By Marjorie Ng, EMA
During the SIEW Energy Insights session on ‘Energy and Food Security Nexus’, experts from the energy and agri-food sectors explored the relationship between food and energy. The panellists discussed the key policy challenges and opportunities in aligning both systems.
Moderated by Liu Xiaowei, Asia Director and Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the World Energy Council, the session highlighted how policies affecting energy markets can impact global food security, and the opportunities to leverage the interdependence between food and energy to build resilient, mutually reinforcing systems.
Food and energy are inseparable pillars
Simon Sjøthun, RystadEnergy Senior Partner and Head of EMEA Advisory, highlighted the interdependence between the food and energy value chains. While food production depends on secure and reliable access to energy, further development of energy systems also relies on food security to support a healthy workforce to drive this growth.
Mohammed Y Masrahi, Director of Global Analysis at Aramco, echoed this view, noting that “food security is energy security, and vice versa.” He emphasised that a deeper understanding of these intersections is crucial to managing emerging vulnerabilities.
Farmers can be active players in the energy transition
Joshua Soo, Co-Founder of AgriFood Futures, highlighted that farmers should not only be seen as energy consumers but also as key contributors to the energy transition. Opportunities include using green ammonia for fertiliser and fuel, capturing methane from farm waste, and converting biomass into biogas.
Policies must bridge sectors to build a resilient future
Emphasising the need for a holistic approach to policymaking, Mr Masrahi shared that policymakers can better understand and anticipate how decisions will impact through different economies by engaging stakeholders across industries.
Mr Soo added that rethinking policy parameters with long-term investments in mind can help governments make better-informed decisions, citing multi-country crop trials that bring public and private actors together to strengthen global cooperation.
Mr Sjøthun concluded by underscoring the need to weigh trade-offs carefully to balance efficiency with resilience. As governments and industries address growing food and energy demand, collaboration and smarter systems thinking will be essential.
Stay tuned as the conversation evolves throughout the day. Follow @SIEW_sg on Telegram and X (formerly Twitter) for the latest insights.