The world’s favourite yellow fruit risks a slow march to eradication unless growers invest more in early detection methods such as aerial mapping, AgTechNavigator hears.
Plastic pollution in agricultural systems, much of it from fertilisers, has negative impacts on human health and productivity but little is known about concentrations of microplastics in soils. That is slowly changing, and recent studies examine both...
Most urban farms are decidedly low-tech such crops grown in soil on open-air plots. But owing to infrastructure, supplies such as fertiliser and irrigation water, they have a higher carbon footprint than conventionally grown produce, claims new research.
An open letter signed by 35 Nobel laureates and more than 1,000 European scientists has been sent to Members of the European Parliament, pleading with them to ‘reject the darkness of anti-science fearmongering’ and vote in favour of new genomic techniques...
Part of Horizon Europe, the EU's key funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion, Wageningen University and Research (WUR) will investigate nematodes (or roundworms) which are threatening major crops such as tomato...
To say that genetically modified (GM) crops have met past resistance from campaigners is an understatement. Might the potential environmental benefits of GM crops prove a tipping point?
Collaboration between industrial or commercial organisations and academic institutions is not as common as it should be, but such ventures provide a “huge benefit” for Australia’s agtech sector.
FA Bio claims to be revolutionising sustainable agriculture with the discovery of superior microbes for game-changing bio-products which can increase crop yields, protect biodiversity and replace chemical inputs, minimising the environmental impacts of...
Chemical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIS) have developed a coating that protects nitrogen-fixing bacteria from heat and humidity, which they claim could allow them to be deployed for large-scale agricultural use.
Krishna Kumar, co-founder and CEO of intelligence provider Cropin, shares his agri-food predictions for 2024, among them a growing convergence between healthcare and agtech sectors.
Wood distillate (WD) may be able to not only counteract the negative effects of bio-plastic in basil but also stimulate the growth of the plant, according to researchers in Italy.
Energy costs are lower in the Middle East compared to other parts of the world. But CEA and vertical farmers in the region are still looking to renewable energy sources and other new technologies to deal with the challenge of high energy consumption.
Global food ingredients supplier ofi is looking to improve social and labour conditions in its nut supply chains as well as foster climate smart agricultural practices, AgTechNavigator hears.
Canada-based precision ag-tech and clean-tech company CO2 GRO has agreed a Technology Adaptation Project (TAP) with a major US greenhouse lettuce grower to investigate how it can impact lettuce yield, product quality, CO2 savings, and overall financial...
The cultivation of Asparagopsis — a genus of edible red macro-algae native to Australia and New Zealand — could help to combat climate change at scale, according to Steve Meller, the co-founder and CEO of climate technology firm CH4 Global.
CoteX Technologies, a Canadian agricultural technology start-up, and Nutrien, the world’s largest provider of crop inputs and services, have announced they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work on the joint commercialisation of...
Microbial agtech ventures are undergoing a ‘revolution’ that aims to bring the nitrogen cycle back toward sustainability. However, their true potential risks being unfulfilled unless there is more investment and further scaling up to meet specific regional...
In our opening Agri-food Sustainability Report Card analysis we take a look at how global food giant Nestlé is faring in its efforts to adopt more environmentally-friendly processes and outcomes.
In the second edition of our Look Who's Funding series, we assess how BASF Venture Capital is seeking to revolutionise agriculture and improve overall sustainability through advanced technological solutions.
Danish agtech company Bioomix has raised US$6.7 million in an investment round led by Westhill Capital alongside existing investors Pre Seed Ventures and Planetary Impact Ventures.
Agriculture giant Bayer and leading UAE agri-food tech company Silal have joined forces in a ‘pioneering’ collaboration which aims to strengthen the agricultural landscape in the UAE and address climate change as a pivotal concern.
Gathering crop information via a raft of satellite remote sensing innovations has been touted as a key agtech success strategy, but what are its constraints and how can they be best overcome?
While the precision agriculture sector is a hotbed of innovation to maximise critical inputs, such as land, water, fuel, fertilizer, and pesticides, how strong is the evidence that it improves sustainability and, just as crucially, maximises yields?
Agri-food is a ‘locomotive’ driving growth in Brazil and beyond, says Francisco Jardim, co-founder and managing director at SP Ventures (SPV), a São Paulo-based early-stage fund investing in the agri-food tech sector across Latin America.
In our first Innovation Insider monthly feature we are shining the spotlight on China and assessing how the opportunities and challenges when comes to adopting innovative technologies to enhance agricultural productivity, improve food security and promote...
With its varied applications and potential to support sustainability efforts, biochar could play a crucial role in environmental remediation, say researchers in China and India.
After member states failed to reach the required qualified majority to renew or reject its approval during a vote, the European Commission is to renew the approval of glyphosate for another decade.
Venture capitalist (VC) and investment funds are crucial to helping agtech start-ups scale and fulfil their potential. But what are they looking for and what qualities should fledging firms possess? In the first of our AgTech Investor Portfolio Profiles,...
Agtech company RedSea, in partnership with technology company Iyris, has developed a heat-blocking roof to go over greenhouses and protect crops from hot weather. It absorbs the sun’s rays, saves water, and is easy to control, the company tells AgTechNavigator.
Despite being one of the largest importers of genetically modified (GM) crops, there are still significant hurdles spanning consumer, farmer and government sentiment in driving their widespread use in China.
In the first of our features looking at how major MNCs are making waves in the global ag-tech start-up space, which shine the spotlight on PepsiCo and its Greenhouse Accelerator Programme with initiatives spanning IoT, pest control, eco-fertilizers and...
The use of biological innovations and strategies to improve crop and soil health has seen a rapid rise in APAC on the back of increasing market demand for food that has been managed in a more natural and sustainable way – but more efficiency and accessibility...
India’s burgeoning agtech innovations could hold the key to transforming the country’s agri-food systems into sustainable enterprises, according to Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Founded in 2019, Toopi Organics specialises in the collection and transformation of human urine into microbial plant biostimulants for agricultural use.
Canada’s agtech sector should continue investing in innovation and avoid the scepticism prevalent in the EU towards topics such as GM, says University of Saskatchewan Professor and Agri-Food Innovation and Sustainability Enhancement Chair, Dr. Stuart...
Pollinator insects have always been vital for agriculture to flourish and to feed the world and their decline in recent years threatens the food system. But AI, IOT hardware and robotics could offer an artificial solution to a natural problem.
Global technology heavyweight Siemens believes that Singapore is well-placed to emerge as a major ‘brain’ in vertical farming, on the back of its recent collaboration with local modern indoor hydroponics farm Artisan Green.
Researchers are predicting that as global temperatures rise, wilderness areas closer to the earth’s poles will become newly suitable for growing crops, raising fears these 'valuable ecosystems' could be put at risk.
A ground-breaking system built on a combination of CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) and Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9) could significantly improve crop enhancement and food security through its genome-editing (GE)...
Consumers in the EU are increasingly backing moves to make agriculture more sustainable, with new data showing high awareness of topics such as clean water, biodiversity and fertile soil.
A raft of ag-tech innovations could be needed to stop the drop of bitterness levels in hops – a fundamental concern to the beer and brewing industries.
Collaboration between the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Corteva Agriscience has yielded three 'platinum-standard' genome sequences for pearl millet varieties, providing valuable insights into...
India-based BharatRohan and environmental consultancy firm Kosher Climate have joined hands to promote sustainable rice cultivation through the implementation of an advanced water-saving and carbon-reducing irrigation system.
An eight-point programme has been launched to scale-up innovation to enhance the resilience of ASEAN's agri-food systems in relation to climate change.
A new smart faming pilot project has been launched to verify the reduction of CO2 emissions from the use of Yunnan Yuntianhua's chemical fertilizer in China.
Exposures to two of the most popular herbicides were associated with worse brain function among adolescents, according to a study led by researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California...
