TRUST:
Humans, Machines & Ecosystems

Building resilient global food security requires us to navigate a complex net of interactions between the biosphere, economy, technology, and society. Machines and machine-to-machine systems shape and accelerate our social and economic lives, even as climates and ecosystems are threatened. Our ethical frameworks, human communities, and institutions struggle to stay abreast the rate of change. Therefore, we can no longer consider distinct facets of food security in isolation; we need holistic solutions.

There are growing insights about how humanity can live within the natural, biological, and climatic boundaries of the planet. These new models offer great potential for managing ethics, multi-stakeholder coordination, and action as data and digital technologies demonstrate the agility, precision and insights needed to effectively manage this complexity.

To claim these potential solutions for the future of food security we need trust. Trust in institutions, in firms, in dynamic and expanding human communities, and in the technologies themselves that can help us build the future.

Our inaugural 2017 convention, was about forming the right partnerships and alliances and in 2018 we focused on the data mobilization and interoperability needed to build an effective data ecosystem. We hope you will join us this year to bring these efforts together in pursuit of holistic solutions to feed the future – byte by byte.

 

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This year’s Convention will be hosted by The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and held at their campus in Hyderabad, India during 16-18 October.

The Platform is led by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

2019 Convention Highlights

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PARTICIPATE

We are expecting up to 500 members of the scientific community and digital agriculture practitioners to join us in Hyderabad to participate in an exciting round of sessions, dynamic discussion groups, an interactive innovation bazaar, and our Inspire Challenge awards night. We are also offering a unique opportunity for industry experts to host their own Q&A session on key topics in their area of expertise. For those who cannot attend in person, we will be streaming the event live online.

The agenda

We are expecting over 60 speakers and industry experts during up to 50 sessions over the course of three days.

We have structured the program to be dynamic and interactive and are hosting, in addition to structured panel sessions, deep-dive breakout sessions and intimate Q&A’s where attendees will have direct access to get thier burning questions answered by experts who are leaders in the field.

Like last year, will be closing the event with a bang by announcing the winners of the 2019 Inspire Challenge in a special awards ceremony.

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60+ Industry expert speakers

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Innovations bazaar

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Q&A with industry experts

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50+ Structured sessions

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Inspire Challenge awards ceremony

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Fun networking opportunities

Featured Speakers

Monique Morrow

Monique Morrow

President and Co-Founder of the Humanized Internet

Recognized as one of the most influential technology leaders worldwide, Monique Morrow has earned accolades such as Forbes top 50 Women globally in Tech 2018 and Top 100 CIOs in 2016, amongst others. She is President and Co-Founder of the Humanized Internet; a non-profit organization focused on providing digital identity for individuals most underserved, President of the VETRI Foundation; with a mission to empower people to control their identity and privacy, and former CTO of CISCO.

Marieke de Ruyter de Wildt

Marieke de Ruyter de Wildt

Founder of The Fork

Marieke started her career at the United Nations. For the next 10 years, she lived in all continents and worked in more than 45 countries, from Scotland to Vietnam. She returned to Wageningen University, leading a research team to analyse the impact of agrifood investments, working with the likes of Rabobank, Syngenta, PGGM and Ahold Delhaize. In 2014, she started as director of AgriPlace, a software company developing an application to digitize farm certification.

Then blockchain matured. Although blockchain was hyped in FinTech, the financial industry, Marieke quickly concluded it addresses some key challenges in agrifood: data ownership and data integrity.
Being convinced that blockchain will accelerate the digitization in agrifood, she founded her current company The Fork.

The Fork helps companies to integrate blockchain technology into their existing technology. Moreover, they offer blockchain courses for supply chain professionals, educating them on the possibilities of blockchain.

Andy Jarvis

Andy Jarvis

Decision and Policy Analysis Research Area Director, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)

Yvonne Pinto

Yvonne Pinto

Managing Director at ALINE Impact Limited

Yvonne Pinto has spent over 20 years in the agricultural development sector, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has background in plant genetics and has worked in various positions with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gatsby Foundation, UN FAO and the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College. Yvonne sits on various Boards, Program Advisory and Steering Committees. She is also an experienced mentor and an alumna of the Judge Business School at Cambridge University.

Brian King

Brian King

Coordinator, CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture

Medha Devare

Medha Devare

Senior Research Fellow at the International Food policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Module Lead at the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture

Medha Devare is a cropping systems agronomist with significant management experience, familiarity with fieldwork in the US and developing countries, and expertise in agricultural research for development, microbial and molecular ecology, bioinformatics, data and knowledge management, and ontology development and semantic web technology. She led a large Open Access/ Open Data Initiative from 2014-2016, working with knowledge managers, data managers, scientists, and leaders across 15 CGIAR Centers to coordinate a consistent approach to Open Access and Open Data and facilitate the ‘translation’ and wider discovery and use of CGIAR research outputs. She holds a Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Sciences from Cornell University.

WHY ATTEND?

Learn from the best

Learn from leading industry experts and scientists, from across the globe, as they discuss current issues and cutting-edge solutions and share their knowledge and expertise.

Expand your network

We are focused on getting people together to connect thought leaders and change-makers in the technology and agriculture world to catalyze impactful new partnerships

Industry Insight

The themes and topics discussed and the innovations presented, are at the frontier of the agricultural transformation. This is your chance to get ahead of the curve and participate in the conversations that will help shape the future of digital agriculture.

BOOK A BOOTH

Don’t miss the opportunity to exhibit your brand and initiatives attendees from the international community of scientists, researchers, technologists, development experts, policy analysts, donors, advocates, change agents, last-mile implementers, and many others.

Booths start at just 1,000 USD and come with two complimentary registrations. Book now through the Eventbrite page.

EXPERIENCE

 

Don’t take our word for it – see what our previous conventions attendees had to say.

“Not only was the kick-off very refreshing, the whole convention was packed with nice inspiring surprises. The crowd truly reflected the agricultural ecosystem, very international, all ages, different backgrounds and full of commitment to make sense out of data for better food.”

Marieke de Ruyter de Wildt

Founder, The Fork

“We have CGIAR centers and, on the opposite end of the spectrum, for-profit companies like Amazon and IBM, bringing together a diverse community of practitioners using ICTs to fundamentally transform industries. I think this is a first for agriculture.”

Ram Dhulipala

Strategy & Operations Officer, ICRISAT Innovation Hub (iHub)

“The convention offered a glimpse into the huge potential of unlocking our databanks to develop user-friendly technologies capable of driving food system transformation. Big data is at the heart of the future and the transformation of outcome delivery.”

Barbara Wells

Director General, International Potato Center

“The convention is focused on getting people together and opening the conversation. It is a great opportunity to get the big data in agriculture revolution really moving.”

Elwyn Grainger-Jones

Executive Director, CGIAR System Organization

“A timely and well-articulated event with a clear message – leverage data to predict, prescribe, and produce more food, more sustainably. It was a great platform to provide practical solutions and participate in a dynamic networking experience, from which I have been able to mine and build relationships that continue to create strategic value and benefit.”

Tonya Nyakeya

THINKLab & Ecosystem Lead, IBM Research

ALREADY REGISTERED?

We’ve put together some FAQs and recommendations to help make your travel as smooth as possible.

Accommodation

We have reserved rooms at the Trident, Hyderabad hotel at a reduced rate for event attendees. Bookings must be made using the link below and for the dates between October 12 – October 21. Alternatively, you can contact the hotel direct with reference to the event.

Visas

To assist you with your visa application, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to help you with the process. We do, however, recommend that you carry out your own additional research and apply well in advance of your travel date.

FAQs

For additional information about accommodation, event location, local currency and other event information, please check out our FAQ page.

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