Agenda & Speakers

Making agriculture more attractive to investment

Helping more farmers build commercially viable businesses

Strengthening Africa’s resilience and competitiveness in global markets

Connecting African farmers and agribusinesses to wider markets through AfCFTA

Integrating urban agriculture and green infrastructure into city planning

Building food-resilient neighbourhoods through partnerships with government, communities and agritech innovators

Using urban agriculture to reduce food loss, shorten supply chains and strengthen supply to growing cities

Designing business models that identify who benefits from improved reliability and reduced spoilage - and who can pay for those benefits

Repurposing urban biological waste through production systems, consumer-centred waste exchanges and appropriate intermediate technologies

Developing retail, sales and marketing approaches that connect urban production with consumers and support more affordable food

Applying research in soil health, crop improvement and sustainable crop protection

Exploring digital agriculture, data and extension services to support better farm-level decisions

Connecting researchers, extension specialists and growers to speed up technology transfer

Learning from grower experience about what makes an innovation practical and adoptable

Applying relevant technologies beyond sugarcane, including to horticulture, urban and peri-urban agriculture, and smallholder production

Identifying the guidance, business skills, partnerships and market access early-stage entrepreneurs need

Sharing practical lessons from farmers on finding profitable markets, accessing finance, managing risk and growing production

Understanding how South African fresh-produce markets work, the value they provide and what sales statistics show

Preparing to supply fresh-produce markets, including understanding requirements and common challenges

Using market information and price discovery to make informed selling decisions

Exploring how digital agriculture can turn local data into better decisions, stronger market access and improved returns

Aligning a venture with government priorities and building institutional partnerships

Demonstrating buyer demand and assembling a committed team before production begins

Using buyer interest to validate demand and strengthen a venture’s credibility

Designing pilots to test assumptions and learn at manageable cost

Preparing agribusinesses for investment by understanding market access, offtake and suitable capital

Developing circular agribusiness models and improving greenhouse yields, quality and profitability

Learning from the rapid growth and setbacks of vertical farming

Examining which controlled-environment agriculture models are proving viable

Considering where farmers, municipalities and startups could invest over the next five years

Building climate resilience across the links between farms, markets and growing cities

Designing ventures to capture enough value to continue beyond pilot or grant funding

Prioritising reliable supply and practical business returns alongside food-system benefits