Series of e-dialogues, organized by FAO and EBRD, are gathering hundreds of urban farmers, investors, input providers, public authorities and tech companies, to discuss current and future challenges and opportunities for urban agriculture.

Join the discussion on the 3^rd e-dialogue “The Role of Technology in Urban Agriculture"

March 17, 2022, Zoom

With more than 80 percent of food projected to be consumed in expanding cities by 2050 and the current environmental crises, the need of shifting food production also to urban areas is strongly emerging with all its challenges and promises. After the first two E-dialogues held in November and December 2021, where over 250 participants from 40 different countries discussed and exchanged experiences about challenges and opportunities for the sector and about the role of municipalities and local institutions, it is now time to start looking to one of the pillars of modern urban farming: Technology.

Technology is the main driver of competitiveness in urban agriculture. High-tech and data-driven operations of crops production in urban and peri-urban environment demand a whole new set of skills in IT, financial, marketing and human resources management, as well as significant investments in research and development. This brings us to the question – what is the limit of the tech revolution in urban farming?

FAO and EBRD invite you to the third interactive e-dialogue of a nine-part series: "The Role of Technology in Urban Farming", that will take place March 17, 2022, from 2 pm to 3:30 pm CET on the Zoom platform.

Professor Leo Marcelis from Wageningen University & Research will moderate the interactive discussion of participants from all over the world and speakers, high academic representatives and small, medium and large urban farming companies including AeroFarms, LocalGreen and Fluence Bioengineering, on the: importance of technology in the business and how it shaped current urban agriculture settings, financial and human cost of applying technology, the role of banks and investors in the process and what are the key trends that will shape the future of urban agriculture.

• To register for the e-dialogue: click here.
• The registration for the e-dialogue is free of charge.
• To participate in the FAO and EBRD survey on urban and peri-urban agriculture [click here] 
• More on the project can be read here: https://www.fao.org/support-to-investment/news/detail/en/c/1455074/

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have been working on a technical cooperation package to support the agribusiness sector during the COVID-19 crisis, including a work area on Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture.