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Emnes invited Matthew to give the Future of Food keynote at its annual Food Festival Summit, held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, a green oasis in the centre of the Malaysian capital. The sessions were not recorded on the day, so he recorded the talk afterwards to share it.
He started with a striking local paradox. Malaysia is seen by many as nature's perfect garden, yet according to its agricultural ministry it imports 90% of its food, putting it on a par with the desertified Middle East. Of the country's 10 million hectares of agricultural land, 6.5 million are given over to oil palm and 1.5 million to rubber, leaving just 2 million hectares to grow crops for people and livestock.
"Almost all forms of food production can be affordably scaled to feed a growing global population without the onerous environmental footprint."Matthew Griffin, Kuala Lumpur, May 2023
As the population grows and the price of imported food soars, many in Malaysia now want to change that ratio. They are investing heavily in new production technologies such as cellular agriculture, vertical and urban farms and new methods of protein manufacturing, while also educating farmers and supporting the scaling up of precision agriculture.
Speaking to East Asian academics, business leaders, entrepreneurs, government representatives and investors, Matthew showed how almost every form of food production, from Tier 1, 2 and 3 crops to coffee, dairy, palm oil, soya and even whey, can be scaled affordably to feed a growing global population without the onerous environmental footprint. He framed it as both a multi-deca-trillion dollar industry transition and a global cultural mind shift.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Import reliance is a strategic risk.
Malaysia imports 90% of its food, yet only 2 million of its 10 million agricultural hectares grow food for people and livestock. As the price of imported food soars, the land-use ratio becomes a leadership question, not only a farming one.
The production toolkit is widening.
Malaysian investors are backing cellular agriculture, vertical and urban farms, new protein manufacturing and precision agriculture. Our data rates cellular agriculture and vertical farms as Watch, with wide use around 2040. Precision agriculture is rated Act now.
Plan for a cultural shift too.
The session framed food as a multi-deca-trillion dollar transition and a mind shift. Farmers need education and support to scale up. Vertical farms have already faced a shakeout over high energy costs, so timing and cost discipline matter.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
How exposed is our supply chain to imported food or ingredients?
Which production technologies should we watch, and which should we act on now?
Who in our region needs education to scale up new methods?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
What does the Future of Food session mean for organisations?
It shows that food security is a land-use and supply question as well as a technology one. Malaysia imports 90% of its food while most farmland grows oil palm and rubber. Organisations should test how exposed they are to imports, and watch new production methods such as vertical farms.
How does cellular agriculture relate to this session?
Malaysian investors are putting money into it as a way to make food with a lighter footprint. Our data describes it as meat, milk and other animal products grown from cells and microbes instead of whole animals. We rate it Watch, with wide use around 2040.
How does precision agriculture relate to this session?
The session notes that Malaysia is educating farmers and supporting the scaling up of precision agriculture. Our data describes farmers using satellite guidance, sensors and data to treat each part of a field differently. We rate it Act now, with wide use from 2020.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
Through a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector, in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
If Matthew gave this session today
Emerging technologies are reshaping culture, industry and society.
The codex explores hundreds of emerging technologies and their implications for global culture, industry and society, including the production technologies that will decide how the world feeds itself.
