The conference highlights success stories of practical agribusiness solutions that have worked for local communities around the world. All solutions must be sustainable, be suitable for being replicated elsewhere, and have the potential for growth and for being applied on a larger scale. The conference is about market demand as a force for maintaining sustainability. The intended follow-up to the conference is the development of a permanent repository for storing and sharing lessons learned. In other words, it is not a stand alone event.
The agribusiness value chain, by definition, entails an integrated process from producers to the end users, and takes account of consumer tastes and demand for product quality. The conference addresses the gaps along the main elements of the value chain: information, small scale infrastructure, technology, market linkages etc.
Owing to the multiple aspects of the conference, the target groups range from those who have hands-on experiences, those with academic and research interests in applied work and impact of solutions, as well as those interested in business and matchmaking. It focuses on projects that yield profit by linking together new segments of medium and small agribusiness producers, processors and exporters.
There are two main benefits. The first one is matchmaking opportunities with more than 30 local business contacts with viable business plans in different aspects of food and agribusiness, such as processing, logistics & information, dairy, livestock, and horticulture. The second one is the opportunity to examine the different solutions submitted from other regions and determine how applicable they are to the needs of your community.
You should quickly let us know about your solution by registering online as a potential conference participant and filling in the “solution submission form” available on the website. All solutions submitted in time will be reviewed by the Technical Committee for possible presentation at the conference. Last minute submissions may not guarantee that yours is among the solutions reviewed and possibly selected by the Committee, but you will still have the option of showing your solution during the conference.
The conference is about both. It focuses on creating win-win situations between development projects and business viability. The experience during the past 20 years of many international agencies, and specifically UNIDO’s work in development, prove that development projects must enjoy sustained community ownership and business viability and planning to ensure that activities will continue successfully after the end of the project. Also, business activities can no longer only target return on investment.
The conference will be held in two separate locations, the first day at SEKEM Farm and the second day at Fairmont Hotel.
Free transport will be provided for all participants between the Fairmont Towers Hotel and the SEKEM Farm on the first day of the conference. Shuttle buses will leave from the Fairmont hotel to the SEKEM Farm at 07:30 am and leave the SEKEM Farm to go back to the Fairmont Hotel at 17.00 pm.
UNIDO funded participants will be lodged at the Fairmont Towers Hotel, where the second conference day will take place. Other participants can book their transportation and hotel accommodation according to their own preferences. However, they are also encouraged to stay at the Fairmont or Fairmont Towers Hotel for logistical reasons. Other hotels, near the Fairmont Hotel, are also listed on the conference web site under “useful links”, “practical information”.
All participants will need to register online; a registration form is available under “Registration forms” on the conference web site. After registration you will receive a confirmation e-mail with your user name (your e-mail address) and a password, which will allow you to log in and complete additional forms (the “solution submission form” for those participants who want to submit an innovative agribusiness solution or the “solution seeking form” for participants who seek to identify innovative agribusiness solutions).
