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Adapt to Survive Climate Change and Food Production
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00:01Bienvenue à tous, bienvenue à tous ceux qui nous ont juste suivi.
00:06Comme vous le savez, le changement changement et le growth de la nourriture de la nourriture
00:11pour l'innovation et l'efficacité.
00:14Quels sont les dernières breakthroughs dans la production de la nourriture
00:18qui peut nous aider à l'adaptation dans ce monde changement ?
00:21Ce que nous allons voir maintenant avec notre moderateur, Johanna Gauden,
00:25et tous ses guests.
00:27Please welcome them on stage.
00:54Welcome to our panel, Adapt to Survive Climate Change and Food Production.
00:59Before we jump in, I just want to share a few facts so that everyone can understand
01:04why this session is so important.
01:08By 2050, the global population will reach 10 billion people.
01:12We will need to produce 60% more food than what we are producing today.
01:18According to estimates, there's only 5% extra arable land left on our planet today.
01:27In order to meet the net zero goals, just a reminder,
01:31that's to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius,
01:35emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030.
01:41How many in this room realize that 25% to 30% of those global emissions
01:47come directly from our food systems?
01:50This is something that most people don't realize, and this is part of why this session is so critical.
01:57Farming accounts for the use of about 70% of our water usage.
02:02And I'm not even talking about how through farming we're contributing as well to water pollution, etc., etc.
02:08And last but not least, agriculture is the first cause of biodiversity loss.
02:15So here we are, we're going to talk about adapting to survive climate change.
02:19And yes, climate change is putting huge pressure on agriculture and food systems.
02:25But I think this is where we're all going to be going to today.
02:29Food and agriculture can have a major role in reversing the path we are on.
02:34So time is not on our side.
02:37We want to make sure that we will have champagne in 20, 30 years from now to drink,
02:41because that is a big concern.
02:43But before we get going, let me introduce my panel.
02:46So Aude is the co-founder and executive director of InnovaFeed.
02:52And for those of you who don't know InnovaFeed, InnovaFeed is a biotechnology company
02:55and a leading insect producer for animal and plant nutrition.
03:00Berta, CEO and president of Moët et Chandon.
03:03I don't think Moët et Chandon needs any introduction.
03:08And Samantha from EIT Food.
03:11And you are in charge of corporate venture partnerships.
03:15And EIT Food, for those who don't know, is an EU-funded initiative
03:19that really is designed to support the agri-food entrepreneurs
03:24and help build out this whole ecosystem.
03:27So welcome to the three of you.
03:29And we have one panelist on his way.
03:31And when he comes, we will introduce him.
03:35He's on his way.
03:37Well, actually, Fortis is on his way.
03:39So there we go.
03:40Fortis is the co-founder and CEO of BetterOrigin.
03:44Welcome.
03:46Had a little hard time coming here today.
03:48And producing a decentralized AI-powered insect mini-farm.
03:53So we'll go into more detail on what everyone's doing.
03:57I'm going to start out with you, Berta.
04:01Moët et Chandon is the owner of, you know,
04:05one of the largest champagne producers in the world.
04:08You are already facing climate change.
04:15We know weather patterns are changing.
04:20And your soil has been affected.
04:23What steps are you taking today to get in front of, you know, these changes
04:28and to ensure that we will still have champagne, as I said,
04:33on our shelves in 20, 30 years from now?
04:35No, thank you.
04:36Thank you, everyone.
04:37As you were saying, agriculture is part of impacting climate change.
04:42When you look at the Champaign region, it's about 34,000 acres.
04:46So we only account for about 2% of the total wine production.
04:50But that is no excuse not to act today.
04:52We are seeing the impacts of climate change.
04:55We are seeing spring frost.
04:56We are seeing different extreme changes that is impacting our productivity.
05:01We are seeing diseases that are new because of the heat that we currently have.
05:07We are seeing our soil impoverished.
05:09And we are seeing that the harvest that is normally due to happen around September,
05:16that is the traditional, is coming more and more earlier.
05:19And that has consequences for our grapes, the acidity, the sugar, etc.
05:24So the problem is there.
05:25We can no longer ignore the problem.
05:28Now, what are we doing about it?
05:29That is what is more important.
05:31And we haven't started today.
05:32We started 20 years ago by first trying to diminish the impact that our agriculture practices were having on nature.
05:42That's the first step.
05:43So 20 years ago, we stopped all our herbicides.
05:46We are certified viticulture durable, etc.
05:50But that is not enough.
05:51That is about stopping the impact.
05:53The second thing that we are doing is, and you start talking about it,
05:57is restoring the damage that has already been done.
06:00And for that, we are doing three things.
06:02We are restoring the biodiversity in Champaign by doing 100 kilometers of ecological corridors
06:08that are due to connect existing biosystems, existing ecosystem today.
06:14The second thing that we are doing is starting to change,
06:17and I say starting because it's not going to happen like that, our agriculture practices.
06:22We are moving into agroecology.
06:24So what is agroecology?
06:26It's about having agriculture practice in harmony with nature and not against nature.
06:33So that's the second thing very important.
06:35And last but not least, of course, like everybody else, and we are no exception,
06:39we are working to diminish the CO2 emissions that our production sites,
06:44one, two or three, are having on the impact.
06:47So that's some of the things that we are doing.
06:49And we'll touch upon some of these later, especially around the side of this is what makes this panel so
06:56interesting.
06:56We've got startups and then incubants, as I'll call you.
07:00And so already, you know, how does a company that already has infrastructure in place,
07:05has already invested so much, change and switch their practices?
07:10So we'll go into that shortly because I first want to turn to you, Oud.
07:14When we were, you know, getting ready and briefing for this panel, you clearly said,
07:20I do not like the title of this panel, Adapt to Survive.
07:23It almost sounds like we've given up before we haven't even started fighting.
07:29And when you launched your company, you know, you used the word, you wanted the sense of urgency.
07:36You wanted to know that you would have an impact within a certain timeframe.
07:40And that was the type of problem that you were trying to solve.
07:42Do you want to sort of share more about, you know, how InnovaFeed came about
07:46and what you're trying to accomplish?
07:48Thanks a lot for inviting me.
07:51So absolutely, I think we started the journey because we realized the numbers you just said as an introduction.
07:57And we wanted to do something to help solving, you know, climate change issues.
08:02And we stuck with food production because of the, you know, 30% of our emissions.
08:07We didn't know that.
08:08It's growing because of the growing population.
08:10We need to cut it down by half.
08:12And we have, you know, at the most 20 years to do so.
08:16And I would say probably less when we see all the natural disasters that are happening already at our doors.
08:21And so we thought about something so fundamental to human society.
08:26How can we, you know, do this equation which seems quite impossible, you know, right?
08:32And so we thought about what is the fastest way, you know, what is the biggest impact we can make
08:37as, you know, individuals to start up with that would have impact in the fastest way.
08:42And that's how we came to insects through, okay, probably the way is to find a source of nutrient that
08:48would be very sustainable to produce and that we can scale, right?
08:51At that time in 2016, FAO was already talking about insects.
08:56We know that it's a real source of great nutrients, that it requires little resource to grow.
09:01The agro-industrial players, you know, when you talk about incubants, were actually also interested in this source.
09:09And especially for animal nutrition, which we also discovered accounts for actually half of the resources we produce from, you
09:17know, agro-industry.
09:18Half of the agro-industry goes to animal nutrition.
09:21One third of fishing, of our marine resources, go to animal nutrition.
09:26And so there was an appetite for this sort of, you know, insect-based nutrients.
09:32The challenge was to find the technology and the industrial model to produce at scale and in a very competitive
09:40way.
09:40And that's exactly what we set out to do.
09:42We thought if we were able to have the technology to do it at big scale to get the volumes
09:48in a competitive way and in a very sustainable way,
09:52then we could actually help to solve the problem.
09:56And maybe the last thing we've been, you know, very struggling to do is once you say, okay, this is
10:02a good source,
10:03there's still a big step in ensuring that what we're building, a new industry, is actually really more sustainable than
10:11the old ones, right?
10:12And so, and we did a lot of things from a very analytical approach by saying, okay, we need to
10:18make it cost-effective,
10:19but we need to make it very carbon-effective.
10:22So let's look at also our emissions and how we can cut those down.
10:26Yeah. And I definitely do want to touch upon this later about how startups are trying to be impact-native
10:32companies
10:33and the challenges they have versus, you know, larger existing players that also have their own challenges.
10:39But on that note, I sort of want to turn to you for this because, you know, and I historically
10:46come from the tech industry
10:47and I always see the tech and I've seen it over the past few years of all claiming they're reaching
10:52their net-zero goals
10:53and the approach has really been around offsetting. And, you know, in this space, offsetting is not going to work.
11:03And you talk about in-setting. Do you want to share about your whole philosophy there and what in-setting
11:09means?
11:10Yeah, of course. Hi, everyone, and thanks so much for the invite.
11:13I think what we've seen lately is that a lot of companies are talking about net-zero and cutting down
11:18emissions.
11:19But if you just go and, let's say, buy offsets from Cambodia where you just plant trees, the way we
11:26view it is just a right to pollute
11:28because you're not really doing anything to minimize and cut down the emissions in our own countries.
11:33And when we actually spend some time to look into the food supply chain and how it's structured,
11:37whether you look at it from the waste angle or from the feed angle, there's so much emissions created on
11:42both ends.
11:43And if companies don't strive to reduce emissions in their own supply chains, then we won't see a tangible difference,
11:51right?
11:51It's not. I mean, the problem is local and global. So every country has waste and every country is creating
11:59emissions.
12:00So organizations need to strive to carbon inset. And what does that mean?
12:04They can do everything they can to cut the emissions in their own supply chain. And if, you know, net
12:10-zero is our target.
12:11It's a big debate as well, right? Is that the right target or not? And is it even achievable? Who
12:15knows?
12:16But if that's our target and you've done everything you can as an organization to cut down your own emissions,
12:22then, sure, you can get offsets as well.
12:24But I think it's just you get off too easy by saying we're net-zero by buying carbon offsets. Yeah.
12:31I just like to comment on what you are saying because you're absolutely right.
12:35And one of the things that we start doing into when you look at our carbon emission, as you said,
12:40it's easy to say, let's compensate.
12:42But that's the easy way out. What is more difficult is to look into what do we need to do?
12:45So, for example, at Moethe Chandon, one of the things that we did 10 years ago is reduce the weight
12:50of our bottle.
12:51So our biggest source of emission is our bottle. So by doing a lighter bottle, we actually reduce not only
12:58the production of the glass bottle, but also the transport cost, etc.
13:01And we save about only the last 10 years the equivalent of 25 million bottles.
13:07So, again, there are solutions within our company that we need to act.
13:11Yeah.
13:12And actually, talking about there's a whole trend right now of focusing on net-zero and the carbon side.
13:19And I think what's been interesting even as we were, you know, the food and agriculture space is it's much
13:25broader than just the carbon.
13:27And we talked about the biodiversity, the water, the quality of our soils.
13:32And is there, and I just want to get your, you know, reactions from all of you, an expectation that
13:37you'll be able to fix all of those?
13:39Is that realistic? Or are we supposed to be working as an ecosystem and we realize that every solution is
13:46going to mean just, you know, having to make, you know, you decide which one you're going to focus on.
13:52Or you're going to always have to make a compromise. So, you know, and I know you guys, it's been
13:57a topic that's come up quite a bit.
13:58I can start if you want. I think one of the biggest challenges in a company like ours and Odds
14:04is that, you know, you're trying to solve such a huge challenge.
14:07And the question is where do you start, right? I think you start by saying we can just solve all
14:12of the soil problem and all of the food waste.
14:13Then you kind of get lost because it's very difficult to actually do anything meaningful. So our approach has been
14:19let's go to consumer facing brands where we know there's a lot of pressure.
14:24And actually anyone we speak with, everyone wants to do something sustainable. No one says, no, I don't care.
14:29The difficulty is how do we get there in a financially viable way? So our approach has been let's go
14:34to, let's say, farms or supermarkets and target products that we can reduce the carbon footprint.
14:40And we understand that it doesn't solve the whole problem straight away, but at least it's tangible, it's quantifiable, and
14:46we can talk about it.
14:47And I think that also is important because it builds confidence that sustainability can also make money, right?
14:53It's not it's not just a loss making endeavor, which has been quite often if you like equated with.
14:59So our approach has been a little bit on that front.
15:02Yeah, I think as far as we are concerned, I think you can not only do one thing.
15:07So we have to reduce, we have to make sure that you restore the damage that is being created.
15:13And then last but not least, and I know we are going to touch later on, we need to innovate.
15:17Because whatever we do, we know that the planet is not going to be like it used to be 50,
15:22100 years ago.
15:23So at the same time, we need to innovate to adapt to what is coming while we are doing everything
15:28in our hand to slow down the process.
15:32So picking on that, and then we're trying to, you know, if I just look at the net zero targets,
15:38just to put this in perspective, that's seven harvests away from today.
15:43So that's, we don't have much time.
15:46Here we are at VivaTech, which is, and what I always find amazing about VivaTech is the ability to have
15:52a technology conference where you have large players with the startup ecosystem.
15:57So Samantha, I want to turn to you, being at EIT, what does that ecosystem look like today?
16:05You're trying to bring those two worlds together.
16:08What are some of the challenges you're facing, but also some of the opportunities you're seeing in helping build those
16:14exchanges?
16:15Yeah, it's a really interesting question because EIT food was literally set up to create this ecosystem.
16:21We were set up by the European Commission around six years ago to really look at how can we bring
16:26together industry, startups, all the best research centers, universities in Europe to really actually truly drive innovation.
16:34Because there are so many initiatives going on right now, but a lot of them are in silos.
16:38So our goal is to really try and bring all these initiatives together to share information.
16:44And I think the alternative proteins industry is a really good example of what's happening right now because we have
16:49so many startups in Europe who are doing fantastic things.
16:53You know, creating new technologies, even insect, you know, startups are one of them, but they're running into a few
16:59different challenges.
17:00One is how can they scale because we all know we lack the infrastructure necessary to help these startups scale.
17:06We are missing bioreactors. We're missing manufacturing capacity.
17:09And then startups are also facing the regulatory issues in the sense that a lot of these new proteins that
17:16are being created are considered novel foods and can't currently be sold in Europe.
17:20So we're spending a lot of time and effort, energy and money to really help these startups grow.
17:26And when they get to a point where they can be commercialized, then they either end up going to the
17:32US or they end up going east where the regulations are lower and they can actually start selling their product.
17:37So on our viewpoint, it's really one, a risk for Europe with food autonomy and the future of our food
17:44systems and also for the sustainability goals that we're trying to achieve.
17:49And what we can do because we're not a lobbying body, but what we can try to do is create
17:55opportunities for the right stakeholders to come together so that we've got legislators, the people who are making decisions about
18:02our food systems and making regulations that we can bring them together with startups, with industry and create opportunities for
18:09conversations to be had and very frank and open discussions so that when they are making decisions, they truly have
18:16the 360 mindset.
18:18Because, you know, legislators can't be experts in everything, but we can help make sure that they have access to
18:23experts who can help them make the most informed decisions to ensure we have safe products for European consumers, but
18:30that we're also, you know, taking an industry considerations and the impact of those decisions on the environment and the
18:36planet as well.
18:36Fantastic. So we have that. And I think when we were in the prep calls, there was, you know, what
18:48came out was as a leader, you have a responsibility to pave the way, which I think some people would
18:55say not all the actors in the space are acting this way.
18:59So I have a few questions for you. So I have a few questions for you. One is, as a
19:02leader, you're also viewed as a company that has the financial means to be able to lead that transition.
19:10How did you convince some of the small actors and players to take some of the risks to change the
19:17way they produce and invest? Because that's their life. That's the direct livelihood. Just as, you know, again, talking about
19:25this space, two billion people in the world's direct livelihood is linked to food and agriculture.
19:30So anything we do also have to take into account the social implications.
19:35It's a very good question. And I would start by saying that you're absolutely right. I think it's the role
19:40of the leader in any industry to pave the way and to be extremely responsible about the patrimony that they
19:47have and the transmission that they leave for the future.
19:49So that was to start. You're absolutely right on that one. Let me give you an example about how do
19:54we do things. I just told you that we stopped herbicides some years ago, but of course, it stopped
20:00herbicide doesn't stop the weeds. So the weeds comes every year. So then you need to have a solution for
20:05the weeds. So the first thing that we start is working our soils. But when we work our soils, that
20:10has some more carbon emission. So that was not a solution anymore. So then we need to start innovating. So
20:15we start innovating in different surfaces of our 1600 acres. So we had about 16% with our partners of
20:24the total champion region. So we start experimenting. So we piloted first an electric tractor.
20:30So it was a way of working the soil, but without the carbon emission. What we were looking at is
20:35that that was impoverishing the state of the health of our soils. So we tried two things. We start eco
20:41grazing. So it's basically using ships for the weeding. So today we are proud owners of 220 ships that help
20:49us with the eco grazing.
20:51But of course, but of course, that is a different way of working. Plus, you need to think about hosting
20:56the ships, getting them, what do we do with them in harvest, etc. So it's a whole
21:01working. What we are doing now as well, and we actually were one of the startups, we have now trucks
21:07to work the soil that work on hydrogen. So it's about continuing the innovation.
21:12So how do we convince them? By doing it first ourselves. So first, we prove that it's possible. We start
21:18with five, then we go to 20, then we go to 200.
21:21And then when they see that we are doing a harvest after harvest, we are not having issues, and the
21:27grapes are there, and the champagne is good quality, and it hasn't been any losses, we convince them. First step.
21:33Second, okay, I see it, I believe it, but that is not enough. If I see it, I believe it,
21:37and how do I do it? So we are investing as well on training. And so we go to our
21:42partners, and then we train them about the new agriculture practices that we have.
21:47Okay, and last but not least, if that is more expensive, because of course, putting herbicide is easier, right? You
21:55go one, but that is not what we want to do. So if you have to do all the other
22:00things that I said, it's more work, it's more time, so it's more money.
22:04So we are also helping them financially to our partners, so we basically pay more for the grapes that are
22:10today sustainable agriculture. So by doing all these things, so by showing them, training them, and helping them financially,
22:17today we can say that nearly 70% of our total surface is now sustainable agriculture.
22:24Fantastic. So, you know, I think it is, and I think as you working with startups, and both of you,
22:31I mean, even finding, as a startup, finding your own way through this, and knowing, you know, how do I
22:36measure impact, and how do I, it's not an easy journey, so I can only imagine what it's like for
22:42current smaller vineyards,
22:45and so being able to give them that roadmap definitely makes a huge difference, but you also touched upon financing,
22:53and I think that is, and anybody who's in this space has read recently some, you know, Aero Foods that
23:01are announcing bankruptcy,
23:02in-farm pulling out of Europe, it's not an easy domain space to be in, it's a lot of these
23:09solutions are capital heavy, and money isn't coming as easily, so what needs to happen to help these products, you
23:22know, all of you have proven that you have, that your solution works,
23:26but how do we go to that next stage of scaling, and I think both of you have taken different
23:31approaches on how to scale, so same, you know, similar solution in the sense that you're both focused on insects,
23:37but talk about your scaling approaches, and why you chose the way you...
23:45Yeah, well, that's a very important topic, because I think, as you said, a lot of solutions have been proven
23:51in a pilot level, and now it's about putting more capexes, and making them real, in a sense of, at
23:57a scale where we can actually have impact.
24:00I think our approach there was, we need to do large-scale, to be able to get the volumes out
24:08fast, but it's very costly, of course, and we need, I mean, we need to mobilise, basically, the whole ecosystem,
24:18we are where we are at today, and we have two factories in the north of France, one of them
24:23is, it's a very big one, it's 40,000 square meters factory,
24:27to reach that point, require us to align a lot of actors, we cannot do it alone, we need, we
24:35need, of course, the agro-industrial partners, and we partner with people like Cargill, with ADM, to get the downstream
24:44value chain out, but we need also, of course, investors, VC investors, but also public actors, public actors, you know,
24:52that comes from the state level, European level, regulators, you talked about them,
24:56but also the very local level, like people, cities, that accept us to build a factory of that size, right,
25:04and it's because all of those people come together, that we are able, actually, to move forward,
25:11and today you mentioned, I think financing is a real issue, because when you reach a level of scale, and
25:17it's still new, you still have risks, you know,
25:20who will take that risk to pay for it, and who decides that we want it, you know, we want
25:27it enough to afford it.
25:28Are the recent failures, where perhaps money came easily, helped slowing down the growth, I mean, with your startups, and
25:36for you guys, is that a challenge?
25:38Well, I think, yes, a macro-economic situation is much more constrained today, right?
25:45I think it's, there's two things to be learned from that. The first ones, I think, is about those who
25:52survive need another level of standards, you know,
25:55and there's a bit of, I think it's, at some point, also healthy, you know, that you have that constraint,
26:02you cannot just say,
26:04okay, because we do sustainability, then we can forget about performance, about, you know, just general things,
26:11and make a business work, and we need still to put effort in that, and when there's less money, you
26:17have to look more deeply into your business model, right?
26:20But I think there's also a question of, how can we not let the whole process slow down?
26:27And there, I think, you know, public financing have a role, because reaching sustainably, doing the transition, costs money,
26:37and if we leave that to the private sector, it's as if we ask people, do we really not want
26:43sustainability, because we cannot afford it, right?
26:45It's not that dissimilar than healthcare, right?
26:49And I think that's where public policies come into place, you know, because we need sustainability as much as we
26:55need healthcare for everyone.
26:57I think we need both. I think, actually, we need public and private, and I think, absolutely, I think you
27:02mentioned some of the companies that are leaders,
27:04and I think that it would make a difference, is when we have the funds, and you put your money
27:07where your principles are.
27:11Just to answer the scalability question, because we've taken a very different approach to, in our case, we thought, because
27:17the first angle was food waste,
27:19so we thought food waste is very decentralized, first of all, and then, second of all, you have all these
27:23farmers with land out there
27:25that are looking to get into the new frontier of farming, so we built a decentralized system to put it
27:29on farms,
27:30and let them help scale that, focusing on a product, which is the egg, making the chicken egg sustainable, and
27:36then moving on from that.
27:38But, just to top on the regulation, I think, maybe six, seven years ago, the technology was not here, right?
27:43We didn't have a way of solving food waste, and food security, and feed.
27:47Now we have that, but unless we get to the next stage with, how do we quantify emissions?
27:53How do we quantify the negative of food waste?
27:57And how can we have a level playing field for all companies to be able to measure emissions,
28:01and then potentially trade them with carbon credits?
28:04It becomes quite difficult, because, as you mentioned earlier, you have to pay farmers more, right?
28:09It's more expensive at the moment, so unless we have a system and an infrastructure that allows for that,
28:13I think it would be quite difficult to actually financially scale these technologies.
28:18Go ahead.
28:20So, one of the things I think that was really interesting about what Berta was saying earlier,
28:23is that, you know, most of the focus is on helping farmers transition.
28:28So, having farmers transition to regenerative agriculture practices, let's say.
28:32But, what we're missing is that it can't just be farmers.
28:35It has to be the whole system.
28:36And I think you guys are proving, you know, you're really taking an entire systems approach,
28:39because, yeah, you really can't have, you know, we have examples of oat farmers in Spain,
28:45who we've helped make the transition, but then they end up with surplus production,
28:49because they can't find enough customers to purchase their regenerative ag oats,
28:54and they're needing to sell them as conventional products at conventional prices.
28:57And this isn't going to encourage more to transition.
29:00So, we're about to launch right now this regenerative agriculture portfolio project,
29:05where we're going to bring together a lot of big CPG companies,
29:08a lot of big agri-food industry players, to work together in a pre-competitive space,
29:13and to look at how can we create projects that are going to help systems transition as a whole.
29:18So, let's say what you guys are doing with grapes,
29:21we can potentially learn from what you're doing,
29:23and help apply that to other supply chains,
29:25help apply that to other regions, so that everybody isn't working on it on their own,
29:28because there are learnings of what you're doing that we can help transition,
29:31to remove barriers, to make sure we have sustainable business models,
29:34and to help really have a whole ecosystem approach moving forward.
29:38That's great, and I think what is really important, what you're saying,
29:40is that at Moete Chandon, we don't just do it ourselves.
29:43I mean, we do it in collectivity with the Champagne region.
29:46So, the CFSA is fully aware, and we are fully working with them,
29:51and they are working with us on making sure that the solutions that we are working
29:54are for the entire Champagne region.
29:56Very recently, they validated a new variety, for example, Voltis,
30:00and that was validated by them, again, pushed by the private sector,
30:03but at the end of the day, that will make the difference for everyone.
30:07So, it's a new variety that is more resistant to climate change.
30:10Right. So, and again, we've touched upon this.
30:13I mean, again, when I say 2 billion people's livelihood
30:15is linked to this, you know, agriculture and food, you're right.
30:18There's a, I think from a government standpoint,
30:21there's always a big fear of touching the space.
30:28But we also know that we're facing, you know,
30:30we're facing a wall here from a time standpoint.
30:33So, what is it going to take to scale all these solutions?
30:37and do you think that you're on the same level of field
30:43as traditional actors, for those of you who are, you know,
30:46you know, so, you know, because they're getting more subsidies, perhaps,
30:50or, you know, are your products on this, you know,
30:53what needs to change for you right now so that you can really say,
30:57you know what, we're going to be, our products are competitive?
31:03Well, I think, again, for me, it comes from the system.
31:06I think we need to mobilize very globally.
31:08Everybody has to do their part, right?
31:10We need to come up as startups with innovative solutions,
31:14with technical, you know, to solve, I'm an engineer in training,
31:17you know, we started because we want to solve technical issues.
31:20But then once you said that, you know,
31:22I think we really need to ask ourselves as an ecosystem,
31:25what can I do, and with, you know, and align on the sense of urgency.
31:30So, of course, you know, at the public level,
31:33we need to change policies, we need to adapt regulatory frameworks,
31:36we need to help the startups to, you know,
31:39have the amount of money necessary to go to the next level.
31:42But then we need to build the ecosystem,
31:45we need to work with the bigger, the existing players.
31:48You know, we're not going to change the food system
31:50from outside at some point.
31:52And everything is so linked there
31:54that we need to move forward in the same way.
31:56And the question is,
31:57what do we bring each one of us to the table?
31:59In our case, we bring a new technology, a new product.
32:04Our industrial partners, they bring, you know,
32:07energy to the processes we still need energy.
32:11They bring the markets, right?
32:13They bring the downstream.
32:14They bring knowledge also.
32:16They've been through this industrial process.
32:18So I think we really need to find that spot.
32:20And what is really important is to share the, you know, level of ambition.
32:25And we need to be collectively much more ambitious than what we are right now.
32:30And we need to share the sense of urgency of we cannot wait that long.
32:34And, you know, you kept saying that, and I totally agree.
32:37We only have a few years left so that the impact we do have actually an effect on the temperature
32:44curve.
32:44I mean, yeah, think about it.
32:45COP 27 was the first COP where food and agriculture, food at least,
32:50was definitely put on the agenda or sideline this year, hopefully so.
32:54This is the first year that Vivitech has an entire panel on food tech.
33:01But when we come to a conference like this, food tech, there's an expectation as well of having results
33:08and, you know, and ROIs actually for companies that are in vain,
33:14in the similar vein as those of traditional tech companies.
33:17Is that realistic?
33:20Just to build also in the previous conversation,
33:22I think trying to, like, what we're essentially trying to do is to fix a broken food system, right?
33:28And when you do that, there are so many actors involved.
33:30So everyone has to focus on what they can do on their own.
33:33But also, when we talk about accelerating, in my opinion,
33:36and it's going to be a bit of a boring answer,
33:38is that I think that's what policymakers do, right?
33:40You want to build the right policies to accelerate adoption of technologies.
33:43And we've seen that with solar panels.
33:45We've seen that with anaerobic digestion.
33:47We've seen that with oil and gas in the past.
33:49Like, I think it's important that we realize the level of problem we have in the food and agriculture space
33:54and then the right policy accelerates the adoption financially
33:57and with incentives and anything else that is there.
34:01Do you feel, and this is a question, and I'd really love to have a raise of hands in the
34:07room,
34:07do you feel that people understand or are aware of the impact of agriculture and food on climate change?
34:15I mean, were you aware that 25% to 35% of carbon emissions come from agriculture and food?
34:26Not that many, huh?
34:28You know, we think about transportation, energy, and...
34:32Absolutely, and I think we don't talk about it.
34:34You know, we let a lot of the consumers make their choice, but they don't have the information.
34:38We don't know the carbon footprint of a fish that, you know, it's in our plate or all those products.
34:43So, I think it begins with that, you know, it's something that concerns us all
34:47and we need to have more knowledge about it to know what's happening, right?
34:51I agree with you.
34:52I mean, an anecdote, when I was saying to some of my friends that I will be here today with
34:56you,
34:56they asked me, why?
34:59Why, why are you...
35:00Foodtech, Vivatech, it's all about a startup and technology and AI.
35:03And I think that is, first, a lack of knowledge of the impact of the agriculture, as you were saying,
35:09but also there is a lack of knowledge of the importance of foodtech solutions to help us fight climate change.
35:15So, I mean, we are talking about some, I gave you some example of electrical tractors or hydrogen,
35:20but also about precision agriculture.
35:22So, if we have the right sensors of the soil that allow us to understand what is the nutritional state
35:27of our soils,
35:28it will be better not to have wastage of some of the, you know, the treatment that we use.
35:34If we understand by satellite what is happening with the weather,
35:37it's better to understand the water needs of the plant.
35:41So, that leads to less wages, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
35:44So, I think there is a lack of knowledge of the importance on the problem and the importance of the
35:49solution.
35:50And I would say, too, for the consumers out there, it's really confusing because we have, you know,
35:55brands are making different claims.
35:56There's all kinds of statements that are printed on packages, on labels,
35:59and that's one of the messages that we hear quite frequently from our industry partners is, you know,
36:03how can we work together to create a very clear message from consumers so that they know what they're buying
36:09and that they truly are able to vote for their wallets.
36:11So, we're working on labeling right now and how can we provide industry standards for environmental laboring,
36:16carbon claims, and these types of things that can be Europe-wide so that consumers do have a reference point
36:20and can truly make informed decisions.
36:23I mean, there was a lot of hype around plant-based alternative protein solutions
36:30and maybe a little bit of backlash now.
36:33What, as a sector, do we need to be doing in order to ensure that it's not viewed as, and
36:43again, not only coming from the tech world,
36:47the tech world tends to promise, over-promise.
36:50Can we afford to over-promise here because if we don't deliver,
36:53so what do we need to do to make sure that what we are saying we're trying to solve
36:58or what we are producing is really, you know, what we're doing?
37:06In our mind, I think it has to be that sustainability equals transparency.
37:11I think it's making these hugely ambitious claims and not hitting any of them
37:16is damaging for everyone in the sector.
37:18So I think it's okay to say that we are on the road to net zero, and it's very difficult,
37:25but this is what we're doing, and in a very transparent way,
37:28maybe this product costs a little bit more, but actually these two extra pens is going there.
37:33I think that will be really appreciated by the consumer,
37:37and there's a lot of information out there right now.
37:39Everyone knows, right? It's not opaque anymore.
37:42Like, if you greenwash, everyone will know.
37:44So I think it's okay to not put these huge claims out there
37:48and be more about transparency and the clear efforts of what companies are doing to get there.
37:53And maybe I would add also, what's to learn from it?
37:56It's just there's not one solution that will solve the whole problem.
37:59And I think that's the thing, you know, when we need to change the mix of our consumption,
38:04we need to eat less meat, right?
38:05That's part of the solution.
38:07But what you're saying about plant-based, you know, what will happen is that
38:10it actually takes more time to convert people, right?
38:13So this is not the only thing we have to do.
38:15And I think in the agri and food tech situation, we need more solutions
38:19because we need to do a lot of stuff to reach, to bridge that, you know, divide-by-two gap.
38:24I think you said something that was very relevant when you said everybody needs to play their part.
38:29I mean, it's not going to be the five of us, not even the entire room that is going to
38:33solve the problem.
38:34But if all of us play our part, and if all of us start doing with our solutions that we
38:39can control,
38:39I think that's what makes the difference because at the end of the day,
38:42it's a multi-solution and it's an ecosystematic approach.
38:45So we all do our part, and the sum of the parts will make the whole.
38:49Fantastic.
38:54We, you know, again, so much has changed because of technology.
39:00And I would love to hear from you, what is it about, you know,
39:04what technologies today are getting you excited and on how they can be applied to this space?
39:10I'd love to kick it off since I have the very fortunate position of seeing so many startups
39:15working on incredible things every day.
39:18We've had two of them here actually this morning already, Green Spot Technologies and Bosque Foods.
39:23But it's really, really incredible.
39:25You know, we have startups who are looking at turning carbon into new proteins
39:29or turning carbon into alternatives for palm oil.
39:32We have startups who are working on solutions to help farmers.
39:36So, you know, farmers have to make a million different decisions every day.
39:39And how can we look at things like data modeling, weather forecasting, satellites
39:43to really help farmers be able to better choose what inputs they need to put.
39:48You know, how can they reduce their water consumption?
39:50How can they improve their yield?
39:51So, it's a really, really fantastic space.
39:55You guys would, your minds would be blown if you saw all the things that startups.
39:58How generative are I going to do, change it?
40:00So, I cannot compete with that.
40:02So, I'm just going to tell you something that is getting us very excited.
40:05It's that while all the technologies have been developed,
40:08we are also working on our vegetable material.
40:12So, basically the physiology of our vineyards.
40:16What do I mean by that?
40:17For four years, we actually started looking at all of our vineyards
40:20and found what were those variants that were resistant.
40:24So, when the vineyard was in a bad state, there was always one, two, three.
40:28We selected them for four years.
40:30And now we open a conservatory, which is a living library.
40:33So, we are studying by research, a real anticipation about what would be the vineyard of the future.
40:40Now, the dream and the vision would be that one day we have a vineyard that needs no human intervention.
40:46So, it's a completely harmony with nature.
40:48So, that's what we are piloting now.
40:49And that's what gets me excited is we are beyond 2030.
40:53We're anticipating the future.
40:56Ord and Fortis.
40:57I'm probably a bit biased.
40:58So, I'm going to talk about our technology in the sense that I'm really excited to see where insect farming
41:03and this idea of converting waste back into feed and food is going to go in the next few years.
41:07I think more and more actors in this space are getting excited by it.
41:10The economics are starting to make more sense.
41:12So, that's what excites me.
41:13But I'm a bit biased.
41:15And I think I would add one point to data because, you know, we don't have a lot of time.
41:20But the power of data and analytics just helps us to learn much faster than what we've been doing before.
41:27And I think speed here is key, right?
41:30And because of those data, I'm sure we're able to learn fast and improve fast.
41:35Well, thank you all very much for this fascinating discussion.
41:40And I'm actually very reassured we will have champagne in 2030 years, hopefully.
41:44And we'll have insects to eat on our meals.
41:46So, this is great.
41:47So, join me in thanking the panel.
41:51Thank you.
42:15Thank you.
42:16Thank you.
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