world through food and agriculture. The Food For Future Summit &Expo and Global Agtech Innovation Expo will highlight the latest in global food and agriculture technology across the value chain, from seed to sale. The exhibition will be accentuated with live discussions by international corporate innovators, farmers, and policymakers. Now is the time to share ideas and make plans for our collective food-secure future,” said Henry Gordon-Smith, Founder & CEO of Agritecture, and an internationally recognised sustainability strategist and agritech consultant renowned for his focus on urban agriculture, water issues, and emerging technologies.

The Summit’s Leadership Exchange Symposium is intended to become an annual platform for world leaders, experts, and innovators to deliver collaborative, concerted programmes, and policy responses to major food security challenges. It will comprise 130 hours of high impact discussion across 50 sessions delivered by 150 speakers, 70% of whom are making their regional debut.

The exhibition will spotlight global front-runners in innovation and technology across agriculture 4.0, crop production, livestock, farming and health, as well as aquaculture - slated as the fastest-growing sector in the food animal industry, which is expected to hit $275 billion by 2025. Confirmed participants include NEOM, ADM, Nestle and Siemens.

The Food For Future Summit & and Global Agtech Innovation Expo will be part of the Dubai Exhibition Centre’s Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods Week, which runs from February 20-26 next year to focus discussion on localised solutions for food, nutrition, and farming challenges, and explore how to feed a growing population while living in harmony with the planet.