Agri-food is a huge and vital market sector facing challenges that make adoption of new technology and approaches imperative – there are also plenty of funding opportunities available for innovation in this sector.
Agri-Tech East is keen that REAP - its annual conference in Cambridge on Wednesday November 11th - is well attended by technologists as it will bring them into direct contact with potential end users of their solutions. To encourage this participation Agri-Tech East has produced a video, which is available to view here.
Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-Tech East, says: “Many people have a rather outdated impression of the agricultural community and do not realise how quickly it has adopted technology over recent years.
“Agri-food has many requirements that are shared with other industries. For example there is a need to manage uncertainty, to improve forecasting and prediction and to increase the precision in which inputs such as fertiliser and water are delivered.
“Big data and the Internet of Things are among the issues we have discussed at our networking meetings and many producers are already involved in projects that are exploring these areas.
“We think that agri-tech is an international sector that offers a wealth of opportunities for technology companies of all sizes.”
To encourage both non-traditional businesses to consider this market sector, and producers to attend and discuss the challenges they face, Agri-Tech East has produced a video with the message “Come to REAP and make it happen.”
The video features Julius Joel, MD of Greens of Soham Ltd, which is part of Spearhead International, Matthew Smith of Microsoft Research and Andrew Francis, Senior Farm Manager at Elveden Estate, discussing the benefits of participating in REAP, which is one of the best networking events in the agri-tech calendar.
Agri-Tech East events are bringing new people into the sector and have helped to broker contacts that would not otherwise have been made.
Agri-Tech East is creating an entrepreneurial culture in the east of England and has a growing network of farmers keen to get involved in research and to pilot new technology.
Belinda comments: “Farmers are pragmatic; if they can see a clear benefit they are quick to adopt it. We are delighted to have Meurig Raymond, President of the National Farmers’ Union, providing the keynote address.
“REAP will give anyone considering moving into the sector or wanting to benefit from agri-tech a unique insight into the latest developments.”
The video is available to view here.
Find out more about REAP Conference 2015
11 November 2015, Churchill College, Storey’s Way, Cambridge CB3 0DS
About Agri-Tech East: www.agritech-east.co.uk
Agri-Tech East is a business-focused cluster organisation for the East of England. It is home to the business, technology and research powerhouses of Cambridge and Norwich as well as some highly innovative growers and producers who manage much of the UK's most productive and profitable agricultural land. By creating a global innovation hub, it aims to improve the international competitiveness of plant and crop-based agriculture and catalyse economic growth.
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Contact: Dr Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-Tech East
E: belinda.clarke@agritech-east.co.uk
Contacts for media: Rachel Holdsworth, Sarah Carr: Holdsworth Associates, PR Consultants to Agri-Tech East.
E: sarah.carr@holdsworth-associates.co.uk; T: 01954 202789.
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