We will be looking beyond maximising yield at this year’s REAP to explore other ways to boost the value of output and to make agriculture profitable, productive and sustainable.
Prof Ian Crute, former chief scientist at AHDB says we need to take a harder look at the way that land is used and production prioritised. He argues that new metrics are needed for evaluating agricultural output.
Matt O’Hagan, Senior Agronomist at Marks & Spencer, is keen to increase flavour to create a premium product; he comments: “Many old varieties have been lost, as they couldn’t stand up to today’s commercial practices, but there is also lot of merit in the older varieties, particularly for flavour.”
Prof Ian Crute, former chief scientist at AHDB says we need to take a harder look at the way that land is used and production prioritised. He argues that new metrics are needed for evaluating agricultural output.
The format for REAP allows different perspectives to be shared by experts in different fields – technology, science, retail and production – and then the learning points discussed in a sofa session.
Both the Start-Up Showcase of innovators and the emerging agri-tech session with latest research provide an insight into developments in the cluster, which is increasingly international in its focus.
At Agri-Tech East we look for action points emerging from the discussion and see how they can be implemented. Innovation is the best chance for the industry to prosper and if you want to gain inspiration and encouragement then REAP is the place for you.