IGS Clima Podcast

The pandemic had significant impacts on supply chains, including food and seedings, exacerbating existing challenges with diseases and pests that come through the transportation and handling of seedlings. Vertical farming presents an opportunity to address some of these issues by propagating quality seedlings in a totally controlled environment to then transfer into poly tunnels or open fields with the comfort of knowing that the quality and health of the plant is intact. The potential this brings for roots, fruits and even trees is significant, and the combination of the science and technology is only really starting to scratch the surface here. To discuss this further, we welcome Archie Gibson from Agrico UK: one of the world’s largest seed potato distributors. Archie is also on the Board of the James Hutton Institute.

The ability to grow the very best crops again and again is a nirvana in agricultural terms. Without the vagaries of climate and the ability to understand how and why a crop has performed so well through continuous monitoring and data collection the potential to produce premium crops is now a reality. The level of control over the growing parameters made possible with vertical farming is bringing a whole new level of understanding to plant science and providing opportunities to innovate and evolve consistent, healthy reliable and abundant crops all year round.

When considering the scope for digital innovation within the agricultural sector, there is perhaps nobody better placed to share their hopes and ambitions for the future than Polly Purvis OBE. She joins us both as an expert in all things digital, but also as a colleague, having stepped into the role of Director of the Scottish Food Incubator Network with IGS in 2019.

We discuss the emerging influences on education and skills development across Agriculture and Horticulture with two senior leaders from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). We speak to Professor Fiona Burnett (FB), Head of Connect for Impact in SRUC’s Knowledge and Information Hub and Ruth Vichos (RV), Lecturer in Horticulture, about the evolution of Agriculture 4.0, and how technology is impacting skills evolution and teaching mechanisms.

From an early career working in hotels in Canada to his return to the UK to join the world-famous Gleneagles Hotel where he stayed for 30 years rising to Managing Director and then Chairman, Peter has been a pivotal figure in hospitality – and he is a true ambassador for Scottish and UK hospitality on a global stage.

We talk to Peter to gain his insights into the hospitality and food sectors and the impacts they are experiencing currently. We look at the opportunities that these challenges may present, and the necessity for innovation to keep a vitally important part of the economy alive. We consider food production across the UK and the demands on supply chain and why and how innovations can be embraced to ensure availability without any compromise on quality.

From his early life in southern India to his home now in Scotland, Praveen’s passion for quality has been foremost in his approach to customer satisfaction. Quality of service, quality of approach and most importantly in his cooking quality and the provenance of produce.

Always innovating and considering new approaches to enhance his cooking, Praveen has been exploring a variety of new ways to grow the traditional quality herbs and vegetables that were readily available on his family farm in India here in Scotland.

We talk to Praveen about his approach to cooking, food production and the importance of having the very best and freshest ingredients available on your doorstep.

Through Clima, our conversations extend all around the world, taking into consideration opinions and perspectives from a broad spectrum of people and places.  As a global business addressing global issues, we believe inclusivity and diversity are equally as important. However, IGS is a UK-based company and there are specific considerations for the sectors in which we operate and provide solutions that we have to address as we consider the impacts of COVID and the approaching Brexit era.

In this context we spoke with David Swales, Head of Strategic Insight at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).  The AHDB is a UK-based levy board, funded by farmers and growers. Its main function is to help farmers and growers be more competitive and sustainable in the future.

Deeply embedded in the urban agritech sector for many years, Mark’s perspective has been developed with global exposure and experience, alongside a commitment to deliver a greater profile for the UK in this market. He talks to us about the UK’s part to play in the expansion of agritech in a local and global context, and considers more broadly the opportunities being brought to bear for this emerging agricultural approach. We discuss competition versus collaboration, as well as the co-existence of the two, to increase the impact and portion of the agricultural ecosystem in which urban agritech can thrive.

Joining us from Auckland, New Zealand, we are delighted to welcome Ian Proudfoot, Global Head of Agribusiness for KPMG. Ian helps us to unpack the term ‘global agrarian revolution’, talking about the ways in which different technologies and ways of working are increasingly being fused to come up with innovative new methods of food production. A crucial part of this is consumer perception, and Ian shares his thoughts on the extent to which public expectations of the way in which food is produced and, perhaps more importantly, its origins are changing.

He explores how food has become a unifying point for many, in a time where other aspects of ‘normal’ day-to-day life have been stripped back and discusses the concept of a ‘now normal’ as the globe begins to work to come to terms with life in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its as yet not fully known implications.

Joining us for this edition of Clima is one of our Series A investors, Sanjeev Krishnan, Managing Director of S2G Ventures. We are delighted to have had the opportunity to discuss the evolution of food production supply chains with him, including exploring how technology, food production methods, scientific discovery and consumer attitudes are advancing to deliver new emerging models.

With a wealth of experience in the food and agriculture sectors, Chicago-based Sanjeev shares his thoughts on the benefits a general movement from globalised to localised food production could bring and the innovative technologies and solutions that could help us to achieve this goal.

The Middle East is a region faced with significant food security challenges both in terms of capacity for production and over-reliance on imports. While the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted these challenges, the proactive approach being taken by various governments and organisations within many parts of the region is likely to make a demonstrable change in both these areas.

With the emphasis on securing sustainable food supply chains and enhancing food security, speed and scalability are going to be key. The importance of plug-and-play technological systems, which are proven and fully optimised, is crucial.

To gain a perspective ‘on the ground’ we were delighted to have had the chance to talk with Kenny McCrae and Christina Porter from International Real Estate Partners (IREP) who are both based in Dubai.

For the agritech sector, the capability to scale solutions is vital and will be even more so as the industry expands. This requires reliability of both hardware and software alongside proven production and manufacturing methodologies which can speed up and remove complexity of construction and maintenance across the sector.

We were very grateful to Bob Waterson, Managing Director of Greenfold Systems Ltd, for joining us to talk more about this theme. He discusses the importance of modularity in design and the benefits this can bring not only for the technology itself, but the wider manufacturing supply chain.

At IGS we are very aware just what a challenging time this is for our customers and partners, with many countries across the globe still in some form of lockdown or considering the right strategies to lift COVID-19 restrictions. There is still much speculation as to what a ‘new normal’ will look like. There are many discussions to be undertaken and learnings to be identified from this pandemic as we adapt and shape our planning for the future.

In our first edition we were extremely fortunate to have the chance to interview Professor Colin Campbell, CEO of the James Hutton Institute. Professor Campbell spoke with our colleague Kate Forster as our first podcast interviewee.

We’re always finding new insights around smart solutions. That’s why we’ve created Clima, a thought leadership content platform designed to educate and help businesses unlock their full potential.