Contributors Acknowledgements Kevin Chen Chair Professor, Zhejiang University Stuart Donald EVP Farming, Al Dahra Luis Torres Dorante Vice President, Agronomy and R&D, Yara International Shenggen Fan Chair Professor, China Agricultural University Shimmer Fu Chief Executive Officer, Sunner Development Adelaide Gu Chief Impact Officer, McDonald’s China Jiang Han Programme Policy Officer, China Office, World Food ProgrammeXiaohai Hou Chairman of the Board, China Resources Beer Sami Joost Lead, External Innovation & Partnerships, Middle East, Bayer Omar Katanani Head of Sustainability, Majid Al Futtaim Retail Yazen Al Kodmani Senior Consultant, Food Innovation Hub UAE, World Economic Forum Di Lin Senior Director of Sustainability, Mengniu Dairy Wei Liu Head of ESG Strategy, Alibaba Group Ivy Lv GR Manager, CargillWorld Economic Forum Noopur Desai Manager, Food Initiatives and Partnerships, Food and Water Wee Kean Fong Head, Climate and Resource, Greater China Amy Siyue Gao Early Career Programmes, Better Living, Greater China Megan Gerryts Innovation Specialist, Food and Water Tania Strauss Head, Food and WaterBoston Consulting Group Jumin Chen Manager, Public Sector Feng Lu Principal, Climate and Sustainability Shirley Wang Senior Analyst, Climate and Sustainability Carrie Zhang Associate Director, Climate and Sustainability The preparation of this insight report has drawn on the insights of many industry practitioners and experts, including leading businesses, academic and research institutes. It also draws on the Forum’s September 2024 white paper, Mainstreaming Food Innovation: A Roadmap for Stakeholders, developed by the Food Innovation Hubs Global Initiative. The authors would like to thank all the organizations and experts who attended discussions and provided inputs for this report, with special acknowledgement for those below. The report does not necessarily reflect the views of these individuals and/or their organizations. Expert advice is purely consultative in nature and does not imply any association with the takeaways or conclusions presented within this paper. From Scarcity to Solutions: Food-Water Innovation in Asia and the Middle East 44

From Scarcity to Solutions 2025