"This industry today is unrecognizable from what it was just a few years ago–certainly a few decades ago, and it's grown by people continually disrupting."
—Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group
Part 1: Forward-thinking
Highlights:
- Olu Beck, Wholesome, talks innovations in fair trade and empowering communities of farmers.
- Melody Meyer, UNFI, addresses the need for industry leaders to continually give feedback to UNFI and USDA.
- Thea O'Carroll, Yield Organic, uses a comprehensive digital platform to connect organic farmers with buyers.
-----
Part 2: Problem-solving
Highlights:
- Matthew Dillon, Clif Bar and Company, talks funding research of resilient seeds to improve organic crop production.
- Ian Justus from Driscoll's discusses successful innovations in plant breeding, field innovations and container production.
- Monique Maraz, Organic Trade Association, delves into the topic of inclusivity and connecting consumers to farms through augmented reality applications.
-----
Part 3: Positive disruption
Highlights:
- Tonya Antle, Organic Produce Network, is helping to provide allied resources to help farmers connect with distributors and scale their operations.
- Steve Lykken, Applegate Farms, suggests that addressing animal welfare is essential in moving the organic industry forward.
- Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group, challenges the state of California to be 25 percent organic in 15 years.
-----
Part 4: Consumer involvement
Highlights:
- How do we get the consumer to recognize the value in purchasing organic food?
- How do we simplify all the information and make it simple for consumers?
- What's next for organic?
This session—Organic Innovation Conversations—was recorded at Natural Products Expo West 2017.
No comments:
Post a Comment