SACT Sustainable Food Consultancy Company, a Ras Al Khaimah Free Zone–registered firm in the United Arab Emirates, organized a specialized webinar on 12 January 2026, bringing together a panel of leading experts in food security and agriculture. The speakers warned of an escalating global health crisis linked to unhealthy dietary patterns, emphasizing that chronic diseases are no longer attributable solely to genetic factors but are increasingly associated with prevailing consumption cultures. They collectively stressed that the transition toward smart agriculture and functional nutrition is no longer a secondary option but a public health and economic necessity.
Participants noted that investment in this sector has the potential to create new markets and strengthen food security, particularly in resource-rich countries with underutilized assets such as Sudan. Achieving this, however, requires a fundamental transformation in public food awareness and consumption behaviour.
Dr. Fatima Al-Tahir, a food security expert, highlighted the Jatropha tree (Jatropha integerrima) as a neglected strategic resource despite its capacity to produce high-quality biofuel, combat desertification, and generate employment opportunities. She observed that insufficient funding continues to impede the development of this crop into a national strategic project.
Agricultural expert Imad Hussein noted that spirulina (la spiruline) is described by some researchers as “green gold,” due to its exceptional nutritional profile and its capacity to improve nutritional status and strengthen food security, as well as its widespread global use as a dietary supplement.
He argued that large-scale cultivation in Sudan—particularly along the Nile—could help achieve national food self-sufficiency while opening significant export opportunities.
Agricultural specialist Suhair Mahdi supported this view, noting that spirulina products are currently imported at high prices despite the relative ease of domestic production, making local cultivation and processing a highly promising industrial opportunity with substantial economic returns.
In concluding remarks, Dr. Abdulrahman stated that the primary challenge lies not in resource scarcity but in the absence of bold investment vision capable of transforming agricultural and health potential into productive enterprises. He emphasized that investment in food systems constitutes a direct investment in the future of public health, economic growth, and sustainable development.
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