our speakers

Prof. Dr Ederer is Director of the Global Food & Agribusiness Network (www.foodandagribusiness.org). The network provides a platform for senior decision makers in the food and agribusiness industry to define their future strategies and perspectives on opportunities and challenges in their industry. Global Food and Agribusiness Network is currently launching a Global Observatory on Accurate Life Sciences (GOALSciences).

Prof. Ederer studied business administration at Sophia University in Tokyo and at Harvard Business School in Boston. He completed his PhD at the University of Witten Herdecke in Germany. He began his career as financial trader at Deutsche Bank, followed by five years at McKinsey & Company. Since 1999 he has been a scientist and an entrepreneur.

Biography – Jude Capper, PhD DSc (h.c.) ARAgS

Jude L. Capper, PhD, DSc (h.s.) ARAgS has two main roles: she is the ABP Chair and Professor of Sustainable Beef and Sheep systems at Harper Adams University in Shropshire, UK; and is an independent Livestock Sustainability Consultant based in Oxfordshire, UK.

Jude's research focuses on modeling the sustainability of livestock production systems, specifically dairy, beef and sheep. She is currently working on projects relating to on-farm greenhouse gas emissions from UK beef production; climate footprints of smallholder farming; the impacts of livestock health and welfare on system sustainability; and technology use in South American beef production. She sits on the National Beef Association board; is Chair of the Route Panel for Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care and Vice-Chair of the Green Apprenticeships Advisory Panel at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

She has an active social media presence and spends a considerable amount of time de-bunking some of the more commonly-heard myths relating to livestock production. In 2021, Jude was awarded both an honorary doctorate (DSc honoris causa) by Harper Adams University, and the Sir John Hammond Award by the British Society of Animal Science and British Cattle Breeders Club, in recognition of her contributions to the UK livestock industry.

Diana Rodgers, RD, is a “real food” nutritionist and sustainability advocate near Boston, Massachusetts. She’s an author of three books, runs a clinical nutrition practice, hosts the Sustainable Dish Podcast, and has served as an advisory board of numerous nutrition and agriculture organisations including Whole30, Animal Welfare Approved and Savory Institute. She speaks internationally about the intersection of optimal human nutrition and regenerative agriculture. Diana is co-author of Sacred Cow: The Case for (Better) Meat, and the director and producer of the companion film, Sacred Cow. Her new initiative, the Global Food Justice Alliance, advocates for a nutritious, sustainable and equitable worldwide food system.

Prof. Frank Mitloehner is a professor and air quality specialist in Cooperative Extension in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis. As such, he shares his knowledge and research, both domestically and abroad, with students, scientists, farmers and ranchers, policy makers, and the public at large. Frank is also director of the CLEAR Center, which has two cores – research and communications. The CLEAR Center brings clarity to the intersection of animal agriculture and the environment, helping our global community understand the environmental and human health impacts of livestock, so we can make informed decisions about the foods we eat and while reducing environmental impacts.

Frank is committed to making a difference for generations to come. As part of his position with UC Davis and Cooperative Extension, he collaborates with the animal agriculture sector to create better efficiencies and mitigate pollutants. He is passionate about understanding and mitigating air emissions from livestock operations, as well as studying the implications of these emissions on the health of farm workers and neighbouring communities. In addition, he is focusing on the food production challenge that will become a global issue as the world’s population grows to nearly 10 billion by 2050.

Frank received a Master of Science degree in animal science and agricultural engineering from the University of Leipzig, Germany, and a doctoral degree in animal science from Texas Tech University. Frank was recruited by UC Davis in 2002, to fill its first-ever position focusing on the relationship between livestock and air quality.

A beef and sheep farmer from the south of Ireland, Prof. Donagh Berry is also a statistical geneticist at the Teagasc Research Centre in Ireland. He is responsible for research on the genetics of cattle and sheep in Ireland, including investigating novel approaches to data collection, undertaking genetic and genomic evaluations, derivation of breeding goals, and the development and deployment of associated decision-support tools.

Dr Theo de Jager is a subtropical fruits and timber farmer in the Limpopo province and is currently the executive board chairman of the South African Agri Initiative (SAAI) and a second-term president of the World Farmers Organization (WFO).

Dr de Jager has played a pivotal role in agriculture for almost 25 years and has been involved in leadership roles as chairman, founder and president on various committees, groups, and organisations. He is the founder of Agri All Africa, a solution-based agricultural agency for farming investors in Africa and served as President of the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) and President of the Pan African Farmers’ Organisation (PAFO), based in Addis Ababa. He chaired the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a Non State Actors Coalition at the African Union (AU), and New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), one of the AU’s socio-economic flagship programmes, and he initiated the African programme on the presentation, protection, and promotion of indigenous livestock breeds. Within Agri SA, Dr de Jager served in various roles as founder and chairman of the Transformation Committee, chairman of the African Committee, and chairman of the General Affairs Chamber, as well as serving as its vice president between 2006 and 2015. He also chaired the committee on land reform and farmer development discussions between Agri SA and government between 2008 and 2015. Dr de Jager represented Agri SA at the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Union (SACAU) for eight years, and as president of the organisation since 2013. He recently stepped down as president of the Pan-African Farmers’ Organization (PAFO) as well as chairperson of the Non State Actors Coalition of NEPAD.

In 2016, Dr de Jager received the Agriculturist of the Year award from Agricultural Writers SA in recognition of his lifetime work for the modernisation, mechanised and commercialisation of agriculture in Africa. In 2017, he was the first South African to be elected as president of the WFO and it is the first time in the organisation’s history that a president of this organisation serves for a second term and also was re-elected unanimously.

Dawie Roodt is a nationally renowned economist who specialises in fiscal and monetary policy and enjoys excellent relations with various role players in the South African economic and financial environment. He brings invaluable exposure to the Efficient Group in his role as chief economist through his active presence in both the local and foreign media. He has been a member of the Tax Advisory Committee of the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut and has represented Business SA at Nedlac. Dawie is an ambassador for Child Welfare (Bloemfontein), Childline (Free State), and the Adopt Moreletaspruit Forum. He was also the recipient of the 2016 Sake24 Economist of the Year Award.