Today, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Fady Jameel, vice chairman of Community Jameel, co-hosted an interactive breakfast discussion on agricultural adaptation and climate resilience. Held in partnership with Goals House at Concrete, Alserkal Avenue, the 'Farming for our future: Growing climate resilience' breakfast event was attended by decision-makers from key donor countries and low- and middle-income countries, media commentators, digital influencers, food companies, as well as the COP28 Food Systems team.
A panel of renowned experts, each bringing diverse expertise, gathered to discuss the importance of agricultural innovation for climate resilience, the challenges faced by smallholder farmers face due to climate change, and the need for collaborative, evidence-based policies to enhance global food security and nutrition. Participants included Dr Tarifa Al Zaabi, director general of the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA); Dr Guyo Roba, head of the Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action; Eliud Rugut, smallholder farmer, Ban Ki-Moon Centre Youth Agrichampion, Kenya; and Omar Shihab, founder and chief sustainability officer of the Michelin Green Star restaurant BOCA in Dubai.
During the event, Patricia Roig, executive Chef of BOCA, presented a live cooking demonstration, preparing 'chebab,' a traditional Emirati breakfast dish, using sustainable ingredients. Bill Gates and Fady Jameel interacted with scientists and researchers who showcased their agricultural innovations, including products made with bio-fortified orange-flesh sweet potatoes and ICBA-grown saltwater dates, offered to attendees.
