From Scarcity to Solutions 2025

Holistic framework to transform food and water systems An integrated green transition that balances economic growth, sustainability and resilience is emerging. New technologies and innovations have led to improved outcomes in food and water systems. This report proposes a holistic framework to transform food and water systems that comprises two dimensions: Dimension #1 This features 12 high-impact innovations in technologies and business-models across three interconnected domains: –Agriculture and food: solutions include genetic crop improvements and innovations in protein and nutrition. –Water: solutions include digital water sourcing, advanced desalination and biological water treatment. –Cross-sector technologies: these levers integrate precision agriculture, smart irrigation, soil improvement, sustainable packaging, green production and logistics, blockchain- enabled supply chain traceability, and food and water circularity. Integration of these three domains spans the full value chain, from agricultural inputs and production to distribution, utilization and end-of-use recovery. Collectively, these technologies amplify impact when deployed within systemic frameworks. Dimension #2 The success of technologies depends on the ecosystems that surround them. China and the Middle East reflect how policy coherence, blended finance, innovation and entrepreneur pipelines, collaborative clusters, private sector alignment and value chain adoption collectively have the potential to turn isolated innovations into systemic resilience. The systemic and sustainable transformation of food and water systems requires five key enabling actions – referred to in this report as the “five-step blueprint”: 1. Build a holistic policy framework. 2. Forge a robust financial ecosystem. 3. Cultivate food-water-centric strategic clusters. 4. Leverage the private sector to scale-up food- water technologies. 5. Upskill value chains and bolster consumer acceptance. Call to action: a unified path forward The work on systemic transformation has only just begun. Across emerging markets and especially in China and the Middle East, this five-step blueprint offers a pathway to dismantle silos, align stakeholders and embed innovation into the fabric of food-water systems. Collaborative approaches are needed to bridge the disparate domains of policy, finance, skills training and grassroots implementation. Only through such public-private action at scale will it be possible to transition from fragmented pilots towards unlocking the full potential of food-water systems to act as engines of economic growth, sustainability and resilience. From Scarcity to Solutions: Food-Water Innovation in Asia and the Middle East 5