#CropsonMars Hackathon Seeks Dynamic Solutions to Sustainability Under Harsh Circumstances

By Matt Hopkins
Senior Online Editor | Meister Media Worldwide

Silicon Valley Forum have announced their upcoming hackathon #CropsonMars, presented in partnership with New Zealand company Autogrow. Held from November 4-5, 2017, the hackathon invites participants to tackle a futuristic problem with real-world impact: how would one grow sustainable crops on Mars, one of the harshest environments in our solar system? As the world’s population grows and issues with food production follow suit, scientists and agriculture experts are beginning to consider solutions that take a new set of factors into consideration — particularly the loss of arable land due to climate change.

“We’re proud to partner on this initiative with Autogrow,” said Denyse Cardozo, Silicon Valley Forum’s executive director. “AgTech has been one of our organization’s main foci since our first AgTech Immersion Program in 2015, and this hackathon is designed as a companion to and enhancement of an extremely important conversation about agribusiness we started two years ago.”

“We believe if you can find a way to sustainably grow crops on Mars, you will be able to grow in some of the harshest environments on earth because, if you can grow it there, you can grow it anywhere,” said Autogrow CEO Darryn Keiller. “With climate change events having a significant impact on food production around the world, we need to look at alternative solutions to feed the projected 9 billion people by 2050. We want to set the bar high and hope to get creative, unique and resourceful solutions that can be utilised for crop production regardless of location.”

For tickets and more information, visit www.cropsonmars.com.