The World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit returned to Dubai for its second edition, where leaders from across the agricultural value chain discussed ways to address the unique challenges of desert and arid environments.
One theme was evident: open competition and partnership in agtech are perceived a crucial in addressing climate challenges and driving a more innovative agricultural sector.
By way of example, at the event UAE-based Silal and Bayer announced they are expanding their strategic partnership through a detailed memorandum of understanding.
Under the expanded tie-up, the pair will collaborate on developing cutting-edge digital farming solutions specifically tailored for the region’s unique agricultural needs.
The pace of innovation is changing
Thanks to such collaboration “the pace of innovation is changing,” Bayer Crop Science’s global lead of external innovation and partnerships, Raphael Dumain, told me.
But what of the risks of open innovation and pre-competition, such as intellectual property challenges in protecting proprietary information? The benefits of open innovation are outweighing the potential risks, Dumain said.
Meanwhile, the fast pace of innovation in areas like AI and robotics necessitates collaboration to stay competitive and leverage cutting-edge technologies.
Going forward, however, the quality of AI data is going to be key in order for these models to give actionable insights for users. By way of an example, carbon sequestration was lauded as a huge opportunity, especially in light of new carbon rules agreed at COP29. But next we must see farmers adopting carbon sequestration and sharing the results.
How is this tech going to be adopted at scale?
Another theme was evident: more tech is emerging, but work still needs to be done for it to be adopted at scale.
Barriers to adoption in a region dominated by smallholders include data interoperability; access and affordability; a lack of long-term affordable finance; and the need to get farmer awareness and training to use it.
Conversation shifting from ‘if’ to ‘how’
But attendees were encouraged by the wins so far. For example, Roger Rabbat, parter at Pricewaterhousecoopers noted that a theme from the last year’s event was ‘if’ farmer adoption could be achieved. Now the conversation has shifted to ‘how’, he told me.
Blended and climate finance are one of the ‘hows’. These are seen as potential routes to help drive adoption of newer technologies among smallholders, but there is work still to be done.
Advances in soil monitoring
Another huge global white space opportunity is soil health. With an increasing awareness of the correlation between soil health and human nutrition, innovation is starting to ask more questions about how regenerative practices can be adopted to improve soil structure, fertility and water retention.
“I’d like to see a world where we start to discover the magic that lives beneath our feet,” said Desert Control CEO Ole Kristian Sivertsen during a panel discussion at the event.
“Today we may know more about the stars and the universe than we know about the amazing life that goes on in our soils.
“I think that by helping those lifeforms down there we may be saving the future of humanity. And making that really cool and sexy to work with is how the younger generation will start engaging with this and get the relationship to what feeds us and what secures our future – both food and water and biodiversity-wise.”
