Voices of the 2025 Summit
Powerful insights from the changemakers redefining sustainable urban farming.
The 2026 Summit Agenda is currently being curated.
Core themes include:
High-Yield Engineering: Hydroponics & Vertical Farming
Focus: Precision production in water-stressed and space-constrained environments.
Closed-Loop Hydroponics - Reducing water use by 90% to combat drought challenges
Modular Vertical Integration - Retrofitting industrial spaces and shipping containers for year-round leafy green production
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)
Beyond Leafy Greens: Exploring the 2026 trend of vertical-grown strawberries, tomatoes, and dwarf grains
The Digital Twin: AI & IoT for Urban Resilience
Focus: Using data to optimize every drop and watt.
Open-Source AI for Farmers -Real-time crop disease and nutrient management
Digital Twins & Predictive Yields - Simulating growth cycles to de-risk investments before a single seed is planted
Autonomous Operations - Robotics and IoT sensors for low-labor, high-efficiency urban farm management
Smart Grids & Solar Ag - Integrating renewable energy to power high-tech indoor farms off-grid
Circular Cities: Waste, Water, & Logistics
Focus: Turning cities from consumers into producers.
Zero-Mile Supply Chains; Eliminating transport emissions by locating "Grown-in-the-City" hubs near retail centers
The Circular Bioeconomy: Converting urban organic waste into high-value "nano-biofertilizers" for indoor systems
Urban Heat Mitigation: How vertical forests and rooftop farms reduce the "Urban Heat Island" effect
Agro-Processing in the Hub: On-site packaging and processing to reduce post-harvest loss in townships
Policy & Inclusive Finance
Unlocking Blended Finance: Navigating the funding challenges for small-scale and commercial urban farmers
Women & Youth in Ag to drive inclusive urban investment
Smart Policy & Red Tape for rapid ag-tech deployment
Join the Conversations!
Engage with the International and Regional Experts.
Ignite New Projects!
Build New Partnerships and Collaboration.
CALL FOR SPEAKERS: Urban Agri World Summit 2026
The Stage is Set. The Future is Urban. Is Your Innovation Ready?
We are searching for the visionaries, engineers, and investors who are redefining the limits of food production. On 6–7 October 2026 in South Africa, join a global stage dedicated to scaling hydroponics, vertical farming, and AI-driven resilience.
We are looking for case studies and presentations that move beyond theory into commercial reality. Whether you are solving water scarcity through closed-loop systems or unlocking climate finance for urban growers, we want to hear from you.
HOW TO APPLY: We invite all interested experts and industry leaders to submit their presentation materials, including a brief abstract (300 words) and a speaker bio and headshot by emailing cathy.lim@magenta-global.com.sg for consideration.
Deadline for Submissions: 30 May 2026
URBAN AGRI SPEAKERS ALUMNI INCLUDE
N M Jomo Sibiya
Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour (South Africa)
T P Shandu
Mayor, iLembe District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)
Nkosenhle Mngadi
Chairperson Enterprise iLembe South Africa
Henry Gordon-Smith
Founder & CEO, Agritecture (USA) Innovation Board Member, EFUA (Germany)
Theophilus van Rensburg Lindzter
Founder, Learning Academy Worldwide (South Africa, Sweden)
Christine Zimmermann-Loessl
Chairwoman, Association for Vertical Farming (Germany)
Denis Banuoku
Founder GreenFresh Aquaponics Netherlands (invited)
Pfano Mashau
Professor, DUT Business School, Durban University of Technology (South Africa)
Josephine Favre
President, African Association for Vertical Farming (Switzerland, South Africa, Tanzania)
Michael Linus Ouma
Founder & CEO, Mbeko Empire (Kenya)
Graeme Smith
Founder & Principal Consultant, Graeme Smith Consulting (Australia)
Naudé Malan
Associate Professor, Department of Business Management University of Johannesburg South Africa
Veronica Shangali Aswani
Founder, Kijani Blue AgriBusiness CEO, WavuNow Stakeholder Relations Director, AWiA (South Africa)
Dr Richard Quansah Amissah
Neuroscientist Researcher, University of Western Ontario (Canada)
Gugulethu Mahlangu
Aquaponics Farmer House Harvest South Africa
Bright Laaka
Group Executive Director, Klaus Engineering Group (South Africa)
Samson Ogbole
Founder & CEO, Eupepsia Place / Soilless Farmlab (Nigeria)
Andrew Pott
CEO, Smart Food Growing Technologies (South Africa)
Anton Gresse
Animal Scientist, Lecturer & Researcher, Nelson Mandela University (South Africa)
Leon Hanslo
Deputy Principal & Agriculture Project Leader, Soneike High School (South Africa)
Zandile Kumalo
Founder & CEO, HyHarvest (South Africa)
Louis-John Ferreira
Director, Eikos Risk Capital (South Africa)
Leon October
Agriculture Specialist, Learning Academy Worldwide (South Africa)
Lillian Masebenza
Founder, Mhani Gingi, and Ashoka Fellow (South Africa)
Mogale Maleka
Co-Founder & CEO, Agang Bokamoso Farms (South Africa)
Robert Janssens
Chief Client Officer, ECOSYSTEM.AI (South Africa)
Terrence Martin
Director & Founder, 5th Factor (South Africa)
Dalal AlGhawas
Founder & Agrifood-Agribusiness Consultant, SWAPAC (Kuwait, Hong Kong)
Daniel Motshwane
Founder & MD, Afrique Rising Trading (South Africa)
Karmini Pillay-Rangan
Director, Pulse Afrika, South Africa
Luvo Gugwana
Founder Green Arch Innovations South Africa
Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi
MEC, Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Nomusa Dube-Ncube
Premier, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Aliyu Abdulhameed
Managing Director & CEO, Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agriculture Lending (NIRSAL)
Prof Gert Venter
CEO, Ecogrow Kweekhuise, South Africa
Roger Tuckeldoe
Director of Smallholder Development, Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa
Dallas McMillan
CEO, Rhizo Sciences, Canada
Thaven Naidoo
Southern Africa Regional Coordinator, Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN)
Dr Michael Magondo
Chief Idea Surfer, Wouldn’t It Be Cool (WIBC), South Africa
Adeyinka John
Senior Manager for Research, Strategy, Innovation, Result Measurement & Impact, NIRSAL, Nigeria
Angel Adelaja
CEO, Fresh Direct, Nigeria
Prof Michael Rudolph
Director, Siyakhana Multipurpose Cooperative, South Africa
Jana Jordaan
Sustainable Agriculture Analyst, GreenCape, South Africa
Esther Ndumi Ngumbi
Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
Mlibo Bantwini
Executive Officer, Dube TradePort, South Africa
Michael Koch
Marketing Agronomist, Haifa Group, Israel
Jeremy Rich
Founder, Aqua Vegetables & Co-Founder, Future Farms, South Africa
Theo Niezel
Director, Aqua Vegetables, South Africa
Paul Sheppard
Co-Founder, Halon Energy Partners & Co-Founder, Future Farms, South Africa
Peter Chege Gichuku
CEO, Hydroponics Africa, Kenya
Lynn Gunning
Managing Director, NFT Hydro, South Africa
Thato Moagi
Managing Director, Legae La Banareng Farms, South Africa
Peter Douglas
Managing Director, Carbon Negative Solutions
Inge Kuschke
Agriculture Analyst, Greencape, South Africa
Rikalize Reinecke
Owner, La Pieus Aqua, South Africa
Michelle Adelman
Managing Director, Go Fresh, Botswana
Alex Ho
Regional Director for Middle East, Africa & South Asia, Enterprise Singapore
Thato Mugonda
LED Coordinator, Centre for Supplier Development, and Director, Legae La Banareng Farms, South Africa
Kenneth Obayuwana
Principal Consultant, Agricelerate Global Consulting, UK
Agrotosh Mookerjee
Managing Director and Chief Actuary, Risk Shield Consultants, Zambia
Dr Zorodzai J T Maroveke
Founder and CEO, Zimbabwe Industrial Hemp Trust, Zimbabwe
Trenton Birch
CEO and Co-Founder, Cheeba Cannabis Academy, and Founding Member, Friends of Hemp South Africa
Veronica S. Aswani
Vice President, African Association for Vertical Farming, South Africa, Founding Partner , Kijani Blue Agribusiness, Stakeholder Relations Director, African Women in Agriculture (AWiA) CEO of Wavunow
Dr Tshililo Farisani
Entrepreneurship & Leadership Expert, UKZN, South Africa
Dr Peter C Gichuku
CEO & Founder, Hydroponics Africa, Kenya
Ma Joye
Founder Umgibe Farming Organics & Training Institute South Africa
Daniel de Sousa
Founder The Farm Nearby South Africa
Juan Fourie
Commercial Manager, Bosman Van Zaal, South Africa
Siyabonga Mazibuko
CEO Enterprise iLembe South Africa
Komla Bissi
Senior Adviser on Agriculture & Value Chains AfCFTA Secretariat Ghana
Johnni Kjelsgaard
Founder & Executive Chairman GrowthAfrica Kenya
Michael Linus Mbeko Ouma
Founder & CEO Mbeko Empire Kenya
Fiona McKenna
Sustainable Destination Development Officer & PHD Researcher Clare Tourism DAC Ireland
Agbaji Chinedu Learnder
Executive Director Ezocha Farm Service Nigeria
Samkelisiwe Chunda
Founder Sibayeni Metro Farming South Africa
Thabani Ndumiso Ngubane
CEO & Founder Ithuba Agri-Business South Africa
Margaret Kimani
Author & Managing Director Kabute Global Consulting Kenya
Oumarou Yacoudima
Environmental Scientist SE/CNEDD & CABES Niger
Dr Justy Range
Business Development AgriChain South Africa
Natasja Van Der Linde
Founder & CEO Al Basateen Al Amrah Oman
Murod Khusanov
Founder & CEO Growz Uzbekistan
Rina Kamenetsky-Goldstein
Scientific Director, Research Center for Urban Agro-Ecology Agricultural Research Organization Israel
Snethemba Ngoako
Ndunguleti Project South Africa
Philani Benedict Ngcobo
Director Ghetto Buddies Enterprise South Africa
Sifiso Nkwanyane
Director Dokodweni Farming South Africa
Sithembile Ndlovu
Director Uluthando Agricultural Project South Africa
Siphelele Vumisa
Vumisa Farming South Africa
Terry Wyer
Managing Director ESI Capital South Africa
Apply to Speak to the Industry
To join the Speakers Panel, drop us an email to cathy.lim@magenta-global.com.sg. We’d like to hear from you.