Key takeaways
LIFES President Marc Harbrow said this event is a step forward for many First-Nation businesses.
The first ever First Nations-led AgTech event is kicking off in Cairns today, bringing farmers, AgTech innovators and industry stakeholders in Queensland’s agricultural sector together for two days of collaboration.
Millenia of Ag-Innovation, hosted by the Tropical North Queensland Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (TNQ Drought Hub) in collaboration with Farmers2Founders and Local Indigenous Food Enterprise Services (LIFES) will explore the intersection of traditional knowledge and cutting-edge agricultural technologies.
The showcase aims to highlight groundbreaking First Nations initiatives and demonstrate how the fusion of traditional practices with modern AgTech can drive sustainable advancements across the sector.
TNQ Drought Hub Director Professor David Phelps said the event, which is being funded by AgriFutures Australia, is part of a larger effort to spotlight First Nations innovation and collaboration within the industry, and provides a unique opportunity for people to have conversations that they otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to have.
“The program will cover livestock, cropping, and aquaculture and the event offers valuable opportunities for learning about innovation and sustainable growth for both farmers and AgTech developers alike.”
The event will feature live AgTech showcases and installations and interactive workshops, culminating in a cultural evening hosted by LIFES and BushTukkaWoman, Samantha Martin with local indigenous cuisine and traditional and contemporary performances.
LIFES President Marc Harbrow said this event is a step forward for many First-Nation businesses.
“Millenia of Ag-Innovation is about bringing those businesses together and putting them in front of well-established food and agriculture businesses that have been around for a long time.”
Mr Harbrow said one of the benefits of the event is that it is in person which will further help secure business for smaller first nations businesses in the region, as they can physically talk to different experts in the industry.
“We’re talking about businesses that are on farmlands and not in metropolitan areas,” he said.
Attendees will also explore Indigenous-led innovations at Rainstick, a networking breakfast at James Cook University’s Ideas Lab, and demonstrations of Farmers2Founders TEKFARM’s cutting-edge on-farm deployments across the Cairns Hinterland.
Farmers2Founders Founder & Managing Director Christine Pitt said the event will provide great opportunities for the Agricultural sector.
The event is part of a pre-tour for evokeAG, the Asia-Pacific’s premier agricultural and food technology event, taking place in Brisbane on 18-19 February 2025.
Millennia of Ag Innovation is the result of a collaboration between Farmers2Founders, TNQ Drought Hub, and Local Indigenous Food Enterprise Services (LIFES) with the event proudly supported by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry as part of its Support Regional Trade Events Program.
