Abu Dhabi, UAE
25-27 Nov 2025

Cities leading
food production

Programme

Limited seating

TUESDAY NOV 25

Transformative Food Square

10:30-11:00 | Opening Cities leading food production | Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

An introduction to the impact of ‘Cities leading food production’ and its various subtopics.

11:15-12:15 | Roundtable Governance | Cross-continental dialogue on building resilient city learning ecosystems and policy frameworks, connecting Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Speakers:

  • Dr. Fadel Ndiame - CEO of Partnership for African Social & Governance Research (PASGR)

  • Asgeir Oskarsson - Managing Director, BSV Association

  • Carla Moonen - President, Royal Dutch Association of Engineering Companies

  • MENA Regenerative Agriculture Initiative - Goumbook

Moderator: Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

15:00-16:00 | Roundtable Tech & Health Innovations | Advancing nutrient density measurement with BSV Association’s blockchain innovations for secure health data integration, driving nutrition and health system transformation. Speakers:

  • Dan Kittredge - Founder - Bionutrient Food Association

  • Mohammad Jaber - Head of Solutions - BSV Association

  • Pieter Brons - Sales & Marketing Manager - PoultryPlan

  • MENA Regenerative Agriculture Initiative - Goumbook

Moderator: Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

16:00-16:30 | Signing session |
BSV Association signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Common Source.

Hosts: Common Source & HubOrange!

Conference Plaza

13:00-14:30 | Inspiration seminar | A deep dive into governance and supply chain innovations.

Speakers:

  • Pieter Brons - Sales & Marketing Manager - PoultryPlan

  • Dr. Fadel Ndiame - CEO of Partnership for African Social & Governance Research (PASGR)

Moderator: Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

Host: Common Source

WEDNESDAY NOV 26

Transformative Food Square

Hosts: Common Source & HubOrange!

10:30-11:00 | Opening Cities leading food production | Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

An introduction to the revolutionary impact of ‘Cities leading food production’ and its various subtopics.

11:15-12:15 | Roundtable Regenerative Agriculture | Exploring scalable, cross-regional models for soil health, aquaculture, and food system resilience. Speakers:

  • Dr. Fadel Ndiame - CEO of Partnership for African Social & Governance Research (PASGR)

  • Mohammad Jaber - Head of Solutions, BSV Association

  • MENA Regenerative Agriculture Initiative - Goumbook

Moderator: Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

15:00-16:00 | Roundtable Water | Sessions on innovative, nature-based water cycle restoration, scalable water remediation and landscape regeneration projects across the EU, Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Speakers:

  • Ties van der Hoeven - Founder & Creative Director, The Weather Makers

  • John D. Liu - Chinese American film-maker and ecologist - Friends of the Ecosystem Restoration Movement

  • Carla Moonen - President, Royal Dutch Association of Engineering Companies

  • MENA Regenerative Agriculture Initiative - Goumbook

16:00-16:30 | Signing session |
Ties van der Hoeven, Founder & Creative Director of The Weather Makers signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Common Source.

Conference Plaza

Host: Common Source

13:00-14:30 | Inspiration seminar | A deep dive into the nutrient density of food, soil health and transparency.

Speakers:

  • Dan Kittredge, CEO of Bionutrient Food Association. Topic: Nutrient density is rapidly gaining momentum as a unifying concept across the food system. It offers a unique opportunity to connect movements focused on climate resilience, human health, farm viability, ecosystem regeneration, and holistic agricultural practices.

  • Asgeir Oskarsson - Managing Director, BSV Association
    Topic: Blockchain and digital autonomy to empower food sovereignty, digital autonomy and ecosystem reward systems.

Moderator: Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

THURSDAY NOV 27

Transformative Food Square

Hosts: Common Source & HubOrange!

10:30-11:00 | Opening Cities leading food production | Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

An introduction to the revolutionary impact of ‘Cities leading food production’ and its various subtopics.

11:15-12:15 | Roundtable Youth Engagement | Parallel multi-day exchange: youth from every region co-create responses to water, agri-innovation, and organisational leadership. Speakers:

  • Maarten Klop, founder of Grounded Community

  • Dr. Fadel Ndiame, CEO of Partnership for African Social & Governance Research (PASGR)

  • MENA Regenerative Agriculture Initiative - Goumbook

Moderator: Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

15:00-16:00 | Roundtable Finance & Investment | How to mobilise finance to scale what works, new tools for resilient, regional investment in food-water-ecosystem innovation. Speakers:

  • Mohammad Jaber - Head of Solutions, BSV Association

  • Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

  • MENA Regenerative Agriculture Initiative - Goumbook

Moderator: Maarten Klop, Common Source

16:00-16:30 | Signing Session | Dr. Fadel Ndiame, CEO of Partnership for African Social & Governance Research (PASGR) signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Common Source.

Conference Plaza

Host: Common Source

13:00-14:30 | Inspiration seminar | A deep dive into ecosystem restoration.

Speaker:

  • Ties van der Hoeven, Founder & Creative Director of The Weather Makers - Ecosystem Regeneration!
    Topic: The Abu Dhabi water case

  • John D. Liu - Chinese American film-maker and ecologist - Friends of the Ecosystem Restoration Movement

Moderator: Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source, Living Lab Manager of EU4Advice

Programme partners