Excitement builds for sell-out evokeAG. event

In less than one week, more than 1,300 delegates will fill Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building for two-days of unearthing discussions on the future of food and farming.

AgriFutures Australia’s Managing Director John Harvey said the 2020 event has seen a spike in farmers, investors and startups in the room.

“We’ve doubled the number of farmers and startups at our event and we have attracted some big-name investors including SVG Ventures’ John Hartnett, Cultivian Sandbox Ventures’ Andy Ziolkowski and AgFunder’s Michael Dean.

“It’s a three-pronged approach. We need to attract investors to Australia, we need to show them our world-class startups and we need our farmers to uncover what technologies are going to help them become more profitable and sustainable,” said Mr Harvey.

Elders has joined evoke^AG. 2020, as the Platinum Partner for the second consecutive year. evoke^AG. is key in bringing together all players of the agrifood tech ecosystem, and a great alignment for the Elders brand.

Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, The Hon David Littleproud MP said collaboration is key to support the achievement of the National Farmers Federation target of growing agriculture to $100 billion by 2030.

“Through events like evoke^AG., we can collaborate, share big ideas and draw on each other’s resilience, as well as recharge our determination to ensure agriculture remains an Australian story of success, best-practice and innovation.

“Over these two days in Melbourne, we will showcase to the world the innovation which is taking place right on our doorstep. We will uncover how to harness the many opportunities before us for growth in agriculture and technology, both domestically and internationally. We will learn how to be more efficient and sustainable. We will be challenged and we will be inspired,” said Minister Littleproud.

The two-day program will see more than 100 speakers from eight different countries take to the stage to inspire, challenge and transform the way we think about food and farming into the future.

Must see breakout sessions for our farmers include the Elders’ Platinum Partner masterclass: Increasing the outputs, with less inputs: Better decisions using technology, where scientists, precision farming experts, farmers and agtech investment advisors will dive into how tech and lab-based solutions can successfully impact everyday farming.

Primary producers of the future will learn whether they need a degree in genetics and robotics in a lively panel discussion with Salah Sukkarieh, Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the University of Sydney, Gaethan Cutri, Managing Director of Australia’s largest stone fruit farming business Cutri Fruit and Karen Mimran, Founder of Edete, an artificial pollination service solution.

Startups at the event will hear from successful agrifood tech investors on how to how to stand-out in the startup venture capitalist universe. On Day 2, Finistere Venture’s Dean Tilyard will facilitate a revealing discussion on Investing in agtech – insider tips.

The much-anticipated Future Young Leaders will return to evoke^AG. with eight new, young minds ready to confront our views of our agricultural industry.

“The next generation of leaders in agriculture are thinkers and connectors. We are curious not only about how we do things but we are also concerned with the impact of our actions, both as decision-makers and as conscious consumers,” said Leesa Chen, evoke^AG. 2020 Future Young Leader.

Filmmaker Damon Gameau (2040, That Sugar Film), Woolworths Group’s Asha Kayla, and Alpha Food Labs’ Mike Lee will call for a greener, more sustainable agricultural industry and share their insights on growing food systems which are better for people, planet and our palates. Other highlights of the program include the biofuel opportunities for growers, the investment opportunities from the Blue Economy and traceability in the supply chain featuring Munro Farmer from Australia Post.

AgriFutures Australia’s John Harvey, said the agrifood tech event coincides with one of the toughest droughts ever faced in Australia, but we need to work together and share the stories of how science and technology could come together to build resilience.

“Our farming delegates said the evoke^AG. 2019 event left them feeling motivated and inspired. It’s an opportunity to uncover the technologies which can increase water efficiencies, to uncover emerging technologies and to share stories of success and triumph,” said Mr Harvey.

Visit www.evokeag.com to view the speakers and partners involved in evoke^AG. 2020 and to view the full two-day program.

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