The Asia Pacific region stands at a critical juncture in addressing its food security challenges.
A rapidly growing population, urbanisation and the escalating impacts of climate change have exacerbated existing challenges, particularly upon malnutrition and undernourishment.
How are regional stakeholders implementing strategies to strengthen food security and resilience and fortify access to affordable nutrition?
Food import diversification has been a key strategy implemented to avoid overdependence on any one market. Two countries with the most affordable food are Australia and Singapore.1
Investing in agriculture and R&D is another crucial step towards enhancing food supply and combating malnutrition. In a recent report, the World Bank highlighted the opportunity for a 16:1 Return on Investment in agri-food investments by 2030.2
“We need to close an annual financing gap of approximately US $260 billion to cut agri-food emissions in half by 2030," states Ling Min Hoon, Investment Director at GenZero, emphasising the opportunity for financiers within the agri-food value chain.3
Innovations in novel foods, especially alternative proteins, not only allow consumers to opt for healthier changes to their diet, but also offer a great opportunity to decarbonise the food chain. Furthermore, by investing in this sector, governments will create new jobs, boosting economic growth and contributing to a more sustainable food system.
Singapore has been a front-runner in this approach, becoming the world’s first country to approve cultivated meat products for commercial consumption. Meanwhile, Israel, Japan and the Republic of Korea are closely following suit having benefitted from high levels of food security through increased investment in agri-food research and biomanufacturing.
Bruce Gregory Friedrich, Co-Founder and President of The Good Food Institute, highlights the untapped potential of alternative protein sources for safeguarding food security and decarbonising the value chain.
Stressing on the need for governments to recognise its value, he highlights: “The Centre for Strategic and International Studies in the US has pointed out that the economic benefits to countries with robust alt protein sectors will be close to US $700 billion globally at 50% penetration.”3
A sustainable food-secure world is not possible without building robust ecosystems for cross-sectoral collaboration across the value chain. Bringing these critical discussions to light, the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit connects over 1,000 senior stakeholders to address food security, resilience and access nutrition across Asia Pacific.
Taking place on November 19-21, 2024, the summit programme’s third day is dedicated to nourishment in the Asia Pacific region, with Climate Adaptation Strategies on day one and Decarbonisation the focus of day two. Topics range from regenerative practices in agriculture and restorative aquaculture production, to targeted and enhanced nutrition, precision fermentation, and novel approaches to food production across three high level days of networking and insights.
Accelerating climate resilience and nutrition in Asia
With a whole day focused on nourishment on November 21, speakers from across aquaculture, indoor and vertical farming, and cultivated protein production will engage in cross-sectoral dialogues advancing access to food and nutrition within the region.
The panel ‘Building Robust Ecosystems: Public Private Partnerships Supporting Food Production & Rural Growth’, echoes the sector’s call to action for stronger development initiatives and multi-sector co-operation. This session will feature top speakers from AVPN, Grow Asia, Harvest Plus and Temasek Trust.
As the relevance of gut health becomes increasingly important, the session ‘Food as Medicine: A Medical Approach to the Gut Health Microbiome’ spotlights the voices of medical practitioners in validating health-based innovation and supports the growing consumer awareness around developments in food as medicine.
Welcoming experts at the intersection of food and pharmaceutics, this session will be joined by Jim Flatt from Brightseed, Dr. Jeremy Lim of AMILI, Dr. Mona Manghani from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and Dr. Charles Johnson of Hope Medflight Asia.
The panel on ‘Meeting Nutritional Needs: Exploring Tailored Solutions to Address Healthy Ageing and Child Nutrition’, addresses primary nutritional challenges in Asia Pacific. Moderated by Tingmin Koe of NutraIngredeints-Asia, the biggest voices in Asia’s food-tech ecosystem including Corine Tap of FrieslandCampina , Marco Michielsen from Mondelez International, Peemdej Utsahajit of CP Foods and A*STAR’s Sze Tan will discuss targeted approaches to fortification and innovative strategies to ensure affordable, healthy diets.
Alongside the main stage panel debates, smaller featured sessions are designed for delegates to tailor the programme to their priorities, and boost targeted networking:
- Specialised breakout sessions provide a dynamic setting where participants can dig deeper into specific topics, discussing critical operational issues or solving key pressure points.
- Breakfast briefings are an ideal way for delegates to start their day with power-packed presentations providing an extra avenue for exclusive knowledge exchange and strategic networking.
- Small themed roundtable discussions covering key priorities for agribusinesses, food companies, technology providers and investors – an ideal setting to ask questions, share insights and exchange contact details.
Who will you meet?
International leaders, and senior representatives including Unilever, Mondelez International, BASF, Buhler, The Nature Conservancy, and Rabobank will share their priorities and roadmaps to incorporate resilience and sustainability into business strategies.
Explore the next-generation of Asia’s agri-food innovation
The Networking Hub is a key discovery platform, where early to mid-stage companies will showcase their breakthrough technologies to interested investors and business strategics. Meet the most sought-after food-tech entrepreneurs seeking new connections, investment and collaborations. Start-ups will also have the opportunity to pitch their solutions on the main stage.
Networking opportunities at the summit include a breakfast briefing celebrating women in agri-food, networking breaks hosted by Ferrero, drinks reception and a dedicated 1-1 meeting hub for scheduled meetings, to facilitate those vital corridor connections.
The online networking platform opens two weeks prior to the summit. It’s a powerful tool giving delegates a head start on connecting with peers, arranging valuable meetings, and planning out their schedule.
Senior representation is confirmed already from innovation-leaders across the food-tech ecosystem from technology to investment, food brands and retail including:
Dates November 19-21, 2024
Venue Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore.
Find out more information about the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit programme, start-ups and accommodation.
Register now – the Early Bird offer ends October 3rd, saving delegates SGD $300. Save a further 10% on registration with Food Navigator’s special code FNAV10.
References
1. Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The impact of global food chokepoint pressures on Asia’s food security.
2. World Bank Group. Recipe for a Livable Planet: Achieving Net Zero Emissions in the Agrifood System.
