2020 Agenda
Gulf Standard Time (GMT +4) | Conference Program |
10:00 | Meeting Room Opens |
10:05 | Welcome Remarks from Great Minds Group |
10:10 | Opening remarks from Chairman |
10:15 | Keynote presentation: Food security in the UAE: A path towards a more food secure future Fatema AlMulla, Senior Research Analyst, Food Security Office, Ministry of Cabinet Affairs & The Future, Prime Minister’s Office |
10:25 | PANEL SESSION 1: Understanding the regional food security initiatives Moderator: Rachid Serraj, Delivery Manager - Regional Initiative on Small Scale Family Farming, Food and Agriculture Organization Panelists: Dr. Naufal H Rasheed, Advisor of Agriculture Policy and Investment, Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, Oman Mariam Eid, Head of Agro Industries Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Lebanon Salvatore Stephen Lavallo, Project Manager, Abu Dhabi Investment Office Sheikh Dr. Majid Sultan Al Qassimi, Adviser to the Minister, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), UAE |
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11:00 | Keynote presentation: Agri-food Systems Innovation for sustainable development in the post-COVID-19 era Rachid Serraj, Delivery Manager - Regional Initiative on Small Scale Family Farming, Food and Agriculture Organization |
11:10 | PANEL SESSION 2: Technology adoption in traditional agriculture to improve the annual produce
Dr. Naufal H Rasheed, Advisor of Agriculture Policy and Investment, Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, Oman Panellists: Mohamed Aissaoui, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, My Farm Dubai Dr. Ameena Ali Kulaib Al Tenaiji, Water, Food Nexus Expert Dr. Khalil Ammar, Program Leader, Sustainable Natural Resources Management, Principal Scientist - Hydrology/Hydrogeology, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture – ICBA Farah Chakhachiro, General Manager, Gracia Group |
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11:45 | TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION SESSION: Changing the paradigm of agricultural innovation * This session will highlight key emerging technologies that cater to the MENA Agriculture sector. The session consists of four (10 minute) back-to-back presentations from experts in the industry who will provide insights on successful application of a variety of innovations and case-studies. Moderator: Seta Tutundjian, Director of Programs, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture – ICBA Industry insight 1: Food security challenges & innovation: SRTIP as a case study H.E. Hussain Mohammed Al Mahmoudi, Chief Executive Officer, Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park Industry insight 2: Why the IGS vertical farm is a perfect contributor to sustainable food security across MENA David Farquhar, Chief Executive Officer, Intelligent Growth Solutions Industry insight 3: Lior Hessel,Founder and CEO, Growponics Industry insight 4: Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Director General, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture – ICBA Q&A With the presenters |
12:25 | PANEL SESSION 3: Latest innovations in hydroponics, aeroponics and indoor vertical farming Moderator: Avinoam Nathanel, Chief Executive Officer, Grow Tec HK Panellists: Majed Halawi, Vice President – Growth, Pure Harvest David Farquhar, Chief Executive Officer, Intelligent Growth Solutions Art van Rijn, Chief Executive Officer, Artechno Growsystems |
13:00 | Closing remark by chairman and end of Digi-Conference |
13:00 – 13:15 | Post-event networking with the speakers and peers |
Gulf Standard Time (GMT +4) | Conference Program |
10:00 | Meeting Room Opens |
10:05 | Welcome Remarks from Great Minds Group |
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10:10 | Opening remarks from Chairman |
10:15 | Case-study: Valoya LED Lighting for Indoor Farms Lars Aikala, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Valoya |
10:25 | Mitigating and containing the food security and safety risks during non-food emergencies Fadi Naser Al-Natour, Risk Analysis Specialist, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority |
10:35 |
The largest vertical farm in the world - transforming mining landscapes Mark E. Zahran, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Yasai |
10:45 | PANEL SESSION 4: Implementing resilient agricultural practices to increase productivity and production in marginal areas Moderator: Dr. Dionysia Lyra, Halophyte Agronomist, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture – ICBA Panellists: Dr. Mohamed Abdel Hamyd Dawoud, Advisor - Water Resources Environment Quality, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi Kyle Wagner, Head of Operations, Madar Farms Dr. Henda Mahmoudi, Plant Physiologist, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture – ICBA Abdulrahman Rashid Alshamsi, Entrepreneurial Farmer, Al Wagan, Abu Dhabi |
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11:20 |
Digital Transformation in Agriculture Deepak Pareek, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, DigiAgri |
11:30 | PANEL SESSION 6: Development of organic agriculture in the region Moderator: Sheikh Dr. Majid Sultan Al Qassimi, Adviser to the Minister, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), UAE Panellists: Yazen Al Kodmani, Operations Manager, Emirates Bio Farm Dr. Mohamed Ali, Food Security Expert Dr. Ameena Ali Kulaib Al Tenaiji, Water, Food Nexus Expert Prof. Dr. Mohamed Farouk Attya Ahmed, Professor Biological Control of Plant pathology, Central Lab. of Organic Agriculture (CLOA), Agricultural Research Center (ARC) |
12:05 | Closing remark by chairman and end of Digi-Conference |
12:00 – 12:30 | Post-event networking with the speakers and peers |