An international summit focused on future innovation in the food and agricultural industries is to be held in Australia in November.
The Farm2Fork Summit will bring together agribusiness industry leaders, local and international farmers, food and agri start-ups, technology innovators, investors and other sector stakeholders in a one-day event, to be staged at Sydney’s Cockatoo Island on November 3.
Following on from the landmark inaugural F20 (Food) Summit – convened by global agribusiness bank Rabobank to examine the challenges of global food security in the lead-up to the G20 in Australia in 2014 – the Farm2Fork Summit will focus on innovation and the food and agri trends of the future.
Rabobank Group executive board member Berry Marttin said the Farm2Fork (F2F) Summit was part of the cooperative Rabobank’s commitment to taking a leadership role in helping facilitate a sustainable future for global food and agribusiness production and supply.
“It is extremely important that the world – and in particular those of us involved in food and agriculture – continue to work towards meeting the critical challenge of achieving sustainable food production to feed an ever-increasing global population,” he said.
“Innovation is one of the most powerful enablers that will help achieve this goal, and this will be the focus of the Farm2Fork Summit. The summit will immerse participants in tomorrow’s food and agri environment, sharing ground-breaking visions and innovations and examining disruptive technologies that will re-shape supply chains, solve waste problems, improve business profitability and make industries more future proof.”
An invitation-only event, comprising up to 1000 participants, the Farm2Fork Summit program will feature leading global speakers from the areas of food, technology and innovation, trend watching and government; as well as exhibits from food start-ups and ag innovation.
“The concept of the summit is as a marketplace for industry experts and agri business people to learn, network and make a difference,” Mr Marttin said.
The Farm2Fork Summit will also feature FoodBytes!, a program designed to showcase innovative and ground-breaking concepts in food and agriculture to potential investors.
Originally launched in the United States in 2015, this will be the first FoodBytes! held in Australia and will be open to applicants from across the globe.
FoodBytes! is calling for companies or individuals with innovative concepts in the food and agricultural industries which could be brought to market, or further developed, to apply to be showcased to potential investors and industry stakeholders at the F2F Summit.
Rabobank Australia CEO Peter Knoblanche said the summit would also coincide with the start of the fourth Global Farmers Master Class, which would begin in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley region on October 31 before moving on to Canterbury, New Zealand for completion of the program.
The Global Farmers Master Class will see approximately 50 leading farmers from around the world – including North America, The Netherlands, Ireland, South America and Africa – gather together for a nine-day-long program to share information and ideas on the future of farming.
Approximately seven leading Australian farmers will be among the Master Class participants.