Palantir unlocks supply chain efficiency for agrifood industry with AI
One of the fastest growing AI companies Palantir Technologies is untangling supply chain messiness, giving procurer and food producers actionable insight to drive their businesses
AI is presenting the agriculture industry with a unique opportunity to manage increased market volatility and address systemic issues, like recruiting the next generation of farmers, Francisco Parga, deployment strategist at Palantir, told AgTechNavigator.
Like Nvidia, OpenAI, and other companies, Palantir is one of the leading tech companies deploying AI to solve business challenges for a wide swath of industries, including agrifood. Palantir has contracts with several of the largest food and drink producers, including chicken producer Tyson, consumer packaged goods company General Mills, fast-food giant Wendy’s, and others.
‘Challenges don’t exist in silos’: New Alternate Futures Innovation Centre champions collective innovation to drive real impact
Newly announced Alternate Futures Innovation Centre aims to connect ideas and technologies to address complex challenges that are too often tackled in isolation.
The centre combines the functions of a funding and innovation centre to develop solutions ready for real-world application.
It emphasises hands-on collaboration, bringing to technologies, companies and partners to address complex challenges across sectors such as food, energy and climate.
“Investors have long chased smart ideas and brilliant founders. But our world’s biggest challenges no longer exist in silos,” said Keith Loo, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Alternate Futures.
Ginkgo and Bayer double down on microbial nitrogen fixation in renewed alliance
Ginkgo Bioworks and Bayer have extended their multi-year partnership to develop microbial nitrogen fixation technology that could reduce reliance on synthetic fertilisers.
Ginkgo Bioworks and Bayer have announced the extension of their multi-year partnership, originally launched in 2017, to accelerate the development of microbial nitrogen fixation technology – potentially reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers. Bayer retains exclusive rights to commercialize any resulting biological products, while Ginkgo continues to focus on R&D and strain development.
The collaboration builds on the assets of Joyn Bio, a joint venture between the two companies that was folded into Ginkgo in 2022, along with Bayer’s West Sacramento biologicals R&D site. The renewed partnership signals growing confidence in Ginkgo’s synthetic biology platform and its ability to deliver field-ready microbial solutions.
Kubota partners with Kilter to pilot ultra-precise weeding robot AX-1
The collaboration, unveiled at Agritechnica 2025, aims to transform vegetable farming with AI-driven spot spraying that slashes herbicide use by up to 95%.
Kubota Corporation has announced a strategic partnership with Norwegian agtech start-up Kilter to pilot and promote the AX-1, a fully autonomous spraying robot designed for ultra-precise weed control in vegetable crops. The deal was revealed at Agritechnica 2025 and marks a significant step in Kubota’s smart farming roadmap.
The AX-1 uses AI-powered weed recognition and patented Single Drop Technology to deliver a single calibrated herbicide droplet directly onto each weed with 6 mm accuracy. This approach avoids crop damage, reduces chemical use, and minimizes soil impact – addressing growing regulatory pressure and sustainability demands.
Regen ag in Brazil: PepsiCo partners with Griffith Foods, Milhão to incentivise sustainable farming practices
PepsiCo continues its commitment to regenerative agriculture with a collaboration that incentivises Brazilian farmers to test sustainable agriculture practices and products
PepsiCo partnered with season and sauce maker Griffith Foods and corn supplier Milhão to support sustainable farming solutions in the Cerrado region of Brazil — one of the most biodiverse savannahs in the world and a key source of soybeans and corn for the consumer-packaged-goods company.
PepsiCo and Griffith Foods are co-investing in a pilot programme that will cover 7,000 acres of farmland in the Cerrado, where growers receive payments upfront for sustainable inputs and bonuses based on how much agrochemicals they reduce through what the company calls a “payment for practices and payment for outcomes model,” PepsiCo shared a press release.
AI in agriculture: Why quality data is crucial to boosting adoption
AI is leaving a mark on agriculture, but the technology still has a ways to go before it is widely adopted.
The AI revolution is making its presence felt in agriculture. However, farmers aren’t just jumping on the bandwagon, as many are cautious about adopting any technology that cannot easily provide a tangible benefit, as a panel at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in Mexico City discussed last month.
While most farmers (62%) want to learn more about AI, only 6% currently know much about the technology, according to Bayer’s Farmers Voice survey of over 2,000 farmers in 2024. Improving yields, input cost savings, and improved quality were the top three drivers of digital adoption, with 88%, 85%, and 84% of farmers, respectively, citing them as top drivers, Bayer added.
From soil to satellite: How IoT is reshaping agriculture – and what comes next
As Digital Matter marks 25 years of innovation, CEO Loic Barancourt reflects on the milestones that transformed connected farming – and the technologies set to redefine it again.
Digital Matter began as a small engineering firm in South Africa. Today, it stands as a global leader in low-power IoT hardware, with over 2.5 million devices deployed across 130+ countries. Its sensors and GPS trackers are now integral to agricultural operations, offering real-time visibility of equipment, assets, and livestock – even in the harshest environments.
With expanded leadership, next-gen devices on the horizon, and a deepened presence in North America and Europe, the company is entering its most ambitious chapter yet.
Bayer’s Q3 results: Roundup litigation looms large, as ag giant mulls next move
Bayer continues to face legal pressures from its herbicide Roundup, but management is confident the issue will be resolved in 2026
German seed and crop input company Bayer continues to feel litigation pressures from its glyphosate-based herbicide, Roundup, while the ag supplier’s corn business takes off, per the company’s third quarter (Q3) fiscal year 2025 earnings.
The company faced 28 trials in federal and state courts for plaintiffs claiming exposure to the glyphosate-based product and received 17 “favorable outcomes,” as of Oct. 15, the company shared in its quarterly report. Bayer’s herbicide business, including Roundup, is the largest part of its crop science division, generating €1.155 billion in Q3, the company reported.
EUDR: Collaboration vital as deadline looms over Indonesia’s smallholders
Indonesia’s palm oil smallholders face mounting pressure to meet the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) traceability and certification standards, underscoring the need for stronger collaboration across public and private sectors
At the moment, the landscape remain fragmented, with traders, regulators, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and technology providers operating independently rather than in coordination.
“Efforts are often fragmented, with traders, regulators, NGOs, and tech providers working in isolation. Stronger cross-sector collaboration and shared data systems are needed to create a harmonised approach, reduce duplication, and make adoption easier and more beneficial for farmers.
“What’s needed most is collaboration, linking data driven traceability with on-the-ground support to make sustainability both measurable and inclusive,” said Ainu Rofiq, co-founder of Koltiva, developer of KoltiTrace, a digital traceability platform that maps producers, monitors farm-level data, and verifies transactions in real time.
Nestlé’s sustainability strategy in Mexico: How the CPG giant is securing its supply chain
Nestlé is helping Mexican farmers adopt cost-effective technologies and embrace regenerative agriculture — all while building resiliency into its global supply chain.
The Swiss consumer packaged goods (CPG) giant Nestlé is helping its farmer suppliers manage business risks, which in turn is bolstering its supply chain, Ana Cristina Tovalin, sustainability manager of strategy and deployment at Nestlé, told AgTechNavigator at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in Mexico City last week.
Tovalin is part of a team in Mexico, ensuring that Nestlé’s operations teams work as sustainably as possible, while tracking key business objectives and standards. Nestlé supports several sustainability initiatives designed to reinforce its supply chain and reward farmers for adopting greener farming practices, Tovalin explained.