US (CA): Seedstock 3rd annual sustainable Ag Innovation Conference packs punch with Stellar Slate of expert speakers

Local food policy, urban agriculture strategy, and business model innovation are just a sample of the informative fare to be served up at the 3rd Annual Seedstock Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Conference – “Reintegrating Ag: Local Food Systems and the Future of Cities.”

The comprehensive, expert-rich program, to be held Tuesday and Wednesday, November 11-12, at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, will focus on the economic, environmental and community benefits that result from the development of a robust local food infrastructure. Participants from local food policy experts and urban agriculture entrepreneurs to investors and thought leaders in the sustainable agriculture industry will explore new approaches to strengthen the marketplace for local food and foster the revitalization of urban areas by embracing innovation in sustainable agriculture.

“The marketplace for local food continues to grow in lockstep with consumer demand.” said Robert Puro, Seedstock’s co-founder. “This conference aims to explore how policy makers, growers, entrepreneurs, city officials, investors and businesses at all ends of the supply chain can further accelerate the growth of local food systems across the country.”

The conference is ideally suited for new and established farmers looking to share ideas or develop connections with suppliers and buyers, economic and community development officers exploring job stimulus programs, as well as urban planners, restaurant owners, investors, technology companies, agriculture suppliers and others.

The conference begins with an urban farming field trip on which attendees will get a sneak peak at Los Angeles’ first multi-faceted food production business incubator for local entrepreneurs along with a tour of a blossoming 1.5-acre high school campus urban farming operation in Pasadena and a visit to a hydroponic shipping container farm in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District.

On day two (Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014) of the conference, attendees will convene at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles for a series of panels and breakout sessions that will address the definition, economic impact, long-term benefits, challenges, and solutions associated with the development of a vigorous local food infrastructure.

A.G. Kawamura, former Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture and co-chair of Solutions From the Land Dialogue, will deliver the keynote address, drawing upon his extensive knowledge of California’s agricultural landscape and the challenges and opportunities associated with the development of local food systems in cities and counties across the U.S.

Register here: http://seedstockconference.eventbrite.com