Meet Our Judges: Cinar Kurra
We are proud to announce that we have partnered with an incredible panel of experts to judge The FoodTech Challenge submissions. Our panel is comprised of local and international experts on agriculture from academia, private sector, and policy circles.
We spoke with Cinar Kurra, CEO of Catalyst, to talk about his thoughts about food technology trends in the UAE and abroad.
What is your favorite memory related to food?
Grandma’s cooking – both were marvelous, my grandma and her cooking!
What makes you excited about food technology?
Food, if organically produced, is an innovative way of minimizing hunger and obesity.
In your opinion, what key technologies have promising applications for UAE food security challenges?
Food monitoring when importing, in order to give the best deals to consumers before expiration, are so far the best ideas that I have witnessed. The FoodTech Challenge will certainly discover great startups utilizing new tech ideas.
Surveys have shown that youth are increasingly disengaged from food and agriculture work. How do we renew youth engagement in this area?
Perhaps gamification of cultivating and reward mechanism for production could engage youth in a positive way.
What are books, papers, and/or articles that you’re reading about food security that you would recommend?
The Fate of Food: What We’ll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World.