Inaugural Food for Future Summit & Expo to address food security and agriculture issues

10x Industry

Mita Srinivasan
10x Industry
Published:

Inaugural Food for Future Summit & Expo to address food security and agriculture issues

MENA countries are ramping up agritech initiatives like Saudi Arabia investing US$665 million in local agriculture and farming; United States and UAE partnering on Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate; Abu Dhabi launching a US$270 million accelerator program for agricultural desert innovation; Egypt investing US$2.1 billion in food security projects; and Kuwait’s Wafra investing US$100 million in the agritech startup, Pure Harvest.

Running from 23rd-24th February at Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo 2020 Dubai, the Food For Future Summit & Expo will be co-located with the Global Agtech Innovation Expo that will bring the world’s agriculture and food supply industries to the heart of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where the vertical farming sector alone has grown to a market value of US$1.2bn..

Hosted by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN FAO) as strategic partners, the event will include key focus sectors like 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.

The Food For Future Summit & Expo will also host focused business discussions, industry dialogue and knowledge exchange across eight mainline features including a sourcing platform for frontier technology from some of the world’s most innovative food and agritech providers.

MENA countries are ramping up agritech initiatives that include Saudi Arabia investing US$665 million in local agriculture and farming; United States and UAE partnering on Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate; Abu Dhabi launching a US$270 million accelerator program to position the emirate as a global centre for agricultural desert innovation; Egypt investing US$2.1 billion in food security projects; and Kuwait’s Wafra investing US$100 million in the agritech startup, Pure Harvest.

The UAE has adopted a global food security leadership role, establishing the Emirates Food Security Council (EFSCC) to strengthen national authorities’ efforts to enhance food security and meet National Food Security Strategy goals, which include topping the Global Food Security Index by 2051.

Dubai is also advancing a new Food Tech Valley to serve as a hub for tech-based food and agricultural products, and an incubator for researchers, entrepreneurs, startups, and industry experts involved in developing solutions with the potential to shape the future of the food industry. The integrated modern city will feature over 300 varieties of crops produced using modern farming and agri-techniques. Dubai has also established a food export gateway giving access to a footprint of 1.5 billion people in African markets.