Plantagon's CEO Hans Hassle is keynote speaker at GFIA 2015, Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture in Abu Dhabi

STOCKHOLM, 3 March, 2015 – The second edition of the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture conference (GFIA 2015) will run from 9-11 March in Abu Dhabi. This year GFIA will be host to high prestige conferences including the “Climate Smart Agriculture” following the UN Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture in New York 2014, “Edible Cities”, “Food Losses and Waste Initiatives” and “ICT for Sustainable Agriculture.”

In Strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), GFIA will convene the event and bring together participants from the entire agricultural value-chain – from agribusiness and academia to policy and investment. Some of the most innovative companies in the world – such as Plantagon and Philips – will be involved with GFIA together with prestigious organizations including World Bank, GEF, FAO, Committee on World Food Security, Clinton Climate initiative, Rockefeller Foundation and USAID. Academic institutions like University of Arizona, Wageningen University and MIT will take part, along with over 300 academicians from all over the world covered by ADFCA’s scientist program.

Hans Hassle, CEO Plantagon International, is the featured keynote speaker at the dedicated conference: “Edible Cities: Building Resilience within Urban Agriculture” on 10 March. Hassle is speaking on “Opportunities and challenges of urban agriculture for the world’s growing cities”:

“With more than 70% of the world’s population expected to live in cities by 2050, it is critical that urban environments start to develop their own sources of food to avoid severe food insecurities associated with water shortages, land degradation and climate change. Through our participation at the dedicated conference at GFIA 2015, we look forward to exploring solutions that the world can adopt for addressing this gap and prepare for the future,” says Hans Hassle, Plantagon CEO.

Plantagon International will also hold the panel on “Vertical farming: realizing economic feasibility and improving resource efficiencies and sustainability”, as well as chairing the roundtable discussion “Integrating Urban Agriculture systems” at the same conference.

Amidst a plethora of innovators, innovations and global bodies participating at this single agribusiness world-stage, Plantagon opens up the dialogue on integration of city infrastructure towards a more energy-efficient, sustainable and socially engaged society. The conference will serve as a crucial platform to review the demands arising out of the anticipated surge in population to nine billion people by the year 2050. More specifically, panelists will examine the impact of challenges such as climate change, dwindling natural resources, and urbanization on people’s need for safe, nutritious food.

The GFIA 2015 is arranged under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority.

For more information please contact:

Claire Lawson, Associate Dir., APCO WW, PR agency for GFIA, clawson@apcoworldwide.com, +971 55 400 3235

Carin Balfe Arbman, PR Manager, Plantagon International, carin.balfe-arbman@plantagon.com, +46-70-633 35 08

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