Leading global agricultural innovators will be in Abu Dhabi next month for a key summit which will discuss the sustainable agriculture initiatives and the innovations being deployed across the globe.

The Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA) is being organized in strategic partnership with ADFCA and with official support from the UAE’s Ministry of Environment and Water and Ministry of Presidential Affairs.

The event will bring all the major players in solution-oriented agriculture from around the world on a single platform when it kicks off in Abu Dhabi on February 3.

The three-day event includes an exhibition with over 125 exhibitors plus an 1800-delegate conference comprising keynote sessions, panel discussions, an African ministerial discussion and 150 innovation presentations by 180 speakers.

A dedicated sustainable agriculture programme for farmers in emirate developed by ADFCA in the form of subsidized organic fertilizers will also take off at the forum.

Developed to meet the needs of the farmers in the emirate, the program allows farmers from the emirate to register for substantially- subsidized organic fertilizers, , said the organisers of the multi-faceted event.

In addition, it will also cover qualification and application details for the new agricultural investment fund. A seminar about commercial opportunities for livestock production at the event is also aimed at directly benefitting local farmers.

Announcing the event, Mohamed Jalal Al Rayssi, ADFCA's director of communication and community service, said: “The program for offering subsidized organic fertilizers is aimed at assisting local farmers in their efforts to sustainably increase the quantity, quality and profitability of local agricultural production."

"This programme is one that the Abu Dhabi farmers stand to benefit immensely from," he added.

The GFIA programme includes:
•Exhibition and conference: keynote sessions, panel discussions, an African Ministerial discussion and 150 presentations.
•Incubator zone: a low-cost space for UAE and international entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas and prototypes.
•Innovation Zone (curated by the University of Arizona): display of working models of some of the most inspiring innovations in agriculture today.  
•Technical tours to a range of sustainable agriculture projects in the UAE
•GCC Farmer Focus: a dedicated programme to educate GCC farmers on the benefits of sustainable agriculture
•NGO Zone: dedicated area for NGOs, development agencies and charitable foundations to meet and share ideas across sectors

Mohamed Moussa, the director of the Department of Agricultural Research at Ministry of Environment and Water, highlighted the importance of the transfer and adoption of technologies and successful experiences in the field of agriculture and stressed that the ministry was working to strengthen its efforts in the development and improvement of local agriculture.

To be held under theme ‘Driving innovation for an agricultural revolution,’ GFIA will highlight the sustainable agriculture initiatives being planned and deployed around the world, facilitate knowledge transfer and demonstrate available investment opportunities.

The GFIA agenda was designed by a steering committee of 20 international experts in the fields of academia, R&D, science, industry and investment.-TradeArabia News Service