MENA AGRIFOOD INNOVATION DAYS

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has unique food security concerns. The region suffers from multiple burdens of malnutrition, with a growing number of undernourished people and at the same time a rapid increase in overweight and obesity due in large part to unhealthy diets. Demographic growth and poor agricultural productivity combined exposes the region to the vagaries of international food markets. Water scarcity, the degradation of fertile land, and climate change put additional pressure on fragile agro-ecosystems. Solutions exist to address these issues. They require innovation, technologies, and investments that are conducive to efficient, healthy, sustainable and resilient agrifood systems for the benefit of all.  

Partners and key regional players have expressed a need for a multipurpose regional platform to bring together different stakeholders from the MENA region to engage on agrifood systems transformation, foster innovation and technologies, and improve the region’s capacity to adapt its food systems so that they are more productive, more resilient, more inclusive and more sustainable, and deliver healthy food for everyone. Knowledge sharing and awareness raising play an important role in fostering the necessary changes. To that, The MENA AgriFood Innovation Days, held during the “Food for Future Summit” organized by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the United Arab Emirates in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) is planned to take place on 23-24 February 2022.  

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) AgriFood Innovation Days will help foster engagement between the public and private sector, cities and municipalities, academia and civil society to discuss action, key vulnerabilities and challenges from a distinct MENA perspective with the common goal of transforming the region’s agrifood systems.