International Vertical Farming & New Food Systems  Conference and Exhibition 2021

Conference Program

Date/Time

Topic

Speaker

2. September 2021

11:00

Registration
Coffee/Lunch

12:30-13:25

I. Opening remarks and keynote speeches

Welcome Remarks – Christine Zimmermann-Lossl, AVF Chairwoman

StM Hubert Aiwanger, Bavarian State Minister of Economic Affairs, Regional
Development and Energy

StM Michaela Kaniber, Bavarian Minister of State for Food, Agriculture and
Forestry

Walter Heidl, President of Bavarian Farmers Association (BBV)

13:30-15:00

II. Keynotes on the New Food System
Vertical Farming and Planetary Boundaries

Cultured Meat, Pioneering a cleaner way of making beef

Challenges of the Global Food System

Sustainable Investment and Innovation for the New Food System

Maximilian Loessl,
Co-Founder and CEO of Agrilution

Prof. Mark Post,
Mosa Meat and Maastricht University

Christine Gould,
Founder and CEO of Thought For Food (TFF)

Kieran Mahanty,
Director in Growth Team, Blue Horizon Corporation

14:50-15.10

Coffee Break

15:10-16:45

III. Parallel Breakout Sessions (Format: Roundtable & Workshop)

Session A: New Innovations in Vertical Farming (Roundtable)
Dr. Laura Cammarisano, Scientist at IGZ, Facilitator

Session B: Swarming the Future: Insects for Food and Feed (Workshop)
Thea Otto, AVF Project Manager, Facilitator

Session C: Holistic Vertical Farming – Unique Selling Points
(Roundtable)
Dr. Jenna Bell, Senior VP of Nutritional Science of Sensei Ag,
Facilitator

Session D: Being in the Know on Investors’ Expectations of Vertical
Farming (Roundtable)
Kieran Mahanty, Director in Growth Team, Blue Horizon
Corporation, Facilitator

Presentation of Summaries of Breakout Sessions

Topics and Speakers

Intro
Growth without light & fruits without plants by Lucas van Zee

Session A: Strawberry Harvest Automation, Dominik Feiden, Co-Founder and CEO of Organifarm;
Rethinking Horticulture Lighting, Dr. Prash Makaram, Founder and CEO of Crocus Labs GmbH;
Intravision Group, Per Aage Lysa,CEO/Owner;
iFarm Growtune: Super App for Vertical Farming, Max Chizhov, Co-Founder and CEO iFarm;
Intravision Group, Per Aage Lysa, CEO;
Scalability, innovation and profitability in the CEA industry – Thomas Ambrosi, CEO Ono Exponential Farms, Italy;

Session B: Market Overview and Challenges, Marian Peters, CEO of New
Generation Nutrition B.V. (NGN) Insects in Food

Session C: On Health, Dr. Jenna Bell, Senior VP of Nutritional Science of Sensei Ag;
On Special Crops – Saffron, Wasabi, Winter-Strawberries, Eszter Simon, CEO of PhytonIQ;
On the Unique Selling Points of Vertical Farms, Maximilian Loessl,
Co-Founder and CEO of Agrilution;

Session D: An Introduction to Investor’s Evaluation Process for a Vertical Farming;
Enterprise, Kieran Mahanty, Director in Growth Team, Blue Horizon
Corporation;
Annette Schoemmel, Co-Founder of XanaduAlpha AG, CH

16:55-17:40

IV. Panel — AgTech Future & Impact

Transition scenarios, Role of education, Financing the transition,
Business models, Smart cities, Urban agriculture

Maximilian Loessl, Co-Founder and CEO of Agrilution
Prof. Mark Post, Mosa Meat and Maastricht University
Prof. Jasper den Besten, HAS University of Applied Sciences
Fabio Ziemssen, CEO of NX-Food
Annette Schoemmel, Co-Founder of XanaduAlpha AG, CH
Gertjan Meeuws, Co-Founder and CEO of Seven Steps to Heaven

17:45-18:20

Special Presentation

The Future of Food, Eva Keretic

19:00

Dinner for VIP Guests and Speakers

3. September 2021

8:30

Registration

9:00-10:00

V. Latest Scientific Developments in Vertical Farming (15 mins each)

Controlling Growth and Quality Based on Physiology of the Plant
Prof. Leo Marcelis, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Smart Green Grow for Vertical Farming – Development of AI & Precision
Data Solution for Improving Food Production and Sustainability
Prof. Chungui Liu, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom

The Robotic Vertical Farm and a Microalgae Vertical Farm
Prof. Joel Cuello, The University of Arizona, U.S.A.

New Cultivation Systems, Prof. Jasper den Besten, HAS University

10:05-10:50

VI. Startup Pitches

Organifarm, Dominik Feiden, Co-Founder and CEO, Germany
Kasveista, Rosario Iacono, CEO, Germany
Lite+Fog, Martin Peters, Co-Founder and CEO, Germany;

Q&A + Voting

10:50-11:15

Networking Break

11:15-13:15

VII. Overview of Global Trends in Vertical Farming

Cultivating Medicinal Plants and Berries in Vertical Farms, Per Aage
Lysa, CEO of Intravision Group, Norway

Growing Edible Cities in the Philippines: The National Urban Agriculture
Program of the Philippines, Gerald Glenn Panganiban, Director of
National Urban Agriculture Program, Department of Agriculture of the
Philippines

Advances in LED lighting, Seoul Semiconductor Korea/GE
Andreas Pohl, Senior Manager at Seoul Semiconductor

Smart Carbon Upcycling: The Energy Solution for Vertical Farming,
Peter Westerhoff, Inhaber UES Umwelt Energiesysteme GmbH, Rainer Janzen CEO of Lujan UG

Is Africa Ready for Vertical Farming? Francis Njuakom Nchu, Director
of Community Development Volunteers for Technical Assistance
(CDVTA), Cameroon

Enabling Innovation in Vertical Farming through Research, Market knowledge and Coorporation Alexander Gerfer, CEO and CTO of Würth Elektronik eiSos Group GE

 

 

13:15-14:00

Lunch Break

14:00-14:30

VIII. Sustainability Certification Program for Vertical Farming

Christine Zimmermann-Loessl, AVF Chairwoman
Prof.Joel Cuello, Vice Chair AVF
Henry Ernst, Assessment Manager, Control Union (UK)

14:30-14:55

IX. Investor’s Perspective: How to Start a Vertical Farming Business

Annette Schoemmel, Co-Founder and Managing Director XanaduAlpha
AG, CH

14:55-15:45

X. Startup Pitches

Spacefarm, Tusya Gharibashvili, Head of CEA Project, Georgia;
Crocus Lab, Dr. Prash Makaram, CEO, Germany;

Q&A + Voting

15:45-16:00

Coffee Break

16:00-16:30

XI. AVF Vanguard Award Ceremony

Inaugural 2021 AVF Vanguard Award for Government Leadership in
Harnessing Innovation for Sustainable Food Production

16:30-17:00

XII. Summary and Discussion

Key take aways, next steps

17:00-18:30

Special Presentation

Green Bronx Machine and Stephen Ritz: Growing Something Greater!

Organized by: StMELF, StMWi, AVF
Moderator: Frank Sprenger
Conference Language: English