Agri-food

France: Still room for some va va voom?

Country profile

France: Still room for some va va voom?

By Harry Holmes

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.

Denmark: Outlier or pioneer?

Innovation Insider: Country profile

Denmark: Outlier or pioneer?

By Harry Holmes

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?

What’s gone wrong for Ynsect?

What’s gone wrong for Ynsect?

By Oliver Morrison

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?

Global ag majors unite to halve on-farm food losses by 2030

Global ag majors unite to halve on-farm food losses by 2030

By Oliver Morrison

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.

India: Are the bets back on?

Innovation Insider Country profile

India: Are the bets back on?

By Harry Holmes

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.

NGOs push Bunge for stronger measures on deforestation

Sustainability report card

NGOs push Bunge for stronger measures on deforestation

By Maria Fortunato

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.

Will the new UK government embrace gene-edited food?

Will the new UK government embrace gene-edited food?

By Oliver Morrison

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.

Is insect farming’s ‘green’ image overblown?

Is insect farming’s ‘green’ image overblown?

By Oliver Morrison

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.

Why eco-labelling won’t save the planet

Why eco-labelling won’t save the planet

By Flora Southey

Not even the innovators themselves are backing on-pack carbon footprint labelling to save the planet from rising global temperatures. Here's why.

Budding European agtech start-ups buoyant after Corteva partnership

Budding European agtech start-ups buoyant after Corteva partnership

By Oliver Morrison

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...

Is private equity investment best placed to serve agtech?

Is private equity investment best placed to serve agtech?

By Oliver Morrison

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).

Why financing smallholder farmers matters... experts discuss

Why financing smallholder farmers matters... experts discuss

By Maria Fortunato

Agtech solutions must address financing for smallholder farmers, together with scope 3 emissions, and inequity across multiple sectors of the industry in order to meet sustainability goals. This was the consensus among panellists at a recent webinar...

BetterSeeds welcomes former Bayer executive as chairman

BetterSeeds welcomes former Bayer executive as chairman

By Oliver Morrison

The Israel-based company that uses gene-editing technology, specifically CRISPR, to genetically improve crops and design better seeds, has announced the appointment of Dr. Helmut Schramm, a former Bayer Crop Life executive and highly respected...