Tropical Agriculture Association International (TAAI) Conference 2025

Are you looking to explore the latest innovations in tropical agriculture and biological solutions?

Businesses, researchers, and practitioners can now benefit from an opportunity to engage with global experts at the TAAI Conference on Biologicals in Tropical Agricultural Systems, taking place on Tuesday 4th November and Wednesday 5th November 2025 |10am – 4pm at Rothamsted Conference Centre on the Rothamsted campus, Harpenden, UK.

Organised by the Tropical Agriculture Association International (TAAI), the conference will address the development and use of biological agents and extracts for soil, nutrition, and plant protection in tropical agricultural systems.

Sessions will include:

•Best practice in prospecting, identifying, and developing biological agents

•Challenges and requirements for taking products from development to market

•Future opportunities and implications for tropical agricultural sectors

The hybrid event offers both in-person and online participation, with in-person registration including all sessions, lunches, teas, conference dinner, and a tour of Rothamsted.

The conference will address key issues in the research, development and use of biologicals in 1) soil and nutritive amendments and 2) plant protection, reviewing and drawing lessons from real-life experiences on:

• Best practice in prospecting, identifying and developing biological agents and extracts;
• Challenges and requirements for developing products through to market and use;
• Future opportunities and implications for the development of different sectors;

Speakers will span the global experience with biologicals and will include:

• Dr Dick Shaw, Senior Regional Director, CABI
• Dr Ranajit Bandyopadhyay, Emeritus Scientist, IITA
• Dr Wendy-Ann Isaac, Senior Lecturer, University of West Indies, Trinidad
• Dr Henry Wainwright, Co-Founder of Real IPM, Kenya
• Dr Atthawit Watcharapongchai, GIZ, Thailand
• Emeritus Professor Ken Giller, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
• Others to be announced when confirmed

Their presentations will be used to stimulate discussions and share experiences to explore the breadth and potential of biologicals, and key issues in their deployment in the tropical agricultural systems of Latin America, Africa and Asia. Together, these will provide valuable insights into the practical realities of developing biologicals and how these processes can be further improved and taken up more widely. The Conference will be of value to those working in agricultural development, research, industry, farmers/users, policy makers, regulators and students.

The Conference will be a hybrid event with both in-person and online (Teams) participation possible. Registration fees are very competitive, with discounts for TAAI members, participants aged under 40, or citizens of developing countries. For in-person participants, the registration fee will include all sessions of the two-day conference; lunches, teas and coffees; the Conference Dinner (Tuesday pm); and a tour of Rothamsted.

Papers and posters presented at the Conference will be published in a special follow-up edition of TAAI’s open-access journal: Agriculture for Development.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding the conference, in the first instance please contact the TAAI Membership Secretary at

members@taa-international.org