Lessons I will Take With Me From Evoke Ag - Asia Pacific Agri-Food Tech Conference

This past week I had the opportunity to attend Evoke Ag, an Asia Pacific agri-food tech conference held in Melbourne, Australia. As you can imagine, the two-day event catapulted me back into the agri-food tech industry in a very different way than my time working on farms. It was fascinating to transition from spending my time in the field to a world of professional dress and interacting with other companies and organizations in the industry. In many ways it was exciting to be in a room of 1000+ people from over 22 countries working towards the same goal of bettering our agri-food system.

Ultimately, it was an amazing experience to relate my learnings on the ground for the past several months back to the business world. It gave me a chance to begin to formulate ideas on how my time in the field will help me innovate and think differently once I do go back to a more conventional work setup. 

Several key themes emerged from the conference that will stick with me as I continue to learn by traveling and gain more on the ground experience.

COMMON THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

Collaboration:

One example of collaboration is the growing number of food brands that are talking to farmers about their rotation to understand what crops they would be growing if a market existed. Pictured: Mike Lee from Alpha Foods.

One of the key themes of the event and a topic that emerged frequently during keynotes and breakout sessions was collaboration. It is great to talk about the idea of collaboration but what does this actually look like? For me, it looks like engaging farmers earlier in the innovation process when new agriculture technology is being developed. Collaboration is when food companies and processors engage with farmers to understand what an ideal rotation look like for their soil. Collaboration is also public and private partnership and working to create policy that encourages ag and food innovation rather than sticking with the status quo. 

A Changing Climate:

There was a lot of talk about our changing climate and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and its impact on agriculture. Having attended agri-food tech conferences in the U.S., this is a narrative that isn’t always told at similar events. As soon as the phrase climate change is mentioned in the U.S., farmers automatically go on the defensive. I sympathize with farmers and the unfair blame that gets placed on their shoulders for the way that our agriculture system has developed; however, I think it is imperative to bring these conversations to the table. We need to acknowledge the enormous challenges that we face and begin to innovate around them. Agriculture has the potential to be a positive lever in regard to positively impacting the planet. I would love to hear this conversation at the forefront of all food and agriculture events. It can be a conversation without blame and pointing fingers. It can be a collaboration between stakeholders across the industry. 

Plant-Based Protein:

This is obviously a hot trend in the space right now with several U.S. companies entering the mainstream market within the past year. It was refreshing to attend several sessions where the conversation included plant-based protein companies side by side on a panel with beef producers and innovators. Ultimately, there is room for regenerative livestock grazing and beef production, along with a growing plant-based protein market. With a growing population that will continue to demand more meat, there is room for all parties. Another reason this topic stuck out to me is that five years ago this would not have been a topic that dominated the conversation. It is exciting to see a topic that was on the “fringe” just a few years ago brought to the mainstream conversation. 

Soil Health:

A focus on soil health is becoming an increasingly discussed topic across the space. One of the things that I think is important about this topic is that it is a point of common ground across the industry. Everyone from small scale farmers to thousand-acre row crop producers have to think about their soil. As we continue to explore soil science and our understanding of best practices, I hope that others see the topic as a way to co-innovate and bring together ideas and practices from across the agriculture industry.

Storytelling:

While this isn’t just an agri-food trend, it is a theme that emerged that is worth mentioning. Several speakers raised the point of how important it is to get the message right about how we talk about solutions in the agri-food tech space. Because agriculture and food impacts every human on this planet, we have the opportunity to bring consumers along for the ride. Ultimately, if we really want to innovate and change our agri-food system, then consumer demand is a huge part of the story. Growers cannot raise crops that don’t have a market. Good storytelling has the potential to play an important role in creating an agriculture system that is better for the planet.

I am excited to continue to explore these themes throughout the rest of my travels. My time at Evoke Ag was a reminder of how others can spark new ideas and new realizations. All it takes is a different environment and an open mind and the learning will come!