U.S.-Africa AgTech Forum 2019 | The U.S. Chamber of Commerce | 15 October 2019 | TBA, Des Moines, Iowa USA

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will convene an inaugural U.S.-Africa AgTech Forum. The day-long conference will bring together stakeholders from government, business, academia and multilateral institutions to take stock of the agriculture sector in Africa and identify opportunities to enhance efficiency, productivity, and sustainability by incorporating technology across agricultural value chains in support of smallholder farmers. The conference will feature panel discussions, transformation talks, and presentations on a myriad of topics. Its aim is threefold: to highlight innovative private sector solutions in the AgTech space, discuss areas for further investment and qualifiers for investment, and create an avenue for collaboration between the U.S. and the African private sector. The program will be broken down into the following sessions:

• Session 1:The Farm of the Future
This session will focus on maximizing agricultural inputs to enable farms to be more productive, efficient and sustainable. Presentations will feature new input technologies such as fertilizers, soil amendments, seeds, and energy. Companies will discuss advancements in precision agriculture through software, sensors, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Presentations will also showcase business models that have been successful across the continent.

• Session 2: Emboldening Agriculture Supply Chains
This session will examine innovative technologies strengthening supply chains from farm-to-consumer. Innovators will showcase new technologies in processing, packaging, and traceability. Common inefficiencies in distribution will also be discussed and potential solutions will be explored.

• Session 3: Catalysts
This session will focus on enabling regulatory environments, access to finance, rule of law and land rights as well as blockchain, data and alternative credit scores, and fintech and microfinance.

2019 Speakers

Dr. Kommy Weldemariam
Chief Scientist, IBM Research - Africa

Paul Sheppard
Co-founder, Future Farm

Jehiel Oliver
C.E.O., Hello Tractor

Sara Eckhouse
Executive Director, Foodshot Global

Mark Edge
Director of Collaborations for Developing Countries, Bayer

Mwangi Kiunjuri
Cabinet Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries & Irrigation for the Republic of Kenya

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
Minister of Communications for the Republic of Ghana

2019 Partners and Sponsors

• Bayer
• America's Cultivation
• IBM
• The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
• Banque Africaine De Development
• The World Bank
• The World Food Prize
• John Deere