WA’s biggest celebration of horticulture planned for Perth this week

The biennial Western Australian Horticulture update will kick off in Perth this week, with the two-day industry expo set to showcase innovative technology across the sector. The update aims to provide insight into the changing global food production landscape, and allows attendees to network and hear from leading industry leaders in the field. The focus of this year’s update will be on practical technology innovation and applications to improve horticulture practices from the grower to the consumer. Elizabeth Brennan, co-founder of Agdots, Mike Lee, founder of Future Market, and Rennee Turner, owner of Wooramulla Eco Cultural Journeys, and Sam Bailey, a pilot and bestselling author, are some of the presenters who will be at the expo. The first day’s events includes presentations on future trends, artificial intelligence in food production, irradiation, and support for low cost and simple digitisation. There will also be a panel discussion on the cold chain and how to maintain quality from farm to consumer. On the second day, there will be presentations on alternative fuelled and unmanned tractors, Hort innovation, food traceability, consumer trends and carbon in horticulture. There will be a panel discussion focusing on the future of horticulture. Attendees can also expect trade show exhibits on things such as orchard planning and mapping, netting systems, farm machinery and water management solutions. WAHU is sponsored by Hort Innovation, Isolcell, Ecogrowth, Pomewest and Coles. The event will be be held in Perth from October 31 to November 1.