By 2030 the UK will need the equivalent of 7 million more hectares of land to support our growing population. It is estimated that with ‘smart use’ of land and technology we could release more benefit from existing land resources.
Dr Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-Tech East, says: “We now have a perfect storm where there is a clearly articulated market need for innovation and an appetite for change.
“Agri-Tech East proposes that the East of England takes a lead in identifying what ‘smart use’ means in the real world.”
Innovation is needed, not only in the way we develop new varieties of crops that can perform well under adverse environments, but also in the way these crops are grown, harvested and processed. For farmers and growers ‘total factor productivity’ is the key consideration and a sound evidence base is required for the uptake of new approaches and disruptive technologies.
To better understand the issues facing farmers and growers, to showcase some of the most interesting technologies emerging from the region and enable better knowledge transfer, four well-respected organisations – Agri-Tech East, the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, the Suffolk Agricultural Association, and the Home Grown Cereals Authority – have joined forces to present Agri-Tech Week 2014.
Agri-Tech East is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the REAP conference on 12 November with speakers from across the industry including:
- Ian Noble, Senior Director at PepsiCo and member of the UK Agri-Tech Leadership Council
- Richard Burkinshaw, European Environmental Strategy Manager at Kelloggs
- Helen Ferrier, Chief Science and Regulatory Affairs Adviser for the NFU
- Bill Clark, Commercial and Technical Director for NIAB
- Tony Bambridge, MD of B&C Farming
- Richard Hirst of Hirst Farms
- Ed Moorhouse, Group Technical Director of G’s Fresh
- Jeremy Macklin, Director of Technology and Innovation at Hutchinsons
- Calum Murray, Programme Leader, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform, Innovate UK
Plus a Start-Up Showcase highlighting new commercial agri-tech opportunities.
Find out more by visiting the REAP page.
Or find out more about Agri-Tech Week here: www.agritech-east.co.uk/AgriTechWeek2014