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January 15, 2025

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LOGIC’S Perspective on UAE’s Global Food Security Summit

The UAE’s Global Food Security Summit 2024 served as a beacon of innovation, sustainability, and collaboration in the face of one of humanity’s most pressing challenges, securing food for a rapidly growing global population. Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), this first-of-its-kind event convened 21 of UAE’s ministers along with 80 global government leaders, innovators, and experts to explore transformative strategies for addressing food security. Against the backdrop of climate change, geopolitical instability, and population growth, the UAE showcased its commitment to not only addressing domestic food challenges but also contributing to global solutions.

The summit’s agenda showcased the UAE’s progressive vision for food security, unveiling over 30 initiatives designed to be innovative, future-focused, and highly sustainable—strategically aligned with the National Food Security Strategy 2051.
Among the most notable initiatives were the Foodverse, the Ne’ma Initiative, the Cluster Strategy, and Blended Finance for African Agriculture. Collectively, these efforts illustrated how the integration of technology strategic policies, and collaborative partnerships can build a robust food system while promoting global cooperation.
By harnessing metaverse technologies to transforming food systems and adopting zero-waste solutions, the summit showcased groundbreaking ideas with global relevance. This article examines key highlights from the summit, delving into transformative innovations and their potential impact on the future of food security.

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THE FOODVERSE: A Virtual Ecosystem for Food Security

At the heart of the summit’s discussions was the Foodverse, a bold initiative that uses metaverse technologies to reshape the agricultural value chain. The Foodverse envisions a virtual ecosystem where stakeholders — from farmers and researchers to policymakers and consumers — can communicate, contract, innovate, and optimize processes in real-time. Beyond the current use case, which is primarily focused on the virtual marketplace, we believe in the potential of this initiative beyond its current domestic application to serve as a global solution to food
security. Imagine a farmer in Africa logging into the Food verse to access to new markets and customer networks, both locally and internationally or to participate in virtual reality workshops for training and product demonstrations, facilitating skill development and showcasing new products in an immersive setting.
Further integrating AR/VR technologies into the Foodverse will improve collaboration across the food supply chain, addressing inefficiencies while driving innovation. It will create a shared digital space for branding, skill development, and problem-solving. By involving end-consumers through a gamified experience, they will have the opportunity to engage with farmers’ virtual brands, enhancing their connection to the agricultural ecosystem.
The Foodverse could also have direct implications on sustainability, a cornerstone of the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy, by simulating environmental conditions and modeling sustainable practices, the platform empowers farmers to mitigate climate-related risks such as drought and resource scarcity. For instance, precision agriculture powered by AI can analyze soil and climate data to recommend optimal crop planting and irrigation schedules, ensuring water is used efficiently among various other potential use cases—a critical necessity in arid regions like the UAE.
Research institutions, policymakers, and technology companies can use the platform to share knowledge, develop new solutions, and improve supply chain resilience. It also provides a venue for food innovation—from lab-grown proteins to sustainable food
packaging—to be tested, refined, and scaled.
The Foodverse marks a paradigm shift in addressing food security, combining digital transformation with real-world outcomes. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, it redefines how we grow, distribute, and consume food in an increasingly interconnected
world.

NE’MA: Addressing Food Loss and Food Waste

Ne’ma is a collaborative effort with the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Emirates Foundation and other stakeholders across the nation to build a network of trusted food loss and waste champions in the UAE.
According to the United Nations, approximately 13% of food is lost between harvest and retail, while an additional 19% is wasted at the consumption level (retail, food services and household). Together, food loss and waste account for 8 to 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
As part of its vision, Ne’ma aims to reduce food loss across the entire value chain, from production to consumption, while promoting responsible consumption habits. Also, it works on advocating for and supporting the development of federal and emirate-level FLW mandates, policies and regulations.
Ne’ma initiative emerged as another pivotal topic at the summit, embodying the UAE’s commitment to reducing food waste by half by 2030 in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3. Food waste is a significant global issue, where an equivalent of 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted.
Its ambition is to introduce a new norm rooted in the essence of “Target-Measure-Act”, guiding us to pinpoint areas of loss and waste, measure progress, and take decisive action. It is a collective responsibility to identify where food loss and waste occur and design interventions and actions to achieve net zero by 2030.

Also, during the summit, Ne’ma launched “The Zero-Food Waste” event guide, which advises event planners to pre-plan their menus and control portions, train the catering team on food waste management, and empowering chefs to adjust menus when certain items are repeatedly not consumed.

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