Early-stage ag and food tech investor Big Idea Ventures has launched its fifth portfolio company through its Generation Food Rural Partners (GFRP) fund.
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...
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.
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.
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’,...
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.
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.
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...
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....
Biostimulant start-up Agrobiomics is using bacterial fermentation to deliver 20%+ yield increases to plants under stress conditions, it tells AgTechNavigator.
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.
Aphea.Bio’s recently appointed chairman Hadyn Parry predicts ‘huge’ growth for biological crop protection products. Biostimulants are GM-free of course, but the market is well-placed to avoid the mistakes of the past, he tells AgTechNavigator.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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....
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...
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.
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...
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...
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.
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...
Part of Horizon Europe, the EU's key funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion, Wageningen University and Research (WUR) will investigate nematodes (or roundworms) which are threatening major crops such as tomato...
Collaboration between industrial or commercial organisations and academic institutions is not as common as it should be, but such ventures provide a “huge benefit” for Australia’s agtech sector.
FA Bio claims to be revolutionising sustainable agriculture with the discovery of superior microbes for game-changing bio-products which can increase crop yields, protect biodiversity and replace chemical inputs, minimising the environmental impacts of...
Chemical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIS) have developed a coating that protects nitrogen-fixing bacteria from heat and humidity, which they claim could allow them to be deployed for large-scale agricultural use.
Krishna Kumar, co-founder and CEO of intelligence provider Cropin, shares his agri-food predictions for 2024, among them a growing convergence between healthcare and agtech sectors.
While regenerative agriculture associated with strategies for reducing negative environmental impacts of ‘conventional agriculture,’ research has found that some strategies are better than others in improving soil productivity and, more importantly, maintaining...
Agri-food is a ‘locomotive’ driving growth in Brazil and beyond, says Francisco Jardim, co-founder and managing director at SP Ventures (SPV), a São Paulo-based early-stage fund investing in the agri-food tech sector across Latin America.
BiomEdit was recently awarded Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funding to develop a range of microbiome-based solutions to reduce methane emissions in beef and dairy cattle, whilst at the same time enhancing production efficiency. AgTechNavigator caught...
India’s burgeoning agtech innovations could hold the key to transforming the country’s agri-food systems into sustainable enterprises, according to Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Founded in 2019, Toopi Organics specialises in the collection and transformation of human urine into microbial plant biostimulants for agricultural use.
Consumers in the EU are increasingly backing moves to make agriculture more sustainable, with new data showing high awareness of topics such as clean water, biodiversity and fertile soil.
A raft of ag-tech innovations could be needed to stop the drop of bitterness levels in hops – a fundamental concern to the beer and brewing industries.
China has pledged to continue support African countries in upgrading their agricultural sector and helping the local populations fulfil self-sufficiency, following collaborations spanning hybrid rice cultivation, irrigation and crop variety.
Flexible direct payment schemes have been touted as an effective approach to encourage widespread adoption of pesticide-free production, as well as building farmers’ capacities in plant breeding and improving production systems.
A better and more efficient use of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilisers is urgently needed to address food security and environmental problems, with new technologies vital to improve outcomes.
Public opinion about genetically modified (GMOs) products remain divisive, but where do the gaps lie when it comes to the adoption of biosafety regulations?
Vertical farming has long been touted as effective strategy for countries, those sparse of land and otherwise, to bolster their food security and meet local demand. But how receptive are consumers to such innovation and what are the hurdles that could...
A holistic concept that recognises the interconnectedness of human health, animal health and the environment, is gradually but definitively attracting public awareness in China.
Innovation is needed to improve monitoring on farms and enhanced nutritional diagnostics are essential to get a better understanding of the relationship between regenerative agriculture (RA) and nutritional quality.
New research has indicated that the greenhouse gas emissions associated with indoor vertical farms (IVFs) could vary significantly based on operational conditions, and highlighted the critical role operational decisions, resource consumption and yield...
