Converging paths towards regeneration; Cities Leading Food Production at VIV MEA 2025
Unlocking Future Market Leadership in Food Production
Cities Leading Food Production is a new, exciting agribusiness programme focused on accelerating the development of robust, regional and regenerative food systems in cities and metropolitan areas worldwide.
The 3-day programme kicked off at VIV MEA 2025 in Abu Dhabi, running from November 25 - 27, with themed roundtables at the Transformative Food Square and inspiration seminars at the Conference Plaza.
International delegates from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, USA and Asia converged at Cities Leading Food Production to address the most pressing challenges facing societies, to discuss critical topics spanning regional food systems, regenerative agriculture, governance, technological innovations, water management, youth engagement and finance.
Doing good is good business!
This programme aims to further develop ecosystems that learn from each other, empower communities, create partnerships and drive innovation in sustainable food production and security.
We're very grateful for these important exchanges in order to develop sustainable paths for food security, health and ecosystem restoration.
The Transformative Food Square of Cities Leading Food Production
Across three days of roundtable discussions and inspiration seminars, Common Source and HubOrange! facilitated conversations bringing together experts, policymakers, farmers, and innovators from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the US. The overarching vision emphasises the interconnectedness of governance, health, sustainability, water stewardship, and investment in creating resilient, locally-driven food systems that benefit all stakeholders—from smallholder farmers, agribusiness, governments to citizens.
Mark Frederiks - Managing Director of Common Source, EU4Advice Living Lab Manager
Day 1 - Opening Cities Leading Food Production
Day 1
Mark Frederiks, Managing Director of Common Source and EU4Advice Living Lab manager, opened the programme with an introduction to the impact of ‘Cities leading food production’ and its various subtopics, which lead into the first roundtable.
Roundtable Governance: Cross-continental dialogue on building resilient city learning ecosystems and policy frameworks, connecting Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Prof. Fadel Ndiame, Executive Director of PASGR, emphasized that effective governance must ensure diverse voices are included in policy-making, with a particular focus on evidence-informed policies and genuine community engagement. He advocated for breaking down silos and fostering collaboration at all levels.
Prof. Fadel Ndiame, PASGR
Day 1, Roundtable Governance
Asgeir Oskarsson, Managing Director of BSV Association, advocated for blockchain technology's transformative potential in increasing transparency and trust in data systems. He demonstrated how this technology could be applied across various industries to improve governance structures and create accountability in food systems.
Asgeir Oskarsson - BSV Association
Day 1 - Roundtable Governance
Tatiana Antonelli Abella, Founder & Managing Director of Goumbook, stressed the critical need for sustainability and climate action within agriculture. She called for innovation and farmer empowerment to enable adaptation to changing environmental conditions, positioning farmers as agents of change rather than passive recipients of policy.
(Right) Tatiana Antonelli Abella - Goumbook
Day 1 - Roundtable Governance
Yann Rousselot-Pailley from KPMG in Saudi Arabia presented on leveraging innovation and emerging technology, describing a platform designed to connect agricultural challenges with AI-driven solutions. This approach bridges the gap between problems on the ground and technological solutions available in the market.
Yann Rousselot-Pailley, KPMG in Saudi Arabia
Day 1 - Roundtable Governance
Dan Kittredge of Bionutrient Food Association and Bionutrient Institute underscored the significance of nutritional quality in food systems, advocating for the alignment of economic incentives with health outcomes. He stressed that true sustainability must prioritize the nutritional value delivered to consumers.
Dan Kittredge - Bionutrient Food Association
Day 1 - Roundtable Governance
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.
Pieter Brons - PoultryPlan
Day 1 - Roundtable Tech & Health Innovations
Mohammed Jaber of BSV Association, Peter Brons of PoultryPlan, Christopher de Looze of Aldahra, Yann Rousselot-Pailley of KPMG in Saudi Arabia, Dan Kittredge of Bionutrient Food Association, and Stephan Nilsson of UNISOT were our distinguished speakers to explore the different critical connections between food production and health. Key themes included:
The foundational role of farmers in creating healthy soils and nutritious products
Technology's essential role in improving food systems and enabling traceability
The need for sustainable agricultural practices that prioritize both environmental and human health
Blockchain's potential to enhance supply chain transparency and value distribution
The importance of bridging urban and rural populations through technology and direct consumer-farmer connections
DAY 2
On the second day we gathered for the roundtable sessions on Regenerative Agriculture and Water with great contributions from and interactions between speakers, experts and participants.
Roundtable Regenerative Agriculture: Exploring scalable, cross-regional models for soil health, aquaculture, and food system resilience.
Mark Frederiks of Common Source highlighted the significance of supporting farmers and encouraged a collaborative approach to food production, emphasising the transformative potential of regenerative agriculture practices.
Mark Frederiks - Common Source, EU4Advice
Day 2 - Roundtable Regenerative Agriculture
John D. Liu shared his extensive experiences in ecological restoration, stressing the importance of understanding natural systems and advocating for widespread collaboration across regions and disciplines. He emphasized that restoration is not a technical fix but a relational process.
John D. Liu - Friends of the Ecosystem Restoration Communities
Day 2 - Roundtable Regenerative Agriculture
Prof. Fadel Ndiame, Executive Director of Partnership for African Social & Governance Research (PASGR), called for a unified vision and accountability to tackle food security issues in Africa, emphasizing that policymaking must be grounded in evidence and local context. He stressed the need to move beyond rhetoric to concrete action.
Prof. Fadel Ndiame - PASGR
Day 2 - Roundtable Regenerative Agriculture
Dan Kittredge addressed the shortcomings of current agricultural practices, underscoring that the transition to regenerative agriculture must prioritize soil health and nutritional density. He argued that conventional agriculture has failed to deliver both environmental and health outcomes.
Dan Kittredge - Bionutrient Food Association and Bionutrient Institute
Day 2 - Roundtable Regenerative Agriculture
Professor Dr. Vinay Nangia, Research Program Director for Soil, Water and Agronomy at ICARDA, discussed the specific challenges faced by smallholder farmers in the MENA region, advocating for solutions that are culturally appropriate, economically viable, and relatable to local contexts. He emphasized the critical importance of engaging youth in agriculture to ensure the sector's future.
Professor Dr. Vinay Nangia - ICARDA
Day 2 - Roundtable Regenerative Agriculture
Roundtable Water: Session on innovative, nature-based water cycle restoration, scalable water remediation and landscape regeneration projects across the EU, Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Carla Moonen of the Royal Dutch Association of Engineering Companies (KIVI) and Simone Landhuis, Agricultural Counsellor of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Saudi Arabia, addressed water management challenges, particularly in water-scarce regions like the Middle East and water-rich regions like the Netherlands. They highlighted the urgency of developing innovative water management solutions.
Carla Moonen - Royal Dutch Association of Engineering Companies, KIVI
Day 2 - Roundtable Water
John D. Liu contributed his expertise on ecosystem restoration and water cycles, emphasizing the interconnection between landscape health and water availability.
John D. Liu - Friends of the Ecosystem Restoration Communities
Day 2 - Roundtable Water
Dr. Vinay Nangia, Research Program Director on Soil, Water, and Agronomy at ICARDA, provided insights into water challenges specific to the MENA region, advocating for solutions that balance agricultural productivity with water conservation.
Dr. Vinay Nangia - ICARDA
Day 2 - Roundtable Water
Ties van der Hoeven, CEO of The Weather Makers, contributed perspectives on sustainable water management practices and the need for collaboration across sectors and borders.
Ties van der Hoeven - CEO of The Weather Makers
Day 2 - Roundtable Water
Key discussion points included:
The critical importance of water in agriculture and food security
Innovative solutions for water management in arid and semi-arid regions
Regenerative agriculture practices that improve water retention and soil health
The necessity for collaboration, education, and local engagement in sustainable farming
Technology's role in monitoring and optimizing water use
DAY 3
The third and last day of Cities Leading Food Production focussed on youth engagement, and how we can finance this movement of regenerative agriculture and ecosystem restoration. In between roundtables, John D. Liu and Ties van der Hoeven took the audience on a deep dive into ecosystem restoration at the Conference Plaza.
Roundtable Youth Engagement: how do we engage youth and youth movements from every region to co-create responses to water, agri-innovation and leadership challenges?
Mark Frederiks addressed the importance of engaging youth in farming and highlighted challenges faced by the agricultural sector in Europe and the Middle East, noting that attracting young people requires systemic change.
Mark Frederiks - Common Source & EU4Advice
Cities Leading Food Production & Roundtable Youth Enagement
Mohammad Mishal, Curator for the Global Shapers Dubai hub, introduced the Global Shapers community, emphasising the significance of grassroots initiatives for local impact and the power of youth-led movements in driving sustainable change.
Mohammed Mishal & Adeena - Global Shapers Community
Day 3 - Roundtable Youth Engagement
Adeena, part of the Global Shapers Community, shared her experiences with youth activities in Kuala Lumpur, highlighting her enthusiasm for engaging young people in sustainability and food systems innovation.
Prof. Fadel Ndiame of PASGR pointed out Africa's youthful population as both an opportunity and a challenge, stressing the critical need to incorporate youth voices into policymaking and social change initiatives.
Prof. Fadel Ndiame - PASGR
Day 3 - Roundtable Youth Engagement
John D. Liu discussed ecosystem restoration communities, underscoring the necessity for collective action to confront environmental issues and the role young people can play in this transformation.
John D. Liu - Friends of the Ecosystem Restoration Communities
Day 3 - Roundtable Youth Engagement
Marie Deschamps of Goumbook elaborated on Goumbook’s youth initiatives in sustainability education, highlighting the value of innovative ideas from young people and the importance of mentorship and platform-building.
Marie Deschamps - Goumbook
Day 3 - Roundtable Youth Engagement
Inspiration Seminar: a deep dive into ecosystem restoration, presented by John D. Liu and Ties van der Hoeven (The Weather Makers), showing:
The importance of water management in landscape transformation
The potential for transforming degraded landscapes into productive, biodiverse ecosystems
The necessity of involving communities in ecological projects for sustained impact
The potential of innovative technologies, including blockchain, to support and verify restoration efforts
Ties van der Hoeven - The Weather Makers
Inspiration Seminar on Ecosystem Restoration
Felicita Menendez from Florida
Roundtable Finance & Investment: how to mobilise finance to scale what works, new tools for resilient, regional investment in food-water-ecosystem innovation.
Nadine Benchaffai, Founder & partner of PROJECT PEOPLE, contributed important perspectives on financing sustainable agriculture and the need for innovative funding mechanisms.
Nadine Benchaffai - PROJECT PEOPLE
Day 3 - Roundtable Finance & Investment
Stephan Nilsson, CEO of UNISOT, emphasised the importance of leveraging technology for food health and farmer empowerment, advocating for investment in systems that support regenerative practices.
Stephan Nilsson, CEO of UNISOT (left)
Day 3 - Roundtable Finance & Investment
Concluding the CLFP-programme, Common Source signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Prof. Fadel Ndiame PASGR, with Asgeir Oskarsson of BSV Association and Ties van der Hoeven of The Weather Makers.
Memorandum of Understanding
Prof. Fadel Ndiame, PASGR
Memorandum of Understanding
Asgeir Oskarsson, BSV Association
Memorandum of Understanding
Ties van der Hoeven, The Weather Makers
Cities Leading Food Production is a Common Source concept developed in partnership with HubOrange!, Royal Jaarbeurs, VIV Worldwide and Compazz Foundation.
