Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on AgriTech solutions. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we decided to share our insights with you. This time, you will discover 5 promising farming-as-a-service startups.
Global Startup Heat Map highlights 5 Top Farming-as-a-Service Startups
Through the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 3 790 000+ startups & scaleups globally, we identified 195 farming-as-a-service startups. The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights the innovative startups you should watch as well as the geo-distribution of all 195 startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research.
Based on the heat map, we see high startup activity in India and the USA, followed by Europe. These farming-as-a-service startups work on solutions ranging from agri-ICT and aerial mapping to urban farming solutions.
Explore 5 Top Farming as a Service Startups
Agroapps – Agricultural Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
The agriculture sector is undergoing rapid changes with advancements in wireless technologies and customized farm solutions. ICT, which includes technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS) and smart sensors, provides opportunities for the implementation of e-agriculture. Startups are working on various farming-as-a-service solutions that implement ICT in farms.
Greek startup Agroapps provides a suite of services to help farmers improve and manage their businesses. The startup provides advisory services to help farmers schedule the most ideal agricultural cycle. Agroapps also offers numerous climate and weather forecasting services, including seasonal climate forecasts and high-resolution short-range weather forecasts.
The startup additionally offers supply chain tools such as mylocalfarm and Turn2bio to help farmers connect with each other and sell their produce online.
Ekylibre – Farm Management Software
The steady rise in AgriTech solutions is a result of advancements in the Internet of Things (IoT), in combination with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags for livestock, soil condition monitoring, and agricultural cycle automation are a few emerging IoT-based solutions helping farmers increase productivity, as well as profits.
French AgriTech startup Ekylibre combines several farming solutions to help farmers improve farm management. The startup’s eponymous platform provides farmers with operational information to maximize productivity from crops and livestock. Ekylibre also offers inventory management, accounting, sales, and purchases, as well as farm mapping and cartography services.
iDrone Services – Aerial Farm Mapping
Aerial surveying and mapping, using unmanned aerial systems (UAS), enable farmers to better understand their land and improve its utilization. Aerial mapping offers several advantages, from identifying less-fertile patches of land to maximizing sowing and output. Drones also enable remote inspections for crops to detect and eliminate pests or weeds at an early stage.
Zambia-based drone startup iDrone Services enables farmers to conduct crop mapping and aerial surveys and also provides training to operate drones. The startup utilizes multi-spectral sensors to provide 2D and 3D ortho crop mapping services, as well as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for precise fertilizer application. The startup also uses 4K drone-mounted cameras to conduct field mapping and asset inspection services for farmers.
Farmlyplace – Urban Farming
As cities around the world continue to expand, the demand for local and fresh produce also increases. Challenges around ensuring the produce reaches retail outlets and expensive rent for stalls drive agriculturalists to develop solutions for urban, integrated, and vertical farming in cities. Such solutions provide local city residents with access to fresh produce, while also helping them reduce their costs.
German startup Farmlyplace guides business-to-business (B2B) partners in conceptual design, planning, construction, marketing, and sales, as well as the operation of modular farm systems. The startup utilizes up-cycled logistics containers to locally produce and sell fresh produce.
Farmlyplace grows vegetables with hydroponics, rather than in soil, which enables them to operate throughout the year. Further, the lack of any transportation requirements helps the startup reduce its carbon footprint. The startup’s containers are also easy to install at public locations, including schools, corporate locations, and restaurants.
Ninjacart – Fresh Produce Supply Chain Solution
Traditionally, many people around the world buy their daily fresh produce from small standalone shops in their neighborhoods. Despite the rise of big retail shops and supermarkets, many people still cannot access them and this, in turn, reduces the quality of produce at local retail shops. This drives emerging companies to develop web and smartphone-based solutions to help farmers sell fresh produce directly to smaller shops.
Indian agricultural supply chain startup Ninjacart connects food producers directly with retailers, restaurants, and service providers, using in-house applications that drive end-to-end operations. Currently, Ninjacart is capable of moving more than a thousand tonnes of perishables from farms to retailers every day.
The startup uses analytics to eliminate supply chain intermediaries and help farmers get better prices and consistent demand. At the same time, retailers receive fresh produce at competitive prices that are delivered to their doorstep.
Discover All Farming-as-a-Service Startups
The AgriTech startups showcased in this report are only a small sample of all startups we identified through our data-driven startup scouting approach. Download our free AgriTech Innovation Report for a broad overview of the industry or get in touch for quick & exhaustive research on the latest technologies & emerging solutions that will impact your company in 2023!
