Friday, March 29, 2024

Building strategic agtech partnerships

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Ministry for Primary Industries chief science advisor John Roche says the New Zealand-Israel AgriTech Summit is a great opportunity for us to collaborate with and learn from a global leader in this space.
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Agritech leaders from New Zealand and Israel will come together to share insights and innovations at a joint online summit this month.

Both countries are renowned for their inventiveness and tenacity when it comes to developing solutions for food production systems. Yet each country possesses its own distinct agritech-ecosystem that’s shaped through unique environmental and economic challenges and knowledge frameworks.

Agritech leaders and stakeholders in both countries have a lot to learn from each other; the potential to find common ground in supporting rising global market demand is huge.

The summit will feature several keynote speakers and panel discussions over two days. Aligned for international timezones, the NZ-Israel AgriTech Summit will explore opportunities for future cooperation and collaboration, while showcasing technologies, applications and test cases from both countries for a mutually beneficial partnership.

Keynote speaker John Roche, the Ministry for Primary Industries chief science advisor, says this partnership could open up opportunities for counter-seasonal experiments in areas of common interest, collaboration on global challenges, shared expertise and resources to develop our innovation and commercialisation and additional funding avenues.

“Both NZ and Israel are recognised innovators in agriculture – what we call in New Zealand the No 8 wire mentality,” Roche says.

“For nearly 100 years, farmers and scientists have worked closely together to develop some of the most biophysically efficient agricultural and horticultural systems in the world.

“Israel, similarly, is a world-renowned hub of innovation, developing highly efficient food production systems through engineering, agronomy and animal production. “Innovation in agricultural technology is of significant interest in NZ as we challenge ourselves to meet the environmental sustainability and productivity challenges of the 21st Century.

“The New Zealand-Israel AgriTech Summit is a great opportunity for us to collaborate with and learn from a global leader in this space. Israel has extensive expertise in dryland farming and horticultural crops and, as a country, is a pioneer in water efficient irrigation systems and has developed state-of-the-art desalination technologies and efficient greenhouse technologies.”

Other keynote speakers include, among others, Australia-based Israel trade commissioner Shai Zarivatch; Israeli ambassador to NZ Ran Yaakoby; Kenneth Irons from Precision Farming; and head of AgriFood Tech and circular economy advisory at KPMG, Ben van Delden.

More: The summit on February 15-16 is free and Zoom event tickets will be provided on registration.

Register at agritechnz.org.nz

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