JEDDAH — Under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the second edition of the three-day Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA) is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on March 9, 2015 in strategic partnership with the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA). Since its launch in 2014, GFIA has received major attention for its commitment to challenging the way food is produced. Now, with the backing of 40 globally significant partners committed to using GFIA as a catalyst for change, GFIA 2015 will serve as one of the most influential events in the world for all those seeking to contribute to the sustainable agriculture movement. The event will feature prominent speakers from global companies and organizations including McCain Continental, World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Plantagon, and the Committee on World Food Security. Ahead of the event, Mohamed Jalal Al Rayssi, Director of Communication & Community Service Division of ADFCA, said: “Our goal is to unite the Middle East behind sustainable solutions for food security and to harness new technologies for our desert landscape. GFIA is key to demonstrating the opportunities available to regional and international stakeholders. As you can see from our stellar line-up, GFIA is unique in that it attracts all the players from across the full food value chain that is needed to effect real change in the way we feed the world.” GFIA 2015 centers on six main conferences that run in parallel at the event. More than 250 speakers in total will address a range of key issues critical to the future of global agriculture and food production in these streams: • Global Climate-Smart Agriculture Summit – driven by the UN Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture, a major survey of technologies, techniques and creative directions to devise and implement climate-smart food productions systems • Food losses & waste from prevention to valorization – technologies, practices and policies to meet the challenges faced throughout the whole value chain • Edible Cities: Building Resilience with Urban Agriculture – innovations and technologies for Creating Sustainable Climate Smart Food systems in the world's urban areas • ICT for Sustainable Agriculture – making the most of handheld computer power, big data and the connected world • Non-conventional Water Use in Arid Climates – Challenges And Opportunities in extraction and production of water, saltwater agriculture, and reuse • Innovation Program – the world's greatest collection of creative and sustainable solutions to in sustainable agriculture. Following 450 submissions, the Steering Committee have picked the top 100 to appear at GFIA 2015; each presenter will have just 15 minutes to tell the audience why their innovation can help feed the world. Mohamed Jalal Al Rayssi added: “Climate-smart food production is a critical factor for the UAE and other water-constrained parts of the world. We in Abu Dhabi are strongly committed to driving the global dialogue on food security and climate resilience and bringing together participants from the entire agricultural value-chain and this event reinforces that commitment.” — SG
