New Zealand Agriculture 2050 – Pathways of Innovation Symposium is to be held 8–9 December 2019, in Dunedin at the University of Otago. This Symposium is hosted by Ag@Otago.
Emeritus Professor Frank Griffin, Symposium Convener.
The symposium will cover three main themes:
- Sustainable food production
- Future food, nutrition and medicine
- Agritech, food quality and security
The programme includes over 10 invited speakers from throughout New Zealand who are internationally recognised as leaders in their field. We will also have panel discussions around holistic farming, synthetic foods and GM foods.
When combined, these themes should disclose how future food production systems will be sufficient to feed an increasing world population. It is New Zealand's challenge to decide how we wish to position our food production systems in the future, within the constraints of a zero carbon emissions goal for 2050.
Ag@Otago is committed to engaging farmers in discussions and expectations around future research, as we consider they will be a vital part of the solution. Our challenge as researchers is to provide producers with practical solutions that can sustain New Zealand's role as a major, global supplier of superior foods. We are confident that presenters will share a vision for agriculture and food production in New Zealand that embraces the considerable challenges the sector faces, while offering innovative solutions that are relevant and achievable.