06 May 2025 Navigating Climate Challenges: Balancing Sustainability and Agricultural Productivity

Assoc. Prof Stuart Charters

Lincoln University

Assoc. Prof. Stuart Charter’s research focuses on the intersection of technology, agriculture, and ecology—an area described as computational agroecology—as well as the human dimensions of computing, including software engineering, visualisation, and eResearch. His work explores how people engage with and interact with technology, with research spanning the design and deployment of environmental and on-farm technologies, data presentation through mobile and interactive visualisation, and the processes that support human engagement with these tools.

A key focus is on enabling effective technology adoption and data-informed decision-making by improving how data is interpreted and used. Through work in Evidence-Based Software Engineering, Stuart enhances research quality and develops tools and methodologies that allow research findings to be assessed for their impact on practice and policy.

Stuart collaborates with researchers across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, and was previously seconded as Director of SIGNAL ICT Graduate School, where he led initiatives to develop and grow New Zealand’s tech workforce.

Kenneth Irons

AgSorted

Kenneth Irons is the former Chair of Agritech New Zealand and serves as New Zealand’s Head of Delegation for the ISO Technical Committee on Data-Driven Agri-Food Systems. With a background spanning the medical, aviation, media, and banking industries across five countries, he brings cross-sector expertise in using real-time, sensor-based data to drive better decision-making. Now focused on agritech, Kenneth is Managing Director of AgSorted Ltd, leading investment and commercialisation projects that enable next-generation smart farming across international markets.

Dr. Armin Werner

Lincoln Agritech

Dr. Armin Werner is an agronomist with expertise in crop modeling, land use, and precision agriculture. He earned his PhD from the University of Bonn and held research roles at Michigan State University and as Director of the Institute of Land Use Systems (ZALF) in Germany.

Since 2013, Armin has led a multidisciplinary research group at Lincoln Agritech, focusing on precision farming, livestock, horticulture, spraying, and robotics. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Lincoln University, where he has taught Precision Agriculture since 2015.

Cairo Akehurst

Cattle Credit

Cairo Akehurst is the founder and CEO of Cattle Credit, a pioneering agri-space tech startup developing satellite-based solutions to measure and monitor methane emissions from livestock. Focused on helping farmers navigate the transition to low-emissions agriculture, Cairo’s technology provides accurate, real-time data to support environmental reporting and sustainable practice on-farm. His innovative approach has earned national recognition, including the Prime Minister’s Space Prize and multiple Young Enterprise Scheme awards. Driven by a passion for space-enabled sustainability, Cairo is building Cattle Credit to empower farmers with the tools they need to thrive in a climate-conscious future.

Prof. Alan Renwick

Lincoln University

Alan Renwick has been Professor of Agriculture Economics at Lincoln University since November 2015.  Prior to moving to New Zealand, he worked in academic institutions in England, Scotland and Ireland.  During his 30 year career he has undertaken research on a wide range of issues facing the agrifood sector for both government bodies and industry. Recently a key focus of his work has been on the economics of existing and novel land uses and the processes involved in land-use transformation and adaptation to climate change.  He is currently Co-Chair of the Lincoln University Centre of Excellence in Transformative Agribusiness which aims to be at the international forefront of solutions that will enhance the sustainability of the food and fibre sectors. Its role is to support the development of new products and new ways of working that increase economic and social value while reducing the environmental impacts of agribusinesses. 

Rodney Smith

Rabobank

My current role with Rabobank is Agribusiness Manager. The region I look after is Central Canterbury. I grew up on a mixed cropping farm at Sheffield and have worked in the Agri sector since graduating from Lincoln Uni in 1994. I have had roles in the meat and fertiliser industries, also spent time hands on farming for 5 years. I have been with Rabobank for 13 years. Part of my role with Rabobank is also being the regional representative for our sustainability team.

Craig Trotter

Farm IQ

Craig has a background in ruminant nutrition and farm management consultancy, and has spent the past 15 years working with farming businesses to improve and sustain animal and business performance by measuring and managing farm data. He is passionate about helping farmers create more efficient, productive and resilient farm businesses using the power of FarmIQ and FARMAX.  Craig is also a Lecturer of Agricultural Systems Management at Lincoln University and teaches into Diploma and Degree Farm Management courses

Prof. Don Kulasiri

Lincoln University

Professor Don Kulasiri is an internationally recognised researcher in computational and mathematical biology, environmental modelling, and the mathematical and physical sciences. His multidisciplinary work focuses on understanding the mathematical basis of biological and environmental phenomena, with applications ranging from modelling memory formation and Alzheimer’s disease to developing AI-driven technologies such as WaphHound® for plant disease detection. A Fellow of the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand, he has led major government-funded research programmes in New Zealand and abroad, including projects on water quality, food innovation, wine production, and urban agriculture. He has held visiting professorships at the University of Oxford, Princeton University, Stanford University, and Peking University, supervised over 60 PhD students, and continues to advance research at the interface of stochastic mathematics, computational biology, and environmental systems.