Cargill deepens investment in Brazil’s booming feed sector
US agribusiness giant is set to acquire 100% of the operations of a Brazilian animal nutrition company
AI
Aspen Ideas Festival panel discusses persistent hurdles to agtech adoption
S2G Investments, Kula Bio, GX Agriculture, and Breakthrough Energy representatives discussed how to enable agtech adoption, creating a more sustainable sector in the process
PLF pioneer SoundTalks plots growth after Boehringer distribution partnership winds down
SoundTalks continues to have backing of existing shareholders, illustrating a confidence in the company and the future of PLF, according to the CEO
World Agri-Tech South America Summit 2025
AI for crop optimization: BASF, Solinftec discuss tech at World Agri-Tech South America Summit
Companies from BASF to Solinftec are using AI to create on-farm efficiencies, reducing the dependence on fertilizers and increasing crop yields
Upskilling workers ‘essential’ to realise benefits of AI-driven farming, report says
The rapid expansion of AI applications in agriculture – particularly those collecting data and providing real-time advice – will significantly impact workforce needs in the sector, according to the UK-based Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture...
Commercializing phages: Inside three pioneering companies
As the global agriculture industry wrestles with AMR, tighter regulations, and the call for sustainability, bacteriophage-based solutions have emerged as a promising - but complex - alternative to antibiotics
Opinion
When AGI meets agtech: The convergence that changes everything
AGI (or artificial general intelligence) is here and defined as AI that can understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a broad range of tasks at a level equal to or surpassing human intelligence. In this guest article, Mark S. Brooks – the climate...
Has ESG momentum slowed amid geopolitical disruption?
‘Investors are becoming more discerning, not less committed’
Harnessing enzymes to tackle livestock methane: Hoofprint Biome’s bold bet on microbiome innovation
Methane busting startup closed $15m Series A round late last month
WATCH: Syngenta’s Feroz Sheikh discusses AI’s improvements
AI products have become increasingly use-case focused over the last 12 months, believes Feroz Sheikh, chief information and digital officer at Syngenta Group.
WATCH: Enko’s Tom Meade explains how AI can make better ag biologicals
AI was a big theme of the recent World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco, where attendees heard realistic discussions about how to put AI to best use in agriculture.
Overheard at World Agri-Tech: 8 talking points for the sector to ponder
The World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit hit San Francisco last week. Here’s some topics that stood out.
How AI healthcare advancements are accelerating innovation in ag
Thanks to rapid recent progress, AI technologies originally developed for healthcare are finding applications in agriculture.
$1b global package wants to boost weather services for farmers in impoverished regions
A $1 billion scheme aims to give hundreds of millions of farmers across Asia, Latin America and Africa greater access to weather data to help them manage the effects of climate change.
Does TIME’s best invention list mark a shift in how the world views agtech?
Agtech companies are celebrating recognition in TIME magazine’s best inventions for 2024. Does it mark a turning point in wider perceptions of the industry?
Meet the 14 AgTech start-ups set to take centre stage at World Agri-Tech MEASA
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.
What does Bowery’s closure tell us about the future of vertical farming?
Bowery Farming may not be the last vertical farming company to fail before the sector begins a period of more stable scaling and growth.
Watch: Farms are crying out for innovation, says UK-Agri-Tech Centre CEO
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.
Last chance to register for FREE webinar dissecting Asia’s growing agri-food ecosystem
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).
WATCH: Microsoft and Syngenta discuss the impact of AI in ag
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...
Overheard at World Agri-Tech – 11 talking points for the sector to ponder
From regen ag to AI and biologicals… what’s hot and what’s not in agtech? This and much more was discussed at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London.
Sustainability report card
Are JBS’s sustainability commitments meaningless without more transparency?
The meat giant’s climate ambitions are ‘unwavering’, according to its latest sustainability report. Is it making genuine progress or just hot air?
'Seasonality can kill you as a company': Can a new standards framework help bring successful products to market quicker?
A new standard-setting playbook edited by Leaps By Bayer, the impact investment arm of Bayer, aims to spur innovation and investment across the sector.
Innovation Insider Country profile
India: Are the bets back on?
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.
How AI can slash indoor farming energy use
Integrating artificial intelligence into today’s environmental control systems could reduce energy consumption for indoor agriculture by 25% – potentially helping to feed the world as its population rises, Cornell University engineers have found.
Can compostable packaging help drive regen ag adoption?
This is certainly the hope of US company Better Earth, which recently unveiled the first compostable foodservice packaging made exclusively with materials grown using regenerative agriculture methods.
‘Fast and efficient’: How new near-infrared tech and machine-learning enables on-the-ground chemical testing of agri products
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...
‘We can recognize cows from 50 feet away’: AI-powered app can identify cattle in a snap
406 Bovine leverages facial recognition technology to create ‘digital twins’ of cattle, enabling producers to pull up wellness, movement and treatment data by simply taking a photo of their animals’ heads.
US-China drone row latest: new coalition forms to oppose ban
In response to proposed legislation aimed at banning China-made drones in the US, a group of American distributors have come together to fight the ruling.
Can GenAI really predict the future of crop yields? Ask Cropin
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.
Start-up’s fundraise illustrates need to address climate credit’s ‘chequered’ past
Mitti Labs, which aims to reduce methane emissions in rice farming, has just secured $3 million in equity investment thanks to its prospects of being able to meet rising demand for verified carbon credits.
AI ‘vet tech’ set to improve animal welfare and efficiency on dairy farms
UK supermarket Sainsbury’s claims it is the first retailer in the world to invest in new AI veterinary technology used to measure and enhance positive animal welfare on dairy farms, which could revolutionise the approach to cattle care.
AI in crop development: The future is here
How scientists are helping the food industry to grow crops, using AI.
UK agtech faces funding, scalability challenges amid sustainability and Brexit concerns
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.
Portfolio Profiles
SparkLabs Cultiv8 on how to create strong financial returns and meaningful impact
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.
Global ag is ‘dishearteningly under-optimised’: Hexafarms gets €1.3m to digitise indoor farming
Hexafarms, a start-up which develops software for indoor commercial food production, has announced the successful close of a €1.3 million pre-Seed funding round led by leading European early-stage investors Speedinvest with participation from Mudcake and...
Meet the seven start-ups tasked with reshaping agri-food in Cambodia
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.
Precision ag: the key questions that need answers
Researchers in Germany have published an agenda for the smart digitalisation of agriculture.
Precision sprayer Greeneye defies market slump to raise $20 million to scale US operation – but will farmers follow?
The Israeli company says securing this round of capital in today’s challenging economic climate is further validation of Greeneye’s mission to drive mainstream adoption of precision spraying technology in the US.
VC investment
Agtech's ‘great reset’ continues, data reveals
PitchBook’s latest Q1 2024 Agtech Report indicates a market undergoing a correction, with the wheat being separated from the chaff. Some sectors are hotter than others, meanwhile.
Augmented reality in agriculture: how significant will it prove?
Augmented reality improves productivity and efficiency in agriculture, but adoption remains limited, according to a new report.
Start-up enabling precision crop management with robots and AI raises $3.8m
Founded in 2022, Cornell University spin out Orchard Robotics has engineered a vehicle-mounted, AI-powered camera system that gathers precision data about fruit on trees.
The worst job in ag? TerraClear raises US$15m to free farmers from chore of rock picking
Rock removal company TerraClear has announced its existing investors have poured an additional US$15 million into capturing the untapped US$2.7 rock management market. A 5,000-year-old problem finally has a solution, it says.
science shorts
Agtech Aha! Moments: From testing the world's first unmanned forestry machine to cultured beef rice
Our round-up of the latest research from institutions and universities across the globe looks at the world’s first unmanned machine designed for autonomous forestry operations, while Korean scientists have successfully developed ‘cultured beef rice’,...
World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit Roundup
GenAI: Do we risk missing out on the real and valuable benefits without open datasets?
The agtech industry is betting big on generative AI. But high quality, clean, and well organised data is needed to distinguish the hype from true impact, warn experts, who are urging for open data standards to be adopted to spur valuable innovation and...
Agri Trend Tracker: From BioConsortia’s latest US$15mn to Bayer’s data analysis to verify carbon reductions
Our 360-degree look at the latest developments from across the globe takes in the news that gene-editing start-up BioConsortia has secured US$15 million, while a UK-based spinout is set to accelerate efforts to help palm tree farmers improve yields.
World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit Roundup
Agtech investment: Time to just forget the glory days of 2021?
Over the last 18 months there has been a notable shift in investor sentiment within the agtech sector, with the recent economic downturn casting a long shadow over the entrepreneurial landscape. Are we going to hell in a handcart? Is this an opportune...
Innovation insider
Japan wants to promote smart agriculture, fast
Agri-tech spend is lagging in the land of the rising sun. But amid the looming threats of depopulation and ageing, the government is looking to new styles of agriculture that can boost productivity, sustainability and strengthen national food security....
Bayer pilots unique generative AI tool for agriculture
The expert generative AI system has been trained by Bayer agronomists and proprietary data to benefit farmers, agronomic advisors, and other industry users.
‘Farmers see the inevitable need to implement regenerative farming’: €50m fund aims to plug financial gap in Europe’s agricultural sector
Lithuania-based agricultural finance provider HeavyFinance has raised €50 million to support sustainable farming in Europe. CEO and co-founder Laimonas Noreika tells AgTechNavigator why he foresees an increasing role of nature-based solutions like...