In March, we joined forces with the John Innes Centre (JIC) and the Food and Farming Discovery Trust (FFDT) to set up our 4th annual AgriTech Careers for a Sustainable Future event.
AgriTech combines science, technology and engineering to generate innovative ideas to help solve agricultural problems.
Generously funded by the John Innes Foundation, the event aims to demonstrate to young people the variety of careers in agritech and the breadth of opportunities available locally.
This year we welcomed 38, year 12 students from across Norfolk for a day of talks from research scientists and industry professionals.
We had the support of some brilliant organisations from the Norwich Research Park including Tropic Biosciences, PfBIO and
Colorifix who provided speakers to give inspirational talks. The British Beet Research Organisation gave students a tour of their labs, JIC’s scientific photographer Phil Robinson set up a drone display and Plenty Sense demonstrated their Nitrogen soil sensors.
Students were also given the opportunity to visit the Food Enterprise Park, for a tour of Condimentum, a company with local historical roots most commonly known for the production of Colmans mustard, and Fischer Farms, innovators and pioneers in vertical farming.
As well as showcasing the latest cutting-edge research taking place in Norwich, the visits and talks by local businesses demonstrated the growing sector in our region, embracing the latest research and technology to create healthier food, using greener processes.
We were pleased that feedback showed that all the students who attended reported having a better understanding of how agritech can help combat food poverty, pollution, climate change and protect biodiversity, and of the diversity of careers within the sector.
Main image: exploring the potential of vertical farming at Fischer Farms