News and Analysis on Global Agri-Tech Innovation, Investment and Regulation
Despite numerous technological innovations, adoption of low-carbon rice cultivation practices remains dismal due to insufficient incentives and a failure to address “real-world problems”, according to industry experts.
Finding the perfect agtech solutions for the local reality is the holy grail for innovation, and it’s unlikely these will all come from Silicon Valley, says Golden Agri-Resource’s (GAR) chief sustainability and communications officer.
Everyone knows we need to produce more food, with fewer resources. But how is Asia’s agri-food sector turning words into action, and what more urgently needs to be done?
Fourteen start-ups offering disruptive, scalable solutions and technologies for the climate-stressed agricultural regions of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia will take centre stage at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in Dubai on December 9-10.
A new report flags the growing demand for data, circular innovation and market access for precision bred commodities in the UK.
Country profile
French agri-tech is alive with innovation despite recent company woes and the government falling short on its ambitions to help the sector go global.
Research led by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) has revealed that aesthetic grading, which focuses on the appearance of apples, leads to significant food losses without economically benefiting farmers.
AgTech Investor Profile
Silicon Valley has changed the world in the last 20 years; the way we communicate, the way we work, the way we shop. In the US, it has also transformed agricultural innovation. And not always for the better.
AgTechNavigator's FREE AgTech Innovation and Investment – APAC editorial webinar takes place on November 6. Register your attendance today so you don’t miss out. The event will start on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 5:00 PM SGT (Singapore).
Creating effective batteries is a critical part of renewable energy plans – and wine and coffee could hold the answer to cheaper, more efficient and more eco-friendly battery tech.
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.
Innovation Insider: Country profile
Will Denmark’s unprecedented carbon tax be replicated in other countries? Or is it simply another example of its unique willingness to challenge the status quo?
UK retailer Marks & Spencer has begun using drones and robot tractors to produce lower carbon parsnips.
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?
The UK government has announced next steps toward implementing the Precision Breeding Act, aimed at harnessing the benefits of gene editing technology in England.
The French poster child of the insect farming industry has filed a safeguard plan after failing to find enough financing for its expansion plans. Can it find cash from some investors?
Smallholder farmers are set to receive training, resources and financing to increase the share of food that reaches the market in a new initiative that aims to help companies meet sustainability commitments and futureproof supply chains.
Agtech investor profile
Investing at the dawn of Brazil’s agrifintech revolution has served as the basis of its success, says The Yield Lab Latam’s managing partner Kieran Gartlan.
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.
Food giants are still lagging in their decarbonisartion efforts to meet high-level climate targets, according to analysis.
Pairwise, the US technology company using gene editing to improve plant breeding in specialty and commodity crops, has closed a $40M Series C funding.
Insect farming allows us to farm sustainably and enrich foods in a way that harms the planet significantly less than traditional protein sources, an expert insists.
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.
Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and machine learning can provide quick, accurate, and cost-effective product analysis of the chemical composition of agri materials, removing the need for expensive lab tests and putting the tech in the hands of workers...
The ‘next phase’ of agtech investments will need to prioritise farmer adoption and implementation in order to have a significant impact, as opposed to the development – and piloting – of countless new innovations.
Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is inviting start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises with innovative agtech solutions to apply for the India Australia Rapid Innovation Start-up Expansion (RISE) Accelerator.
Singapore-based DiMuto, which uses blockchain, AI, and IoT technologies to digitise and optimise the global agrifood supply chain, has announced it has successfully closed its Series A funding round, securing a total of US$5.9 million.
The start-up’s platform connecting each stage in the fresh produce supply chain has helped saved the equivalent to 655,000 meals, its first impact report shows.
Scientists claim to have made a significant breakthrough in agricultural biotechnology by using CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the potato genome, resulting in plants with increased resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses.
3D printing offers effective, scalable way to remove harmful chemicals, according to scientists.
Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and machine learning can provide quick, accurate, and cost-effective product analysis of the chemical composition of agri materials, removing the need for expensive lab tests and putting the tech in the hands of workers...
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.
US-based Denali, which turns food waste into valuable products such as fertiliser, renewable energy and biodiesel, has revealed a new collaboration with Walmart.
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.
New peer-reviewed academic research challenges a key premise of the environmental case for insect farming, a global industry that has received billions of dollars in support from investors, major companies, and governments in recent years.
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.
Comment
We can now detect extreme weather events far earlier than before, allowing us to more effectively combat food shortages. We have the tech – now we need the funding.
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.
Innovation in biologicals is booming, but solutions, including in the supply chain, are also needed so that they can better fit into existing agriculture systems.
A new tie-up between agritech giant Corteva Agriscience and Dutch accelerator StartLife, which supports start-ups in the food and agriculture sectors, aims to enable solutions through open innovation and speed the path to market breakthrough agrifood...
It’s a question we put to Sao Paulo, Brazil-based Aqua Capital, a private equity firm investing in sustainable and innovative companies within the ag and food sectors, which has announced the final closing of its Ag & Food PE Fund III (Fund III).
A bipartisan bill introduced into the US House of Representatives aims at promoting agricultural sustainability and supporting efforts to reduce methane emissions by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030.
In a groundbreaking move, Syngenta Group has announced that it is expanding access to its genome-editing and breeding technologies to academic researchers globally.
Created using the US company’s proprietary gene editing platform that offers novel tools for CRISPR application in plants, this is the first time seedlessness has been achieved in any caneberry it says.
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?
Portfolio Profiles
AgTechNavigator caught up with SparkLabs Cultiv8, an Australian-based accelerator programme that supports early-stage agri-food tech and cleantech startups from ideation to commercialisation.
News
Eleven farmers across the globe will receive financial backing from innocent Drinks to help support projects that safeguard the future of fruit and vegetables.