Valuable lessons from Seagriculture America
2023-09-22
Last September 6 and 7, Seagriculture in America took place for the second time in Maine. This year there were 293 participants from 185 different countries, which is why the event was bigger than Seagriculture Europe. An educational event, with interesting learnings for the seaweed sector in Europe. An interview with the organization of Seagriculture about the most striking differences and similarities.
This year's conference was all about chances and changes in the seaweed industry and spotlighted two key themes: The expansion of seaweed investments and scaling up the industry responsibly, and the invaluable perspectives of indigenous communities engaged in seaweed activities.
How did the event go?
"Very well," says Kuno Jacobs. "We had a lot of participants, and there were a lot of seaweed farmers present, who gained knowledge and experience there. In America, many grants and funds are made available to sector. So it wasn't a research story, but application-driven in all facets."
What are the main differences between Seagriculture Europe and America?
Kim Kreuser: “Seagriculture serves as a global platform for people who are passionate about developing the seaweed industry. In both Europe and America, we see a shared enthusiasm for driving change, showcasing innovative projects and a shared desire to position seaweed as a leading crop.
Seagriculture EU, launched in 2012, has expanded its reach to the United States in 2022 to facilitate connections across borders. Essentially, the conferences maintain a unified goal of fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, with the only significant difference being the geographical location.”
What can we learn from the way the sector is growing there?
“The growth of the seaweed sector in both Europe and America provides invaluable lessons. The market in the United States provides insight into the effective integration of ancient practices of indigenous communities spanning over 10,000 years with modern technology. In addition, we can gain knowledge about the development of policies and programs that actively support and promote the development of innovative startups.
In the US, we have also seen an emphasis on the implementation of hardware technologies and artificial intelligence in seaweed cultivation and further processing of it. Cross-cultural exchange between regions enriches our understanding of sustainable seaweed farming and the application of historical wisdom in a modern context.”
And why are there more subsidies, what can we learn from that?
“The large number of subsidies in the seaweed farming sector shows a collective recognition that seaweed is the key to the future of agri- and aquaculture. Seaweed farmers face significant challenges, and the availability of subsidies reflects the desire to overcome these obstacles.
By examining the reasons behind the increase in subsidies, we can understand the pressing issues facing seaweed farmers. This knowledge becomes an important basis for developing targeted strategies, policies and financial support systems to move the seaweed industry forward.”
What are the most notable conclusions of the event?
“Seagriculture USA has revealed that the journey ahead is vast, and there is much work to be done. Participants emphasized that they need more events to facilitate networking, exchange of experiences and project presentations. It became clear that our collective focus needed to shift to making it easier for individuals to connect.
There is a shared recognition of the importance of providing platforms for professionals and newcomers to present their ideas, helping to create an environment that moves projects forward. Moving forward, we aim to further optimize and enrich the conference programs to better facilitate networking, idea sharing and project development for our diverse audience of academics, industry, government and non-governmental organizations.
As the seaweed industry evolves with new cultivation technologies and innovative applications, Seagriculture remains at the forefront of these advances at our conferences.”
Next conference in de Faeröer eilanden
De conferentie Seagriculture Europe van 18-20 juni 2024 vindt plaats op de Faeröer eilanden, in samenwerking met Ocean Rainforest. De conferentie in September 2024 is in Alaska.
