Environmental and social sustainability, nutrition of the future, the need to combine the culture of food and the quality of raw materials, in the face of increasingly difficult global challenges, in which those who will be able to seize the opportunities offered by the digital and environmental transition through innovations survive technological. These are the themes at the center of the visit by the Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies Stefano Patuanelli to the Expo in Dubai on the occasion of the Week of Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods.
“How will we produce food while respecting the environment for 10 billion people? How will we be able to ensure safe access to food? And how will we do it without impacting the environment and the territory from which we produce the food? These are the great challenges we face. Comparing skills, experiences and putting together ideas is the best way in which we can arrive at a shared solution to these problems. Let's talk and exchange ideas and find a solution to these trivial questions ”, asked Minister Patuanelli, inaugurating the“ People-Planet-Prosperity. Italy-UAE shared experiences for a sustainable future in Food & Agriculture ”, dedicated to the promotion of shared experiences of Italy and the Emirates for a sustainable future in the food and agriculture sector.
“We still have time to change course and identify a path that leads us to retreat from the dynamics of ineluctable change if not addressed in time. The great challenge is to obtain quality food available to all thanks to innovation and sustainable processes. One Health cannot be confused with One Diet, homologation is not the solution and food uniqueness must be safeguarded ", said Patuanelli who added," Technology can help us use fewer environmental resources to produce greater quantities of food of equal quality. Yes, therefore, to produce more quality food, yes to technology that allows us to save water, which makes us use less chemicals and fertilizers. This is the technology that we must use in sharing between all countries ".
The conference, organized by MiPAAF and CREA, saw the participation of government agencies, research institutes, universities and leaders in the agri-food sector, who analyzed the prospects for the research and development of sustainable and focused agricultural and food technologies. man, through the use of digital, aquaculture, precision agriculture, AI, robots and data analysis evidenced by the best practices of Italy and the United Arab Emirates.
Minister Patuanelli then spoke at the World Majlis "Food For Thought" event, which discussed the world diet in a future where it will be necessary to be able to deal with the problem linked to the growing need to feed over eight billion people with resources that are always more scarce.
During his speech, the Minister once again called for greater dialogue and sharing between countries in order to deal in a synergistic way with the critical issues related to climate change, soil consumption, the increasingly evident lack of raw materials: a constant commitment that does not it must lead to the approval of the diet and the abandonment of traditions.
“We have to look at how to affect the environment less, Patuanelli reiterated, but we must remember that this path cannot lead us to alienate people in moments of sharing and food is one of those moments. We must maintain the great culinary traditions of all peoples and countries. Only in this way will we be able to face the problems of this planet: with respect, exchange of ideas and knowledge ”.
During his visit to the Dubai Expo, Patuanelli met with UAE Minister of Environment and Climate Change Mariam Almheiri. The exchange of experiences and the paths towards the sustainability of agro-industrial productions are at the center of the bilateral. During the meeting, Minister Patuanelli expressed the will of the Italian government to continue investing in innovation and reducing the use of environmental resources with the dual objective of producing safe and quality food with fewer and fewer resources and contributing through practices agricultural not only to safeguard but also to improve the environment in which we live.