South West AgriTech Showcase returns

Building on the success of last year’s event, the South West AgriTech Showcase will be returning with a packed agenda and at a new venue, on Thursday 21 March 2024.

The event will focus on innovation and technology within agriculture, its commercialisation and adoption and how this can improve farming businesses and profitability.

“We will look at livestock, arable and dairy farming with a specialist in each session, alongside a farmer who has used technology to enable greater productivity, sustainability, and profitability,” explains Joanna Rufus, chair of South West AgriTech.

Sustainable farming practices will be one of the themes of the day. “Technology and innovation will enable land managers to become more efficient, productive, and thereby profitable; resilient and sustainable, and better able to protect and enhance the environment,” says Dr Robin Jackson, director of the Rural Business School at Duchy College.

The other themes of the day will include: Financial drivers for farmers, assisting an easier and more resilient transition to profitability, sustainable food production systems, and the use of technology and innovation to improve productivity.

“This fits with our definition of agri-tech – any technology on the farm, or that crosses the threshold of the farm, for use in agriculture, horticulture, or aquaculture which increases productivity and sustainability,” says Ms Rufus.

The South West AgriTech Showcase will feature the latest innovations, with the agenda promising high-profile speakers, the latest research, and an indoor marketplace dedicated to networking.

Following the success of the previous showcase, the event has scaled up to a new location – Westpoint Arena, to allow for further networking within an expanded marketplace. “We were extremely pleased with the number of attendees at our very first showcase,” adds Ms Rufus. “The feedback we received from both the programme and marketplace has been very rewarding, so we are really looking forward to building on this for next year.”