Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation - University of Queensland

TropAg: Shaping the science of tomorrow

The heat is on agriculture and food production in the tropics. With the global population expected to reach 9.8 billion people by 2050, the greatest pressure will likely be experienced in the world’s tropical zone which is home to half the world’s population, including more than half of its young people, and many of its fastest growing economies.

The third international TropAg conference will be held 11-13 November 2019 in Brisbane. The TropAg 2019 program will focus on ‘Shaping the science of tomorrow’ and include five program themes across field crops, horticulture, livestock, nutritious food and an AgFutures stream focused on technology and investment. The three day conference attracts around 750 delegates including researchers, growers, investors, industry, policy makers and agribusiness. The program is set to celebrate scientific research success stories and discuss how the tropics will address challenges in the future. Over 300 speakers will present during the conference plenary and symposia sessions.

Hosted by UQ's Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) and in partnership with the Queensland Government, a key feature of the conference is an alliance of northern Australia research providers – QUT, JCU, CQU and USQ who help develop the scientific symposia. The TropAg scientific committee called for symposia proposals to be submitted by 1 March and abstracts to be submitted by 15 May 2019.

TropAg2019 conference registrations are now open tropagconference.org/register/

AgFutures

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries host an AgFutures symposia and keynote presentations during the TropAg conference. Queensland producers have a worldwide reputation for producing high quality, clean and green produce in harsh environments in tropical and sub-tropical climates and the AgFutures theme showcases the state’s latest technology and innovations in digital and data platforms, robotics, satellites and biotechnologies. Theme topics include industry-wide investment required for innovations, emerging trends, business opportunities and capital models from farm gate to agribusiness, agri-tech, processing and research. This theme is recommended for representatives from the agriculture and food sectors, including growers, producers, researchers, policy makers, and agribusiness.

Networking events

Organisations are encouraged to arrange meetings around the TropAg conference to capitalise on the range of delegates and experts attending the conference. During the last TropAg conference some events held included a Researchers in Agriculture for International Development (RAID) Early and Mid-Career speed networking event, a Regional Development Australia forum, a PacBio Research Day, a Global Leadership Series seminar, Gender and Food Breakfast, Next Gen Scientist forum, a Queensland Rural Press Club breakfast and numerous social gatherings.

Global reach

Around 150 international delegates from 50 countries attend TropAg to engage with Queensland researchers, share scientific success stories and discuss ways to address future challenges in the tropics.

› Bangladesh › Brazil › Cameroon › Canada › China › Ethiopia › Ghana › Hong Kong › India › Indonesia › Iran › Italy › Japan › Kenya › Malawi › Malaysia › Mali › Mexico › Mozambique › Myanmar › Nepal › Netherlands › New Zealand › Nigeria › Pakistan › Papua New Guinea › Peru › Philippines › Rwanda › Samoa › Singapore › South Africa › Spain › Switzerland › Tanzania › Thailand › Timor-Leste › Tunisia › Uganda › United Kingdom › United States › Vanuatu › Vietnam › Zimbabwe

View the events from TropAg2017

Save the date TropAg2019
11-13 November 2019

TropAg2017 Fast Facts

720 Attendees 24 Trade stands 35 Symposias 46 Countries represented 248 Posters 252 Speakers

TropAg2017 saw over 700 delegates from 46 countries gather at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre between 20-22 November for an insightful discussion on how we can better nourish the world through science.

The conference was made a great sucess with the involvement of the various researcher partners, James Cook University, Queensland University of Technology, Central Queensland University and the Unviersity of Southern Queensland. The involvement enriched the academic program, and encouraged cross-insitution networking and collaboration, all with a common goal of solving the challenges faced in the Tropics.

Some key messages from TropAg2017:

“Agriculture is becoming a vibrant, innovation-driven industry”

“The future of agriculture is committed to improved nutrient content in higher valued crops whether through natural breeding programs or genetic editing”

“Think about the impact of your research outside of your ‘bubble’ – what worldly impact will it have? How can you communicate your findings to improve the lives of people in third world countries?”

Who attended TropAg?

Researchers, investors, agribusiness professionals, policy makers, agricultural technicians, producers and students found TropAg an excellent opportunity to network, and to and learn from colleagues and leading scientific practitioners from Australia, and the world.

TropAg2017 Photo Album

TropAg2017 Videos