The event for the official presentation of Panos (Panayiotis) Chamakiotis‘ book titled “F.O.O.D. – The Future Of Obvious Disruption” published by Tropos Books, a search for the big open questions of agri-food to which leaders and modern societies are called to give answers, turned into a dream night!
The event, on Saturday 22 October at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival theatre, brought together the “enfant gâté ” of the people connected in one way or another with agricultural production and food chain and developed into an evening of honor for farmers and supporters of this sector, whose efforts will determine the planet’s nutritional sufficiency and social well-being in the years to come.
The panelists
Introductory text “A letter to my younger self”
The author goes back in time to September 2003, when he made a life choice that changed his professional career, where he provides advice to his younger self to endure the hardships, he will find in front of him in the next 20 years. He does define 2011 as the most significant year since his daughter was born.
The panelists reply to Moderator’s questions based on the book
The book attempts to offer solutions to correct current inefficiencies in the wider field of Agri-Food sector.
“F.O.O.D -The Future Of Obvious Disruption” – “The book and the case
“We should cultivate in harmony with mother nature and not against her,” emphasizes the author.
He also points out that in the last decade, two major changes have reshuffled the Food Stewardship case:
1. Growing interest of communities and nations in green policies
2. The huge technological advancement in the means of communication has changed the way the citizen thinks, as well as the whole approach to agricultural entrepreneurship.
It’s time to throw the traditional rulebook in Agriculture into the wastebasket, the author emphasizes.
Once this happens, then it is possible for the Agri-Food industry to truly leverage scientific fields such as synthetic biology, innovations such as digital fabrication, 3D printing, robotics, and nanotechnology.
Mr. Panos (Panayiotis) Chamakiotis
Mr. Panos (Panayiotis) Chamakiotis
The most dangerous enemy in business, he emphasizes, is inertia and the refusal to accept a new situation. An example is NOKIA, an old giant in mobile telephony, which disappeared from the international market with the rise of smartphones, as it rested on its laurels and did not adapt.
Mr. Georgios Georgantas – Minister of the Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food
The book is divided into three pillars/thematic sections.
In the first pillar, the current challenges in the Agri-Food sector and in the management of businesses in the sector are presented, through examples from different countries and practices.
The interplay between global and local in terms of different farming habits and policies with cultural differences as a common denominator.
Mr. Savvas Peltekis
The motto of the first pillar is:
“Facilitate external interaction and leverage the network” meaning “Facilitate interaction and leverage knowledge networks”.
In the second pillar, the need to draw up a new strategy in Agri-Food is justified and a grid of ideas that could be used to develop this diversified strategy is presented.
Mrs. Effie Lazaridou
The 2nd part of the book highlights the importance of strategic vision both in cases of states (countries) and in cases of businesses in achieving goals. Such a vision contributes to the formation of an optimized plan of preparation against any possible threat to the achievement of the original objectives, such as an inefficient distribution system, possible climatic disturbances, and eventually even pandemic risks.
The author detects inaction by the competent authorities and policymakers in the direction of drawing up a comprehensive plan to deal with such risks.
Dr. Konstantinos Rotsios
As pointed out, in most cases plans are drawn up to deal with one or a few problems, however, planning for any combination of these problems in a single and functional policy is lacking.
One of the topics touched on in the second pillar of the book is ethical issues around the food supply chain, with the author trying to formulate ways of thinking about any issues that may arise in the future.
Mr. Yiannis Panagos
The motto of the second pillar is:
“Bypass dilatoriness and automated rules, remove friction, and focus on the total value of the ecosystem”.
In the third pillar, the author draws on his own knowledge and life experiences to examine ethical challenges, focusing on people, business objectives, and available resources.
In this chapter, the author explains his principles and offers advice on how to better manage both ourselves and entrepreneurship in the current circumstances.
More than 350 executives participated in the event
The author suggests that major players in the sector put the concept of sustainability, not only green but also human, at the core of their business plans, aiming to lead a network of people rather than a machine made up of human parts.
The panelists reply to a question that comes from the audience “How does the Leader of this disruption era look like?”
The motto of the third Pillar is:
“Aim = I Am” standing for “My goals are Me”
The book does not have a classic epilogue, but in the last sub-chapter entitled “We come and go to life alone” there is a reference to the difficulties of the last year through the eyes of the author.
Mr. Christos D. Katsanos, Organizer and Moderator of the event
Mr. Panos (Panayiotis) Chamakiotis with TROPOS BOOKS publishers and The F.O.O.D Project members Mr. Christos D. Katsanos (left) and Mr. Dimitris (C.) Gartzonikas (right)
