Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the agriculture sector. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked decarbonization solutions impacting agriculture.
Out of 919, the Global Startup Heat Map highlights 5 Top Decarbonization Solutions impacting Agriculture
The insights of this data-driven analysis are derived from the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 2 093 000+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform gives you an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies & relevant startups within a specific field in just a few clicks.
The Global Startup Heat Map below reveals the distribution of the 919 exemplary startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research. Further, it highlights 5 startups that we hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. You get to explore the solutions of these 5 startups & scaleups in this report. For insights on the other 914 decarbonization solutions for agriculture, get in touch.
Seedling advances Circular Agriculture
Improper land use and resource-intensive agricultural practices contribute to carbon emissions through carbon dioxide and methane. In addition, the overall carbon footprint of livestock production is massive, which accelerates climate change. To tackle this, startups develop sustainable agricultural solutions that allow food growers to reduce their carbon emissions without affecting yields and saving costs.
Seedling is a US-based startup that facilitates circular agriculture. The startup’s SEED installation combines aquaponics, precision fertilizers, and hydrology with multi-sector utilities to generate closed-loop value streams. Since the solution utilizes hydrogen-based energy and upcycles food waste, the agricultural carbon footprint decreases substantially. Besides, the modular SEED installments decentralize agricultural economic growth in both rural and urban localities.
Blue Planet Ecosystems provides a Recirculating Aquaculture System
Feed production and mechanical aeration are the key drivers of carbon emission in marine and inland aquaculture, whereas capturing wild fish species is more resource-intensive. This directly influences global temperature rise and affects ocean ecosystems as well. Therefore, startups create novel aquaculture methods that allow fish farmers to cut down carbon emissions and address the market demands.
Austrian startup Blue Planet Ecosystems develops LARA, a land-based automated recirculating aquaculture system. LARA has an exposed top part that receives sunlight to grow algae in tubes, which the zooplankton feed on. The cultured fish then feed on this zooplankton, thereby, decoupling protein production from the ocean and agriculture. Further, the automated system provides complete control over LARA, from feed schedules to sensing fish health, through remote management tools.
Low Carbon Farming develops Low-Carbon Heating Systems
The use of synthetic fertilizers and waste are the primary contributors of carbon emission in crop agriculture, whereas smaller sources include field burning and fossil fuel use. As the global population grows, agricultural companies and farmers need to scale up their production to cater to the increasing food demand which, in turn, advances environmental impacts. To break this chain, startups create food production methods that separate food from land-based cultivation and offer better yields per area compared to conventional agriculture.
Low Carbon Farming is a British startup that develops low-carbon greenhouse heating systems. To achieve this, the startup uses waste heat from sewage treatment plants for greenhouse heating and screens for pest control. Moreover, greenhouses consume much less water than field farming and eliminate water wastage through water circulation. In effect, Low Carbon Farming enables food producers to generate higher yields while reducing the carbon footprint.
Sea Forest produces Livestock Feed Supplements
Livestock farming produces a considerable part of overall carbon emissions in the agricultural sector. This is mainly due to the methane emissions from enteric fermentation in ruminant animals, such as cattle and sheep, along with improper manure management. Therefore, startups facilitate sustainable intensification to boost livestock yields on the production side, along with reducing emissions. In addition, some startups work to reduce food wastage from emission-intensive ingredients such as beef and dairy.
Sea Forest is an Australian startup that produces seaweed-based livestock feed supplements. The startup’s Asparagopsis feed supplement contains bioactive compounds that inhibit enzymatic pathways which produce methane. Another benefit is that seaweed grows faster than conventional feeds like soy and also de-acidifies oceans by absorbing nutrients and carbon dioxide. As a result, Sea Forest lowers methane emissions due to enteric fermentation and converts them into additional feed energy, thereby improving livestock growth.
Mogale Meat advances Cellular Meat Production
Factory farming is energy-intensive, contributes to pollution, and causes high carbon emissions. In addition, a growing percentage of consumers are against killing animals to produce meat and are switching to plant-based diets. However, meat production is still a critical factor to ensure the food security of the global population. Therefore, startups develop lab-grown meat alternatives, while others create plant- or insect-based meat substitutes that mimic the original taste and texture of animal meat.
South African startup Mogale Meat facilitates cellular meat production to combat food insecurity and environmental degradation. The startup uses a multi-stage process that includes cell-line isolation to cell-banking and cell expansion to cellular differentiation to develop consumable meat. This approach also eliminates the need for land clearing and planting for fodder crops, thereby reducing the strain on natural environments and resources. As a result, farm owners are able to readily replace resource-intensive livestock management with cultured meat and scale their production as per the market demands.
Discover more AgriTech Startups
AgriTech startups such as the examples highlighted in this report focus on sustainable meat production, climate-friendly livestock management, aquaponics, and sustainable agriculture. While all of these technologies play a major role in decarbonizing the agricultural industry, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. To explore more sustainable agritech solutions, simply get in touch to let us look into your areas of interest. For a more general overview, you can download our free AgriTech Innovation Report to save your time and improve strategic decision-making.
