The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) members consist of thousands of growers of flowers and ornamental plants around the world who are together united by one essential goal – promoting the place of plants in people’s lives.
AIPH is responsible for approving the world’s most exceptional horticultural expos creating long lasting green legacies in cities across the globe.
AIPH Blooming Economies & Cities to Inspire The World 2.0. Up-to-date statistics from recent Expos hosted in Asia and Europe.
Learn moreAIPH hosts several conferences, webinars and events such as the International Grower of the Year award throughout the year. Read about these along with the latest news about the association’s activities.
The AIPH International Grower of the Year Awards celebrate the best of the best in ornamental horticulture
Learn moreAIPH’s key aim is to stimulate demand for ornamental trees, plants and flowers worldwide. We are committed to supporting growers in achieving this by protecting and promoting the interests of the industry.
The AIPH’s Global Industry Intelligence Centre (GIIC) is an international hub for industry information and knowledge exchange.
The report contains insights on production and consumption of the floriculture industry in Thailand, imports and exports, and business opportunities
DownloadAIPH Green City activities promote the essential role of plants in creating vibrant urban areas in which people and businesses can thrive.
Chris Philpot, CEO of The Water Conservancy, presents on water scarcity and resource management during the AIPH Horticultural Industry Conference in Sydney.
On 10 March 2026, industry leaders from across the ornamental horticulture sector gathered in Sydney, Australia, for the AIPH Horticultural Industry Conference, part of the AIPH Meeting Sydney 2026.
The conference took place at Pier One Sydney Harbour, on the waterfront beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge. With views across the harbour and the historic Rocks district within walking distance, the setting offered an unmistakably Australian backdrop for discussions on the future of global horticulture.
“There’s no need for horticulture to be left stranded by the risks of a changing climate,” said Matt Kean, Chair of Australia’s Climate Change Authority, opening the conference.
Speaking to growers, industry organisations and policymakers in the room, Kean framed climate action as both a necessity and an opportunity for the sector.
“Acting now will both reduce the industry’s emissions footprint and fortify the industry’s prospects in the face of a changing climate,” he said. “If we understand that acting on climate change is both an environmental imperative and an economic one, we can prosper.”
His remarks set the tone for a day of discussions exploring how growers, researchers and industry leaders are responding to a rapidly evolving operating environment in which climate pressures, water availability, plant health risks and shifting markets are increasingly interconnected.
Water is among the most urgent operational pressures. Across many horticultural regions, increasing drought frequency and tightening water allocations are forcing growers to rethink how water is used, managed and valued within production systems.
Chris Philpot, CEO of The Water Conservancy, challenged delegates to rethink water not simply as an input but as a strategic resource.
“The future of horticulture will belong to those who treat water as a strategic asset,” he said. “Using water efficiently means less pressure on rivers and groundwater, less energy used for pumping, and fewer nutrients lost through runoff.”
Chris Philpot, Eduardo Barbosa and Andy Cameron discuss strategies for managing water pressure during the AIPH Horticultural Industry Conference.
The panel discussion that followed explored how this shift is already reshaping production decisions. Philpot was joined by Eduardo Barbosa, R&D Manager at Hort Innovation, and Andy Cameron, Founder of Agnov8 and President of Greenlife Industry NSW & ACT.
Together, they explored how growers are investing more heavily in precision irrigation systems, soil moisture monitoring and water recycling infrastructure, technologies that allow them to respond more precisely to plant needs while reducing waste.
But the conversation also highlighted the policy dimension of the issue. As climate variability increases, participants noted that water governance and allocation frameworks will become just as important as technology in determining how the industry adapts.
For many in the room, the question was not simply how to use water more efficiently, but how the sector can maintain production in a future where water availability itself is becoming increasingly uncertain.
The discussion highlighted that water management is no longer only a matter of sustainability but also a strategic necessity for growers adapting to hotter climates and less predictable water supply. These pressures also intersect with another critical challenge for the industry: protecting plant health across increasingly complex production and trade systems.
If water scarcity represents the most immediate climate pressure, plant health remains one of the most significant long-term risks for the horticulture industry.
As plant movements and interconnected supply chains increase, balancing pest and disease protection with efficient trade grows more complex.
Celeste Cook, Project Manager at Greenlife Industry Australia, shared how the BioSecure HACCP programme encourages nurseries to embed biosecurity directly into production systems.
“Nurseries are the beginning of the supply chain,” she said. “Managing biosecurity at this stage has a major impact on plant movements and market access.”
Rather than relying solely on government inspection regimes, the system shifts from reactive inspection to continuous risk management, focusing on monitoring, training, and documentation throughout the production cycle.
Matt Dolan, CEO of New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated, explains the PlantPass certification system during the AIPH Horticultural Industry Conference.
Complementing this perspective, Matt Dolan, CEO of New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated (NZPPI), described the development of PlantPass, a collaborative certification system tailored to New Zealand’s biosecurity environment.
“Certification only works if the industry sees the value in it,” Dolan noted, highlighting the importance of industry engagement in building effective plant health frameworks.
Together, the two schemes illustrate how industry-led plant health management systems are evolving to balance both biosecurity protection and efficient plant trade.
Dr Audrey Timm, Technical Initiatives Manager at AIPH, introduces the organisation’s developing international Plant Health Framework.
Building on these national initiatives, Jack Goossens, AIPH Vice President and Chair of the Ornamentals Production Committee, joined Dr Audrey Timm, AIPH Technical Initiatives Manager, to introduce AIPH’s developing Voluntary Plant Health Management System.
“Strong national plant health systems already exist,” Goossens explained. “The challenge now is bringing them together into a framework that works internationally.”
The Voluntary Plant Health Management System aims to bring together robust national programmes from countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, the UK and the USA into a shared international approach that strengthens plant protection while supporting global horticultural trade.
While production challenges dominated the early discussions, the conference later examined how market dynamics around plants are evolving.
Mike Mehigan, CEO of Greenlife Industry NSW, reflected on how plant retailing in Australia has shifted in response to changing consumer lifestyles and growing interest in greening homes and urban environments.
Elyse Allum (Associate Marketing Manager, Hort Innovation). Photo credit: Ludovic Vilbert, Inwardout Studio.
At the same time, Elyse Allum, Associate Marketing Manager at Hort Innovation, introduced the Plant Value Report, a new initiative designed to demonstrate the measurable financial and well-being benefits that plants bring to households.
The initiative reflects a growing industry effort to better articulate the wider value of plants, not only as retail products but also as contributors to healthier homes, communities, and cities.
The final session turned to a topic that resonated strongly across the room: advocacy and the role industry organisations play in representing growers within complex supply chains and policy environments.
Nick Hutchinson, Chairman of Greenlife Industry Australia and General Manager of Fernland, shared insights from the organisation’s campaign to improve trading conditions for Australian growers in negotiations with major retailer Bunnings. In Australia, many growers rely heavily on large retailers, he explained, with some businesses depending on them for up to 80% of their sales. However, unclear timelines and the absence of binding commitments can place significant financial pressure on producers. For Hutchinson, long-term stability will depend on clearer commercial frameworks, stronger collaboration across the value chain, and attracting the next generation of horticulture professionals into the sector.
Nick Hutchinson, Chair of Greenlife Industry Australia, presents on collaboration between growers and retailers during the AIPH Horticultural Industry Conference.
The discussion that followed broadened to an international perspective during a panel chaired by AIPH Secretary General Tim Briercliffe.
Joining the discussion were Victor Santacruz, CEO of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, Leonardo Capitanio, AIPH President and former President of the Italian Nurserystock Exporters Association (ANVE), and José Antonio Restrepo Rada, Chairman of Asocolflores in Colombia and newly elected member of the AIPH Board.
Santacruz reflected on the long process of securing formal recognition of ornamental horticulture within Canada’s agricultural sector. Years of engagement with policymakers, supported by research demonstrating the wider functional value of plants beyond aesthetics, helped open the door to agricultural risk management programmes and new opportunities linked to urban landscape projects.
Capitanio pointed to the role industry advocacy played during the Xylella Crisis in southern Italy in the 2010s. Early containment measures required the destruction of all plants within a 300-metre radius of infected sites, causing devastating losses for nurseries. Through sustained dialogue with authorities, the industry succeeded in reducing the mandatory destruction zone to 50 metres. More than a decade later, the spread of the disease is now under control.
Industry leaders discuss advocacy during the “Getting the Best Deal for Growers” panel at the AIPH Horticultural Industry Conference in Sydney. From left: Tim Briercliffe, Nick Hutchinson, Leonardo Capitanio, Victor Santacruz and José Antonio Restrepo Rada.
Reflecting on the scale and complexity of the global flower trade, Restrepo highlighted the logistical coordination required during peak seasons.
“At peak season our industry coordinates around sixty cargo flights and more than 12,000 trucks to move flowers,” he said, illustrating the scale of the supply chains that connect growers with markets worldwide.
Restrepo also noted that Colombian flower exporters continue to face significant tariffs when trading with the United States, costing the industry an estimated $200 million and prompting ongoing lobbying efforts to improve market access.
Despite the diversity of markets represented, the discussion revealed a common challenge: ensuring that governments and major commercial partners clearly understand horticulture’s economic and environmental contributions. For many delegates, the conversation reinforced the importance of strong industry organisations in representing growers within increasingly complex regulatory and commercial environments.
Taken together, the discussions at the AIPH Meeting Sydney 2026 painted a picture of a horticultural industry navigating a period of significant transition.
Climate pressure, water scarcity, biosecurity risks and shifting consumer expectations are reshaping how ornamental horticulture operates worldwide.
The conference highlighted key developments across the sector: technological innovation, structured plant health systems and stronger advocacy, all aimed at helping growers respond to increasingly complex global challenges.
But as the opening speaker, Matt Kean, reminded delegates, the industry also has significant opportunities ahead.
“If we recognise that acting on climate change is both an environmental imperative and an economic one,” he said, “we can prosper.”
