Agritech Asia 2011

Agriculture throughout the world is changing fast. Technological improvements should enable the farm sector to satisfy the growing demand for food, but resource scarcities, environmental concerns and institutional barriers limit the ability of farmers to expand production. The globalization process opens new markets for both farm products and inputs of production, but also makes farmers more vulnerable to external conditions such as fluctuating food and energy prices. The 2006-2008 food crisis and the subsequent recession, combined with climate change and its implications, cast some doubts on the ability of the agricultural sector to further serve the needs of the growing world population.

India's agriculture sector is no exception in this regard. With the remarkable economic growth of the last decade, and with a large share of the economy still relying on agriculture, the Indian farm sector must respond quite quickly to current and future challenges. What is the optimal policy mix to facilitate the necessary changes? What is the institutional infrastructure that could support those changes? These are the main questions that will be discussed in the conference, with viewpoints from both within and outside of India.

The conference will present a blend of keynote speakers, invited speakers, a panel discussion, poster presentations and industry presentations that will speak to academics and industry representatives alike, and will deal with the ways India's agriculture could and should respond to the challenges it faces.