The Ireland Portugal Business Network (IPBN) is delighted to host the 6th edition of its annual flagship Sustainability Conference, set for Tuesday, March 18, from 9h to 13h at Martinhal Lisbon Oriente. This year’s event promises to be an inspiring gathering, coinciding with the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and featuring esteemed speakers, including Alma Ní Choigligh, Ambassador of Ireland to Portugal, and a Minister from the Irish Government.

Following the first panel discussion on Community Development and Urban Planning, a second panel will take the stage and take a deep dive into Vertical farming (VF) and its impact on traditional farming. Entitled “Vertical Farming Revolution and Farming Sustainability,” this talk will focus on the VF opportunities within cities and what farming sustainability means with speakers Patrick (Pat) FitzGerald and John Paul Prior.

Pat FitzGerald is the CEO & Founder of Beotanics (Ireland), FitzGerald Nurseries Ltd (Ireland), and Nativaland Lda (Portugal), and a Board Member of The Irish Food Board, (Bord Bia), where he contributes to the strategic development and promotion of the Irish food and horticulture sectors.

He is a seasoned expert in plant breeding, project collaboration, and horticultural production, with over 35 years of experience. His three successful companies specialize in crop development and plant-based food innovation. Through these ventures, he has introduced and scaled novel landscape and field crops in Europe, including purple and orange sweet potatoes, in which he played a pioneering role by collaborating with agricultural producers.

As a key driver of the Beotanics Group, Patrick fosters collaboration across the horticultural food and ornamental supply chains, creating value-added products that align with sustainability, nutrition, and environmental goals. Tune in here to hear Pat discuss the effects of climate change on wasabi plants, plant breeding, and emerging Smart AgriTech solutions to farmers on KCLR Catch Up.

John Paul Prior, Chair of the IPBN Porto and Director of Sales Strategy and Technical Development at Farmony. John Paul splits his time between Dublin and Porto, is General Manager at Musicmaker, Dublin, and specializes in distribution, logistics, and event management while he’s not shaping a global network of advanced vertical farms in controlled environments. 

Farmony builds vertical farms and technology that brings pesticide-free, hyper-local produce to communities to deliver local agricultural solutions sustainably. The company is championing sustainable and efficient food production with its state-of-the-art VF solutions that harness the power of hydroponic consultations and modular farming techniques, offering 365-day yields and ensuring a consistent supply of pesticide-free, hyper-local produce. Farmony’s innovative approach, anchored by the cutting-edge RADIX system, promises a future where high-quality food production aligns seamlessly with environmental stewardship. You can find out more about John Paul and his projects on this IPBN podcast. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from these leaders and others who are shaping the future of sustainability and to network with like-minded professionals from all walks of life over a light lunch once the panel discussions have concluded. Register now here to join us and read more here in our conference press release to get a better overview of the other panels.

As always, the network would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our Executive Partners, members, conference sponsor GEOPALM, and official conference partner Chitra Stern of Martinhal and the United Lisbon International School, whose support makes this game-changing event possible.