International Symposium on Tropical Fruits 2023 » KEYNOTE AND INVITED SPEAKERS

Featured speakers

 

	KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Supporting climate change adaptation in the tropical fruit sector Ms. Maria Hernandez Lagana Economist Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, Italy
	Maria Hernandez Lagana is an economist, working at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations since 2015. She holds a MSc degree in Economic Development and Growth from Lund University, Sweden. She currently supports the implementation of the Responsible Fruits Project to enhance the sustainability and the resilience of tropical fruit value chains. She holds an MSc. in Economic Development and Growth and has been working for 10 years on resilience programming in the agricultural sector, responsible business conduct, food insecurity and poverty reduction, and monitoring and evaluation. She has accumulated experience with the UN in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as in Latin America with the CGIAR’s International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).
	KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: The Current Situation, Development Prospects and Smart Initiatives for China’s Fruit Industry Dr. Yi Ganjun Vice President Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GDAAS) China
	Vice President and Party Committee Member of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Director and Position Scientist of the Breeding Function Research Office of the National Modern Banana Industry Technology System, and Vice Chairman of the International Tropical Fruit Network (TFNet). His research direction is fruit tree germplasm resources and molecular biology and has received support from over 50 scientific research projects, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He developed 2 national agricultural industry standards, published over 80 research papers, and received 2 provincial and ministerial awards. He has been selected as an outstanding talent in national agricultural research, a member of the Fruit Tree Guidance Expert Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, an expert with special allowances from the State Council, and has been awarded honorary titles such as the Guangdong Dingying Science and Technology Award and the Youth Science and Technology Award of the Chinese Agricultural Society.
	KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Smart technologies and innovations in the mango industry Prof. Dr. Kerry Walsh Professor – Sensor Systems Central Queensland University, Australia
	Kerry Walsh received his BSc(Hons) from the University of Queensland (Australia) in 1982 and undertook a MSc and PhD at Queens University (Canada), completing in 1988. He is currently a Professor in Sensor Science within the Institute of Future Farming Systems of Central Queensland University, Rockhampton (Australia) leading a multidisciplinary group involved in translation of technologies into tropical horticultural industries. The work of this group has seen commercialization involving groups such as MAF (France) and Felix Instruments (USA), with his work recognized through appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service in this field (2023) and the Blakeney Award by the Australian Near Infrared Spectroscopy Group (2022). He has a Scopus H index of 43 with 203 refereed publications.
	Enhancing Carbon Footprint Traceability for a Sustainable Dragon Fruit Value Chain in Binh Thuan Province Ms. Tran Thi Thuy Tien Researcher/expert The Sub- National Institute agriculture planning and projection & UNDP, Hanoi Vietnam
	Ms. Tien is currently employed at the sub-national Institute of Agricultural Planning and Projection, MARD,Vietnam. She holds a Master’s degree in International Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. With more than 25 years of experience in agriculture and rural development, her primary focus lies in elevating value chains and cultivating market connections to strengthen relationships within the private sector. Ms. Tien operates in a supportive environment for various development projects and boasts extensive experience collaborating with international organizations and companies such as ADB, WB, IFAD, UNDP, SNV, GIZ, Fresh Studio, McDonald’s, CP, De Heus, Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam. She has been involved in the implementation of Food Safety, Food Technology, and the development and implementation of international Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Quality Management Systems (QMS), and Food Safety standards.
	Smart Agriculture and Tropical Fruits of Thailand Mr. Sirichai Sathuwijarn SENIOR Agricultural Research Officer, Plant Protection Research and Development Office, Department of Agriculture, Thailand
	Mr. Sirichai Sathuwichan, is a senior agricultural expert from the Plant Protection Development Research Office, of Thailand’s Department of Agriculture. Under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, he has worked on many smart agriculture initiatives for tropical fruits, especially durians in Thailand. For his work on “Smart Agriculture Technology to Improve Durian Production Efficiency”, he received the National Award from the Public Sector Development Council (OCSC) in 2023. The project is carried in areas including soil technology, crop technology and crop protection agricultural machinery, water use, satellite technology and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and crop production decision-making system.
	Leveraging on Smart Technologies and Practices to Enhance Tropical Fruit Development in Malaysia Mr. Christopher J. Biai Director Crop Industry Development Division Department of Agriculture Malaysia
	Mr. Christopher is the Director of the Crops Industry Development Division, of the Malaysian Department of Agriculture. Mr. Christopher received his Masters in Horticulture from the North Carolina State University in 2010. He has served the Department for 27 years since 1996. He has extensive experience in tropical fruit development from his days as head of the Fruit Division, implementing, and monitoring of long-term and short-term fruit development programs including Durian, Jackfruit, Mango, Mangosteen, Rambutan, Banana, Mandarin Oranges, Papaya and Watermelon.
	Intelligent Logistics Monitoring System for Mango Fruit Prof. Dr. Aris Purwanto Professor in biosystem engineering Bogor Agricultural University Indonesia
	Prof. Y. Aris received his PhD in Biosystem Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2000. He has been attached with the Bogor Agricultural University for almost 35 years and is a Professor in Biosystem Engineering at the Department of Mechanical and Bio-system Engineering, Bogor Agricultural University..He is an author and co-author of more than 150 publications in the fields of agricultural engineering and postharvest engineering. Prof Aris spearheads many national initiatives, for example on design of smart systems (incorporating smart logistic system, smart indexing system, smart packaging system, and smart storage system) for fruit packinghouse management, and development of digital technologies in agriculture, in Indonesia.
	Commercial Adoption of New and Smart Technologies to Enhance Market Outcomes in Mango Mr. Peter Johnson Independent Consultant/Industry Fellow Griffith University Australia
	Peter Johnson is a renowned mango consultant, an experienced horticulturalist and an adjunct industry fellow with Griffith University’s Griffith Asia Institute (GAI). Peter was previously attached to the Department of Agriculture and Food in Kununurra. Peter has significant regional experiences covering South East Asia such as Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia to countries such as Pakistan, China, and Saudi Arabia, and his home country Australia.
	Exploration and Development Analysis of Key Technologies of Orchard Agricultural Robots in South China Dr. Mutong Li Engineer Guangdong Institute of Modern Agricultural Equipment China
	Member of CSAE (Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering) and Guangdong Agricultural Machinery Society. His main research field is the optimization design and reliability research of the walking chassis of agricultural machinery equipment in southern hilly and mountainous areas. He has participated in one of the “12th Five Year Plan” national science and technology support projects (Research and Demonstration of Modern Agricultural Machinery Equipment) and one national key project for the 13th Five Year Plan (Research and Development of Corn Joint Harvesting Technology and Intelligent Equipment). At present, he has 8 invention patents are authorized, 2 utility model patents are authorized, a total of 7 papers included in SCI and EI have been published, and won 1 national intelligent agricultural equipment innovation award and 2 provincial and ministerial level science and technology competition awards.
	Application of Electrochemical Detection Chips in Quality Detection of Citrus Fruits Dr. Hongqi Xia Research Associate Fruit Tree Research Institute (FTRI) of the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GDAAS) China
	Dr. Xia currently is an associate professor at Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He received his Ph.D. degree at Kyoto University in 2017 and then worked as a research associate at Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Science. His current research interests are in electrochemical analysis and bioelectrochemistry with a particular focus on the portable electrochemical (bio)sensors for the functional ingredients in fruits. He has authored over 20 publications and 1 academic book.
	Technology research and equipment development of flesh translucency nondestructive detection in pineapples Dr. Sai Xu Research Associate Director of non-destructive testing and intelligent sorting research laboratory Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GDAAS) China
	Dr. Sai Xu works on non-destructive testing technology and equipment for agricultural product quality, with rich experience in sensor sampling, noise reduction, feature extraction, multi-source information fusion algorithms, pattern recognition algorithms, and detection and analysis of physical and chemical indicators of agricultural products. He has led over 20 research projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, the sub projects of the Guangdong Provincial Key Field R&D Plan, and the Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan. He is a member of the Guangdong Young Scientists Organization and the Guangdong Agricultural Machinery Society. He has published more than 28 academic papers, more than 20 authorized patents, and is an editor of the Journal of Food Quality and Food Chemistry, Computers, and Electronics in Agriculture.
	Soil microbiota regulation and healthy plant cultivation Prof. Dr. Rong Li President of Resources and Environmental Sciences Nanjing Agricultural University China
	Prof. Dr. Rong Li is an academic backbone in Nanjing Agricultural University and is currently engaged in research on the utilization of solid waste resources, the development of new microbial fertilizers, soil microbial flora regulation, and plant microbial interaction. Participated in winning provincial and ministerial awards such as the first prize of the Shennong China Agricultural Science and Technology Award , the first prize of the Ministry of Education’s Technology Invention Award, the second prize of Jiangsu Province’s Teaching Achievement Award, the China Patent Excellence Award, and the China Patent Excellence Award. He also serves as the PI of the Collaborative Innovation Center for Organic Solid Waste Recycling in Jiangsu Province, Executive Director and Deputy Secretary General of the Jiangsu Soil Society, member of the Soil Ecology Professional Committee of the Chinese Soil Society, and member of the Agricultural Microbiology Professional Committee of the Chinese Microbiological Society.
	Developments in Mechanized Harvesting of Litchi and Longan Prof. Dr. Jun Li Vice President of Engineering College National Litchi and Longan Industry Technology System Orchard Production Mechanization Post Scientist South China Agriculture University China
	Prof. Dr. Jun Li is the Deputy Director of the National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment Technology, Director of the Mechanization Research Office of the National Litchi and Longan Industrial Technology System, Scientist at the Orchard Production Mechanization Position, Deputy Leader of the Guangdong Provincial Agricultural Machinery Equipment Shortcomings Expert Group, Special Researcher of the China Academy of Agricultural Mechanization Science Group Co., Ltd., Senior Expert of the “Science and Technology Innovation China” National “Science and Technology Service Group” of the China Agricultural Machinery Society, Expert of the Expert Technical Committee of Guangdong Litchi Industry Alliance. His specialization is design methods and intelligent control technologies of modern vehicles and agricultural equipment. He has led over 20 research projects at the provincial and ministerial levels and has published one academic monograph, participated in one editorial, and published over 90 scientific research papers and authorized over 70 invention patents.
	A Pomelo Harvesting Robot for Unstructured Environments Prof. Dr. Zhen Li Vice President of Electronic Engineering South China Agriculture University China
	Prof. Dr. Zhen Li is a scientist in the orchard management mechanization of the national modern agriculture (citrus) industry technology system, and expert in the agricultural mechanization technology innovation expert group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. He is the Vice Chairman of the Agricultural Mechanization and Electrification Professional Committee of the Chinese Agricultural Engineering Society, and a member of the Youth Work Committee of the Chinese Agricultural Machinery Society. He is mainly engaged in research on intelligent orchard operation equipment, agricultural information acquisition and application technology, authorized 23 invention patents, published over 100 SCI and EI indexed papers, edited 1 textbook, participated in 2 works, and won 11 provincial and ministerial level awards.
	Intelligent prevention and control technology for banana pests and diseases Prof. Dr. Lijie Duan National Litchi and Longan Industry Technology System Orchard Production Mechanization Post Scientist South China Agriculture China
	Prof. Dr. Lijie Duan is Vice Chairman of the First Committee of the Facility Horticulture and Fruit and Vegetable Machinery Branch of the China Agricultural Machinery Society, Expert of the “Science and Technology Innovation China” Facility Agriculture Technology and Equipment Technology Service Group, Member of the 9th Council of the Guangdong Provincial Mechanics Society, Senior Member of the China Agricultural Engineering Society, and Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Special Envoy, mainly engaged in research on intelligent agricultural equipment and technology in fruit production machinery and post production processing.
	Research on Intelligent Production Technology and Equipment for Tropical Fruits Prof. Dr. Wei Ma Chief Scientist of Intelligent Horticultural Robots Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences China
	Prof. Dr. Wei Ma is the Chief Scientist of Intelligent Horticultural Robots at the Urban Agriculture Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. His research direction focuses on intelligent horticultural robots. He has led or participated in 7 national key R&D projects. He has published over 120 papers, obtained over 60 invention patent certificates, and 35 software copyrights. Received 2 provincial-level science and technology awards. He is also the Deputy Secretary General of Chengdu Digital Agriculture Alliance, editorial board member of the journal “Greenhouse Horticulture”, author of a special column on greenhouse intelligent equipment, leader of the electromechanical and information majors at Chengdu Agricultural Science and Technology Vocational College.