Addressing the sustainability challenges facing Southeast Asian agriculture, the first Agriconnect Conference & Exhibition will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, 24 and 25 May 2023, with more than 30 speakers from nine countries, 15 exhibitors and 300 attendees signed up.
The new event, which was launched with a focus on crop yield increase amid growing food demand and climate change, is organized by the DLG (German Agricultural Society) and VNU Asia Pacific together with the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives as official co-host. Farm visits and networking events round off the program.
As food demand continues to increase as a result of a growing world population, the Southeast Asian region will be facing labor shortages, intense competition for resources and environmental degradation. These represent some of the challenges explored at the Agriconnect Conference & Exhibition later this month at True Digital Park in Bangkok, Thailand.
“Eco-efficiency: Solutions for Environmental Farming Business” is the theme of event, which focuses on disseminating sustainable farming practices that benefit the environment, the economy and society. Application of enabling technologies and circular economy principles to minimize adverse environmental impacts while maximizing profits will play a key role as well as strategies like crop rotation, integrated nutrient and pest management, precision agriculture, renewable energy and crop residue management.
The first Agriconnect Conference & Exhibition is affiliated with Agritechnica Asia and Horti Asia, Southeast Asia’s leading exhibitions in agriculture. Featuring over 30 speakers from international organizations, such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (UNESCAP) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), will share their best practices and solutions in more than 15 sessions.
The event combines conference with exhibition and includes 15 exhibiting companies, who will be showcasing their latest agriculture-related services and products on the first event day. As well as attending the expert presentations, the more than 300 professional attendees will be participating in interactive sessions and roundtable discussions.
The conference program includes presentations covering environment, smart farming, carbon market regulations and vertical farming.
Environmental Protection
An overview of the Thai ministry’s initiatives on environmental protection will be provided by a speaker from the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, while representatives from Ministry of Agriculture Rural and Development, Vietnam (MARD) will highlight the importance of innovations and cooperation.
Innovations in Smart Farming
Applicable technologies, data management, predictive maintenance concepts and farm management that support the future needs of the region will be examined in the smart farming sessions, which include speakers from CNH Industrial, BioSci (Thailand) Ltd and BayWa AG. The organizers – the German-Thai Cooperation Project for Clusterfarms, the Department of Agricultural Extension and the Thai Society of Agricultural Engineering – will provide views on the achievements, challenges and opportunities of adopting smart farming technologies in Thailand.
Carbon market regulations
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) will present carbon market regulations for the agricultural sector using examples from Southeast Asia, and in particular Vietnam.
Vertical farming
Speakers from the Association for Vertical Farming as well as Urban Greens Hydroponics Systems Inc will discuss characteristics of successful business models in vertical farming.
Parallel events
The German Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) will present challenges of sustainable production in Southeast Asian agriculture, which offers opportunities for German agribusiness companies. The Sino-Thai Agricultural Young Farmers Exchange Conference, to be held at the new Agriconnect event, will conduct an interactive workshop on the strategies for success in sustainable and entrepreneurial agriculture, featuring the perspectives of young farmers from China and Thailand.
Farm visits
The event offers a choice of three farm visits.
The Choncharoen Farm in Kanchanaburi, operated by Chia Tai x True Digital Solutions, is an example of how enabling technologies, such as irrigation systems, weather stations, drones, and robotics are integrated into sustainable farming practices.
The DiStar Fresh Farm, Thailand’s largest indoor vertical farming facility, will present how soilless growing using perlite and vermiculite provides protection from pests and pathogens while maintaining optimal water usage and an ideal environment for crops. All this is accomplished while controlling lighting, climate, nutrients and CO2 levels for an ideal balance.
The Speedy Farm is a leading technology supplier in the rapidly developing greenhouse industry in South East Asia.
