October 2025 Events

FROM AUTOMATION TO SUSTAINABILITY: RETHINKING AGRICULTURE WITH AI 458

At the RIO+AGRO 2025 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Dr. Florian Kongoli, President of FLOGEN Stars Outreach and a renowned scientist in the field of sustainability, delivered the keynote lecture titled “The Revolutionary Role of Artificial Intelligence and Automation in Sustainable Agroeconomy.” Addressing an audience of experts and policymakers, he argued that artificial intelligence (AI) and automation—often viewed with suspicion as threats to employment or economic balance—are, in fact, powerful tools to positively transform global agriculture. According to Kongoli, these technologies enable the optimization of water, soil, and fertilizer use, the reduction of production costs, the increase of crop yields, and the improvement of human well-being by freeing people from repetitive tasks to focus on innovation and creativity.

To assess their true sustainability, Dr. Kongoli relies on his FLOGEN Sustainability Framework, a model he developed in 2015 based on three core criteria — economic development, environmental protection, and social progress — which must be fulfilled simultaneously, supported by three pillars: science and technology, governance and law, and civil society and industrial practice. This framework was officially adopted in 2024 as a constitutional law by the municipality of Nova Friburgo, Brazil, making it the first city in the world to legally require that every strategic or operational project be evaluated according to these sustainability criteria before approval.

Using historical and empirical evidence, including the example of the Green Revolution, Kongoli demonstrated that scientific and technological progress—particularly automation—has consistently allowed global food production to grow faster than the human population, disproving long-standing predictions of mass famine since Malthus. He concluded that the future of agriculture depends on the wise integration of AI as a tool capable of measuring, predicting, and optimizing every process, thus creating a sustainable, efficient, and human-centered agriculture built on knowledge, balance, and responsibility.

Palestra Principal : Florian Kongoli - Presidente da Flogen Stars Outreach.

October 2025 Events

FLORIAN KONGOLI INTERVIEWED AT RIO+AGRO 2025: SCIENCE, SUSTAINABILITY, AND THE FUTURE OF AI IN AGRICULTURE 459

Dr. Florian Kongoli, President of FLOGEN Stars Outreach and CEO of FLOGEN Technologies, was interviewed by journalist Mario Linhares at the Rio+Agro Podcast following his plenary lecture at Rio+Agro 2025, the major agro-industrial and sustainability event held at RioCentro, the largest exhibition center in Latin America.

In his discussion, Dr. Kongoli reflected on his long relationship with Rio de Janeiro — the city of his honorary citizenship — and praised the rapid growth of the Rio+Agro forum, now recognized as one of Latin America’s premier platforms for innovation in agriculture and sustainability.

During the interview, Dr. Kongoli highlighted the importance of integrating science and technology into sustainability, a principle he has championed for over two decades. He explained how his FLOGEN Sustainability Framework, first introduced in 2015 and later adopted as a municipal law in Nova Friburgo (Brazil), provides a universal model for evaluating whether any activity — industrial or agricultural — meets the three essential pillars of sustainability: environmental protection, economic development, and social progress.

He also discussed the key themes from his lecture, focusing on the revolutionary role of artificial intelligence and automation in agriculture, where technology can reduce environmental impact, increase productivity, and enhance quality of life when applied responsibly.

The conversation, recorded as part of the Rio+Agro Podcast series, celebrated Dr. Kongoli’s global leadership in promoting sustainability through science and technology. His ongoing commitment to bridging research, policy, and industry continues to inspire initiatives worldwide — from the SIPS Summits he organizes each year to his collaborations with governments, academia, and private enterprises.

Watch the full interview here:

PODCAST RIO+AGRO - Dia 3 - Florian Kongoli

2022

Dr. Florian Kongoli, President of SIPS and President of FLOGEN, giving the opening sustainability lecture at the opening ceremony of the United Nations International Year of Glass 2022, in The Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room, (formerly Room XX), at the Palace of Nations, United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on 11 February 2022. You can find the video here


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, presenting a lecture about sustainability for United Nations International Year of Glass in Geneva, Switzerland, February 2022

2021

Dr. Florian Kongoli, President of SIPS and President of FLOGEN, delivering a plenary lecture at the solemn 2021 academic year meeting of Lorraine Academy of Sciences as part of the ceremony awarding him the Honorary Membership of Lorraine Academy of Sciences meeting of Lorraine Academy of Sciences in October, 2021 here



Dr. Florian Kongoli, President of SIPS and President of FLOGEN, delivers the opening lecture at the V International Basic and Applied Science Conference at Siberian State Industrial University, Russia in April, 2021 here

2019

Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a lecture at SIPS2019, in Paphos, Cyprus, October 2019


Dr Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving the Invited Public Lecture on Sustainability Framework - An Important Key for Science and Technology Development at the Service of Humanity, NTU, March 12, 2019

2018

Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivers the plenary lecture at Shechtman – Suresh Convocation & Honorary Symposium held at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece from Nov 30 – Dec 3 2018. You can find the video here


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a lecture at SIPS2018, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 2018


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a lecture at SIPS2018, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 2018

2017

Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving the plenary lecture at the AIME/SME symposium on Engineering Solutions for Sustainability: Materials and Resources 3 in Denver, Colorado

2016

Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a lecture at SIPS2016, in Hainan Island, China, November 2016


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a lecture at SIPS2016, in Hainan Island, China, November 2016


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the Plenary Lecture entitled: "Energy Saving and Modern Control and Automation" in Istanbul


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the opening plenary lecture "2016 Modeling and the high Information Technologies in Technical and Social and Economic Systems" in Novokuznetsk, Russia

2015

Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving the Plenary Lecture at the XIII International Symposium on Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis held from October 12th to 15th, Turkey


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving the Keynote Lecture at ABM 2015 week/46th Steelmaking Seminar - International, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a plenary invited lecture at RIINVEST INSTITUTE, in Pristina, Kosovo, upon a special invitation of this Institute, June 2015

2014

Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the Plenary Lecture at the XIV International Mineral Processing Symposium held from 15-18 October, in Kusadasi, Turkey


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the Plenary Lecture in the 6th Edition of Non-Ferrous Metals and Minerals held from 15-18 September, Krasnoyarsk, Russia


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the Keynote Lecture in Low Carbon Earth Summit 2014, Qingdao, China


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the Plenary Lecture in the 4th Edition of I-SUP International Sustainability Conference held from 1-3 September, Antwerp, Belgium


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a Keynote lecture at SIPS2014, in Cancun, Mexico, July 2014


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a Keynote lecture at SIPS2014, in Cancun, Mexico, July 2014


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a lecture at SIPS2014, in Cancun, Mexico, July 2014


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the Plenary Lecture in the World Congress of Advanced Materials 2014, 6-9 June 2014, Chongqing, China


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a plenary lecture at International Conference of Metallurgical and Materials Processes: Products and Applications held in India

2013

Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the Opening Plenary Lecture at II Encuentro Internacional Metalurgia Peru 2013, 1-4 November, Lima, Peru


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the Plenary Lecture at VIII MSHMT 2013: VIII Meeting of the Southern Hemisphere on Mineral Technology, 20-24 October, 2013, Goiania, Brazil


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, opening 15th IFAC symposium on Control, Optimization and Automation in Mining, Mineral and Metal Processing, held in San Diego, California, USA


Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the plenary lecture at the International Conference on Waste as Secondary Raw Materials, held from 4 -7 June in Liptovsky Jan, Slovakia

2012

Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering the plenary lecture at the 6th International Congress on the Science and Technology of Iron Making, held from October 14-18, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2011

Dr. Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, delivering a plenary lecture at Fray International Symposium held in Cancun, Mexico from 27 November to 1 December

2009

Dr Florian Kongoli, Chairman of FLOGEN, giving a keynote lecture at MOLTEN2009 in Santiago, Chile