Another edition of F&A Next goes into the books! On May 21 and 22, we welcomed over 800 attendees for the 10th edition of our summit, hosted in the Omnia building on Wageningen University & Research (WUR) campus. The participants brought energy and good vibes, contributing to the discussion we care the most about: the future of food.
In case you missed something, here’s a recap with the main takeaways from this edition.
Starting with food security
Right after a spectacular laser show to celebrate the 10th edition of F&A Next, Lieutenant General Richard Nugee delivered an insightful and inspiring keynote, pointing out the three main challenges the global food system faces: climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainability. These three together are straining food security.
“Food security is about the security of a nation, of its livelihood, and the kind of life we want to live,” he stated on stage, explaining how these three factors combined generate instability worldwide. From desertification reducing arable land, to decreased yield due to higher temperatures and weather events, food access is becoming a more relevant social problem. The Lieutenant General deep-dived into how non-state actors leverage these problems to cause unrest.
Joined on stage by WUR Professor Joost de Laat, Nugee reaffirmed the role of technology to help us out of these problems, setting the tone for the rest of our summit. Technology scaling, food system resilience, and financing were some topics our panelists and speakers unpacked across the two days of the event program.
Groundbreaking food and agtech innovations
To this extent, right after the opening session, F&A Next’s main stage saw the five early-stage startups participating in our Next Heroes in Food and Agtech pitching their ideas. The five late-stage contenders pitched on the second day of the summit.
Two of them won a Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award: Agrobiomics and Vivici won a €12.500 prize. Agrobiomics convinced the judges with its nature-based solutions to enhance crop resilience, backed by a solid scientific foundation. Vivici impressed the jury with its precision fermentation technology to produce proteins sustainably, delivering products with a high nutritional value.
Feike Sijbesma himself presented the prize to the two startups, commenting: “Their work tackles real-world issues—from soil health to sustainable proteins—with precision, creativity, and purpose. True impact is rarely straightforward, but with vision and perseverance, today’s pioneers can lead the way.”
The rise of regenerative farming
Another speaker on the agenda for the summit’s first day was the award-winning filmmaker and environmental advocate Josh Tickell. The number of acres under regenerative farming grew tenfold in five years, surpassing the 50 million threshold. Regenerative agriculture is gaining momentum due to its ability to restore ecosystems and reduce carbon emissions.
According to Josh, the fundamental systemic shift is happening at the big food corporate level. “They are looking at regenerative farming to satisfy the customers’ need for more sustainable food. Crucially, they are also concerned about five years from now and how they will reliably put coffee or chocolate in their products.”
The role of craftsmen
Chef Emile van der Staak, head of the Michelin-starred restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel, closed the first day of panels, knowledge sessions, and keynotes. On the F&A Next stage, Emile brought on his journey as a cook, taking the audience through the steps of his career up until becoming the chef of the world’s best vegetable restaurant. In doing so, he highlighted the importance of craftsmanship in the protein transition.
“As chefs, we are those who know the essentials of how to make delicious food. We may talk for hours about why this transition is needed, but if what we make doesn’t taste good, it probably won’t be successful,” he said. Interestingly, his restaurant has its R&D facility, where new ingredients can be tested. Emile is very keen to collaborate with rising startups.
Conversations and networking for F&A Next participants continued at dinnertime at the WICC Hotel. Participants unwound and connected even further on the dancefloor of the Grandcafè Londburg, where we threw a party.
Networking and experiencing F&A Next
Throughout the summit, F&A Next participants could connect in many ways. The dedicated networking area and tables across the floor were the main settings to spark conversations, but there was more. Networking also happened on the move, as our participants could also book a ride on a tuk-tuk to tour the WUR campus while getting to know each other.
In addition, attendees could better understand Wageningen’s leading agrifood tech ecosystem. We organized tours to the Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre (NPEC), KeyGene’s innovation facilities, WUR robotics facility, Phenomena, and rising startups Algreen and Grassa.
A special addition to the 10th edition of our summit was Food System Nexus, a virtual reality (VR) cooperative game. Players were in charge of the food system’s future and engaged in conversations to choose the best pathways to a more sustainable way of feeding the planet.
Re-establishing a connection with the Earth
The summit’s closing keynote brought a different perspective on business. Speaker Nikki Trott, CEO advisor, investor, and author of the forthcoming book ‘Sacred Business’. In her vision, business as it is is the cause for the challenges we face, yet business can also get us out of them, establishing a new paradigm.
“Are we going to save humanity’s place on the planet? Because the Earth will regenerate itself, will we continue human history? We must take key shifts within ourselves, our organizations, and our ecosystems to realign with the Earth. Such as moving from busyness to presence, from fear to love, and from competition to symbiosis,” she stated.
Fostering synergies and collaborations across actors of the agrifood tech space is part of our mission. The 10th edition of F&A Next was once again a success, thanks to the invaluable contribution each of the attendees made. We are still buzzing with the energy we received last week, but we are already working on the next one, which will take place on May 20 and 21, 2026.
