AeroFarms 2nd Annual AgTech Innovation Summit brings together world leaders in Abu Dhabi to discuss the future of food and agriculture
February 17 2023 - 5:30AM
- The Summit had over 24 global speakers and over 1,000
participants from over 65 different countries
- AeroFarms signs MoUs with NYUAD and ICBA at the Summit, helping
expand Abu Dhabi’s role for AgTech innovation
- The Summit has been supported through collaboration with the
Abu Dhabi Investment Office
AeroFarms®, a Certified B Corporation and world leader in indoor
vertical farming, has convened the 2nd Annual AeroFarms AgTech
Innovation Summit at the Rosewood Hotel in Abu Dhabi, bringing
together over 24 speakers and over 1,000 participants from over 65
different countries to discuss the future of food and agriculture.
The Summit has been supported through AeroFarms’ ongoing
collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO).
The Summit saw keynote addresses by Eng. Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al
Shamsi, Acting Director General of ADIO, Sonny Ramaswamy, President
and CEO of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
and former Director of the National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, and AeroFarms Co-Founder and CEO David Rosenberg.
Panels were moderated by Becky Anderson, Managing Editor, CNN Abu
Dhabi and Anchor, and Kelsey Warner, Future Editor of The National
UAE.
“We are extremely excited to host our 2nd Annual AeroFarms
AgTech Innovation Summit to bring together the foremost minds on
solving some of the biggest challenges of our time,” said Roger
Buelow, Chief Technology Officer of AeroFarms. “At AeroFarms, we
are transforming the future of food and convening the leaders in
the space for dialogue and discussion, to create collaborative and
cohesive action including research with key companies in the region
to address increasing challenges with growing outdoors and supply
chain issues.”
At the Summit as well, AeroFarms announced two signings of
Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and
The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).
“AeroFarms has found an incredible ecosystem within Abu Dhabi
and UAE where we have been able to hire locally talented employees
as well as find key partners for research initiatives with leading
organizations like NYUAD and ICBA,” commented David Rosenberg,
Co-Founder and CEO of AeroFarms. “We are very appreciative of our
long-standing relationship with ADIO to help foster this community
as we drive meaningful change and innovation.”
David Rosenberg, Co-Founder and CEO of AeroFarms, and NYUAD Dean
of Science Marta Losad participated in the signing ceremony. Losada
said, "NYU Abu Dhabi is delighted to be partnering with AeroFarms
on this important research initiative. This collaboration will
allow us to explore the potential of indoor vertical farming and
its ability to meet the needs of populations around the world. This
is a great opportunity to bring together our respective expertise
and knowledge to develop innovative solutions for food production,
sustainability, and food security."
AeroFarms Co-Founder and CEO David Rosenberg and Dr. Tarifa
Alzaabi, Director General of ICBA participated in the Signing
Ceremony. Dr. Tarifa Alzaabi, Director General of ICBA, said:
“Controlled-environment agriculture systems like vertical farming
have great potential for increasing food production in arid and
semi-arid regions while helping to save water and other inputs. As
our center has extensive research on high-, mid- and low-tech
controlled-environment agriculture systems, we are delighted to
partner with AeroFarms to achieve greater synergy and impact.
Through this collaboration, we will be able to innovate and test
solutions for resource-efficient and sustainable agriculture in
harsh environments.”
ADIO has partnered with AeroFarms since 2020 as part of its goal
to create sustainable investment opportunities that support next
generation agriculture in arid and desert environments. The
partnership through ADIO’s Innovation Program enabled the creation
of Abu Dhabi’s AeroFarms AgX, the largest indoor vertical farm of
its kind for research and development in the world.
AeroFarms is a purpose-driven company, on a mission to grow the
best plants possible for the betterment of humanity. AeroFarms has
been leading the way to elevate agriculture for people and the
planet, helping address climate change by enabling local food
production using no pesticides ever to grow safe, nutritious, and
delicious food all year round. AeroFarms is both a change-the-world
technology company and an award-winning brand that is reimagining
the way food is grown and celebrating its full FlavorSpectrum™ of
flavorful possibilities.
About AeroFarms
Since 2004, AeroFarms has been leading the way for indoor
vertical farming and championing transformational innovation for
agriculture. On a mission to grow the best plants possible for the
betterment of humanity, AeroFarms is a Certified B Corporation with
global headquarters in Newark, New Jersey. Named one of the World’s
Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company two years in a row and
one of TIME’s Best Inventions in Food, AeroFarms patented,
award-winning indoor vertical farming technology provides the
perfect conditions for healthy plants to thrive, taking agriculture
to a new level of precision, food safety, and productivity while
using up to 95% less water and no pesticides ever versus
traditional field farming. AeroFarms enables local production to
safely grow all year round, using vertical farming for elevated
flavor.™ Its products can be found at major selling partners like
Ahold Delhaize, Amazon Fresh, Baldor Specialty Food, Compass Group,
Harris Teeter, Marcus BP, Momofuku Noodle Bars, ShopRite, The Fresh
Market, Walmart, and Whole Foods Market. AeroFarms has commercial
farms in the United States and recently announced plans to develop
throughout the Middle East region. Through its proprietary growing
technology platform and cutting-edge R&D Centers in both the US
and the UAE, AeroFarms has grown over 550 varieties of plants and
has developed multi-year strategic partnerships ranging from
government to major Fortune 500 companies to help uniquely solve
agriculture supply chain needs. For additional information, visit:
www.aerofarms.com.
About NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and
research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major
American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly
selective program with majors in the sciences, engineering, social
sciences, arts, and humanities with a world center for advanced
research. Its campus enables students to succeed in an increasingly
interdependent world, and to advance cooperation and progress on
humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving
students have come from some 120 countries and speak over 115
languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and
Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving
faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning
environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the
numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents. For
additional information, visit: www.nyuad.nyu.edu.
About ICBA
The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is a
unique applied agricultural research center in the world with a
focus on marginal areas where an estimated 1.7 billion people live.
It identifies, tests, and introduces resource-efficient,
climate-smart crops and technologies that are best suited to
different regions affected by salinity, water scarcity, and
drought. Through its work, ICBA helps to improve food security and
livelihoods for some of the poorest rural communities around the
world. For additional information, visit: www.biosaline.org.
- AeroFarms CEO David Rosenberg Gives a Keynote Address to Summit
Guests
- AeroFarms CEO David Rosenberg Signs MoUs with NYU Abu Dhabi and
ICBA
Marc Oshima
AeroFarms
917-673-4602
marcoshima@aerofarms.com