The Southern African agricultural industry is facing a host of challenges on several fronts this year, so it is fortuitous that the upcoming Africa Agri Tech Conference and Expo 2023 will provide a valuable platform where the positive impacts of science, technology and innovation can be explored. This much-anticipated event will be staged at the SunBet Arena, Menlyn Maine, Time Square, Pretoria, from March 14-16.

Africa Agri Tech will incorporate several co-located events which will broaden the event’s scope considerably, with concrete benefits for both exhibitors and visitors. The co-located events for 2023 include Women in Agriculture; an Innovation Challenge; Start-up Pitch Presentations; launch of the SA Agriculture Hall of Fame; a Foreign Trade Lounge; Business Matchmaking and a Media Centre.

Besides a host of relevant exhibits, the thrust of Africa Agri Tech will be the various in-depth conferences arranged over the three days.

The first day will focus on Technology, with the theme Agri Technology Empowering Farmers. The next day, Wednesday, 15 March, is billed as the Science and Biotechnology Day, with the theme being Advances in Biotechnology to Solve Africa’s Food Challenges. The final day of conferencing will deal with the Business of Agriculture under the theme The Future Forces Impacting the Business of Agriculture.

A very successful soy and maize farmer from the United States, Kevin Kalb, will be included in the speaker list on the opening day of the conference programme.

Another highlight on the programme, is a keynote address by renowned venture capitalist Vusi Thembekwayo.