Indoor & vertical farming

Scientists are learning to help tomatoes beat the heat

Scientists are learning to help tomatoes beat the heat

By Oliver Morrison

By studying tomato varieties in exceptionally hot growing seasons, biologists at Brown University have identified the growth cycle phase when tomatoes are most vulnerable to extreme heat, as well as the mechanisms that make the plants more heat tolerant.

How AI can slash indoor farming energy use

How AI can slash indoor farming energy use

By Oliver Morrison

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.

US vertical farmer Plenty to expand in the Middle East

US vertical farmer Plenty to expand in the Middle East

By Oliver Morrison

Plenty is forming a joint venture with Mawarid, a subsidiary of Alpha Dhabi Holding, in a US$680 million deal to develop a network of indoor farms across Gulf Cooperation Council member countries over the next five years.

Let there be dark: Square Roots on why it’s farming without light

Let there be dark: Square Roots on why it’s farming without light

By Oliver Morrison

US indoor farmer Square Roots is growing plants in the dark using gene edited (CRISPR) technology. The move could make indoor farming significantly more viable and sustainable, especially in low and middle-income countries, by reducing energy needs and...

Agtech's ‘great reset’ continues, data reveals

VC investment

Agtech's ‘great reset’ continues, data reveals

By Oliver Morrison

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.

UV light signalling: the next frontier in plant science?

UV light signalling: the next frontier in plant science?

By Oliver Morrison

New Zealand-based BioLumic uses ultraviolet (UV) light to boost the growth, yield, and quality of various crops, including corn, soybeans, lettuce and cannabis. It is now bringing its tech to ryegrass in an attempt to manage the country’s notorious...

Agtech investment: Time to just forget the glory days of 2021?

World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit Roundup

Agtech investment: Time to just forget the glory days of 2021?

By Oliver Morrison

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...

Japan wants to promote smart agriculture, fast

Innovation insider

Japan wants to promote smart agriculture, fast

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....

Can growing planes really cure vertical farming’s growing pains?

Can growing planes really cure vertical farming’s growing pains?

By Oliver Morrison

While all vertical farms may seem to grow vertically at first glance, the fact is, they don’t. Most companies are growing on flat, stacked planes, which will lead to more failures in the space in the months and years to come, according to Nate Storey,...

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

AGTECH INVESTOR PROFILE

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

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.

Eatable Adventures on how technology can solve the ageing farmer timebomb

AgTech Investor Profile

Eatable Adventures on how technology can solve the ageing farmer timebomb

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...

AgTech Investor Profile, Part 1: The Yield Lab APAC on its matrix for success

AgTech Investor Profile - Funding Analysis

AgTech Investor Profile, Part 1: The Yield Lab APAC on its matrix for success

By CM Tay

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,...