Panel | Collaborating across borders for climate resilience and food security

This panel discussion will begin with an inspiring story from Stephen Todd, founder of Volt Farmer. The Australia-Zambia Collaborative Clime Smart Farm Project is one of enterprise and ingenuity as two groups come together to pioneer a new generation of Agri-solar and regenerative farming projects some might consider a living blueprint for the future of sustainable agriculture.

By integrating advanced solar energy systems, regenerative land management, and cutting-edge farm enterprise technology, these projects are transforming rural communities. The initiative empowers local entrepreneurs, improves food security, and restores ecosystems—all while fostering economic opportunity and climate resilience.

This story is indicative of a wider opportunity warrant great discussion.
The spirit of openness and meaningful collaboration goes beyond the feel-good factor. The latest scientific research results and digital tools can be harnessed to optimise productivity, monitor ecosystem health, and support data-driven decision-making. 

Join this panel for lively conversation on:

• Real-world examples of cross border partnerships driving enterprise, education, and environmental stewardship.
• Collaborating to achieve reliable clean energy, climate-smart irrigation, and regenerative land use.
• The role science and digital developments can play in maximising yields, protecting natural resources, and supporting community-led innovation.

China Forum | Paddocks & Partnerships: What China’s AgTech evolution means for Australia's unique farming landscape"Moderator: Ms. Leely Zhang, Managing Director, DLG AgroTechService

FORUM AGENDA
Welcome Address
14:35-14:45 Overview of Agriculture in Australia, Linny Thom, Senior Project Officer, Agriculture Victoria
14:45-14:55 Design and Key Technologies of Big Data Platform for Farms, Dr. Weihong Ma, Senior Engineer, National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture

CHINA-AUSTRALIA AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATION AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT TRENDS
14:55-15:05 How Agricultural Robots Are Empowering Agriculture
15:05-15:15 How to Tap into the Australian Agricultural Market, Australian Agri-Dealer Representative
15:15-15:25 A Chinese Farmer’s Perspective, Shiyi Wang, General Manager, Hebei Jiu'en Agricultural Development Co., Ltd.
(A potato farmer with a cultivation area of 3,000 hectares, achieving an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons of seed potatoes and 25,000 tons of commercial potatoes.)

15:25-15:30 Wrap up

About Ulrich

Born in 1971, Ulrich Westrup is a farmer and a state-examined agricultural business manager. He lives in Bissendorf (Lower Saxony), where he manages a roughly 800-hectare mixed farm with dairy cattle, including 156 hectares of grassland, biogas and arable land, together with his partners. As managing director of Westrup-Koch Milch GbR, he is focused on animal farming as well as training and personnel management. Ulrich Westrup also chairs the supervisory board of the Osnabrueck Herdbook Cooperative (OHG) and has been involved with DLG for some time, including in the Commission and the Main Committee for Agriculture and also as the chairperson of the Committee for Milk Production and Cattle Farming. He was active on the Board of DLG from 2015 to 2018 before becoming the deputy chairperson of the DLG Supervisory Board in 2018. In his voluntary work within DLG, he succeeded in providing important stimuli in the DLG Forum Top Milk Production Farms and DLG Dairy Farming Herd Manager projects as well as the professional thrust of EuroTier, amongst others. In 2018, Ulrich Westrup was presented with the Max Eyth commemorative medal in silver by the Board of DLG for his services to German dairy farming and DLG.