Dear friends of the Global Food Summit, Ladies and gentlemen,
There is a saying in French: "Reculer pour mieux sauter", in other words: take a step back to be able to jump further. And that is exactly what we have done. We have relaunched our website, we have expanded our digital offering, we have launched new approaches for the Global Food Summit 2025. But one thing always remains the same - what we stand for:
Share Knowledge Globally Enhance Production Regionally Implement Novel Food Technologies
The Global Food Summit brings ideas and people together - and both into the socio-political discourse. This also includes the transfer of science and knowledge to the general public. Because understanding progress is the basis for change. In a modern knowledge society, we need not only technical innovations but also impulses for social and cultural change. This is the only way we can achieve the 2030 sustainability goals and security of supply with affordable food with sustainable food systems.
In order to achieve the goal of bringing experts together and informing the general public, we will be offering a two-hour online science congress, the "Sci-Cress Food" (Scientific Congress), every month from May. No laptop camera, no laptop microphone, but the best digital broadcast quality with guests in the studio, and in a new event format.
And of course
![](https://files.crsend.com/57000/57768/images/GFS/BeSo+Unterschrift.png) |
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our interview with:
Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Ulrichs |
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Head of the Department of Urban Ecophysiology of Plants at Humboldt-Universität, Berlin and Project Coordinator Cubes Circle.
Q.: In 2024, CUBES Circle started operating as a real laboratory on a Humboldt University site in Berlin-Dahlem. What experiences have you gained so far?
A.: Complex systems need time to produce reliable data. The prototype of our networked system has only just been put into operation and we are currently still testing the technologies of the various production systems. Once these have been run in, the cycle will be fully closed. Our experience is therefore currently based primarily on the three production CUBES. One key realisation here is certainly that the clean definition of interfaces between our production CUBES, as well as depending on the location in the region, is an important challenge. Such interfaces not only determine the sustainability of the system, but also its acceptance and cost-effectiveness. Q.: Cubes Circle aims to enable regional supply in urban areas. What products will you be able to offer?
A.: Our system will focus on vegetable crops in the first few years, beginning with tomatoes and later adding other crops. In the past few months, we have tested strawberries, peppers, celery, various herbs and cabbage varieties. In insect production, we are working with a model organism that is not yet authorised for human consumption and only serves as a source of protein for the fish. Other varieties are also being considered here in the medium term. In fish production, we produce the African predatory catfish. And I'm already looking forward to excellent fillets. Q.: Digital programmes are required for this high-tech system. Which professional training is required for these urban farmers?
A.: Training for such complex, networked systems does not exist yet. Therefore, we currently have experts from the various production areas working together. However, we are developing modern digital tools that will enable later control. There will no longer be a traditional manual for such systems. We are integrating our experience with such systems into our teaching at the five participating universities. Q.: How are your customers reacting to the new offer?
A.: We are encountering very mixed interest in the industry. For some partners, we are still too far away in the future with the system. This is certainly also due to the fact that we are only now moving into the prototype and are not yet able to demonstrate that the systems work, that we also fulfil the sustainability promises and are still economical. I am hoping for more positive feedback over the next four years. However, we also have a partner who wants to make concrete preparations for implementation on the site of a former logistics centre in the coming years. The fact that we prioritised critical system components, such as the energy supply, right from the start of the project is paying off here. Individual technologies or even individual production systems are more easily accepted in industry and there are also numerous collaborations in this area. |
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Our Interview Today With:
Florian Wenke |
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The graduate economist received his academic education at the universities of Heidelberg, Göttingen, and Pune in India. He has been intensively involved with the subcontinent since 2012 and has since then spent more than 7 years there.
His professional focus is on foreign trade promotion. After various jobs in this field, he joined Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), the German government's foreign trade promotion agency, at the beginning of 2020. Since the spring of 2021, he has been reporting on economic developments in India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives for GTAI from Mumbai.
India is on its way to becoming a world power. Around 1.43 billion people already live there today, more than in China. In four years, the Indian economy will have overtaken Germany and Japan. The country is currently in fifth place and aims to be the third-largest economy in the world by 2030. The main growth drivers are the large cities and the innovation hubs that the government is building and expanding everywhere. However, India is also a huge agricultural country: around 50 percent of the population still lives in rural areas. India has around 100 million farmers and grows 400 different varieties of rice. However, images of loaded ox carts and people cutting rice by hand do not do justice to the agricultural scene in India.
1. Mr. Wenke, Digitalisation and precision farming have long since found their way into the Indian agricultural sector. In your opinion, where does India stand and what can we expect from India in the coming years?
India is at the beginning of its development. The majority of cultivated areas are very small - around 86 per cent are smaller than two hectares. This makes it difficult to utilise numerous applications in the field of precision farming. However, the government is working on increasing industrial added value in the country. To put it simply, more industry means more factories. These require manpower. If more people work in factories, they are not available for agriculture. Therefore, land is being consolidated and more digital and mechanical tools are being used. Digital applications are already being used, but not yet on a large scale or in all agricultural enterprises. On average, the Indian population is young and open to new technology. Accordingly, the topics of digitalisation and precision farming will develop dynamically in the coming years.
Read the full interview. |
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Indian elections and the agricultural sector - why 19 April is so important. |
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The world's largest democracy opens its polling stations on 19 April. Elections in India are a major logistical enterprise. Around 960 million people are registered to vote. That is over 10 per cent of the world's population. They allocate the 543 seats in the Indian parliament. It will take until 1 June before all eligible voters have cast their votes. This is because, according to Indian electoral law, the distance from each place of residence to the polling station must not be longer than two kilometres. This is a challenge, especially in rural areas.
Read the full article. |
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On 29 February, representatives of Israeli technology companies and start-ups met with investors in Berlin. The "Restart IL Economy" conference, which the Global Food Summit also attended, is intended to help revive the Israeli economy, which was weakened following the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October 2023.
Digital Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) emphasised that Israel is the most important economic partner in the European Union. "There are many examples of cooperation between German and Israeli companies, particularly in the fields of technology, renewable energies and infrastructure."
Israel's ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, emphasised Israel's strength and resilience and was confident that his country would be able to "reinvent itself and emerge stronger and better from this catastrophe". Many start-ups from the fields of medicine, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence presented their companies at an exhibition. Gideon Lapidoth, co-founder and CEO of Enzymit, is developing advanced computational algorithms for the development and production of novel antibodies and enzymes that will enable cell-free enzymatic production in bioreactors. "We have set ourselves the goal of making bioproduction faster, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than conventional chemical production and fermentation-based processes," says Lapidoth. We are delighted to welcome Enzymit to our upcoming online "Foodtropolis Sci-Cress". |
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RElaunching unsere website |
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Shaping tomorrow today. This is especially true for digital formats. Voilà - that's why there is now a new Global Food Summit website. The new website offers a better overview of the Global Food Summit programmes, better registration options for events, but also faster access to our newsletter interviews and videos. The topics are easy to find and better organised via search filters by year or keyword.
From May 2024, there will be an additional programme format: "Sci-Cress Food". We will invite you to virtual science congresses at regular intervals.
So, take a look. Click here for the website. |
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global solutions summit 2024 |
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2 days, 200 speakers: this is the programme of the Global Solutions Summit 2024 in a nutshell. The event aims to bring together experts from think tanks, research institutions, government agencies, companies and civil society to identify, discuss and present problems and, above all, solutions for the further development of the global agenda. Not an event to miss. Here is the link to register.
Dates: 6 and 7 May 2024
Location: ESMT Berlin, Schloßplatz 1 10178 Berlin Germany |
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BOVINE CELLS CULTIVATED IN RICE |
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This time, the cultured meat is not in the shape of a steak. Instead, South Korean researchers have cultivated bovine muscle cells directly on rice grains. The combination sounds appetising and also has a lower cost and environmental footprint.
Now it's time for the dreaded supermarket test.
Read more.
Photo above: Yonsei University |
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ginstr from stuttgart in space |
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The winner of the World Spirits Award 2018, the Stuttgart-based gin GINSTR, is now also in space. Thanks to its purity and alcohol content, the gin is well suited for experiments and research studies on liquids in general in space.
Read more.
Photo above: Julian Slangen / GINSTR - Stuttgart Dry Gin |
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Take nature, improve it and achieve 80 % success. This is what the Morphing Matter Lab has accomplished with the Self-burying Seed Carrier. Inspired by the seeds of Erodium, a genus of plants with seeds that uncoil with a coiled tail to act as a drill for planting in the soil, this latest achievement in robotics aims to be a solution for reforestation and agriculture.
Read more.
Photo above: Morphing Matter Lab. |
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