Gulfood Green and Gulfood Agrotech set to propel sustainability and innovation

As the 28th edition of the world’s largest Gulfood goes even larger and greener this year, the organiser Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) announces to the hundreds of thousands of global community followers the launch of the all-new sustainability-focused events Gulfood Green and Gulfood Agrotech, set to take place September 24-26 2024 at DWTC.

The first Gulfood Green 2024 event will provide an indispensable global platform for the entire food ecosystem to share and exchange on technology, regulations, practices, solutions and changes in consumer food culture to achieve sustainability in all its dimensions from farmers to supply chains, food production, logistics, and consumption. It will fast-track the sharing of emerging, innovative concepts and products and offer insights into alternative ways to produce, trade and consume food; sourcing and clean label products; green packaging; plant-forward food production and consumption; and reducing food waste in the supply chain. The global agritech market is projected to reach $22.6 billion by 2025, driven by the adoption of advanced technologies and demand for food traceability and security.

Gulfood Agrotech 2024 will galvanise all sectors of the global agriculture and food supply chains to create a more sustainable food ecosystem for all, bringing together like-minded stakeholders from around the world to explore the innovative ways and transformative technologies required to address development challenges and advance the global transition to sustainable food systems. Addressing the audience on the opening day of Gulfood 2023, Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almeheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, explained: “Innovation should be at the front and centre of our food systems transformation. Leveraging currently available technologies and introducing new ones will accelerate the process in addition to eliminating food loss and food waste from every part of the supply chain.’’

With a third of greenhouse gas emissions coming from current food systems and a third of all food that is produced going to waste, Almheiri reiterated the need to adopt and adapt innovations to support better behaviour around food and transform food systems into more sustainable ones. Trixie LohMirmand, executive vice-president, Dubai World Trade Centre - organiser of Gulfood, emphasised: “The urgent need for, and momentous shift towards, more resilient and climate supportive food production and consumption has led to the creation of a different event mission, to champion innovative ideas transforming our consumption behaviours and leading us to a more responsible and sustainable future.

Gulfood, with its global influence and leadership in the world food economy, will provide the international Green and Agrotech movement with the imperative to evolve and catalyse the sophistication and innovation of the circular food industry.” She added that through outcome-focused exchanges, fourth industrial revolution technologies and ideations, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and smart agriculture, Gulfood Green and Gulfood Agrotech are determined to inspire innovative thinking and collaborative action that will help boost yields, cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve food security. Gulfood Green will put a spotlight on current issues in sourcing disruption, production, transportation, logistics, distribution, technology and innovation, emphasising the impact on developing countries. The event will provide a critical annual platform for all F&B stakeholders across the value chain to address the socioeconomic and environmental challenges exacerbating food insecurity and share the ideas, foresight and accomplishments in tech development, international collaboration, and innovations with revolutionary implications for the future of food access. Venture capital investors drove $51.7 billion into agritech start-ups in 2021 (+85 per cent compared to 2020).

With agrotech start-ups around the world, raising $8 billion in 2021 and a similar amount in 2022, demand is clear from the investor side. Gulfood Agrotech will create a platform that will connect start-ups with VCs, angel investors, incubators, accelerators, and innovation builders from across the globe. “With the world experiencing a poly-crisis – multiple, complex, and compounding global challenges, including the impact of the pandemic, climate change, conflict, economic shocks and high food prices, we are at risk of reversing hard-fought gains against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. And all to the detriment of our planet. It is more imperative than ever that we bring all food systems' stakeholder voices to the table. We cannot ignore any one of these issues. But to break the cycle of crisis upon crisis and to put us on course to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, all actions we take must achieve multiple wins and impacts all at once.

Gulfood Green and Gulfood Agrotech 2024 will provide an ideal location to elevate these issues and raise our collective level of ambition, whilst also offering a space to connect, convene and catalyse stakeholders to present solution-focused actions that can help drive change," said Paul Newnham, executive director, SDG2 Advocacy Hub. Gulfood Green 2024, the dedicated event focused on catalysing sustainable and eco-positive food ecosystems, will be hosted alongside Gulfood Agrotech 2024 from September 24-26, 2024, converging next-generation farm machinery, equipment, techniques and practices, including leveraging the fourth industry technologies of AI, robotics and blockchain amongst other emerging deep tech.

• KT Network