Food security is a topic of global concern and is of specific importance to Gulf countries due to rapid population growth and constraints to local food production caused by a harsh climate and limited water supply.
Gulf States depend heavily on food imports to meet local needs, and this dependence is expected to increase with food demand projected to grow by 50% over the next 20 years. This leaves Gulf nations exposed to risks due to unreliable supply chains and unstable prices in global food markets.
Recognising these risks, countries across the Gulf have identified food security and associated topics including agritech, aquaculture and food safety as national priorities. Scientific research has a critical role in meeting the challenge of guaranteeing food security, therefore, this symposium is organised to showcase the latest advances in these thematic areas.
This event aims to encourage the exchange of ideas and experience between researchers in the Gulf and the UK and to create future cooperation to develop local food production systems, build resilience to unstable food supply networks, and tackle the increasing problems facing aquaculture and livestock farming (including antimicrobial resistance) through the presentation of research papers by participating scientists.
The sub-topics of this symposium will include the following:
Agritech
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Controlled environments - greenhouse technology
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Dry land and saline agriculture
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Biotechnology
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Livestock farming in arid and harsh environments - challenges and advancements
Aquaculture
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Maximising sustainable production
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Disease prevention and control
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Novel species and novel production methods
Food safety
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Halal production - monitoring and quality
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Food spoilage, storage and transportation
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Food testing and standards
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Nutrition security
For full information about the symposium, please download the symposium's fact sheet that also includes the application form.
Please note that the application deadline is 19/1/2018