World Bank‑hosted fund unveils $38m boost for smallholder farmers in drive to tackle food insecurity
New grants aim to raise farmer incomes, strengthen producer organisations and build resilience to climate and economic shocks
Funding, mergers & acquisitions
South Korea accelerates AI deployment with U$27m marine and fisheries investment
South Korea will inject KRW40bn (U$26.75m) over two years to push artificial intelligence solutions out of the lab and into real‑world as part of a national move to build a globally competitive marine and fisheries industry.
Philanthropy steps in where VC won’t: DSV and Renaissance launch venture engine for climate‑ready crops
Deep Science Ventures and Renaissance Philanthropy unveil a new venture creation project aimed at building a generation of field‑ready crop‑resilience technologies backed not by traditional VC capital, but by high‑ambition philanthropic funding willing...
German start-up Eternal.ag secures €8M to launch fully autonomous greenhouse harvesting robot
With greenhouse labour availability collapsing across Europe, Eternal.ag says its AI‑driven Harvester can keep production running 22 hours a day
Halter raises NZD $377m to drive global expansion as virtual fencing demand surges
New Zealand’s AI-enabled livestock tech unicorn hits US$2bn valuation and prepares for major UK, Ireland and South America launch
Investor profile
Xinomavro Ventures wants to drag the wine industry into the digital age
The world’s only wine‑focused tech investment fund says vineyards are facing agricultural challenges sooner – and more severely – than other sectors. Xinomavro Ventures believes that makes them the ideal proving ground for new ag innovations
Living Models emerges from stealth with $7m to build AI ‘foundation models’ for plant genomics
Paris-Berkeley-based start-up unveils BOTANIC, an open‑weight genomic transformer trained on 43 plant species, and says its approach could cut years from the seed development cycle
Leaps by Bayer’s PJ Amini pushes back after critics say new Playbook alienates early‑stage innovators
VP PJ Amini says the updated Ag Playbook 2.0 framework is meant to equip founders, not deter them, with clearer data on timelines, costs and development hurdles
Gene‑edited crops draw record investor backing as Tropic lands $105m to scale climate‑resilient bananas and rice
UK agri‑biotech Tropic has closed an oversubscribed $105m Series C, the biggest raise yet for a gene‑edited tropical crops company, as investors double down on CRISPR‑enabled tools to boost yield, fight disease and strengthen climate resilience across...
Amatera banks €6M to turbo‑charge AI‑powered crop breeding
Paris‑based start-up Amatera has raised €6 million to accelerate its high‑throughput, cell‑level breeding platform, aiming to slash the time and cost of developing climate‑resilient crop varieties
Cytotrait claims breakthrough for ultra‑high trait expression as it closes £3M seed round
UK spinout says its organelle‑engineering platform could unlock traits not possible to achieve with nuclear genome editing, as investors back new crop development programmes across Europe and North America
Resurrect Bio brings plant immunity back to life with AI‑driven gene editing
UK start‑up claims competitive edge in race for sustainable crop protection as it accelerates gene‑edited traits for soy, corn, wheat, potato, tomato, spinach – and soon cotton and canola
Wine Australia overhauls innovation financing with new fund to boost sector resilience
Wine Australia is reforming innovation funding by combining government matching, private investment and strategic partnerships to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness, sustainability, and long-term resilience.
Agtech funding recap for Feb. 2026: Kubota invests in Kilter, Corteva Catalyst in Resurrect Bio
Does a recent slew of agtech funding news point to a broader investment trend for 2026?
Securing the future: Nihon Agri raises over U$8m to overhaul value chain, accelerate expansion
Japan’s Nihon Agri has raised JPY1.3bn (US$8.26m) to optimise its value chain as it scales its business for future growth.
Dyson Farming and KWS join Wild Bio in five‑year sprint to commercial precision-bred wheat breakthrough
University of Oxford spinout expects precision‑bred wheat to reach UK farms within around five years, following the launch of a new consortium with seed giant KWS and Dyson Farming, the UK’s largest commercial farming operation
SP Ventures hits $50m milestone for third fund, after ‘watershed year’ in 2025
SP Ventures is attracting global investors into its third fund – a tough fund for venture capitalists
DSM‑Firmenich’s €2.2bn ANH exit underscores ‘barbell’ reality in animal health investment
Divestment to CVC highlights how volatility is reshaping capital allocation in animal nutrition, while specialist investors continue to see upside in value‑add animal health plays
Investors back Gabon potash mine as fertiliser prices rise
Millennial Potash Corp. has secured $18.3 million in fresh funding to accelerate development of its Banio Potash Project in Gabon, as investors increasingly seek exposure to new fertiliser supply sources amid ongoing geopolitical shocks
UK backs next wave of low‑emission farming tech with £1.34m innovation boost
DEFRA and Innovate UK target methane‑cutting feed, climate‑smart crops, biochar fertilisers and advanced waste-to-energy solutions across 15 projects
Heritable gets $5M for AI crop resilience as Africa emerges as agtech’s next frontier
Heritable Agriculture, the AI-powered crop improvement start‑up spun out of Google X, has secured a $4.98 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance climate‑resilient crops for smallholder farmers across Africa and other low- and...
Shaping outcomes: Funding differences steer agtech development across emerging markets
Agtech startups in emerging markets are developing along divergent paths as funding differences determine which solutions attract capital and achieve viable exits.
BASF to acquire biocontrol company AgBiTech, marking first M&A move of 2026
BASF started 2026 by scooping up a biological insect control company, as the chemical giant prepares to spin-off a portion of its agriculture business in 2027
Wild Bio and The Traits Company join forces to accelerate next-gen soybean development
UK ag-biotech Wild Bioscience and US-based The Traits Company announce a strategic collaboration to fast-track differentiated soybean varieties – validating demand for Wild Bio’s AI-powered trait design platform
VC for fighting biodiversity loss: Superorganism closes $25.9m debut fund
Superorganism is on a mission to address biodiversity loss with a portfolio of technology companies tackling the drivers of biodiversity loss
Moa Technology secures third major industry partner in 18 months with Certis Belchim collaboration
The UK-based herbicide innovator has joined forces with Certis Belchim to co-develop next-generation Moa Amplifier™ solutions, reinforcing growing industry demand for next-gen crop protection technologies
State of VC in agtech: Will 2026 be the year funding — finally — rebounds?
An agtech funding renaissance did not materialize in 2025, but venture capitalists are hopeful a new floor is firmly established this year, with AI and robotics leading the sector to its next growth stage
Investing in Brazil: How COP30 put the country’s ag sector ‘on the map’ in 2025
COP30 was a major branding event for Brazil’s sustainable ag sector, fueling investor interest in regen ag, AI, and digital farming
BASF exits glycinates as Biochem and private equity step up in animal nutrition M&A
German chemical company to sharpen focus on vitamins and carotenoids
Exclusive: Agreenculture banks €6m to fast‑track ‘plug‑and‑play’ autonomy – and the ROI to win over farmers
French start-up Agreenculture has raised €6 million to industrialise its certified, retrofit autonomy kit for tractors and implements. By emphasising quick payback and a simple integration path for OEMs, the company says it can turn autonomy from a...
How this Chilean aquaculture company uses oxygen to improve sustainability
Chile’s past with ecological disasters is spurring interest in sustainable aquaculture and the use of technology — like Oxzo — to secure the country’s food system
Private sector ramps up Australia’s agri R&D funding as government investment declines
Australian agricultural R&D funding is seeing more funding from the private sector as government pulls back investments, says new report.
Agtech VC trends in Q3 2025: AI spurs interest in robotics, biologicals slump
The flight to quality continues in agtech, as interest in robotics picks up fueled by general interest in AI and automation
Irish firm gets ESA backing to bring satellite-powered fertiliser tool to grassland farmers
Proveye wins European Space Agency funding to deploy ProvVari – a precision fertiliser platform designed to cut costs, boost yields, and curb emissions across Europe’s pasture-based dairy and beef systems
Rhizocore’s £4.5m funding fuels expansion of fungal tech for tree growth
Scottish biotech Rhizocore Technologies is using tailored fungal networks to boost tree survival and growth. With fresh funding, the company plans to scale production and expand into North America’s vast forestry market
COP30
Gates Foundation invests $1.4bn in farmers impacted by extreme weather
The Gates Foundation was one of many organizations making large commitments to support farmers and the agrifood system at COP30
‘We want a progressive relaunch’: How Naïo Technologies plots its comeback
After a tumultuous 12 months, French ag robotics pioneer Naïo Technologies is charting a gradual reintroduction to the market as it adapts to the ongoing crisis in wine production
Ginkgo and Bayer double down on microbial nitrogen fixation in renewed alliance
Ginkgo Bioworks and Bayer have extended their multi-year partnership to develop microbial nitrogen fixation technology that could reduce reliance on synthetic fertilisers
Source.ag secures $17.5M to scale applied AI for growers in CEA
Backed by strategic investors including Enza Zaden and Harvest House, Netherlands-based Source.ag’s latest funding round highlights demand for AI tools that deliver measurable, daily value to greenhouse operators
‘Challenges don’t exist in silos’: New Alternate Futures Innovation Centre champions collective innovation to drive real impact
Newly announced Alternate Futures Innovation Centre aims to connect ideas and technologies to address complex challenges that are too often tackled in isolation.
Arevo raises €7.3M to scale bio-based fertiliser that boosts soy yields and slashes nitrogen emissions
Swedish start-up Arevo hopes to launch in Brazil in 2027 thanks to a €7.3 million funding round to expand its arginine-powered fertiliser and launch into global markets
$14M boost to unlock credit for Africa’s smallholders
New financing model aims to catalyze $200M in private sector lending across five African nations
AI automation company Agtonomy eyes global, market expansion with closure of $18m Series B round
Agtonomy is expanding into new markets and geographies with the support of a Series B round and a disciplined capital approach
Ambition to action: APAC agtech investment landscape more ‘focused and pragmatic’
Asia Pacific’s agrifood sector is at a critical juncture as investors streamline priorities to focus on food security, supply chain stability, climate resilience, and adaptation
BASF to partially divest agricultural solutions division via IPO in 2027
€10bn unit to gain autonomy as BASF reshapes its agribusiness strategy under “Winning Ways”
The Reservoir launches evergreen VC fund to support start-ups in AI, robotics, precision ag
The Reservoir continues its venture capital (VC) discipline with a new fund targeted at early-stage agtech start-ups
Biofungicide start-up Ascribe Bio closes $12m Series A round to support global rollout
Ascribe Bio is nearing regulatory approval for its biofungicide in Brazil and the U.S. and will use funds from a Series A round to support the launches
Ecorobotix secures $150M to supercharge AI-powered crop protection
Precision sprayer Ecorobotix has raised $150 million across Series C and D rounds to accelerate its expansion into new markets, deepen product development, and advance its proprietary AI technology
Phagos secures approval to market personalized phage-based veterinary drugs in EU
French biotech raises €25m to scale AI-powered phage therapy
Italy’s Maia Ventures launches €55M fund to back agri-food start-ups that need ‘polishing, not reinvention’
New Italy-based VC says it’s part of a more disciplined wave of investors focused on scalable, science-driven solutions to real food system challenges