Agtech Leaders Summit: Innovations for competitive & sustainable food production

9-10 May 2017. Utrecht, the Netherlands. The European edition of the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture hosted the Agtech Leaders Summit to support government, industry and science as hundreds of experts convened to find new ways to ensure sufficient, competitive, safe, and sustainable food production.

Extract of the programme:

Biopesticides, biostimulants and microbial productsBiopesticides, biostimulants and microbial products are becoming a hot topic in agriculture. We will look at its opportunities and challenges to understand how the industry is using recent advancements for healthier soils, plants and ultimately bigger yields and what the future holds.

• David Cary, Executive Director, International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA)
• Ed Moerman, Knowledge Manager, Koppert Biological Systems
• Dr D. Ry Wagner, Chief Executive Officer, Agrinos

Next generation genetics - an acceptable solution in agriculture?Whilst the potential benefits of gene editing include increased yields, drought and disease resistance, sustainability, enhanced quality and nutritional value, gene editing is very controversial and regulations in Europe are blocking these new breeding techniques.

• Moderator: Niels Louwaars, Director, Plantum
• Julie Borlaug, Associate Director, Borlaug Institute External Relations, Texas A&M University
• Prof Dr Heiner Niemann, Institute of Farm Animal Genetics, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health
• Dr René Smulders, Business unit manager and group leader, Plant Breeding, Wageningen University & Research (WUR)
• Dr Monika Messmer, Department of Crop Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL)

Developing sustainable agricultural technologies for, and in, emerging markets?Of the 570 million farms in the world, 90 percent of these are managed by smallholder farmers and most of these smallholdings are in Africa and Asia. So increasingly we are looking at redesigning developed world agricultural technologies so they meet the needs and financing abilities of smallholder farmers. But smallholders in many regions are very often lacking access to existing technologies, infrastructure, financing and markets.

• Moderator: Christine Gould, Founder and CEO, Thought For Food Foundation
• Keynote Address: Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze, Former President, The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• Dr. Barbara Wells, Director General, International Potato Centre
• Robert Berlin, Head of Agricultural Services, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture