AgTech Symposium registration opens today!

Details of an exciting AgTech Symposium, set to take place on July 5th at The Horse and Jockey Hotel, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, was launched in the South East. The event has been organised by the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in the South East Region including Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford and Waterford in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland, Teagasc, The Department of Agriculture, the Institutes of Technology and the Irish Farmers Journal. This exciting Agricultural Technology initiative has been funded under the Action Plan for Jobs LEO Competitive Funds.

Advanced ICT is being developed and implemented at every stage of the food chain, from the primary producer on-farm, through to the Agri Tech flyerprocessor and retailer. Growth in global population and changing diets in emerging countries are projected to bring about a 70 per cent increase in global demand for food over the next 40 years. The Government’s Action Plan for Jobs  identified the potential of the Agri-Food  and Ag Tech Sectors as  keys drivers of economic recovery and job creation in Ireland  and  this symposium will explore how  the potential of ag tech  in particular can be maximised for the counties involved.  

This game-changing event will appeal to farmers, engineers, companies, entrepreneurs, inventors, investors, students of agriculture, technology, research and innovation, media correspondents and AgTech and Precision Farming enthusiasts as well as development bodies and agencies. There is a growing movement in agriculture to apply information technologies in order to improve practice, efficiencies and yields in addition contributing to the health of livestock and the quality of life for farmers.

The morning conference style symposium will investigate the future developments, opportunities and strengths of AgTech in Ireland. It will also look at how and assess the impact of ready built technologies from other sectors can be transferred and applied to agricultural processes. Funding the AgTech sector and what it means to get early stage funding intervention for a start-up will be discussed.  The availability of an AgTech Innovation Fund to invest in early-stage food- and agricultural-technology companies in the Region will also be explored.   The real impact of AgTech on the Farm and how tech contributes to competitiveness and profit will be demonstrated.   

The afternoon will offer networking opportunities and optional interactive workshops on key areas of interest in this sector including bio-economy, automation, sensors and engineering. Places at these workshops are limited and will be offered on a first come first served basis upon registration. Registration opened today however, due to restrictions on numbers organisers are encouraging early registration to avoid disappointment. The Local Enterprise Offices are especially keen for their client to attend as the symposium will heighten awareness of emerging opportunities in this sector.

The objectives of the symposium are to call on best practice in order to identify and develop the opportunities and strengths of the agricultural technology sector in the region and to create a vision for AgTech that will incorporate both innovation and sustainability. The event will explore ways to progress and adopt new and emerging technologies and solutions to increase productivity, profitability and promote new market diversification. This symposium will also examine the opportunity to develop an AgTech Innovation Fund to facilitate investment in early-stage food and agricultural technology companies. The fund will enable entrepreneurs to develop solutions to improve farm productivity, increase agricultural sustainability, modernise supply and distribution chains and create leading edge high-value products and services which in turn will lead to a transformation of the start up and business development ecosystem across the region.  

Tickets are priced at €50pp and include the morning conference, light refreshments and lunch. Afternoon workshops are optional and free for conference participants to attend however, pre-booking is essential and availability is quite limited, for that reason those interested in attending AgTech are urged to register for the event at www.agtech2017.eventbrite.ie today.