When: Tues., June 27, 2017, 5 p.m. (Note: different day of the week!)
Where: NELHA Hale `Iako Classroom (Note: different location than usual!)
Presenter: Michael Rogers, Chief Agricultural Officer, Smart Yields, Inc.
Smart Yields is an agriculture technology platform that gives farmers, indoor growers and gardeners real-time information, trends and forecasts, and recommendations via an intuitive and customizable mobile app.
It is part of an emerging trend toward what is being called Agriculture 3.0: The dawn of civilization was caused by agriculture being established (1.0) and allowing people to settle in concentrated areas. Agriculture was industrialized in the last century (2.0), dramatically increasing our capacity and boosting population growth. Agriculture 3.0 is a digital revolution of agriculture in which automation, connectivity, and data will allow us to not only decrease costs of production, but also to sustainably manage our impact on our natural resources.
Founded in 2015, Smart Yields was part of the sixth cohort of the Blue Startups accelerator program, was a finalist in the fifth cohort of the XLR8UH accelerator program, and is part of the 2017 cohort of the Energy Excelerator.
Michael Rogers has lived in island communities where farming plays a major role in culture and lifestyle including Hawaii, Madagascar, Okinawa and the Philippines. At age 31, fueled by a passion for agriculture, sustainability and third world development, Rogers returned to the University of Hawaii where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Tropical Plants and Soil Sciences with a focus on permaculture, plant production and management. Rogers joined Smart Yields as Chief Agriculture Officer in July 2016, serving as a liaison to Hawaii’s farming community. By engaging the University of Hawaii, industry organizations and farmers in the innovation process, Rogers is committed to ensuring that Smart Yields is a product that is for farmers, created by farmers.
After the presentation, we will have pupus, drinks, and conversation. We are informal and it is potluck, so please bring a pupu and non-alcoholic beverage to share. Reusable plates and cups are encouraged, as is taking home your own trash.
Agenda:
5:00-5:15 p.m. Gather and Networking
5:15-6:15 p.m. Presentation and Q&A
6:15-7:30 p.m. More Networking, pupus