The Genetic Engineering and Society Center and the Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability Center invite students, faculty and stakeholders to attend the Sustainable Agri-Food Technology Summit. During the one-day SAFTS workshop, funded by a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant, we will explore different stakeholder perceptions and views of emerging agrifood technologies and their role in creating more sustainable futures, including alternative proteins (e.g., cell-cultured meats), genetic engineering and nanotech in food/ag. We will also offer opportunities for real-time feedback to technology developers and identify areas for further collaboration (e.g., on grant proposals).

SAFTS will feature speakers with expertise in diverse topics such as new technologies in food and agriculture, gene editing with CRISPR, societal implications, risk analysis, plant-based foods and alternative proteins, and innovative approaches to address climate change through genetic engineering.

The keynote speaker will be Bill Aimutus, executive director at the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab. Additional speakers include:

• Kathryn Polkoff, co-founder and CEO at Hoofprint Biome
• Megan Thomas, founder and CEO at Ladder17
• Daniel Sulis, a postdoctoral scholar at NC State University
• Katie Barnhill, senior research scholar at the Genetic Engineering and Society Center at NC State
• Lyle Ralston, crop efficiency platform lead in plant biotechnology at Bayer Crop Science

Funding and support for SAFTS are provided by: 

• The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture 
• The Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability Center
• The Genetic Engineering and Society Center 
• The Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs Sustainable Futures Initiative
• The departments of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, and Agricultural and Human Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences