South Africa: Undercover Farming Expo / ASNAPP Conference to focus on technology and sustainability

Undercover Farming Expo, an event focusing on intensive farming techniques and farming industries, is again joining forces with Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products (ASNAPP) to host a conference for existing and potential producers and buyers of vegetables, flowers, fruit and seedlings being produced hydroponically under protective cover.

This conference will run concurrently with Undercover Farming Expo and will be held at the Saint George Hotel & Convention Centre in Irene, Pretoria, from 5 to 7 March 2013.

Hanlie Delport, Event Manager, says the conference has attracted several international speakers from countries such as the Netherlands, Canada and Zambia. “Highlights on the conference programme include the presentations of Dr Cecilia Stanghellini from Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture who will speak about resource efficiency in protected cultivation, Gijs Kok from Flora Holland who will speak about how the cluster concept can work in South Africa, Hugo Plaisier from Svenson Global who will speak about the effect of thermal screens on the growing climate and energy use in greenhouses and Reinhard Kushcke of Absa AgriBusiness who will focus on changing weather conditions.

“These speakers are world leaders in their respective fields and for many of our delegates it will be a once in a lifetime experience to be able to benefit from their knowledge and experience. Tunnel and shade-net farming is one of the newest forms of food production in Southern Africa and offers the ideal solution to producers investigating alternative methods of farming because of the increasing dryer climate. This conference really offers industry members an opportunity to learn from the foremost industry related experts and to discuss key issues,” says Delport.
Themed ‘Applying technology for sustainability’, the conference will be held over three days, with generic sessions for the full group and breakaway sessions for specific disciplines such as fruit, flowers and seedlings on the first two days and farm visits on day three.

The registration fee for the conference is R 2 000.00 (plus VAT) per delegate for the full conference and R 800.00 (plus VAT) per delegate for individual sessions.
For the full conference programme, the conference registration form or for more information about the Undercover Farming Expo visit www.undercoverfarmingexpo.co.za or contact Hanlie Delport on [email protected] or tel +27 82 908 2295.