Agri-food summit in Fayetteville inspires entrepreneurs to action

AgricultureEducationNorthwest Arkansas

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) November 27, 2023 8:33 am 429 views 

Soybeans being planted in Clay County in northeast Arkansas. (photo courtesy of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Stewart Runsick.)

The inaugural Agri-Food Innovation Summit at the University of Arkansas aimed to inspire entrepreneurial scientists for impactful societal contributions.

Held on Nov. 2-3 at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in Fayetteville, the event attracted over 200 participants. The various entities who co-hosted the gathering included:

  • Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center
  • University of Arkansas Division of Economic Development
  • University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture,
  • Research and Technology Transfer at Arkansas State University.

According to the UA, venture capitalists and federal funding representatives stressed the importance of collaboration and building strong teams for problem-solving.

Citing Arkansas’ rankings in food insecurity, maternal mortality and infant mortality, scientists and inventors at the summit were encouraged to think strategically about how their work could solve these and other major societal problems.

“Where there is no food, there is also no health access, so I think this link between healthy people and access to food, especially in a state like ours, is something we should be thinking about,” said Ranu Jung, associate vice chancellor and founding executive director of the UA’s Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R). “Somehow, when we think about the ag side, we should be thinking about what this means for the health and well-being of the people. If you improve access to food, you might likely also influence other things like health access.”

Jean-François Meullenet, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, advocated for increased collaboration.

“We are a small enough state that we have a unique opportunity to partner that other states may not have,” Meullenet said.

Mickey Latour, dean of the College of Agriculture at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, reiterated that sustainable protein supply chains were an area where Arkansans could lead the charge toward more innovation.

For more details, click here.