David Farquhar
CEO, Intelligent Growth Systems
Video
Summary
Rapid population growth and climate change’s impact on our ability to grow food represents a perfect storm. Tech has opportunities and responsibilities to address global problems: this may be the biggest. Over-packaged home deliveries or growing blueberries in Peru for consumption in Scotland are not sustainable responses.
Farming has huge ecological impacts; agritech is as old as mankind (cf. flint axes), but now artificial intelligence and IOT represent a new frontier — bringing new strengths and new vulnerabilities in equal measure.
We’ll explore the surging investment and growth in the agritech sector, and the challenges (both unique and universal) facing tech company-builders in agritech. And looking forward, we’ll address how vertical farming and next-gen agritech can overcome its limitations to become a new norm — and what we, as technologists, entrepreneurs and consumers, can do to drive positive change.
