From Scarcity to Solutions 2025

Tech-driven value chain transparency validates sustainability claims Aligning farmers’ capabilities with consumer expectations is critical to closing the sustainability loop. As consumers increasingly demand transparency – such as ethically sourced ingredients or verified carbon footprints – the industry needs to adopt practices that meet these standards to secure market access and premium pricing. In the Middle East, Majid Al Futtaim employs blockchain to track products. Consumers can scan QR codes to view production processes, halal and hygiene certifications, dates of production and nutritional information, providing them instant access to food supply chain data from farm to store shelf. Collaborative data ecosystems optimize resource use Scaling-up alignment across water-food systems requires robust data ecosystems where governments and industry co-create non-competitive platforms to aggregate anonymized farm data (e.g. soil health, water use) and consumer trends. Open-access hubs – such as regional agri-water repositories tracking climate patterns and certification benchmarks – paired with interoperable metrics for water efficiency enable cross-sector collaboration. For arid regions, ecosystems such as the Forum’s Food Innovation Hubs demonstrate this approach and their potential to provide global analytics access and advanced data analytics capacity. Such ecosystems empower stakeholders to co-design solutions – from drought-resilient farming to eco-label verification – transforming fragmented innovations into systemic resilience and linking farmer livelihoods with sustainable consumer demand. Contextual training and co-design empower farmers and ensure tech adoption Localized onsite training brings the latest research and knowledge to rural areas to ensure new technologies and methods are a good fit for the region’s farmers. Furthermore, co-design with farmers is fundamental to ensure the successful adoption of technology.58 Private companies excel at tailoring training to local agro-climatic conditions and value chain needs. For example, through its partnership with Silal in UAE, Bayer has implemented a train-the-trainer programme to empower local farmers with knowledge and best practices adapted to desert farming conditions and to identify crop varieties best suited to local environments. The Cultivator Programme, developed by Tencent and China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), offers 200+ online courses covering policies, methodologies, tools and practical training. With ~$70 million of investment, the programme provides training to over 1.8 million rural farmers, entrepreneurs and officials, and features an online marketplace to sell agricultural products, bridging the gap between education and income generation.59 In addition, CGIAR – a global network of food security research centres – is actively working to enhance the capability of countries in the Middle East and North Africa to develop and use drought monitoring and early warning systems to support early responses to drought-related risks. CGIAR is also strengthening the capacity of agricultural managers to provide drought-affected communities with guidance and training in mitigation solutions, including resilient agricultural practices.60 Keys to success Aligning producers and consumers, as well as building value-chain capabilities, hinges on four interdependent pillars: –Certification frameworks to build consumer trust. –Tech-driven value chain transparency to validate sustainability and health claims. –Collaborative data ecosystems to optimize resource use. –Contextual training and co-design to empower farmers and ensure tech adoption. By embedding these principles, stakeholders can create systemic resilience, where the value chain adopts green food-water practices linked to premium markets and consumers access verified sustainable products – turning environmental stewardship into shared economic value. From Scarcity to Solutions: Food-Water Innovation in Asia and the Middle East 42