Many of the most interesting innovations in agriculture are happening far from the field. Gotham Greens utilizes roof space to grow lettuce atop the Gowanus Whole Foods for example, and massive vertical farms are springing up across the country.
Las Vegas-based Indoor Ag-Con event is coming to New York City for the first time on October 15, and tickets are still available. The convention — which brings together chefs, farmers, investors and entrepreneurs to talk about the future of agriculture — lasts for one day and includes keynote addresses on topics ranging from global resource scarcity to the role of chefs and consumers in the indoor agriculture industry.
The New York version will focus more on big picture questions than its Las Vegas counterpart. “When I talked to [farmers and investors] one on one, they were talking about what inspired them to get into the industry,” founder Nicola Kerslake tells us. In Las Vegas, farmers “are often telling their corporate story about hectacres farmed and not talking about concern over water in general.” Instead of primarily focusing on technical concerns and practical advice, the New York convention will address indoor agriculture’s role in the global economy and bring in forward-thinking speakers including a robotics professor.
Tickets, available here, cost $399 and include full access to the event at Helen Mills Theater in Chelsea. They’re expected to sell out well before the event.
