2025 Summit Agenda
UAW 2025 is your platform to learn and share ideas on how to revolutionize agriculture and bring the industry into the technology-enabled future.
The Summit Agenda is currently being crafted with the industry’s most current trends, challenges, best practices and latest technologies.
Key topics to be deliberated for DAY ONE and DAY TWO include:
Transforming Food Systems through Urban and Controlled Environment (CEA) Agriculture
Overview of the Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities in Vertical Farming, Hydroponics, Aeroponics, and Aquaponics
Sustainable Business Models for Vertical and Urban Agriculture
The Potential of Vertical Farming in Africa and Its Challenges
Financing Models for Startups and SMEs
Accessing Finance for Small and Urban Farmers
Steps to a Successful CEA Project
Women and Youth in Urban Agriculture
What Governments Can Do to Support Urban and Controlled Agriculture
The Future of Small-Scale Farming in a Rapidly Urbanizing World
Small-Scale Hydroponics for Urban Communities
Urban and Smallholder Farming Solutions from Africa and Beyond
Implementing Controlled Environment Agriculture for Smallholder Farmers
Case Studies in Alternative Farming Methods: Aquaponics, Aeroponics, Micro-Greens and High Value Crops
Township Agriculture: Projects to Boost Food Security
Capacity Building in CEA
Farm Economics and Planning
Smart Technology Adoption: AI and Data-Driven Farming
Case Studies and Success Stories in Vertical Farming and Controlled Agriculture
Climate Risks, Crop Loss, and Insurance Options; Financial Protection for Smallholder and Urban Farmers
The Business of Cannabis, Industrial Hemp & Mushrooms: High-Value Crops for Urban and Small-Scale Farmers
Plus Farm Visits on DAY THREE.
Join the Conversations!
Engage with the International and Regional Experts.
Ignite New Projects!
Build New Partnerships and Collaboration.
UAW 2025 Panel of Speakers
The Summit will see the gathering of senior agriculture officials and top industry players from across the globe.
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
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 & Agripreneur, GreenFresh Aquaponics (The Netherlands)
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, 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 Horticulturist, 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
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.