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Panel Discussion

Living Soils, Resilient Food: Algae Biotechnology from Estonia to Climate-Vulnerable Farms

Date
Saturday, 14 November 2026
Time
10:30–11:15
Antalya time (UTC+03:00)
Location
Estonian Pavilion, Antalya, Türkiye
Healthy soil is the foundation of food security and one of the largest land-based carbon stores, yet it is degrading worldwide. In the EU alone, 60–70% of soils are in an unhealthy state, and the EU's first law on soil monitoring and resilience entered into force in December 2025. Climate-vulnerable regions face the same problem with fewer resources: salinity, erosion, flood damage and rising fertiliser costs. This panel asks how affordable biological inputs can restore soil at scale. Soyl Food, an Estonia-registered start-up developing algae-based biostimulants, will join soil scientists, farmers and policymakers to discuss what it takes to move soil-restoring biotechnology from European labs to farms in South Asia and the Gulf. The panel will cover evidence, field trials, data, regulation and finance, and close with practical commitments for linking Estonian innovation to global soil restoration.

Moderator

  • Hira Wajahat Malik, Co-founder, Soyl Food (Estonia)

Speakers

  • Dr. Rahaf Ajaj, Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Safety, Abu Dhabi University (United Arab Emirates)
  • Felix Finkbeiner, Founder, Plant-for-the-Planet (Germany)
  • FAO Representative, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Italy)TBC

Topics

Carbon & Critical MaterialsCircular Economy & ResourcesClimate Finance & InvestmentFood Systems & Agriculture

Programme subject to change.

COP31 | ESTONIAN PAVILION9–20 November 2026 | Antalya, Türkiye
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COP31 | ESTONIAN PAVILION

9–20 November 2026 | Antalya, Türkiye

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Programme subject to change · Last updated 6 Nov 2026, 12:27 (Antalya)

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