Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) today announced the upcoming edition of Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA 2015) will include a Hosted Scientist Programme, convening 300 of the world's bests scientific minds from 71 countries to explore transformative solutions for addressing the challenge of global hunger against a backdrop of dwindling resources and climate change.

Organized Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the second edition of GFIA is set to take place in Abu Dhabi from 9-11 March 2015, in strategic partnership with ADFCA.

Designed to serve as a scientific think tank, Hosted Scientist Programme, which called for entries from leading scientists in the field of sustainable agriculture, focuses on the spectrum of climate smart agriculture. In addition to exchanging perspectives with local experts on the future of food production, attendees will also have the opportunity to interact with 6,000 sustainability experts pushing for change and looking for collaborations in the field of sustainable agriculture.

The highly interactive Hosted Scientist Programme will include a scene-setting workshop on 9 March and a cross-disciplinary solutions event on 10 March. The programme will additionally feature summaries of participants' key research, which will then be compiled into a book by ADFCA.

Ahead of the event, Mohamed Jalal Al Rayssi, Chairman of the GFIA Organizing Committee and also the  Director of Communication & Community Service Division at ADFCA, said:  "ADFCA has immense pride in organizing such an international event which reflexes the vision of the UAE leadership to bring in innovation in all walks of life especially in the strategic domains such as agriculture. With the year 2015 is declared as 'Year Of Innovation' by The President of UAE, HH. Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we have decided to add much flavor to the forum, by diversifying its content and style, hoping to mark it as a mile stone in the global journey for innovation in the agriculture sector"

While explaining this year's highlights he said: "What's interesting about the Hosted Scientist Programme is that we are really tapping into the entire field of climate smart agriculture; anyone undertaking ground-breaking research in this arena is welcome to attend. Close to one billion people go to bed hungry every night – initiatives such as this are a significant step towards making a tangible difference and will accelerate the development of solutions that meet the world's pressing challenges."

Some of the award-winning scientists taking part in the programme include Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director of Sustainability at The George Washington University who was named among the "100 most influential people in the world" by Time Magazine and Dr Mushtaque Ahmed, Associate Professor Sultan Qaboos University Oman who has published more than 150 scientific papers.

Since its launch in 2014, GFIA has received major attention for its commitment to challenging the way food is produced. Now, with the backing of 40 globally significant partners committed to using GFIA as a catalyst for change, GFIA 2015 will serve as one of the most influential events in the world for those seeking to contribute to the sustainable agriculture movement. The event will feature prominent speakers from global companies and organisations including McCain Continental, World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Plantagon, and the Committee on World Food Security.

GFIA 2015 centers on six main conferences that run in parallel at the event. More than 250 speakers in total will address a range of key issues critical to the future of global agriculture and food production in these streams:

1. Global Climate-Smart Agriculture Summit – driven by the UN Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture, a major survey of technologies, techniques and creative directions to devise and implement climate-smart food productions systems

1. Food losses & waste from prevention to valorisation – technologies, practices and policies to meet the challenges faced throughout the whole value chain

1. Edible Cities: Building Resilience with Urban Agriculture – innovations and technologies for Creating Sustainable Climate Smart Food systems in the world's urban areas

1. ICT for Sustainable Agriculture – making the most of handheld computer power, big data and the connected world

1. Non-conventional Water Use in Arid Climates – Challenges And Opportunities in extraction and production of water, saltwater agriculture, and reuse

1. Innovation Programme – the world's greatest collection of creative and sustainable solutions to in sustainable agriculture. Following 450 submissions, the Steering Committee have picked the top 100 to appear at GFIA 2015; each presenter will have just 15 minutes to tell the audience why their innovation can help feed the world

GFIA is sponsored by the Food Security Centre – Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Farmers Services Centre, Exeed Industries, and the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce & Industry. Organized with official support from the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, GFIA 2015 will include a keynote speech by His Excellency Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, UAE Minister of Environment and Water.

Find out more about GFIA at www.innovationsinagriculture.com, join the LinkedIn group 'Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture Network', follow GFIA on twitter @GFIA2015, or visit the Future Agriculture web portal at www.FutureAgriculture.info.