VertiFarm 2024: The future of agriculture

From October 8 to 10, 2024, experts from business, science and research in the field of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) will be coming to Dortmund's exhibition halls for the third time in a row. At VertiFarm, the trade fair for Next Level Farming and New Food Systems, international exhibitors will present their solutions for the sustainable agriculture of the future. The trade fair will be accompanied by the top-class 8th Summit of the Association for Vertical Farming. VertiFarm also offers start-ups space to present themselves and network. 

Now in its third edition, VertiFarm will combine practical expertise with state-of-the-art science and research in the field of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) from 8 to 10 October 2024. The trade show will focus in particular on vertical farming with innovative solutions for tackling global challenges such as food security, resource scarcity and population growth. Numerous exhibitors will be presenting their latest technologies and pioneering approaches for the production of plant and cell-based foods such as vegetables, herbs and microgreens. Plant production for medicinal purposes, such as cannabis, as well as the production of algae and insects will also be in the spotlight. The trade fair's supporting programme will once again be organized by the Association for Vertical Farming e.V. (AVF), partner of VertiFarm. At its 8th summit, renowned representatives of the industry from business, science and research will discuss the progress of the industry on its way into the mainstream.

VertiFarm also offers start-ups a valuable platform
Under the motto “Grow to the Next Height”, a Start-up Challenge will take place for the first time. The participating early-stage companies include the start-ups 4CLIMATE, CITYGREENS, iPlant Global and VacuumWood. The participating scaling companies are Avisomo, HarvestAI, AgroFuture, Green City Farming and greenhub solutions GmbH. They can win a one-year AVF membership, an expert coaching and a trade fair stand at VertiFarm 2025.

The start-ups OnlyGreens, direct carbon, omni.Farm, AgriData Innovations and greenhub solutionsGmbH will also be presenting themselves in the new start-up area of the trade show. Both offers give young companies a valuable platform to present themselves to an established circle of international investors, technology experts and key stakeholders in the field of vertical farming and new food systems and to establish new contacts. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK)supports the trade fair appearance of participating start-ups based in Germany with up to 7,500 euros as part of the Young Innovators funding programme.

Range of exhibitors from Germany and abroad
VertiFarm will once again be international in 2024. Companies from Germany, the USA, China, the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Norway and Portugal will be taking part. The most well-known exhibitors include Würth Elektronik eiSos GmbH & Co. KG and Seoul Semiconductor Europe GmbH, both manufacturers of LED components for optimum plant growth. Wivid AB from Sweden will also be providing information on customized lighting solutions. The much-praised start-up greenhub solutions GmbH from Leipzig will be presenting its latest developments in the field of agricultural automation. Air Supplies from the Netherlands, an expert in assimilation lighting and climate control systems, will be represented for the first time. Algatec GmbHfrom Brandenburg has innovative solar systems in its luggage. Algenwerk c/o PUEVIT GmbH from Dresden produces microalgae spirulina as a superfood. The start-ups direct carbon from Sweden, which develops solutions to reduce CO2 emissions, and AgriData Innovations, which develops so-called Smart Eyes for data-driven greenhouse management, are further innovative business models.

Interesting insights: The cannabis market is booming
One of the focus topics at VertiFarm 2024 is the use of cannabis. The legal cannabis market has seen considerable growth in recent years. Statista estimates sales for 2023 in Europe at around 745 million US dollars. Statista forecasts a further increase in the coming years. By 2027, the market volume could rise to around 2.2 billion US dollars. The high growth potential, especially for medical and cosmetic products and applications, but also in the food industry, makes cannabis a top topic at the trade fair.

Source: Medical cannabis market in Europe 2023-2027 forecast | Statista  

High-profile 8th Summit of the Association for Vertical Farming
The annual summit of the Association for Vertical Farming e.V. (AVF) will once again take place in 2024 as part of VertiFarm at Messe Dortmund and will feature a top-class line-up of international experts. It offers an exciting supporting programme to the trade fair and is freely accessible to all visitors. The following topics are on the programme in 2024:

• Science & Industry: In this thematic block, the latest scientific findings on how more synergies between research and industry can be achieved will be presented and discussed.
• Business Development & Invest: Various paths for growth and innovation in vertical farming will be presented here.
• Business Models & Sustainability: What is the strategy of global success models and how do they attract investment? What role do technology and automation play?
• Cannabis: The spectrum of cannabis and medicinal plants is immense. What opportunities can vertical farming offer the cannabis market?
• Special Topics: The focus is on multidisciplinary approaches to successfully implementing agriculture under controlled conditions in the field. Other slots will look at the potential of algae production and various automation and sensor topics. They will also look at how vertical farming can be part of African agricultural production in the future.

Click here for the complete programme of the AVF Summit: www.vertifarm.de/programm

Excursion to three flagship projects
On the day before the trade fair, interested trade visitors were able to get to know leading projects in the sector on a bus tour. The first stop was the Hansa aquaponics coking plant in Dortmund, where an urban farm for fish and plant cultivation is being built. Another visit was to the Dutch research institute INNEXO BV in Venlo, which has developed the first practical cannabis training together with CULTIVATORS. This was followed by a visit to the ALTMARKTgarten, a laboratory that has implemented the inFARMING® concept from Fraunhofer UMSICHT.

Further information about the excursion can be found here:
www.vertifarm.de/en-gb/exkursion

Valuable partnerships
In 2024, VertiFarm will once again be supported by numerous renowned associations and institutions, first and foremost the Association for Vertical Farming e.V. (AVF) as the trade fair's professional partner. Other partners include Fraunhofer UMSICHT and Fraunhofer IME, consulting company AGRICULTURE, European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC), EUROPEAN ALGAE BIOMASS ASSOCIATION (EABA), German Pharmaceutical Industry Association (BPI) and Westfälisch-Lippischer Landwirtschaftsverband e.V. (WLV). The leading Chinese photobiotech company Fujian Sananbio Technology Co., Ltd. will be represented as a sponsor as well as with an exhibition stand on site.

All key information, updates and developments concerning the show can be found 24/7 on the show's webseite, LinkedIn, Instagram , Facebook and via newsletter.

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