Crop inputs, herbicides, biologicals, pest control

Meet the seven start-ups tasked with reshaping agri-food in Cambodia

15-May-2024 By Oliver Morrison

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.

Biofungicides: Aphea.Bio submits its first application for US regulatory approval

14-May-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Aphea.Bio, a provider of microbial solutions for agriculture, has announced the submission of applications for its first biofungicides to obtain federal approval from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

How can rice straw processing become less environmentally damaging?

10-May-2024 By Oliver Morrison

A new project aims to unlock renewable energy and cut rice straw emissions in India and Philippines.

VC firm Big Idea Ventures enters biologicals sector with PlantSustain platform

07-May-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Early-stage ag and food tech investor Big Idea Ventures has launched its fifth portfolio company through its Generation Food Rural Partners (GFRP) fund.

Agtech start-up founder insights

What We’ve Learned: SymbioMatch on what’s behind the biofertiliser boom and how to avoid its bubble bursting

01-May-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Biologicals are demonstrating a trend of growth amid rising demand for more sustainable and natural farming practices. SymbioMatch, an early research-based start-up based in Denmark, hopes to fulfil the need for biofertilisers that work consistently across...

Precision sprayer Greeneye defies market slump to raise $20 million to scale US operation – but will farmers follow?

30-Apr-2024 By Oliver Morrison

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.

Innovation Insider

UK: Raising funds at required scale a barrier to ‘transformative change’

29-Apr-2024 By CM Tay

Despite advances in innovation and technology in UK agriculture, attracting sufficient investment remains a key hindrance in achieving transformative change in the industry.

Bayer to launch first bioinsecticide for arable crops

23-Apr-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Via a new agreement with UK-based R&D company AlphaBio Control, Bayer has gained exclusive rights to market the first ever biological insecticide which will help farmers control pests in arable crops. The product is expected to launch in 2028.

science shorts

Agtech Aha! Moments: From testing the world's first unmanned forestry machine to cultured beef rice

15-Apr-2024 By Oliver Morrison

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’,...

Côte d’Ivoire: Cocoa farmers turn to biochar to boost yields and soil quality

12-Apr-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Biochar made from empty cocoa pods has the potential to improve and retain moisture in soil, according to a cocoa cooperative in in Côte d’Ivoire. It is looking to biochar made from agricultural waste to solve the problem of persistent drought compromising...

US sustainable farming outlook positive, but operational and financial support still key barriers to adoption

11-Apr-2024 By Oliver Morrison

McKinsey & Company survey reveals that 90% of US farmers are aware of sustainable practices, but widespread adoption remains low with compensation levels remaining a main concern.

World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit Roundup

Could RNAi be the game changer in crop protection?

10-Apr-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Is it time, finally, for biologicals to shine?

World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit Roundup

What would the agtech sector look like with more women-fronted businesses?

05-Apr-2024 By Oliver Morrison

We hear from Jacqueline Heard, CEO of crop protection company Enko Chem, which had one of the biggest global agtech venture capital deals in recent years from a company with at least one female founder.

'Landmark achievement': Complete sugarcane genome sequence opens up new era in breeding, say experts

02-Apr-2024 By Gary Scattergood

Australian researchers say they have achieved a 'landmark advancement for agricultural biotechnology' by completing a comprehensive reference genome for ‘R570’, a widely cultivated modern sugarcane hybrid.

Agri Trend Tracker: From BioConsortia’s latest US$15mn to Bayer’s data analysis to verify carbon reductions

02-Apr-2024 By Oliver Morrison

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.

Innovation insider

Japan wants to promote smart agriculture, fast

27-Mar-2024 By Oliver Morrison

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....

World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit Roundup

Photosynthesis breakthrough in corn – but can a ‘new type’ of ag follow?

26-Mar-2024 By Oliver Morrison

After boosting oil and protein content in soybean with no drop in yield, US company ZeaKal has replicated its success with corn. It now wants to redefine the value proposition of crops for growers, industry, and consumers alike, it tells AgTechNavigator.

World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit Roundup

Precision agri-tech could accelerate uptake of biologicals if regulations can keep up: report

25-Mar-2024 By Oliver Morrison

The adoption of biological crop protection is being delayed by a regulatory environment that has failed to keep abreast of innovations that would make these products easier and more effective to use, according to a new report.

How multiomics is supporting agricultural analysis

21-Mar-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Science continues to explore new ways to make agriculture more efficient in the modern world, taking a thorough approach to research and leaving nothing off of the table, including the impact of climate change. Here, we talk with Partha Banerjee, PhD,...

FDA guidance on foods derived from gene-edited plants ‘doubles down’ on view that safety hinges on the final product, not the production method

18-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Long-awaited guidance from FDA on the safety of foods derived from gene-edited plants reiterates the agency’s position that biotechnology is not inherently unsafe, but still encourages developers to voluntarily engage with the agency before going to market...

Decarbonizing the supply chain: What innocent is learning from its £1m regenerative agriculture fund

15-Mar-2024 By Rachel Arthur

Juice and smoothie giant Innocent Drinks has announced the third year of its Farmers Innovation Fund: this year offering £1m ($1.3m USD) to support regenerative fruit and vegetable farming across its supply chain. But the vision goes beyond 2024: it's...

How bacterial fermentation can deliver unprecedented yield increases to climate-stressed crops

13-Mar-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Biostimulant start-up Agrobiomics is using bacterial fermentation to deliver 20%+ yield increases to plants under stress conditions, it tells AgTechNavigator.

The World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit: The world’s biggest and best agtech show

06-Mar-2024 By Oliver Morrison

With over 2,500 delegates and 70+ start-ups attending World Agri-Tech from 40 countries, all eager to expand their network and forge new partnerships, this year’s event is shaping up to be a memorable event.

‘The big deal here is we are doing it without an agronomic practice change’: Cquesta celebrates US$5 million seed funding

06-Mar-2024 By Oliver Morrison

US-based Cquesta is leveraging gene editing to generate carbon credits for farmers, its CEO Michael Ott – who previously founded Rantizo, now the US’s largest dronespraying company – tells AgTechNavigator.

Mycorrhizal fungi: the key ingredient for 'supercharged' permanent carbon sequestration?

06-Mar-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Israeli start-up Groundwork BioAg has unveiled a carbon credit programme based on the unique powers of mycorrhizal fungi.

‘Ammonia production is set to go through a tectonic shift’: Green ammonia start-up raises €750,000 to accelerate plug-and-play on-farm solution

06-Mar-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Danish-based NitroVolt has raised a pre-seed round of €750,000 to develop its ‘Nitrolyzer’ unit that enables a cheaper and local production of ammonia, using only air, water and electricity. It will use the funds for market expansion and to scale production...

How biologicals can win where GMs didn't

05-Mar-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Aphea.Bio’s recently appointed chairman Hadyn Parry predicts ‘huge’ growth for biostimulants and biofungicides. These are typically GM-free of course, but the market is well-placed to avoid the mistakes of the past, he tells AgTechNavigator.

Potassium depletion in soil a major threat to food security

04-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Potassium deficiency in soil has been revealed as a major threat to livestock and agricultural farming. So what does this mean for global food security and can the current threat be reversed?

Unilever launches first UK regenerative agriculture project with British farmers

29-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

The FMCG giant has launched its first regenerative agriculture project in the UK, working with farms that grow mustard seeds and mint leaves used in condiments brand Colman’s products.

We need solutions not restrictions in water crisis, warns agricultural entrepreneur

28-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

As Spain grapples with drought in February and UK farmers also fearing another tough year ahead, a veteran agritech entrepreneur has questioned the ‘short term’ approach of continually rationing water and says new agricultural solutions are urgently needed...

Meet the Iraqi start-ups hoping to futureproof a drought-hit sector

27-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

The Agriculture Innovation Hackathon was hosted in Mosul earlier this month, as an agriculture sector beset by desertification turns to the power of technology to overcome the challenges faced by farmers.

Enhanced Rock Weathering: Indian start-up to explore market potential after fundraise

26-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Varaha is further investigating the potential of Enhanced Rock Weathering – which boosts soil fertility and sequesters atmospheric carbon in the long term – after raising US$8.7 million.

The boar war: how can we best combat wild pig intrusion to ensure crop safety?

22-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

From the US to Italy to Australia, feral pigs are harming agriculture across the world. A lack of solutions that exist to deal with the problem presents white space opportunities, AgTechNavigator finds.

Sustainability Report Card

‘Third-Way' mindset: Valagro Group’s last sustainability report before coming under Syngenta Biologicals

21-Feb-2024 By CM Tay

Valagro Group's recently published Sustainability Report 2023 highlights some successes and a continued commitment to environmental responsibility, social impact and economic value distribution, but more details and data would be welcome to more...

Start-up WeedOut raises US$8.1 million to fight weed resistance

20-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

WeedOut’s green solution for outsmarting resistant weeds supports improved yield, reduced herbicide need, the company says.

Are red nets an eco-friendly alternative to pesticides?

20-Feb-2024 By Donna Eastlake

A recent study has found that red nets are more effective than black or white nets in preventing onion thrips from damaging crops. So, could red nets be the solution environmentalists have been searching for to help reduce agricultural reliance on the...

‘World’s first’ GM banana approved by regulators in Australia and New Zealand

19-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Regulators in Australia and New Zealand have given Queensland University of Technology (QUT) a licence to commercially release QCAV-4, a genetically modified variety of Cavendish banana designed to help save the world’s Cavendish banana production.

US census a ‘wake-up call’ for need for investment in climate-smart agriculture

19-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Farmers need more opportunities to diversify their revenue streams by adopting climate-smart agriculture, according to US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

US activists call for more understanding of chlormequat after research ‘raises alarm bells’

16-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Greater understanding of the potential risks of the pesticide chlormequat is ‘urgently needed’, say campaigners, as a study in the US finds the crop chemical in four out of five people tested.

Agtech Aha! Moments: From AI for olives to no neonicotinoids in US potato farming

14-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Our round-up of the latest research from institutions and universities across the globe looks at a new app to improve olive oil industry efficiency, while potato experts in the US will investigate how to control pests without using controversial neonicotinoids....

Innovation Insider: India

Market fragmentation hampers India agtech but public-private alignment brings hope

14-Feb-2024 By CM Tay

India's agtech sector is witnessing significant developments driven by government policies, changing investor landscapes and a growing focus on sustainability. However, market fragmentation is dampening its ability to scale up, with challenges surrounding...

Ensuring sustainable development in ASEAN agriculture: New blueprint unveiled

08-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

A new report outlines the key strategies for the ASEAN agriculture sector to ensure sustainable development.

AGTECH INVESTOR PROFILE

Are we at the dawn of African agri-tech innovation?

07-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

The continent’s agtech sector is rife with challenges but the potential rewards are huge, Sherief Kesseba, managing partner at Climate Resilient Africa Fund (CRAF), tells AgTechNavigator.

Agtech Aha! Moments: From using white noise to grow fungi to pesticide sensors for tomatoes

06-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Our round-up of the latest research from institutions and universities across the globe looks at how Australian scientists are using sound to repair degraded soils. Elsewhere, Brazilian researchers have unveiled a new biodegradable sensor to detect pesticides...

3 start-ups boosting food quality in Europe

05-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Food quality technology plays a vital role both in ensuring that food is safe to eat, therefore reducing food waste, and providing insights around its health and composition. Three European start-ups tell FoodNavigator how technology can help them understand...

AgTech Investor Profile

Eatable Adventures on how technology can solve the ageing farmer timebomb

01-Feb-2024 By Oliver Morrison

Agtech innovation is playing a critical role in addressing food security and environmental challenges. But it is also key to cracking the problem of an ageing farmer population threatening global agriculture, says Eatable Adventures founder and CEO José...

UK scientists to tackle challenges of converting rice straw into biofuels

31-Jan-2024 By Oliver Morrison

The open burning of rice straw in fields is not only a source of pollution but also an enormous waste of organic material. Researchers at Aston University in Birmingham are therefore looking at how to make inedible rice straw into the next generation...

WHAT WE'VE LEARNED – START-UP ANALYSIS

‘Urine is the missing link to complete the nutrient cycle’: Why Toopi Organics is turning pee into fertiliser

30-Jan-2024 By Oliver Morrison

AgTechNavigator caught up with the French start-up to hear how and why urine can be leveraged as a local and renewable natural resource for agriculture.

Saving the banana: rapid detection ‘crucial’, scientists warn

29-Jan-2024 By Oliver Morrison

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.

Microplastics in soils… how big is the problem?

25-Jan-2024 By Oliver Morrison

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...