Abu Dhabi: An experimental ‘sea farm’ and the ‘E-Agriculture Revolution’ will be some of the innovations to be showcased at the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA) that begins in the capital on Monday.
The experimental ‘sea farm’ is producing seaweeds for feed and food production. ‘The E-Agriculture Revolution’ will focus on the application of information technology in agriculture and how it will change the way we produce food, increase yields and boost profits, the organisers announced on Sunday.
These are some of the novel ideas to be presented at the GFIA Power Sessions on sustainable agriculture by a total of 52 innovators from across the globe at the three-day-event at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre ( ADNEC).
The opening ceremony on Monday will see keynote speeches from world-renowned innovators Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (via video address), Dr Frank Rijsberman, CEO of CGIAR, Dr Mark Post, the scientist behind the Google-funded lab burger, and Andras Forgacs, CEO of Modern Meadow and pioneer of cultured meat and leather.
The opening ceremony will be chaired by international journalist and broadcaster Stephen Sackur.
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), and in strategic partnership with ADFCA, the event is officially supported by the UAE’s Ministry of Environment and Water and Ministry of Presidential Affairs.
The power session will also include a variety of technological advances in reducing water consumption and new generations of automated robotic systems for pest control.
The big investment debate session will look at the most promising technologies and research for investment and how innovations can be brought to market more effectively.
Abu Dhabi will launch a sustainable agriculture programme for farmers at the event, which will supply organic fertilisers at a subsidised rate, a senior official said. “We would like to attract our farmers to this event, which will give them ideas on latest developments in farming,” Mohammad Jalal Al Raisi, Director of Communication and Community Affairs at ADFCA.
“According to the United Nations the global population reached seven billion on October 31, 2011 — it is predicted to exceed nine billion by 2050. We need to find creative solutions to feeding the world, and many of these solutions will be on show at GFIA, either on the exhibition floor or in the conference presentations,” Mark Beaumont, Project Director for GFIA, said.
“GFIA is bringing together the major players in world agriculture – suppliers, innovators, investors, policymakers, NGOs, scientists and researchers – to show how innovative ideas can solve the world’s ever increasing food needs. We believe that GFIA will be a real catalyst for change, outlining the roadmap to a more secure future in terms of food security and poverty alleviation,” Beaumont said.
