Farming the future to enhance food supply and create solutions

euronews (in English)

Farming the future to enhance food supply and create solutions  As urbanisation accelerates, innovative farming methods become crucial for food security. This episode highlights urban farming solutions and tech-driven platforms to reduce food waste.  In partnership with Media City  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/08/27/farming-the-future-to-enhance-food-supply-and-create-solutions  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00Farms in the sky, ground-breaking approaches, and making sure there's enough food for a growing population.

00:08As urbanization accelerates, farming methods are at the intersection of technology and agriculture,

00:14nurturing a more food-secure future.

00:20Welcome to The Exchange from our studio here in Doha.

00:23Coming up on this episode, we sit down with His Excellency Fahad Al-Athiyah,

00:28Executive Director of Qatar's Caravan Earth Foundation,

00:32to talk about the challenges of food security for small states.

00:36And later on the show, we speak to Daniel Khashab, CEO of the startup Choco,

00:41who's created a tech platform to combat food waste.

00:45The quest to feed 8.2 billion people without depleting the planet's resources has never been more important.

00:53The UN aims to end food insecurity and malnutrition by 2030.

00:57Last year, over 295 million people faced acute food insecurity,

01:03a 5% increase from the previous year, driven by conflict and climate challenges.

01:10In densely populated countries, urban farming offers a vital solution for food production.

01:16Around $40 billion is needed annually to boost sustainable farming,

01:20utilizing methods such as hydroponics, aquaponics, vertical farming and community gardens,

01:27to maximize limited space for fresh produce.

01:31Another key step to ensuring we have enough food for everyone

01:34is to reduce wasting what we already have.

01:37The UN estimates that 14% of the world's food, valued at $400 billion,

01:44is lost annually due to waste and unharvested crops.

01:48Despite its arid climate and water scarcity,

01:51Qatar has made significant strides in improving its agricultural practices

01:56as part of the government's commitment to food security and its Vision 2030 goals.

02:01I spoke with Fahad Al-Athiyah, Executive Director of Caravan Earth,

02:06a foundation focused on sustainable agriculture.

02:09He pointed out that low-tech solutions can often be more effective

02:13in achieving desired outcomes.

02:17Some nations have been cultivating in traditional methods

02:21and regenerative ways for thousands of years and still going on.

02:25I mean, why would we need to disrupt that?

02:26I think we should be more cautious about certain technologies that are presented to us.

02:35And that's why I focus on what we call low-tech,

02:39because it's the most sustainable and regenerative form.

02:42And it can be exported to countries with lower income, with very little barriers.

02:48I think a lot of the hunger that we face is that we have bad distribution.

02:53So we need to empower those communities to cultivate their own land

02:59using regenerative methods, so that gives them micro-resilience.

03:06That's His Excellency Fahad Al-Athiyah with important insights to Qatar's self-sufficiency goals.

03:13Another small state, the island nation of Singapore,

03:16aims to grow 30% of its own food in the next five years.

03:20But with a shortage of land, the city-state has had to look for alternative methods.

03:25And as our reporter Patrick Fogg finds out, one particular method has blossomed.

03:32Hi Leila, take a look at this.

03:348,000 square metres of stacked layers aiming to produce 500 tonnes of greens

03:40to feed Southeast Asia's commercial capital of Singapore.

03:44Among the variety of vegetables here, basil, parsley and all sorts of baby leaves.

03:51It's been operated by Dutch agrotech company Growy since 2023.

03:56Like several others that have ventured into vertical farming in Singapore,

04:00the previous operator folded because it wasn't commercially viable.

04:04Yuznita Yunos is Growy's Singapore country manager

04:07and says it's learned from others' mistakes.

04:10Some farms struggle with high energy costs, with inefficient designs and low automation.

04:18And this is why they're just not able to compete in the market.

04:21To overcome these challenges, Growy is bringing Dutch agricultural expertise.

04:26Growy uses a centralised management software system,

04:29which means the entire place is run by scientists in Amsterdam.

04:33As well as the Singaporean knowledge and research,

04:37we're able to create new ways of farming that is both better for the people and planet.

04:42Besides that, deploying technology that cuts down energy costs.

04:46One of the things Growy does is it uses acclimatised climate cells

04:50to create microclimates for different plant zones,

04:54giving it humidity and temperature precision to reduce energy needs and maximise crop yield.

04:59Right now, Singapore only produces about 3% of its own food.

05:05But the COVID pandemic, supply chain disruptions and soaring inflation

05:09have highlighted the need for it to be more self-sufficient.

05:13Growy seems bullish business will sprout.

05:16Already, it's planning a second farm in Singapore to grow strawberries, mushrooms and more.

05:21One of the biggest conundrums is that the more we produce, the more we waste.

05:31But is it realistic to make, buy or consume only what we need?

05:36I spoke to Daniel Khashab, co-founder and CEO of Choco,

05:40a start-up which uses data-driven solutions to streamline wholesale orders to reduce food waste.

05:46The food supply chain is a very long chain.

05:51It starts somewhere with the farmer and ends usually in a very different country with the consumer.

05:56Food distribution should use AI to understand in real time how much they are selling,

06:02where they are buying from and to use algorithms that can actually predict demand patterns.

06:08So Choco's vision is to enable a sustainable food system.

06:12And that means a system on which every single player is connected,

06:17a system that makes sure that we have sufficient food at all the places where we need it,

06:21but that we don't grow more than what we sufficiently need.

06:25Now it's time for our regular feature, Business in 60 Seconds.

06:31Start the clock.

06:32Hisense is gearing up to announce its Q2 2025 earnings,

06:36showcasing its commitment to sustainability and innovation in manufacturing.

06:41The Chinese firm has expanded its global operations

06:44and prioritised R&D and eco-friendly practices

06:47to strengthen its leadership in the electronics market.

06:51BYD is preparing to announce its Q4 2025 financial results

06:56as it sets its sights on selling half of its vehicles outside China by 2030.

07:01This ambitious strategy is driven by rapid expansion into European and Latin American markets.

07:07The auto giant has recently quadrupled its sales in Europe,

07:11showcasing its commitment to growth.

07:13And Manchester United is gearing up to unveil its Q4 2025 financial results

07:18as the club approves a landmark $2.7 billion stadium project.

07:24Plans are in place to construct a state-of-the-art 100,000 capacity venue

07:29to replace the historic Old Trafford.

07:33From self-sufficient ecosystems and urban farming

07:36to tapping on technology to reduce food waste,

07:39we've seen that everyone in the food chain has a role to play

07:43to help reach the goal of eradicating world hunger.

07:46Well, that's all the time we have for on this edition of the show.

07:50Please do check out Euronews.com for all your latest business news.

07:53And thanks for watching The Exchange.

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