NEP 2.0

Our food system is in need of profound transformation if it is to provide access to healthier and more sustainable nutrition. Bio-innovation – the interplay between biotechnology and our policy models for food security – will play a critical role in bringing about this holistic change. Revised industry standards and practices need to combine with performance-led approaches by government to strike a productive balance between quality, consumer protection regulation, and the need for creative solutions in agriculture.

Over the last eight years, Ahlam has worked for the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology in initiatives to reduce and recycle waste in agriculture and to regulate biodegradable plastics. She sees opportunity for a new kind of conversation in today’s bio-innovation space, fueled by fast-paced structural transformation. “I have a strong appreciation of the important role that technical standards play in creating market opportunities for innovators, especially when it comes to locally based sustainable agriculture. I believe I can be an asset on the team that overcomes the challenges facing the sector.” 

Ahlam wants to set her sights on opening new markets abroad for local farmers and to help shape standards and policies that boost food production in the UAE. “I want to be part of the movement to shift the UAE’s consumer-based economy to a technology-intensive economy, helping to reduce our current food trade balance gap of AED31 billion in the process.”