Standards in CEA - How to scale future food systems
Session description:
As controlled environment agriculture (CEA), vertical, and indoor farming continue to scale with new applications and use cases, the sector faces a critical challenge: the lack of shared standards for hardware, software, and data interoperability
Key discussion themes:
What happened since last year‘s panel
Needs for standardization
How can standards help to scale new food systems
Session objectives:
Provide an understanding to the audience about the importance of collaboration and standardization to successfully scale the food systems of the future
Speakers
Dr. Nils Borchard is Head of Research and Innovation at DLG (the German Agricultural Society) and Visiting Associate Professor at Lisbon School of Economics and Management. He studied geography at Humboldt University Berlin and holds a doctorate from the University of Bonn. His career spans leading research institutions across Europe and Asia, including Forschungszentrum Jülich, the Center for International Forestry Research, and the Natural Resources Institute Finland, where he served as the scientific heads of agriculture and horticulture. At DLG, he builds up and drives R&D&I activities across the entire agri-food value chain, with a particular focus on food systems innovation and knowledge management.
Dr. Jan-Gerd Frerichs leads technology development at OrbiFarm GmbH in Germany, where he drives innovation in fully automated controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) systems.
Prior to joining OrbiFarm®, he headed the Future Farming division at Körber Technologies GmbH where he and his teamdeveloped various concepts for the next level of growing indoors. Before joining Körber, he served as Senior Vice President for Software, Automation, and IT at Kalera (International) GmbH. There he played a pivotal role in developing automation and software solutions for large‑scale indoor farming operations. He further strengthened his industry impact as Chief Digital Officer and Head of Software & Automation at &ever GmbH, contributing significantly to pioneering innovations in indoor farming technology, from prototypes and local retail solutions up to highly automated farms in Kuwait and Singapore.
With extensive experience managing global, interdisciplinary teams across both start‑ups and established enterprises, Dr. Frerichs has consistently demonstrated strong strategic and organizational leadership.
He holds a PhD in Technical Chemistry from Leibniz University Hannover and a diploma in Electrical Engineering, underscoring his solid scientific foundation and technical expertise.
Dr. Frerichs’ career reflects a broad spectrum of experience across Total Controlled Environment Agriculture (TCEA), biotechnology, digitalization, automation, and adjacent technology domains—positioning him as a key driver in shaping the future of sustainable, technology‑enabled food production.
Comparability is becoming increasingly important for environmental information - but it can only be achieved if data, methodology and processes fit together.
As project manager of the DIN EPD program, I deal with the question of how environmental information for products can be made comparable, comprehensible and internationally compatible.
In the DIN group, I support the development of the DIN EPD program as well as topics relating to environmental product declarations (EPDs), product carbon footprints (PCF) and product category rules (PCR).
My focus:
✔ Creating comparability
✔ Developing structured processes
✔ Enabling credible environmental information
A co-founder of 80 Acres Farms and the CEO of Infinite Acres, the company’s technology-focused subsidiary, Tisha has initiated and led partnerships with global technology companies including Siemens, Philips Signify, and GreenV. Her work in strategic partnerships and acquisitions has allowed 80 Acres Farms to expand its reach and established it as a pioneer in the controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) sector.
In addition to her work at 80 Acres Farms and Infinite Acres, Tisha serves as vice-chair of the Farm Tech Society, a Brussels-based nonprofit uniting global leaders in CEA. In that role, she champions innovation in the sector and supports the development of advanced farming technologies worldwide, encouraging collaboration across continents to address critical food supply challenges.