The countdown is on. On Wednesday, 30 September, some of the most influential voices across the agriculture and food value chain will gather at The Centurion Hotel in Gauteng for the South African Future of Food Conference.
And there is still a chance to be in the room.
Limited last-minute tickets are now available for a day designed to move the conversation beyond the challenges facing the food system and towards the people, businesses, investment and ideas shaping what comes next.
The programme brings together farmers, financiers, retailers, food businesses, development specialists, entrepreneurs, sustainability leaders and policymakers for a series of high-level conversations about where South Africa’s food system is heading.
The South African Future of Food Conference opens with a keynote from Ishmael Sunga, CEO of the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions, before turning to one of the critical questions facing the sector: how do we finance the future of food systems?
This panel brings together voices including Leona Archary (chief executive of AGDA), Robert Matsila (head of agricultural banking and monitoring at Land Bank), Cuthbert Kambanje (agrifood systems, investment and policy specialist at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations), Deon Scheepers (agricultural economics lecturer at the University of Pretoria), Quinton Naidoo (head: socio-economic development at Kagiso Trust), and Diale Tilo (executive director at Kgodiso Development Fund).
The conversation then moves from capital to markets, with a panel exploring how food and beverage products move from producer to retail shelf, including the commercial decisions that determine who gets access to major markets.
Among those joining the conversation are Karin Kleinbooi (executive manager: inclusion and development at South Africa Wine) and Gary Jackson (CEO and founder of Jackson’s Real Food Market).
Later, the spotlight turns to sustainability, consumer demand and responsible consumption, with Jaco Oosthuizen (CEO of RSA Group) and CropLife South Africa CEO Rod Bell among the voices tackling the realities of sustainability in the food value chain.
That is followed by a fast-paced series of power talks featuring entrepreneurs who are taking agricultural products beyond the farm gate and building high-value food brands, including Siphiwe Sithole of African Marmalade, Kitso Monyadi of Botlhale Ba Rra-mmutla Farms, Mahalia Kotjane of Three Quarters Wine and Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela of Tolokazi.
Click here to secure your last-minute ticket for the South African Future of Food Conference.
Bringing the food system into one room
The programme also tackles regenerative agriculture with Prof Kosheek Sewchurran, and responsible pesticide management in a changing food system with Quade Sing Jam, the stewardship lead at CropLife South Africa.
For Ivor Price, co-founder and managing director of Food For Mzansi, the significance of the event lies in bringing different parts of the food system into the same room.
“The future of food cannot be shaped by one part of the value chain working in isolation. Farmers, financiers, retailers, food businesses, entrepreneurs and consumers are all connected, and the decisions being made today will shape what ends up on South Africa’s tables tomorrow.
“This conference is about getting those people into the same room, having the difficult conversations and, most importantly, finding practical opportunities to move the food system forward.”
With only days to go, this is the final opportunity to join the conversation in person.
Limited last-minute tickets are now available via this link. If you work anywhere in South Africa’s food and agriculture value chain, this is a conversation you will want to be part of.
Click here to secure your last-minute ticket for the South African Future of Food Conference.
