Attending Conference

Program Conference

16 – 18 November 2026 | King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa

11:15 12:15

Opening Session: Towards a Carbon-Neutral and Food Secure Future

12:15 13:15

Second Opening Session: Smart and Sustainable Transformations in Saudi Food Systems

13:30 14:30
Topic 1: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Global Food Production, Distribution, and Protection.
Speaker: ​​Mr. Abdulaziz Saud Alrabeah​
Section Head of Food Standards and Regulations, ​​Saudi Food and Drug Authority​
Topic 2: The contribution of food technologies to achieving food security and business continuity through localization and knowledge transfer.
Speaker: Dr. Abdullah Khalifa Al-Mubarak
Dierctor Of Food Technologies at the National Industrial Development Center
Topic 3: The contribution of the private sector to innovation in artificial intelligence technologies for food security.
Speaker: Eng. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Qurashi
Founder & CEO Alef Lam Holding | SFT – Saudi Foodtech
Topic 4: Strengthening cooperation between governments, researchers, and the private sector to build resilient global food systems.
Speaker: Dr. Ziyad Abdullah Al-Ziyadi
General Director of the General Department of Partnerships and Capacity Building, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA)
Open discussion
Moderator: Dr. Moataz Abdulrahman Al-Salim
General Director of the General Department of Technology Solutions and Innovation, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA)
13:30 14:30
Topic 1: Automation and Artificial Intelligence for Achieving Agricultural Sustainability and Broader Food Security
Speaker: Dr. Bader Abdullah Al-Marri
Associate Professor of Artificial Intelligence, College of Computer Science and Information Technology, King Faisal University
Topic 2: Food Security and Environmental Sustainability in the Kingdom: A Roadmap for Enhancing Sustainable Animal Protein Production.
Speaker: Prof. Ahmed Abdulaziz Al Sagan
Professor of Agricultural Sciences at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST)
Topic 3: Genomic Selection for Climate-Resilient Crops.
Speaker: Ms.Laila Ghazwani
Director, Technology Adoption & Incentivize Demand,Deputyship of R&I, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture 
Topic 4: Generative artificial intelligence in developing new agricultural solutions.
Speaker: Eng. Faisal Alqanatish
CEO of Lumeron
Open Discussion
Session Moderator: Dr. Abdullah Mohammed alsaadi
Professor of Plant Pathology | Acting Dean of Scientific Research and Innovationو University of Al Dhaid, Sharjah (UAE) 
15:00 16:00
Workshop 1: Artificial Intelligence in Nutrition, Food Quality, and Public Health.
Speaker: Prof. Noura Abdullah Al-Faris
Professor of Human Nutrition at the Department of Sports Health at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University
Open discussion
Moderator: Dr. Alaa Salem Al-Harbi
Director, National Center for Talent and Creativity Research | Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University
15:00 16:00
Workshop 2: Carbon Capture and Renewable Energy in Agricultural Industries ( How Does the Halal Ecosystem Contribute to Building a More Trustworthy and Sustainable Food System? From Compliance to Trust and Sustainability)
Speaker: Mr. Mohammed Farhan Al-Dhafiri
Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Research, Saudi Halal Center
Open discussion
Moderator: Dr. Abdulilah Mohammad Al-Omair
Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Department of Environment and Agricultural Natural Resources, King Faisal University
10:00 11:30
Topic 1: Life Cycle Assessment of Dietary Patterns.
Speaker: Prof. Hala bint Hizam Al-Otaibi
Professor of Food Science and Nutrition at King Faisal University, Vice Dean of Scientific Research, and Editor-in-Chief of the Saudi Journal of Food Security and Environmental Sustainability (Springer Nature).
Topic 2: Food Loss, Food Waste, and Circular Economy Solutions.
Speaker: Mr. Mohammad Ali Alhammad
Director of the Food Loss and Waste Department, General Food Security Authority. 
Topic 3: Reducing Organic Waste as a Strategy for Emissions Reduction
Speaker: Eng. Abdullah Saleh Al-Oufi
Director of Awareness and Change Management Department, National Centre for Waste Management (MWAN)
Topic 4: Linking Food Security with Environmental Resilience.
Speaker: Dr. David Nicholas Oswald
Associate Professor at Royal Roads University, founder of Design + Environment Consultancy
Topic 5: Bacterial Biotechnologies for a Sustainable Food Future.
Speaker: Dr. Basmala Mubeen
Biotechnologist | Food & Biological Engineering
Open discussion
Moderator: Prof. Mohammed Abulatif Alnafissa
Dean of the College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University
10:00 11:30
Topic 1: Autonomous operations and smart manufacturing.
Speaker: Dr. Navneet Kumar
Researcher at the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad, India.
Topic 2: Precision Agriculture Using Drones: Towards Smart and Sustainable Crop Management.
Speaker: Dr. Khaled Ibrahim Alhilwa
Senior Researcher, Department of Mechanical Engineering, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology
Topic 3: Adaptive Quality Control and Predictive Maintenance.
Speaker: Dr. Luluh Basim Aldhubayi
Advisor to the Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, and Director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Artificial Intelligence at King Saud University
Topic 4: Artificial Intelligence for Resource-Efficient Production.
Speaker: Dr. Theyazn Hasan Hadi Aldhyani
Associate Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the College of Applied Sciences at King Faisal University
Open Discussion
Moderator: Dr. Mansour Abdullah Al-Yahya
Dean of the Deanship of Scientific Research / Associate Professor in the Department of Management, King Faisal University
11:35 12:35
Topic 1: Building Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure in the Agricultural Sector.
Speaker: Dr. Peter van Wingerden
Founder and Partner at Floating Farm Company – Netherlands
Topic 2: Secure and Reliable Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure in the Agricultural Sector.
Speaker: Dr. Abdullah Abdulrahman Al-Buali
Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity and Computer Networks, King Faisal University
Topic 3: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Environmental and Agricultural Resource Management.
Speaker: Dr. Amani bint Khalaf Samha
Associate Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science – King Saud University 
Topic 4: Data Safety Standards and Traceability.
Speaker: Dr. Tahani Muqbil Al-Qurashi
Associate Professor, Department of Data Science, um Al-Qura University
Topic 5: AI Agents: A Governed Framework for Service Automation and Sustainable Food Systems
Speaker: Eng. Ahmed Abdulaziz Alabdulkarim
Digital Transformation & Artificial Intelligence Expert
Open Discussion
Moderator: Dr. Abdullah Hamoud Al-Nafiei
Associate Professor of Applied Statistics, King Faisal University
11:35 12:35
Topic 1: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Food.
Speaker: Prof. Sghaier Chriki
Professor at ISARA (College of Agricultural Engineering) Researcher at INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment)
Topic 2: Future Research Priorities: Renewable Energy, Carbon Removal, and Artificial Intelligence Governance
Speaker: Prof. Faten Dhawi Almuhanna
Professor, Department of Biotechnology, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University
Topic 3: Aligning AI initiatives and carbon neutrality with Saudi Vision 2030.
Speaker: Dr. Eman M. Alhajji
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Ratio Holding Company
Topic 4: Digital Innovation and Climate-Smart Agriculture for Enhancing Food Security and Reducing Carbon Emissions.
Speaker: Dr. Mohammed Mazen Hatawi
Research Scientist, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering، Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
Open Discussion
Moderator: Dr. Noura Saadoun Al-Saadoun
 Head, Office of Sustainability and Global Excellence, Vice Dean of Development and Quality Assurance at King Faisal University
12:35 12:55

Prayer Break

13:00 14:00
Topic 1: Transforming Food Surplus into a Resource through Innovation and Digital Integration.
Speaker: Prof. Abbas Elshaikh Rahma Mohamed
Professor of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering, Department of Environment and Natural Agricultural Resources at King Faisal University 
Topic 2: Future Foods and Sustainable Food Choices: Shaping the Future of Human Health.
Speaker: Prof. ADELE COSTABIL
Professor in Clinical Nutrition, University of Roehampton, United Kingdom
Topic 3: Innovative Approaches to Reducing Food Insecurity to Enhance the Health of the Elderly and Increase Life Expectancy.
Speaker: Dr. Francesca Inferrera
Researcher in Health Sciences, University of Messina, Italy
Open Discussion
Moderator: Dr. Randa Moqbel Al-Qurashi
Vice Dean of the College of Agricultural and Food Sciences for Female Student Affairs, Associate Professor in Human Nutrition and Food Sciences, King Faisal University
13:00 14:00
Topic 1: Use of Satellite Imagery for Mangrove Restoration and Seagrass Meadows.
Speaker: Dr. Nayef Bandar Al-Qahtani
General Director of Strategy and Institutional Excellence – General Supervisor of the Carbon Credit Program, National Center for VegetationCover Development and Combating Desertification
Topic 2: Machine Learning Models for Environmental Behavior Analysis and Pollution/Risk Detection. (Using Artificial Intelligence for Integrated Environmental Monitoring of the Red Sea)
Speaker: Prof. Yasser Omar Abualnaja
Head of Industrial and Government Outreach Division/Ph.D. Professor, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Topic 3: Linking Coastal Resilience with Food Security. (Food security and​ coastal resilience​)
Speaker: Dr. Delphine Marguerite Dominique
Policy Officer, Food Value Chains; PhD in Economic Geography, ​​Centre for Studies and Strategic Foresight, French Ministry of Agriculture, Agrifood and Food Sovereignty​ 
Open Discussion
Moderator: Dr. Nashmiah Saud Alhujuri
Assistant Professor of Planning and Regional Development, Department of Geography, King Faisal University
14:00 15:00
Topic 1: Demand Forecasting and Waste Reduction Using Artificial Intelligence.
Speaker: Dr. Ahmed Mokhtar
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Sub regional Coordinator for the GCC States and Yemen and FAO Representative to the United Arab Emirates
Topic 2: Production for Consumption: Strengthening Food Supply Chains to Reduce Food Loss.
Speaker: Dr. Mostafa Nabil Ahmed
Food Safety and Quality Officer & Regional Focal Point for Food Loss and Waste Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (RNE)
Topic 3: Real-time Risk Assessment in Food Distribution.
Speaker: Dr. Cornelia Josephine Boesch
Food Safety Officer, Food Systems and Food Safety Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Open Discussion
Moderator: Pro. Mohammed Jamal HAJJAR
Professor of Pesticide Toxicology and Control at the Department of Arid Land Agriculture at the College of Agricultural and Food Sciences at King Faisal University
14:00 15:00
Topic 1: Regenerative agriculture and Carbon sequestration (Photocatalytic Reforming of Olive Biomass Residues for Green Hydrogen Production)
Speaker: Dr. Nahla Eid Al-Hazmi
Director General, Institute of Hydrogen Technologies, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KAST)
Topic 2: Integrating AI into carbon farming projects.
Speaker: Dr. Kholoud Ibrahim Al-Sultan
Assistant Professor of Computer Science, King Saud University
Open discussion
Moderator: Dr. Muna Mohammad Hamed Zabarmawi
Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Natural Resources, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, at King Faisal University
15:10 16:10
Workshop 1: Innovation Labs: AI Applications for a Sustainable Food Future
Speaker: Dr. Farhan Hassan
Founder / Managing Director Food Systems Innovation – FSI
Open discussion
Moderator: Dr. Huda Mohammed Al-Dossari
Assistant Professor of Food Microbiology, King Faisal University
15:10 16:10
Workshop 2: Digital Sustainability and its Integration with Vision 2030 (Stress-Testing the Future of​ Food Security with AI & Digital Twins​)
Speaker: Dr. Manal Khalaf Almutairi 
Director of Data Engineering, Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, Associate Professor at King Saud University in the Department of Software Engineering at the College of Computer Science
Open discussion
Moderator: Ms. Ashwaq Saleh Al-Hamad
Academic Lecturer, Head of the Corporate Identity Verification Office, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University
9:00 10:00
Topic 1: The Value-Added Chain and its Relation to Date Marketing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Turki
Chief Executive Officer – Alpha Deem Company
Topic 2: Available Funding Sources to Support the Date Industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Speaker: Eng. Adel bin Abdullah Al-Jumaah
Chief Strategy Officer – Agricultural Development Fund
Topic 3: Date Marketing between Reality and Ambition
Speaker: Mr. Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Dakhil
President – Saudi European Dates Company
Topic 4: The Marketing Landscape for Dates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Speaker: Mr. Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Tamimi
Senior International Marketing Manager – National Center for Palms and Dates
Open Discussion
Moderator: Prof. Fahad bin Nasser Almulhim
Supervisor of the Chair of Palm and Date Economics at King Faisal University
10:00 11:00
Topic 1: Entrepreneurship and the Role of Relevant National Entities in the Dates Sector and Coordinating Their Efforts.
Speaker: Mr. Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri
President – Hadeem Dates Company
Topic 2: Investment Opportunities in Downstream and Processing Industries for Dates.
Speaker: Prof. Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al-Shuaibi
Chief Executive Officer – Hajar Limited Company
Topic 3: Localizing Innovation: Value-Added Products from Dates
Speaker: Dr. Mahmoud Abdelsalam Abdelnabi
Technical Advisor – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Programme in Saudi Arabia
Open Discussion
Moderator: Prof. Salah bin Muhammad Al-Eid
Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, King Faisal University, and Member of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Development Fund
11:30 12:30
Topic 1: The Role of Industrial Empowerment in Developing Processing Value Chains for Dates
Speaker: Dr. Musleh bin Fayez Al-Zubaidi
Director of Food Industries Department – Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources
Topic 2: Stimulating Supply Chains and Developing Date-Based Manufacturing Projects
Speaker: Dr. Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Mubarak
Director of Food Technology Department – National Industrial Development Center
Open Discussion
Moderator: Prof. Mohamed Ibrahim Alzarah
 Professor of Pasture, Department of Environment and Agricultural Natural Resources, King Faisal University
13:00 14:00
Topic 1: The Concept of Carbon Footprint and its Role in Achieving Sustainability
Speaker: Dr. Muna Mohammad Zabarmawi
Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Natural Resources, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, at King Faisal University
Topic 2: Introduction to the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol and Emission Scopes
Speaker: Prof.  Abbas Al-Sheikh Rahma Mohamed
Professor of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering, Department of Environment and Natural Agricultural Resources at King Faisal University 
Topic 3: Identifying Emission Sources and Defining Organizational and Operational Boundaries for Carbon Inventory
Speaker: Prof. El-Sayed Abdel-Rahman Osman Badr
Professor of Environmental Sciences, Department of Environment and Agricultural Natural Resources, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University
Open Discussion
Moderator: D. Samah Babaker Balal
Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering and Sustainability, Department of Environment and Agricultural Natural Resources, King Faisal University
13:00 14:00
Speaker: Dr. Hattan Ahmed Al-Harbi
Member of the Scientific Committee of the National Observatory of Plant and Animal Health (Waqa)
Topic 1: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Food Security
Topic 2: The Role of Digital Transformation in Improving Agricultural Production Efficiency
Topic 3: Protecting Natural Resources, Biodiversity, and Ecosystems
Topic 4: Exchanging Successful Experiences
Open Discussion
Moderator: Dr. Yousef Saad Aldabayan
Vice Dean of Scientific Research for Administrative and Financial Affairs – Associate Professor of Respiratory Care at King Faisal University
14:00 15:00
Workshop 1: From Health to Industry: Localizing Food Innovations to Enhance Local Content and Sustainable Food Security.
Speaker: Dr. Duaa Saleh Altuwairki
Assistant Professor at the Department of Food and Nutrition at King Abdulaziz University, Head of the Laboratories and Research Centers Unit, and Supervisor of the Food Security Incubator and Food Research Center
Open Discussion
Moderator: Dr. RANDA ALHASSAN ZARBAN
Assistant Professor of Agricultural Biotechnology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, King Faisal University