News and Analysis on Global Agri-Tech Innovation, Investment and Regulation
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is partnering with EIT Food, the world’s largest food innovation community, to launch a new accelerator bub for start-ups in the EU.
The Danish company has secured €3.5 million in seed funding to develop a sustainable and decentralised method for producing ammonia.
Private equity firm and renewable energy investor Capital Dynamics has raised €185 million to finance two of Italy's largest agrivoltaics projects in Sicily.
Farmers are not resistant change, says Phil Bicknell, CEO at the newly merged UK-Agri-Tech Centre. But the “three Cs” of communication, collaboration and cash are needed to help them adopt newer sustainable practices.
The innovation being eyed by Gates Foundation's agtech arm has potential to be deployed in richer nations, says Trey Key, its director of business development. But he warns that ag requires more time for technology integration compared to other sectors.
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GenAI and AI platforms continue to develop at a fast pace, experts from Microsoft and Syngenta Group told the recent World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London. But ‘humans in the loop’ are needed to develop dependable frameworks for validating...
Cautious farmers are more concerned with ROI and less willing to experiment with new products and technologies, according to a new global report from McKinsey.
Terviva, the company aiming to plant 200 million pongamia trees over 10 years for food, feed and fuel, has received investment from Chevron Renewable Energy Group, as mining giant Rio Tinto also looks to pongamia as a feedstock for renewable diesel...
A project by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, in partnership with US tech company Pairwise, will employ gene editing to support the yam in industry in Nigeria and wider region.
Valid concerns about their use have led to some negative perceptions. But it’s time to be more agnostic regarding the use of both synthetic and natural ingredients in crop protection, believes Moa Technology.
The company that provides digital solutions to help farmers and agribusinesses optimise their operations has raised €36 million in a Series C funding round.
Recoup’s prebiotic sparkling beverages hit the shelves at 420 Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide, as the company leans into gut health and regenerative agriculture claims to deliver consumer demands for functional and environmental benefits.
Sustainability report card
The meat giant’s climate ambitions are ‘unwavering’, according to its latest sustainability report. Is it making genuine progress or just hot air?
Lloyds Banking Group and Soil Association Exchange have joined forces to offer what they call a ‘first of its kind’ environmental baselining assessment in a bid to create more sustainable and profitable farming practices.
International Seed Federation members are calling for harmonised regulations on new breeding technologies such as genome editing to accelerate impactful innovation.
Agtech investor profile
It’s currently a challenging time for venture capitalists in the sector. But Tim Hoerr, founder and CEO of Serra Ventures, can’t think of a better category to be in.
PlantArcBio, an Israeli company specialising in gene discovery and biological components to enhance agricultural crop traits, has announced a global research and development collaboration with Brazilian sugarcane company Centro de Tecnologia Canavieria...
Innovation Insider Country profile
After the crisis in funding in 2023, India’s agtech landscape is adjusting. But can investment be directed to the right places? Harry Holmes investigates.
Farming businesses on the journey to more sustainable practices can now receive discounts on loan fees as part of a new HSBC UK initiative.
Sea Gardener wants to transform the Nile Delta's shellfish sector into a sustainable, export-ready industry that boosts Africa’s food security.
Agtech company Terra Vera has launched a new division to address the critical issue of declining bee populations.
PheroSyn, a spin-out from Rothamsted Research in the UK, has secured new funding to advance its pheromones-based pest management solutions.
With only an estimated 3.3% of the UK’s farmed area currently practicing agroforestry, the supermarket has launched a new agroforestry initiative aiming to boost agroforestry adoption and help farmers integrate trees effectively while maintaining other...
The Nestle-subsidiary has just unveiled its first ever honey products in the US in a move that illustrates the key potential benefits of regenerative agriculture for FMCGs: premium taste and supply chain sustainability.
Halter’s virtual fencing technology has just launched in the US, where it insists it can help the beef and dairy industries become more productive and more sustainable. And despite concerns from some – but not all – welfare groups, the company’s system...
Micropep Technologies, which creates natural crop protection and stimulation products using micropeptides, has announced a $29 million Series B funding round and unveiled a proprietary discovery platform called Krisalix.
With farmers under the age of 35 making up just 9% of the US farming industry, PepsiCo Foods North America has launched the Planting Pathways Initiative (PPI) to expand opportunities in the sector.
Sustainability report card
Agribusiness giant Bunge has announced progress towards eliminating deforestation from its supply chains by 2025 in its 2024 Global Sustainability Report. But critics remain unconvinced.
Plant scientists in the UK are demanding clarity from the new government to unlock the potential economic and environmental benefits of new precision breeding techniques such as gene editing.
Strawberries are one of a wide range of crops impacted by the high temperatures of climate change.
We caught up with India’s Cropin Technology, which has just partnered with Google's Gemini generative AI chatbot to launch Sage, a real-time intelligence platform for the agricultural sector.
Co-op has unveiled plans to support its British farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices to boost sustainability and address future environmental issues.
AGTECH START-UP FOUNDER INSIGHTS
Argentina-based Unibaio is a biotechnology company that develops innovative microparticles to improve the performance and sustainability of agrochemicals. Its key technology involves creating biodegradable nanocapsules made from natural polymers that can...
A project unveiled by Lipton aims to improve tea production standards and create data and resources that can benefit the whole industry.
Zinc can make crop yields more climate-resilient, particularly for legume crops, according to new research. Separately, Israeli BetterSeeds has achieved USDA approval for the world's first gene-edited cowpea.
Yes, its broad principles offer a promising path towards sustainable nutrition and food security for the future. But without a standard definition regen ag risks becoming a soon-disregarded fad, it has been warned.
Energy crops can be used for heat, electricity and even biofuels like bioethanol. They will become more important as the world transitions away from fossil fuels, say researchers from the University of Surrey in the UK.
Biomass made from a species of purple bacteria typically found in marine sediments, seawater pools and mud flats is an ‘excellent nitrogen fertiliser’, according to research published in the journal Sustainable Agriculture.
Mitti Labs, a tech-enabled project developer focused on sustainable agriculture, specifically in the rice farming sector, has unveiled five rice projects in India to reduce methane emissions, increase water security and build farmer resilience.
The global ag-food system has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with middle-income countries (MICs) in particular needing to reverse their collective role as the world’s largest emitters of GHGs related to ag-food.
Despite being backed by a world-renowned science base, the UK's agri-tech industry grapples with significant challenges in translating its research into practical applications for end-users.
Not even the innovators themselves are backing on-pack carbon footprint labelling to save the planet from rising global temperatures. Here's why.
The concept of polyploidy has hit the headlines. But what is it – and why are scientists keen to learn more about its potential impact in agriculture?
Greater variety within agricultural areas is a potential win-win for farmers and nature.
Agtech solutions must address financing for smallholder farmers, together with scope 3 emissions, and inequity across multiple sectors of the industry in order to meet sustainability goals. This was the consensus among panellists at a recent webinar...
Lettuce cultivars should be selected for their ability to thrive under varying light conditions in order to maximise production in vertical farming, say researchers in Thailand.
Degradation of the earth’s extensive natural pastures due to overuse, climate change and biodiversity loss poses a severe threat to the world’s food supply, the UN warns in a stark report. But can pastoralism produce enough food to feed the future world...
Seven disruptive start-ups have been selected to drive agri-food innovation and economic growth in the country, offering innovative solutions to enhance the agrifood value chain, improve commercial exchanges, and introduce high-value crops.
Waitrose, a premium grocer with over 350 shops in the UK, and part of Britain's largest employee-owned retailer, the John Lewis Partnership, says it is committing to support more than 2,000 of its British farmers to move to regenerative farming...