Singapore International Agri-Food Week 2024 to Catalyse the Transition to Sustainable and Nutritious Food Systems in Asia

Singapore International Agri-Food Week 2024 to Catalyse the Transition to Sustainable and Nutritious Food Systems in Asia

SINGAPORE, Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ —

The Singapore International Agri-Food Week (SIAW) returns for its fourth edition from 18 to 22 November at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands. Asia’s leading platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration, SIAW gathers global industry leaders, policymakers, decision-makers, and innovators to explore groundbreaking solutions, forge new partnerships, and advance agri-food technology development and adoption across the region.

Themed ‘Scaling Innovation in Asia’s Agri-Food Systems’

SIAW 2024 comprises four constituent events: the Roundtable on Novel Food Regulations, the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit, the Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia, and the Global Agri-Food Scientific Symposium. These events showcase the latest innovations in sustainable food production, while providing attendees with multiple opportunities to create and share solutions amongst a like-minded community committed to driving impactful change in the region’s agri-food industry.

SIAW Welcome Reception

The week will begin with the SIAW Welcome Reception, an exclusive, by-invitation event held on the evening of 18 November 2024. It will be officiated by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Mr Gan Kim Yong. The reception provides a unique opportunity to engage and network with a distinguished group of agri-food corporates, start-ups, entrepreneurs, business executives, investors, policymakers, research scientists, and trade partners.

Organisers and Partners

The SIAW is jointly organised by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Temasek; supported by Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), and Singapore Tourism Board (STB); and with organising partners Constellar and Rethink Events. The largest edition to date, SIAW 2024 expects to welcome 12,000 attendees from 82 countries and regions, 300 exhibitors and 400 speakers.

Scaling Innovation in Asia’s Agri-Food Systems

Asia will contribute significantly to the projected 9.7 billion global population by 2050. By that time, Asia and the Pacific would have also more than doubled the number of persons aged 60 and above, from 630 million in 2020 to 1.3 billion in 2050 – representing a quarter of its population. To cater to a growing ageing population, the demand for access to greater quality food and better nutrition will continue to rise rapidly. The ability for food systems to meet this demand will in turn be susceptible to climate change, environmental degradation and supply chain disruptions.

Asia plays an indispensable role in the global agri-food landscape. As the largest producer of rice, it feeds over half of the world’s population and accounts for 90 percent of global production. The greater Asia-Pacific region is also the largest and most diverse agricultural market globally.

Scaling innovation, and enabling coordinated effort for collective impact, remain critical enablers in transforming food systems in Asia to be more resilient, sustainable, and accessible. Strengthening food resilience in Asia will also have a positive impact on the global value chain. To achieve this collective vision, Singapore, as a stable and connected global-Asia node, serves as a vital food technology hub, a key supply chain player, and a trusted food and nutrition centre, convening and connecting a global ecosystem of food producers, suppliers, technology providers, policymakers, regulators, and other industry players. Against this backdrop, SIAW 2024 has curated content spanning across regenerative agriculture and aquaculture systems, to protein diversification and accessible nutrition, providing an invaluable platform for catalysing the transition to a sustainable and nutritious agri-food system in Asia.

Roundtable on Novel Food Regulations

Organised by SFA since 2019, the by-invitation Roundtable on Novel Food Regulations is a platform for regulators, local and international industry players, researchers, and members of international organisations to discuss latest technologies for novel food production, challenges in safety assessment, and explore opportunities to advance the regulatory approach while encouraging food innovations. This includes key topics such as the development of a safety-assessed ingredient list for cell culture media components, production of fermentation-derived novel food products, and global regulatory best practices.

Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit

Organised by Rethink Events in partnership with Temasek, the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit is the anchor event of SIAW, bringing together 1,000 global agri-food stakeholders over three days to address the key pillars of climate adaptation, decarbonisation and nourishment.

From regenerative agriculture, biological inputs and AI-driven solutions to climate-smart aquaculture, novel proteins and precision fermentation, the Summit will explore the innovative solutions and financing strategies that are meeting demand for nutritious and affordable foods.

Guest-of-Honour Dr Koh Poh Koon, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, will deliver the opening keynote, setting the scene for three days of C-level thought leadership, networking and technology discovery. The illustrious 100+ speaking faculty features an A-list of agri-food pioneers and investors, including Olam Agri, Mondelez, Shell Energy, Google, World Bank, CP Foods, BASF, FrieslandCampina, Unilever and Thai Union.

Dozens of regional and international start-ups and scale-ups will feature at the summit, with cohorts presented by Enterprise Singapore, Innovate UK, MARS, Hatch and The Yield Lab Asia Pacific.

Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia

Organised by Constellar, Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia (AFTEA) is a focused exhibition platform with a living lab environment, thematic experiential zones, sandbox and community-based learning for the agri-food industry to launch, showcase and testbed their solutions. This year it will provide direct access to 300 exhibitors, including 100 start-ups and 20 international groups, showcasing the latest innovations, practices, and strategies. An expected 10,000 attendees will engage with global leaders, industry experts, suppliers, corporates, start-ups, institutes, and pioneering innovators in Novel Food Technology, Urban Farming, Alternative Proteins, Aquaculture, Safety & Sustainability, Technological Solutions, and more.

New this year is the Precision Fermentation Pavilion, a dedicated space showcasing the latest advancements in precision fermentation technology; as well as the Climate-Smart Practice Forum, featuring senior executives of World Bank, Mars, RIZE, Mae Fah Luang Foundation and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Cementing its position as Southeast Asia’s biggest platform convening the agri-food tech start-up ecosystem, AFTEA is also introducing the Agri-Food Innovation World Championship. Organised by Constellar and Innovate 360, the Championship aims to identify, support and celebrate innovative early-stage start-ups with high growth potential in the areas of agri-tech, food sustainability, health & wellness, and deep-tech.

Global Agri-Food Scientific Symposium

Organised by SFA and the Singapore Institute of Technology, the Symposium aims to bring together researchers, scientists, and technology solution providers to encourage knowledge exchange and catalyse scientific discussions amongst those with an interest in the food ecosystem. It also serves to advance cutting-edge science, technology and innovation, and foster collaboration to build agri-food capabilities for climate-resilient and sustainable food ecosystems. This year’s theme is “Innovation and Sustainability: Transforming the Food Landscape” and will feature academic and research experts presenting across four tracks: Aquaculture, Agriculture, Future Foods, and Nutrition & Food Safety.

With the urgent challenges facing global food systems, SIAW continues to be the nexus for the region’s agri-food ecosystem, bringing together research and development, policy discussions and business innovations to enable collaboration and action unlocking collective impact in the agri-food sector.

Please refer to Annex A: SIAW 2024 Constituent Event Highlights; Annex B: Quotes by Organisers and Partners; and Annex C: Corporate Profiles.

Access the full media release and Annexes here.

SOURCE Constellar

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
• Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
• Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.
• Target 12.3: By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
• Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 2.3.1: Volume of production per labor unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size.
• Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease.
• Indicator 9.5.1: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP.
• Indicator 12.3.1: Global food loss index.
• Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
• Indicator 17.16.1: Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the sustainable development goals.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: prnewswire.com