And what should we start doing now to ensure that such technological changes affect us for better not worse?

Important questions we’ll be exploring at the next Forum  event: 1830 next Monday, 11th June.This event is supported by Aston University’s Centre for Sustainability and Innovation and the EU Smart AgriFood project.

Dr Christopher Brewster, whose video interview at the March Forum meeting garnered such interest, is a Principal Investigator in this project and leads one of the workstreams.

As well as Darren Share, Birmingham City Council’s Head of Parks, the Forum has the following participants pictured above (left-right, top to bottom):

• Dr Christopher Brewster of Aston Business School
• Dr John Blewitt also from Aston Business School,
• Paolo Castagna from Talis,
• Simon Coles from Westland Nurseries,
• Dr Graham Collier from Fraser Associates,
• Director of the Warwick Crop Centre Dr Rosemary Collier,
• Ed Dowding of Sustaination,
• BCU geographer Mike Hardman,
• Director of Martineau Community Gardens Caroline Hutton,
• IBM Executive Architect Dr Rick Robinson and
• BCU computer scientist Dr Monika Solanki.

As you’ll have gathered, there’s a very interesting mix of people from the public and private sectors — geographers, scientists, horticulturalists, community-focussed people and, of course, technologists too.

Nick Booth and his Podnosh team will be social reporters for the event. The hashtag, as before, is #TNOfood. Join us on the night!