AgriFutures EvokeAg conference countdown

Agrifutures, managing director, John Harvey said EvokeAg and AgriFutures role in supporting the agricultural technology space was born out the feedback of Australia's top young agriculturists as well as recognition of a gap left by the larger research and development corporations (RDCs).

“The ecosystem is immature, it is just emerging, there is a lot of energy and activity but there is also a lot of duplication and unnecessary competition,” he said.

“There is a need for a really strong vision and positioning of Australian agtech in a global context as well as collaboration, getting the key players working together. 

Mr Harvey said while other countries were interested in Australian innovation, the tyranny of distance meant Australian agriculture needed a a global platform as a one-stop-shop showcase.

“Through EvokeAg they can come to Australia, see the best of the best, through both the presentations and the pitch tent,” he said. 

“It gives us an opportunity to interact with the rest of the world, which is important when you start talking about access to capital, innovations and technologies.”

Mr Harvey said EvokeAg was supported by all commodities through the Council of RDCs. 

“There is a whole range of new technologies out there including sensors, machine learning, artificial intelligence, robotics and synthetic biology,” he said. 

“Those technologies don’t have boundaries between agricultural commodities or even industrial sectors, often they have come from financial technology, medical technology or information communications technology.

“They will impact all of our agricultural sectors so that is why it is important for everybody to be in the room.

“A lot of the synergy we are seeing is when you get people from more diverse backgrounds and diverse experiences.”

EvokeAg will be held at the Royal Exhibition Building from the 19^th to the 20^th of February 2019. 

For more information and a chance at last minute tickets visit www.evokeag.com