The 4th Agricultural Startups and Innovation Forum was organized in Baku

The 4th Agrarian Startups and Innovation Forum was held jointly organized by the Agrarian Innovation Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences of ADA University. The forum took place at the Italian-Azerbaijani University under ADA University.

The forum was attended by representatives of state institutions, heads of higher education institutions, representatives of acceleration and incubation centers, investors, agrarian startups, and companies specializing in agriculture.

The 4th Agrarian Startups and Innovation Forum exhibited innovative solutions and technology examples presented by agrarian startups, acceleration and incubation centers, as well as representatives of the private sector.

The winners of various contests and competitions, more than 90 startups participating in the “Application of Artificial Intelligence in Precision Agriculture” project, were represented at the exhibition with 43 innovative products. At the same time, 20 higher education institutions, more than 20 acceleration and incubation centers, Scientific Research Institutes of the Ministry of Agriculture and private companies operating in the agricultural sector presented their products and services.

The projects demonstrated included artificial intelligence-based irrigation systems, agro-robot technologies, soil and crop monitoring solutions, alternative energy and biofuel projects, smart greenhouse systems and digital agricultural platforms.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony of the forum, ADA University Rector Hafiz Pashayev said that this exhibition is of particular importance, given the growing interest in agriculture in our country. “More than two years have passed since the establishment of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences at ADA University. During this period, the role of such initiatives and platforms in the development of the faculty has been invaluable. The fact that our students presented their work with great enthusiasm and confidence while watching the stands of startup projects within the framework of the exhibition is a clear indicator of the love and interest of young people in this field,” the rector added.

In his speech, Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov said that in modern times, the global economy is moving to an innovation-based development model. Azerbaijan is also expanding the application of innovative and digital approaches in all sectors of the economy, including agriculture, in the process of integration into the world economic system.

Stating that the Ministry of Agriculture pays special attention to the development of the startup ecosystem, the Minister said that competitions, hackathons and innovative projects are being implemented to increase the interest of young people in the agricultural sector. He added that in addition to the existing support measures provided by the ministry to agricultural startups, it is planned to expand the agricultural startup ecosystem and encourage farmers to use innovative services.

In his speech, Director of the Agrarian Innovation Center Anar Jafarov touched upon the strategic importance of applying innovations in the agricultural sector, drawing attention to the importance of strengthening food security, efficient use of resources against the backdrop of climate change, and the prospects for applying artificial intelligence-based solutions.

He said that the startups participating in the forum will present their innovative solutions within the framework of the “Application of Artificial Intelligence in Precision Agriculture” project at the Caspian Agro – 19th Azerbaijan International Agricultural Exhibition to be held in May.

After the speeches, videos about agrarian startups were shown and successful startups presented their innovative projects to the forum participants.

Later, startups who received mentoring support at acceleration and incubation centers and improved their projects were awarded certificates.

The forum also held panel discussions on the topics of “Prospects for the development of the agrarian startup ecosystem” and “The role of knowledge and academia in the formation and application of innovations”.

The discussions included a broad exchange of views on strengthening university-industry cooperation, commercialization of scientific research, and improvement of the investment climate.

It should be noted that the IV Agricultural Startups and Innovation Forum plays an important platform in terms of strengthening the agricultural innovation ecosystem, expanding the market access opportunities of startups, establishing cooperation with investors, and promoting the practical application of scientific knowledge.