I repeatedly emphasize that the gap in the global food basket does not lie in the fields, but rather in the world’s movement toward a population of 9 billion by 2050. With the erosion of the land’s productive capacity under increasing human and climate pressure, which alters seasons and disrupts agricultural cycles, food stability is a harder goal to achieve than ever before.
We are therefore facing a harsh predicament, where demand is increasing at tremendous speed with an environmental capacity that can’t keep up. What’s more, this capacity declines in some areas and regions which can be attributed to many factors, some of which are human-driven. However, there is no point in looking back at the past. Instead, we need to work and prepare for the future ahead.
At the core of this complex equation is agriculture, which is no longer understood as it once was. It was a sector that was closely tied to land, seasons and manual labor, which has now become a high-value technical field today where farms are managed as complicated systems. These now use data and algorithms, with smart systems that measure, analyze, predict and direct agricultural decisions before an error occurs, and not after damage is done.
The land itself is no longer sufficient and the workforce is no longer the decisive element. What makes the difference now is the knowledge that is translated into technology. International reports and experiences in this field are extensive, clearly indicating that relying on smart agriculture could improve agricultural productivity by 25% and decrease water consumption by 30%.
In some parts of the world, countries have advanced by integrating technology into the core of their agricultural systems. This has led to higher productivity, a reduction in agricultural diseases and outbreaks, expanded export capacity, and a redefinition of food security as a critical issue of survival rather than a purely economic activity. On the other hand, there are countries that continue to rely on traditional production techniques, with limited adaptability and outcomes resulting in increased dependence on imports, especially during periods of global instability.
In this context, the Arab world is not outside the equation, but rather positioned at its center. The region is not poor in opportunities, on the contrary, as is remarkably rich in potential especially in the field of smart agriculture. However, the real challenge lies not in the availability of resources, but in the ability to transform them into sustainable and scalable productive projects, and to completely restructure the food value chain; from initial production in the field, to transport, storage, and access to markets, as an integrated chain that can be measured, optimized, and predicted.
This transformation not only increases production, but also enhances the efficiency of the entire system, reduces waste, minimizes risks, and creates new markets that were previously unattainable, through higher productivity, efficiency, environmental sustainability, climate risk management, and the use of modern technologies.
However, this revolution will not occur by itself, nor by continuing to plough land in the traditional manner. It requires a digital infrastructure capable of supporting its implementation, human capital equipped with the necessary skills, and policy frameworks that recognize agriculture as no longer a traditional portfolio within limited-impact ministries, but as an integral part of national security in its comprehensive human sense.
From this perspective, I have always emphasized that the global food basket gap does not lie in the fields. Smart agriculture emerges as the most complete expression of this transformation, as it no longer views the farm as a fixed space, but rather as a dynamic system monitored continuously in real time, where decisions are taken based on the analysis of the agricultural environment. 
In a world increasingly burdened by rapid climate change, the ability to predict becomes an essential component to survive. What is happening today is not a gradual improvement in an existing sector, but a fundamental shift in its very nature. Agriculture is no longer, and has never been, a marginal component of the economy, it is at the forefront, but now as a technological model that depends more on knowledge than on land, and more on data than on geographic expansion.
There are numerous experiences showing that countries that have advanced in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into agriculture, have increased productivity, reduced costs, and improved plant disease management, and as a result, strengthening their position in global markets and enhancing their negotiating power.
Therefore, food has now become a tool of economic and strategic influence. This highlights that the gap between developed and developing countries in this field is not merely a gap in production, but a gap in the ability to shape global trade dynamics themselves.
In contrast, countries that fall behind in this will not only lose part of their production, it will also weaken their ability to negotiate food prices, terms, and flows; placing them in a more vulnerable position in the face of any global disruptions. 
Therefore, I reiterate that the global food basket gap does not lie in the fields. Smart agriculture is not a neutral technological shift, but part of a broader restructuring of global economic power among nations. It reflects not only a gap in food, but in the way food production itself is understood. Those who recognize this transformation early will not only secure food for their populations, but will also reshape the future landscape of economic power and self-sufficiency in the world ahead.