Robotics, automation & equipment

Image: Plenty

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.

piranka

Robots won’t replace the tractor anytime soon, says Rabobank

By Oliver Morrison

Autonomous machines are a potential game changer in crop farming, boosting productivity, precision, and ease of operations, but bringing them successfully to the market implies a long road, according to a new a RaboResearch report.

Image: Farmbot is striving to maintain a 100% year-on-year growth rate with over 20,000 sensors in the field, it says

Farmbot fundraise illustrates demand for water saving solutions

By Oliver Morrison

As water scarcity intensifies and environmental pressures mount, smart water management is becoming essential for ensuring the sustainability and productivity of agriculture. Leveraging data, technology, and best practices can help farmers grow more with...

India is the world’s second largest rice producer, but the country faces significant threats to the livelihoods of rice farmers from the effects of climate change. Image: Getty/Umesh Negi

The new projects aimed at transforming rice farming in South Asia

By Oliver Morrison

Mitti Labs, a tech-enabled project developer focused on sustainable agriculture, specifically in the rice farming sector, has unveiled five rice projects in India to reduce methane emissions, increase water security and build farmer resilience.

Image: R&D project evaluating the effect of light treatments on the growth of basil plants. The team at Square Roots brings their knowledge of the grow platform together with the experiment goals of the company's partners.

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...

Image: Getty/Richard Drury

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.

Image: Getty/merrymoonmary

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 methane...

David Friedberg with Vinod Khosla at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit

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...

Image: Getty/Susumu Yoshioka

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....

Image: Plenty

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,...

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