12 June 2023 Global symposium and student competition being held on campus

Over a hundred researchers, as well as teams of agribusiness students from around the globe, will descend on Lincoln University this weekend as part of the IFAMA World Conference.

IFAMA, the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, is holding the event in Christchurch from June 17 to 20, but Lincoln will host the symposium section of the conference, along with the Global Student Case Competition, over the first two days.

The association brings together the world's leading scholars, students, policymakers and industry and NGO professionals to improve the strategic focus, transparency, sustainability and responsiveness of the food and agribusiness system. 

This year, it has joined forces with E Tipu: The Boma Agri Summit to bring a larger and more comprehensive primary sector conference to New Zealand.

The symposium features researchers presenting their work on topics pertaining to the global food system, with more than 150 peer reviewed papers featuring interdisciplinary initiatives, international collaboration, inspiring talent and indigenous innovation to be presented at Lincoln.

The university will have its own student team battling it out against the best from other institutions around the world in the Student Case Competition, which runs alongside the symposium.

Teams spend four hours working through a complex case study on a real-world challenge, develop a creative, practical solution, and build a presentation that communicates their perspective, analyses and recommendations to a panel of judges.

This year, the theme for the competition is Transforming the Global Food and Fibre System: Worldwide innovation for a resilient, nature-positive, and food-secure future.

The conference then moves to Christchurch and transitions to the two-day Global Forum discussing future farming trends, exponential change, new business models and product pathways impacting the food and fibre sector across Aotearoa New Zealand, and around the world.

One of the speakers is Aimee Blake, a current Lincoln student who is co-chair of Future Farmers New Zealand, a collective of young farmers, students, and urbanites who are passionate about ahuwhenua and the principles of kaitiakitanga.

Symposium Chair Dr Nic Lees, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agribusiness and Markets at Lincoln University, said it was a fantastic opportunity to hear from top researchers in the agribusiness field.

"It is a real privilege to be able to host this event at Lincoln, and the student case competition allows our students to take on teams from around the world and be exposed to a whole range of views.

"As a specialist land-based university, it has relevance across Lincoln and could help shape the future of agribusiness in New Zealand, by bringing in new perspectives and ideas."

Learn more about the conference here. 

Image: Last year's conference in Costa Rica.