More than 300 next-generation agricultural solutions that will help shape the future of sustainable farming around the world will be presented at a forum in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in March.

The 2015 Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA) will run from March 9 to 11 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA).

The details of speakers and topics to be covered at the forum has been unveiled by the organisers, featuring speakers from  global companies and organisations including McCain International, World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Plantagon and the Committee on World Food Security, said a statement.

Mohamed Jalal Al Rayssi, director of Communication and 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 centres 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 various streams.

It includes the ‘Global Climate-Smart Agriculture Summit’; food losses and waste from prevention to valorisation; ‘Edible Cities: Building Resilience with Urban Agriculture’; ‘ICT for Sustainable Agriculture’; ‘Non-conventional Water Use in Arid Climates’; and Innovation Programme.

“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,” sad Al Rayssi.

In addition to the conferences and the accompanying exhibition, the GFIA will include the NGO Pavilion, the Incubator Zone, the Collaboration and Research Centre, and Funding and Investment Centre. - TradeArabia News Service