According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, there are just 60 harvests left before the world’s top soil is completely depleted, after decades of chemical-heavy intensive farming and erosion through deforestation and global warming. By 2050, the amount of arable and productive land per person will be only a quarter of what it was in 1960.
Already, we have growing inner-city populations that lack access to affordable fresh food, with increasing malnutrition and obesity, the effects of which impact our communities and stress our health infrastructure.
This month, over 200 agribusiness leaders, entrepreneurs and investors from around the world will gather in New York to discuss how indoor farming offers a solution. At the Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit on June 20-21 they will discuss the challenges that need to be met to build sustainable, profitable and healthy local and national food systems.
Serving as the summit’s Strategic Partner is Alexandria Real Estate Equities, the country’s leading owner, operator and developer of collaborative life science, technology and AgTech campuses, and the company’s venture capital arm, Alexandria Venture Investments, which invests in cutting-edge AgTech companies. With its position at the forefront of emerging innovation in AgTech, Alexandria Venture Investments led a blue-chip investment syndicate to create the AgTech Accelerator, a unique start-up venture development fund focused on discovering and developing agricultural technology companies.
“Through our sustainable, vibrant environments and our strategic investments in agricultural innovation, we continue to support the next generation of companies and technologies that are essential to the growth of the AgTech sector,” said Joel S. Marcus, Executive Chairman and Founder of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc./Alexandria Venture Investments, who will co-moderate the panel discussion Investor Debate: What Type of Capital Does This Sector Need to Grow. “We recognize the immense potential of indoor farming to benefit the health and well-being of the people in our communities and ultimately to help solve the critical challenges of global hunger and nutrition.”
Indoor farming’s precision systems create optimal growing conditions, delivering exactly the right amount of water, nutrients and light directly to the plant, using up to 90% less water than traditional agriculture. Grown indoors in a controlled environment, with no need for pesticides or herbicides, the produce is as clean and organic as it’s possible to be.
Historically, the indoor sector has struggled with cost-efficiencies at scale, limiting its produce to a premium price-point. At last, breakthroughs in LED efficiencies, power optimization, AI and machine-learning are reducing costs and increasing yields, enabling indoor-grown produce to compete on price-point with traditional open field produce. The super-fresh locally-grown model is now within reach of being achievable on a massive scale, making healthy fresh food affordable to millions.
Brooklyn Borough President, Eric L. Adams will open the Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit with insights into how the indoor farming revolution is transforming New York’s thriving communities. He is joined by leading innovators and operators from around the world, including AeroFarms, FreshBox Farms, Shenandoah Growers, Plenty, Infarm (Germany), Gotham Greens, Bright Farms, Square Roots, Bowery Farming, Badia Farms (UAE) and the Japan Plant Factory Association.
The summit will host senior representatives from the biggest names across agribusiness, food and finance: Bayer, Monsanto, Cargill, Kelloggs, McCain, InVivo, US Foods, Barclays, Wells Fargo, Finistere Ventures and Tyson Ventures, alongside technology developers including IGS, Cornell CALS, Fluence, Motorleaf, Priva, OSRAM and Signify, with pitches from six agtech start-ups showcasing their breakthrough solutions.
This powerhouse audience will focus on best practice, defining growth opportunities and the need for collaboration in this fast-emerging precision ag sector.
The Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit is part of the World Agri-Tech Innovation Series of summits focused on international networking and deal-making for agribusinesses, solution providers, entrepreneurs and investors.
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