Shaping the Future of Food with NEOM’s Juan Carlos Motamayor

Editor’s Note: The following is an interview with Dr. Juan Carlos Motamayor, Executive Director of NEOM’s Food Sector. For those unfamiliar, NEOM is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea being built from the ground up as a living laboratory – a place where “entrepreneurship will chart the course for a new future.” NEOM is also serving as the Future of Food Partner for the upcoming AgraME Conference, the longest running event of its kind in the MENA region.

Before getting to our interview with Dr. Juan Carlos Motamayor, below is additional background provided to us by NEOM about their vision for building a food system from scratch. 

“NEOM is an innovation hub and testbed where companies can develop, demonstrate and implement new sustainable food technologies and services that can be transferred and scaled up to improve our food systems. This capability will become increasingly important as countries enforce stricter sustainability and health regulations in response to climate change and growing consumer demand for sustainable food and healthier lifestyles.

NEOM Food aims to lead the transformation of Saudi and global food systems by mobilizing extensive resources, and by providing its partners with a progressive legal framework and the flexible, comprehensive support that they need to do ground-breaking R&D, create novel solutions and launch their products.

NEOM Food will provide the nourishment needed to drive progress by nurturing innovation in five specialized areas: Climate-proof Agriculture; Regenerative Aquaculture; Novel Foods; Personalized Nutrition; and Sustainable Food Supply & ESG.” Their greenhouses are also designed to ensure that greater amounts of light can enter through the southern extension of the greenhouse roof, with the north side of the roof configured with a reflective surface. The configuration of the north wall ensures the uniform distribution of light and because there are no windows, this section (north wall) can be thermally insulated. The greenhouse design makes Ceres a leader in “passive” greenhouse design, a term used to describe maximizing the natural light, heat, and air movement in a specific location in order to create an interior environment that minimizes the need for energy from the grid to light, heat, and/or cool a building.

Future-Proofing the Food System

Climate change is affecting agriculture worldwide, and the Middle East is no exception. Motamayor emphasizes that “Climates like ours in the Middle East – hot and arid – are becoming increasingly common worldwide due to climate change.” He also cited the fact that farming practices used worldwide are not sustainable as a long-term solution to food production, noting that they contribute greatly to the high levels of greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere. Motamayor envisions a future where we embrace “technology-driven, resource-efficient agricultural techniques,” which is essential to provide for our growing population without causing further harm to our planet. “NEOM’s Food Sector is working to do exactly this, bringing together innovators, entrepreneurs and scientists to tackle the biggest challenges in food.”

NEOM’s Ambitions in the Agricultural Sector

NEOM is currently working in both traditional open-field systems and controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Motamayor says that CEA is particularly of interest to him as a critical solution to both a changing climate and a growing population. In a controlled environment, “we can tweak all parameters to deliver optimal, maximum-efficiency yields.” It also allows for experimentation with new farming techniques and workflows, which “aligns with NEOM’s larger ambition to be a living laboratory and an innovation hub.”

“The NEOM Food Sector is exploring how to create the most sustainable food system in the world – one that can nourish both people and planet.” They focus mainly on taste and economic viability in the market, and they aim to grow the delicious food that consumers desire. Their business model is “centered on developing innovative solutions with huge scale-up potential to ultimately reach and benefit people all around the world.”

Looking Towards AgraME 2022

AgraME is the largest agricultural event in the Middle East where companies from around the globe showcase the latest innovations in agtech. This year’s event will focus on sustainability, food security, and production methods used in the agricultural sphere. Motamayor looks forward to participating this year. “I am particularly excited to talk to some of the thousands of food professionals about their most radical, exciting ideas and to explore how we can bring these to life as we work together on a new future for food.” 

You can learn more about NEOM’s ambitious vision for their future food system by meeting their team, along with 100+ other exhibitors, at AgraME in Dubai this coming week: October 25-26.