Edinburgh to host four-day European precision agriculture conference

More than 400 academics and industry experts will attend a European conference on ‘precision agriculture’ in Edinburgh next week.

The four-day event, which takes place at the John McIntyre Conference Centre, an Edinburgh First venue on the University of Edinburgh’s campus, will explore how new technology combined with data analysis techniques can enhance production for farmers and benefit the environment.

Convention Edinburgh played a part in securing the event for Edinburgh, which has been organised by representatives from BSAS (British Society of Animal Science), The James Hutton Institute (Dundee), Newcastle University, SoilEssentials and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).

Delegates will hear how through precision agriculture society can address the challenge of feeding a growing world population from less land, with diminishing resources and facing serious concerns about the environment and climate change. Technologies like robotics, sensors and artificial intelligence, informed by the data generated from crop, soil and livestock systems offer revolutionary solutions to some fundamental food production issues, a statement issued by the SRUC said.

Representing SRUC, the lead academic host for the event, Dr Tony Waterhouse said how Convention Edinburgh helped ‘sell’ the city as a destination for the European Conference in Precision Agriculture when the bidding process took place two years ago in Israel.

He said: “We bid for the conference at the last conference in the series, which was held in Israel two years ago. We used the Convention Edinburgh back-up information and pictures to help sell Edinburgh as a destination and received great support from the organisation to win the conference, in addition to help and advice in organising venues and accommodation options.”

He added: “One of our partners is BSAS (the British Society of Animal Science), which is based at Easter Bush (University of Edinburgh Vet School), alongside some of SRUC, and their ‘day job’ is organising conferences for their membership and aligned partners in the science and agriculture sphere.”

The 23-page programme features plenary conference as well as subject specific sessions on areas such as crop sensors, geostatistics and data and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – or ‘drones’).

The busy schedule will begin with a reception at the National Museum of Scotland on Monday July 17, followed by a dinner at Assembly Rooms on Tuesday and then a field trip to a research institute in Dundee; the event culminates with a visit and barbecue at Glamis Castle on Thursday 20.

Dr Waterhouse added: “Precision agriculture is in use across the world and delegates from the Americas, Australasia, Europe and China will be explaining developments in the use of sensors and other technologies in vinyards, mountain pastures and intensive cropping systems both tropical and temperate. We are all learning far more precise and efficient ways to grow livestock and crops without using so many pesticides, wasting nutrients or damaging vital soils.”

“It will be a fascinating week,” he said. “I look forward not only to the international contributions, but those from my SRUC Colleagues, including Simon Gibson- Poole on his disease detection work using UAV’s or “drones”, Claire Morgan-Davies on EID and the management of sheep in a hill farming system systems research at the Kirkton Hill & Mountain Research Centre and research with Fiona Kenyon of the Moredun on precision sheep worm control. In addition there will be a talk by Professor Bob Rees on soil management while Dr Paul Hargreaves will explain his work on soil compaction and tractors in grass management.”