Atlanta to host agriculture conference

Relationships built at the inaugural Aglanta Conference on Feb. 19 could help the city meet its goals of bringing local healthy food within a half mile of 75 percent of all Atlanta residents by 2020, said the city of Atlanta’s urban agriculture director, Mario Cambardella.

Urban and controlled environment agriculture innovation will be featured during the conference, which will take place at Georgia Railroad Freight Depot.

The purpose of Aglanta is to assist in Atlanta’s growth as a central hub in the nation’s annual $9 billion indoor farming industry, the city said in an announcement. Participants will include restaurateurs, grocers, architects, entrepreneurs, technologists, business owners and urban farmers for networking, sharing of best practices and making partnerships. The conference will include workshops and lectures, and cover urban agriculture business models and technologies, with a focus on vertical and indoor farming.