News and Analysis on Global Agri-Tech Innovation, Investment and Regulation
Scientists in Sweden say they have taken an important step towards combating potato late blight, a destructive plant disease historically linked to Ireland’s Great Famine and now spreading more widely as climate change reshapes growing conditions.
After validating its four-step regenerative framework across 35 pilots in 25 countries, Geneva-based SAI Platform says the results offer global food and beverage supply chains a practical, flexible route to scale regenerative farming without losing local...
With capital tightening and exits slow to materialise, Leaps by Bayer’s Derek Norman argues that agtech must adopt a tougher, more disciplined mindset – testing to fail early, not to validate success – if it wants to remain investable
Start-up profile
As peptides, dsRNA and other fragile biological actives move closer to market, Italian nano‑biotech Nanomnia believes growth will increasingly come from developers who need delivery to be enabling, not incremental
New data from BIA BioSolutions shows UK biosolutions companies have raised £1.46bn in equity since 2018, underlining the sector’s growing importance as policymakers and industry look for domestic, biology‑based solutions to insulate the economy from...
Biosolutions company Rovensa Next is rolling out a global AI platform and training academy to help distributors and growers move from fragmented biosolutions data to more practical, crop‑specific and evidence‑based recommendations in the field
Ultra‑low asparagine wheat developed by Rothamsted Research shows how precision gene editing can help food producers meet tightening safety regulations, without sacrificing productivity, marking a significant step forward for safer, more compliant food...
As fertiliser prices surge following geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East, UK growers are under pressure to cut input costs without sacrificing yields. A new on‑farm collaboration between crop intelligence company Messium and a Northamptonshire grower...
A new partnership between plant biomanufacturing start-up Foray Bioscience and New York-based nut tree breeder Z’s Nutty Ridge aims to overcome one of agriculture’s hardest scaling problems: how to commercialise elite varieties of long‑lived perennial...
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...
Miraterra is piecing together a complete soil analytic software service, with the help of capital funding and its acquisition of Trace Genomics
The QUOLL electronic nose from Australia is moving toward commercialisation as researchers advance field validation and prepare the technology for wider use on farms.
Investor profile
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
Agri‑tech innovation is often synonymous with automation, robotics, AI and gene‑edited crops. But for many farming communities around the world, transformative technology looks very different. Sometimes it’s not an algorithm or a sensor, but a tool...
The UK’s first crop of ‘low‑carbon’ potatoes has arrived on supermarket shelves, marking a milestone in efforts to prove that more sustainably produced foods can secure both retailer backing and mass‑market consumer uptake
Agri Smile is preparing to distribute its biostimulant in Vietnam after field trials saw an increase in rice yields by 43% while delivering a sixfold return on investment.
The UK’s flagship farm‑payment scheme has been overhauled into a more streamlined, delivery‑focused model. But will SFI26’s push toward measurable, on‑farm action transform precision agriculture into a practical necessity for British farmers?
The European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture says its new Regen Compass provides a trusted, farmer‑centred navigation tool to bring clarity and integrity to Europe’s fast‑growing but fragmented regenerative agriculture landscape
With major evidence gaps remaining around how PFAS behave in soils and what this means for food systems, the government has launched new plan to track ‘forever chemicals’
With sugar beet under pressure in France’s climate‑stressed Grand Est region, the French MMRV specialist teams up with beet producer Cristal Union and the University of Reims to harness AI, primary data and a farm ‘digital twin’ to accelerate the...
A breakthrough by scientists at the John Innes Centre and the Earlham Institute has revealed for the first time how “mother plants” pass environmental information directly to their developing seeds – a finding that could transform approaches to crop...
New research hub aims to fast‑track regenerative practices across McCain’s 4,400‑farm global network as latest data shows progress slipping from 71% to 69%
Brazil is a major importer of fertiliser, but one Canadian company is planning to flip the script with a potash mining project set to launch in 2030
Proper soil testing can be a crucial first step in developing a fertiliser plan that improves soil health and reduces expenses
Redox Bio-Nutrients has certified the composition, efficacy, and safety of its Mainstay Si product with The Fertilizer Institute, as farmers across the globe search for ways to reduce their input costs amid market volatility
State of the Sector
In this State of the Sector report, AgTechNavigator examines how rice production is evolving under the pressures of climate volatility, labour shortages and rising costs, highlighting how innovation and policy is impacting this important staple crop.
Investor profile
Investor Naeem Lakhani believes fixing human health starts with fixing soils. His agtech fund, The First Thirty, is raising €100m to back companies connecting soil biology, food quality, and human health – powered by AI and collapsing genomics costs
As regenerative agriculture gains momentum, UK-based Soil Acoustics has unveiled a handheld tool that uses sound to assess soil biodiversity – offering farmers a faster, more scientific alternative to traditional tests
The European Commission’s plan to streamline pesticide and biocontrol approvals promises faster access to innovation – but health groups warn it could weaken safeguards
Influential former NFU president Baroness Batters calls for a “new deal” for British farming, highlighting that despite enthusiasm for technology it too often fails to align to business needs or find practical application on farms
Soil Association Exchange is taking its model to Europe, starting with eight farms in Spain. The goal: to measure and reward environmental improvements, strengthen resilience and accelerate regenerative transitions amid mounting climate and regulatory...
Lloyds Bank has launched a dedicated Agricultural Transition Finance loan to help UK farmers overcome early cashflow barriers to regenerative and sustainable systems
World Vegetable Centre’s okra trials show biochar can simultaneously increase vegetable yields, improve soil health, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting its potential as a cornerstone of climate-smart, regenerative agriculture.
The Trump admin bolsters regenerative agriculture with a pilot programme, as part of the broader Make America Healthy Again initiative
Improving soil health is not just about doing what’s right for the environment, as soil’s ability to sequester carbon and promote resiliency can be a key investment opportunity
A six-inch box buried in the soil might hold the key to powering agriculture’s digital future. So believes UK-based Bactery, which is pioneering bacteria-powered “soil batteries” that generate clean, continuous energy from the natural activity of...
Backed by the Bezos Earth Fund, the Earth Rover Program has launched a global initiative to make soil health visible, measurable, and actionable using seismic technology without disturbing the ground. Its goal: to transform how farmers and scientists...
Born from Imperial College and Royal College of Art’s innovation labs, Muju Earth is tackling one of agriculture’s toughest challenges of soil degradation with Aeropod, a biodegradable capsule designed to restore soil health and cut costs. Its mission:...
Hemp seed and genetic company Flura is working with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to demonstrate the potential of biosolids for use in sustainable agriculture and hemp production
Bayer’s Crop Science Division has teamed up with UK agritech start-up Elaniti to harness the power of soil biology and artificial intelligence. The goal? To help farmers improve crop performance and sustainability by decoding the hidden signals in the...
Swedish company Arevo introduces Arginex, a molecularly defined crop nutrition technology that combines arginine with phosphate to deliver consistent performance, reduce nitrogen waste, and help farmers move away from mineral fertilisers
A multi-institutional study conducted in Bangladesh finds pairing reduced nitrogen use with low-emission rice varieties can cut emissions without compromising yield.
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
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
U.S. farmers are preparing for next year’s season with the help of Loveland Products’ fertiliser biocatalyst Titan XC and Extract XC
A pioneering initiative launched by EIT Food and partners aims to transform 20,000 hectares in Lower Silesia into a regenerative farming model – combining soil health, biodiversity, and farmer profitability to accelerate Europe’s sustainable food transition
A project led by Bosch has successfully demonstrated how AI-powered sprayers can detect and treat Black-grass infestations with pinpoint accuracy – cutting herbicide use and boosting long-term weed control
Ginkgo Bioworks and Bayer have extended their multi-year partnership to develop microbial nitrogen fixation technology that could reduce reliance on synthetic fertilisers
Italian start-up Prospecto is embedding machine learning into agricultural machinery to help wine producers monitor grape clusters, foliage, and yields in real time – reducing input costs and enabling smarter, data-driven decisions
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