"It's our first international symposium to jointly think about the future of vertical farming and how the technology can be integrated. On top of that, we will be addressing technological challenges through workshops and more. It's really about bringing together academia and industry players sharing knowledge," says Eri Hayashi, President of the Japan Plant Factory Association.
The first 'International Symposium on Plant Factory,' organized by the Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA), will be held on Monday, September 4, and Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at the Kashiwa-no-ha Conference Center and online.
There will be suppliers, operators, greenhouse growers, and vertical farming companies as well. Included are sponsored lunches, workshops, and other side events that will be taking place during the symposium.
Content discussed
Toward a sustainable future, the JPFA aims for open discussion and international co-creation on the issues such as utilization, roles, technological challenges, and direction of Plant Factories with Artificial Lighting (PFALs) that possess diverse purposes and applications. Additionally, there is potential for the use of PFALs in social activities as part of the global ecosystem and in creating varied and flexible food and plant production systems. These topics will be covered through open discussions and international collaboration at smart city Kashiwa-no-ha, with a view to achieving 'staying healthy simply by living.'
There will be keynote speeches on the latest technology and interdisciplinary research on PFALs and open discussions on business trends, needs for technology development and collaboration specific to PFALs, and future possibilities for social activities with key players such as PFAL operators actively involved in Japan and abroad. Poster presentations and exhibitions by related companies will also be held at the venue, providing an opportunity for interaction and networking among the world's plant factory leaders.
Speakers at the event:
- Chieri Kubota, Professor of the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at the Ohio State University, U.S.
- Leo Marcelis, Professor, Head of Chair Group Horticulture and Product Physiology at the Wageningen University, The Netherlands
- Hiroki Koga, Co-founder and CEO of Oishii Farm, U.S.
- Seishi Ninomiya, Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan
- Francesco Orsini, Full Professor at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), University of Bologna, Italy
- Roel Janssen, Chief Business Officer at Planet Farms, Italy
- Eiji Goto, Professor at the Chiba University, Japan
- Yoshiaki Kitaya, Professor Emeritus and Director of R&D Center for the Plant Factory, Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan
- Masayuki Hirafuji, Project Professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan
- Paul Gauthier, Professor at the Protected Cropping, The Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, the University of Queensland, Australia
- Katashi Kai, General Manager at Shinnippou (808 factory), Japan
- Nagateru Nozawa, CEO of MIRAI CO., LTD, Japan
- Eri Hayashi, President of the Japan Plant Factory Association
Click here to view the entire program.
For more information:
Japan Plant Factory Association
www.npoplantfactory.org/en