Mainstreaming food innovation – what will it take?

Unlike other modernized sectors, the food industry needs a surge of innovation. While few groundbreaking advancements exist, such as artificial intelligence (AI) based precision agriculture, plant-based proteins, soil health sensors and digitalized marketplaces, they remain on the fringes, celebrated by a niche audience rather than the broader market.

What will it take to move the dial on food innovation from niche to norm? The answer lies in harnessing the power of collaboration and creating a partner ecosystem.

Even when innovations are forthcoming, significant barriers to scaling food innovation exist, including high production costs per unit, complex regulatory environments, a lack of co-creation, poor infrastructure and inconsistent demand.

"The role of emerging technologies in driving progress for humanity cannot be understated," says Klaus Schwab, the World Economic Forum's founder and chairman, "New and unusual collaboration frameworks, as demonstrated by the Food Innovation Hubs, are needed for these technologies to be an enabler of change for improved farmer economics and positive impacts on climate."

The Forum, in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, are raising the ambition to increase investment into food innovation from its current spot at 3% have launched a playbook for action: Food Innovation Hubs Playbook: A guide to setting up a regional or country Food Innovation Hub, as well as a white paper: Mainstreaming Food Innovation’: A Roadmap for Stakeholders, labelled as critical reading by Ramon Laguarta, chairman and chief executive officer of Pepsico.

“As a food and beverage company that relies on agriculture, we know that the world urgently needs more resilient food systems. We can’t afford to keep talking about change – we need to act now,” says Laguarta.

These products build on the learnings of the developing Food Innovation Hubs across six geographies connected by a global network.

While innovation can make food systems a positive impact multiplier on climate, livelihoods and health, realizing its full potential requires more than technological advancement. There must be a demand-driven approach to technology development and deployment coupled with robust partnership frameworks that can improve trust, transparency and move beyond business as usual.

The world faces many food challenges. However, addressing them requires co-creation in local contexts. Food insecurity, malnutrition, and the environmental impact of agricultural practices, for example, vary greatly from one region to another due to differences in climate, culture, infrastructure, and resources.

Just as a digital solution may only work for a community with internet connectivity or decision support system must consider local crops, soil conditions and climate, solutions must be targeted to meet the needs of the local context.

The Food Innovation Hub India adopted a strategic, focused approach to identify groundbreaking innovations aligned with the state’s agricultural development priorities.

In collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh government and with crucial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the hub conducted a comprehensive landscape analysis and engaged deeply with key stakeholders. This process resulted in a well-crafted framework that highlighted specific opportunities for innovation.

Next, the hub invited organizations with cutting-edge technological solutions to submit proposals, ultimately launching seven impactful projects. These initiatives are driving transformative change and include projects such as a digital assaying tool used by more than 1,900 farmers across five marketplaces. The project involves 30 weather stations to help improve crop insurance, soil carbon sequestration covering 2,000 hectares of land and digitizing 50 farmer-producer organizations.

By ensuring these technologies are context-appropriate and scalable while remaining cost-effective, the hub has fostered strong engagement and widespread support from diverse stakeholders.

Careful selection of innovations won’t guarantee success. True uptake of food innovations requires an enabling environment that allows them to flourish. This may require robust partnership frameworks, continuous solution development and co-creation with farmers.

The Food Innovation Hub Viet Nam, established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) with support from Grow Asia, aims to develop one million hectares of high-quality, low-carbon rice. To achieve this, the hub scales innovative, purpose-fit solutions sourced through dedicated innovation challenges.

This initiative fosters a supportive growth environment by bringing together various contributors. A cross-sector and cross-ministerial steering committee led by MARD is central to this alignment. The hub also leverages existing initiatives such as the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in Viet Nam and the World Bank’s low-carbon rice programmes to strengthen its impact.

Through this strategic collaboration, the hub will ensure that implemented solutions benefit from a strong support system. This approach facilitates the large-scale deployment of innovations, enhances farmers’ incomes, and contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Once the innovations have been selected and the environment has been primed, the final step is to address any gaps that will prevent their scaling and adoption.

The core advantage of the Food Innovation Hub Colombia was its solid group of partners, each contributing unique strengths. The hub began with a coalition of committed stakeholders, including farmer organizations such as Sociedad de Agricultores de Colombia. They invested time and resources in building a framework for the hub in collaboration with research institutions and the private sector.

Partners were able to contribute in line with their strengths, such as enabling precision agriculture through internet connectivity, providing high-quality seeds and connecting farmers with buyers. This successful model is now being expanded to other regions and crops in Colombia. This approach promotes the adoption of proven innovations such as intercropping and precision agriculture and ensures a comprehensive and integrated approach to agricultural development.

Decisive and coordinated action is needed to mainstream food innovation. Every stakeholder, from farmers to consumers and everyone in between, has a role to play in this process.

In this way, the Food Innovation Hubs model can be tailored, including to unique African contexts, as praised by Agnes Kalibata, president of AGRA.

“We need innovation in all parts of African and global food systems in order to achieve our collective sustainable development goals,” says Kalibata, “This presents an immense opportunity for Africa, particularly the young innovators and public and private sector leaders shaping its future.”

Ultimately, the food innovation hubs are a cooperation framework customized to the local context. Building a partner ecosystem – from farmers, startups and established corporations to researchers and policymakers – aims to catalyze transformative change that leverages the latest technological advancements and makes them fit for purpose.

By pooling resources, knowledge, and networks, these collaborations can break down the barriers that have historically kept innovative solutions from reaching their full potential.