Wed, 26 Sep 2018
Traceability and transparency is essential for the agriculture industry to move forward. Although farmers must produce profit to run efficiently and effectively, consumers are also demanding the need for transparency and sustainability within farming.
As agriculture is at the forefront of the traceability and transparency movement, here are the advocates that are paving the way for more sustainable change.
Aleda Roth is a leading scholar and thought leader in manufacturing and service operations strategy. As Burlington Industries Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at Clemson University, Roth has published over 200 works and received over 80 research and teaching awards since earning her doctorate in 1986. Her research is focused on the theoretical and practical explanations of how firms can best deploy their operations, global supply chains and technology strategies for competitive advantage, sustainability and public well-being.
Most recently, she has been involved in addressing performance, competitiveness, and policy impacts in new business models for responsible and sustainable operations, strategic sourcing strategies and quality risks in food, and resilient supply chain and innovative strategies for public well-being.
Venkat Maroju
Dr. Venkat Maroju is the CEO of SourceTrace – a company that has become a global leader in providing software solutions to the agriculture and allied sectors. The use of these technological solutions has made the agriculture value chains sustainable, transparent and equitable – thus empowering hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in developing countries. SourceTrace is now active in rural areas of three different Continents (Asia, Africa, South America), and has offices in USA, India, Costa Rica and Bangladesh where technology experts and sustainable agriculture professionals work together. They target organisations working with smallholder farmers such as cooperatives, NGOs, commodity companies and government agencies.
Prior to SourceTrace, Maroju founded Factum Ventures, a holding company that set up and promoted new business ventures in sustainable agriculture, microfinance, and renewable energy. He was also an advisor to venture capital firms investing in social enterprises.
Justin Webb is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Agriwebb, a company that is transforming global cattle and sheep production with farm management software that delivers profitability, provenance and sustainability across the supply chain. Webb co-founded AgriWebb from a five generation family history of Australian beef and sheep farming.
A serial entrepreneur, Webb previously founded 3 investment management companies with successful exits to Macquarie & Westpac Banks. Webb has also served as Division Head and Director for BlackRock and a Senior Portfolio Manager for Macquarie. He earned an honours degree in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Oxford University where he was the OBA Scholar.
Rick Rice is the Director of Application Technology at AMVAC. AMVAC Chemical Corporation, develops, manufactures and markets effective agricultural and commercial products for crop protection, non-agricultural and public health applications. AMVAC is a company that recognises the importance of food production stewardship to maintain an abundant supply of quality food and fibre that is safely produced.
AMVAC have developed SIMPAS™ (Smart Integrated Multi-Product Prescriptive Application System) and Ultimus product tracking technologies. The Ultimus™ tracking system will automatically provide forensic quality traceability of each product cartridge from the time a cartridge is filled with product, through each stage of the distribution channel, to the individual farmer, and continuously throughout each field as product is applied to a field where food traceability is important.
These advocates of traceability and transparency will be among the panellists at Ag 4.0, a workshop aimed at improving the understanding of modern agriculture practices and creating interoperable solutions. Aleda Roth, Venkat Maroju, Justin Webb, and Rick Rice will be speaking on traceability and transparency within the supply chain. The panel will be discussing transparency, regulation and rural access to healthy foods, and reintroducing locally grown produce to ag communities. The agenda will also include the main methods to trace products, and assessing applications for food safety and traceability.
Join us at Ag 4.0, to be part of a workshop where farmers will be given the opportunity to tell AgTech companies what they need, rather than the other way around. If you are a farmer or grower – secure your FREE ticket here.