Page 6 - Vol.38-No.1

PRIVA

BUSINESS MODELS FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND

FOOD-SECURE FUTURE

There is a huge opportunity for pub- and thus making a substantial contri-
lic and private sector stakeholders to bution to a better climate.
adopt technology as part of the region’s Besides self-sufficiency and food se-
food security strategy, to contribute curity, business models for a sustaina-
to a sustainable business model for a ble future also include energy efficien-
food-secure future. cy and emission reductions, which can
Food producing cities are be achieved through effective indoor
climate control. Technology plays a key
livable cities role in response to rising energy pric-
What’s critical to success, is the es- es and the region’s clearly articulated
Article by Meiny Prins tablishment of long-term, strategic col- roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality
CEO Priva laborations between all stakeholders to combat climate change. For example,
in the horticulture ecosystem and the autonomous growing allows the forma-
Food should not be travelling development of knowledge partner- tion of partnerships between buyers
thousands and thousands of ships with universities and research and growers to optimize crop results for
miles from farm to table. We institutes, to drive innovation in and local consumption with guaranteed re-
need to stop investing in a around the region’s major urban areas turns, which helps achieve production
broken system that is a danger and to co-create sustainable business goals and minimizes water and energy
to our planet and our health, models. My firm belief is that by bring- use. Through climate control technol-
and join forces to unlock ing people, knowledge, and technol- ogy, crop production and quality can
the real value of safe and ogy together, we can create a climate be monitored and managed, allowing
nutritious local produce. for growth. food production to match local food
As governments around the world, consumption requirements as part of
Climate change, combined with the including the Middle East, are rethink- smart cities planning and development.
way much of our food is being pro- ing the way their cities are designed
duced, will be disastrous for our food and have embraced the idea that a sig-
security within the coming decades. nificant part of their food can be pro-
We also need to realize that centralized, duced locally and sustainably, these
large-scale monoculture, transporting knowledge partnerships have started
food around the world, and food waste, to take shape. In fact, the region has
have a huge impact on climate change. made incredible strides when it comes
As governments and private and to food security strategy development
public growers across the Middle East and the implementation of sustainable
intensify their focus on sustainable local growing solutions in collaboration with
produce and self-sufficiency in line with the private sector. Over the past eight-
regional food security strategies and een months, the global pandemic has This business model is already being
goals, there has been a rise in demand further accelerated the global quest adopted in numerous farms in the Mid-
for efficient and sustainable agriculture for local food production with cities dle East including Pure Harvest Smart
and horticulture solutions. The good and countries around the world hav- Farms in Abu Dhabi - a recognized lead-
news is, that the technology is availa- ing faced logistical challenges in food er in sustainable agriculture - where
ble to enable the sustainable growing production and trade, making this an fresh fruits and vegetables are grown
of crops year-round, even under the opportune time to further intensify this year-round, pesticide-free in high-
harshest conditions. The downside is focus. tech greenhouses that feature precise
that many of these technologies and Food producing cities are livable climate and environmental controls.
solutions haven’t been deployed at cities. They create new connections Also in Abu Dhabi, Elite Agro focuses
scale yet. on a social, ecological, and economic on high-quality local produce through
level, providing more green space, sav- world-class technology with the most
ing water, balancing energy sources, economic use of the country’s natural
helping reduce carbon emission and resources, conserving water, energy
thus contributing to a better climate. and land. Another great example is,
Integrating food production not only Uns Farms in Dubai, who put people,
ensures that megacities are self-suffi- planet and purpose first in every aspect
cient, but also means that more green of their business. They operate hydro-
space is created, water can be saved, ponic vertical farms, which means that
energy sources can be optimally uti- crops grow in water instead of soil. This
lized, while reducing CO2 emissions method uses 80% less water, 90% less
land, and 95% less shipping fuel than
4 Vol. 38 No. 1