Italy confirms February date for AquaFarm event

An event for all operators within the aquaculture sector and also those involved in innovations in the agritech world has now been confirmed.The show that simultaneously presents the two AquaFarm and NovelFarm exhibitions, now in their 5th and 3rd editions respectively, will be held on 17th and 18th February 2021, at the Pordenone Exhibition Centre.

The President of Prodenone Fiere, Renato Pujatti, said:

‘We are very pleased to be able to confirm this important tradeshow for 2021. If there is one thing we have learned from this emergency and from these months of lockdown, it is that the food production sectors have not stopped, rather, they have driven forward our Country.The citizens have found themselves increasingly attentive in their choice of basic necessities, confirming the trend towards food sustainability.

‘AquaFarm and NovelFarm are rather young events, but their scope and international relevance has continuously grown and consolidated each year, until they have become reference points for the aquaculture industry and for indoor agriculture innovations. They provide opportunities for discussion and work that grant the possibility for the two supply chains to continue to establish more and more structured projects, thanks to the networking opportunities that only an exhibition can offer’.

AquaFarm and NovelFarm work on a network basis, on the collaboration between institutions, research centres and companies.

‘We have always worked in synergy with institutions and other associations, including international ones,’ said Giuseppe Prioli, President of the Mediterranean Fish Farmers Association, ‘and this year the network is even more crucial to be able to get out of the economic crisis together.’

‘We must be able to face, live together and overcome emergencies of all kinds, ‘ states Pier Antonio Salvador, President of the Italian Fish Farmers Association ‘and make sure that the supply chain is ready, even in the future, to handle crisis situations.’

During the two days of conferences and workshops ample space will be provided to issues that have proved to be of fundamental importance during the lockdown period and beyond. Security and traceability; distribution; perceptions and consumer behaviour; regulations and funds; technological innovations. These are some of the issues that will be addressed.

Among the novelties of the 5th edition of AquaFarm will be a contest for research and technological start-ups: what are the best solutions to improve farm productivity? The call for the competition will be launched in September and will be open to participants from all countries.

NovelFarm also confirms, for the third year, the Urban Farm Challenge 2021, an international competition for the redesign and recovery of abandoned and disused buildings, organized by the University of Bologna. Another important novelty regards algae: a theme that has always been met with enormous interest by the public since the first edition and that in 2021 sees the birth of AlgaeFarm a space dedicated to this world, both in lectures and in exhibition space.