In order to feed the estimated 9.7 billion people on earth in 2050, agriculture must overcome many pressing challenges: increasingly meat-heavy diets, degradation of fertile land, widespread water shortage, increasingly volatile weather, and climate change. Addressing the question of how to utilize the next generation of technology and jump-starting the Third Agricultural Revolution remain crucial for the future of agriculture companies.
This article was last updated in July 2024.
AgriTech Innovation Map outlines Top Innovation Trends & 8 Promising Startups
For this in-depth research on the top innovations in AgriTech, we analyzed a sample of 950+ global AgriTech startups and scaleups. The result of this research is data-driven innovation intelligence that improves strategic decision-making by giving you an overview of emerging technologies & startups in the agriculture industry. These insights are derived by working with our Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 4.7M+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform quickly delivers an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies within a specific field as well as identifies relevant startups & scaleups early on.
In the Innovation Map below, you get an overview of 8 AgriTech Innovations that impact agriculture companies worldwide. Moreover, the AgriTech Innovation Map reveals 8 hand-picked startups, all working on emerging technologies that advance their field.
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1. Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT-based agriculture reduces crop waste as well as the related negative impacts on the environment. It allows farmers to get as much yield as possible out of each site. Precision agriculture, with the help of sensors and connected devices, is an efficient way to solve global challenges facing food security and access. IoT successfully fuels precision agriculture as a new direction in farming. This also allows farmers to accurately collect more data from sensors and drones to implement precision agriculture.
Semios optimizes Agriculture with a Network of Sensors
US-based startup Semios delivers a platform for growers to assess and optimize their response to insect, disease, and plant health conditions in real-time. Semios provides on-site sensing, big data, and predictive analytics solutions for permanent crops including the vine, tree nut, and tree fruit. Semios’ network of sensors covers the ranch, orchard, or vineyard and enables real-time monitoring for achieving optimal yield. Further, their in-field data drives acre-specific models for pests like navel orangeworm and codling moth, or diseases like powdery mildew, fire blight, and Alternaria. The startup also enables in-canopy evapotranspiration (ET) calculations and soil moisture monitoring to optimize irrigation and improve crop and water quality.
2. Smart Farming
Conventional farming demands extensive resources, including water and capital. On the other hand, smart farming adopts technological innovations to improve crop management and production. Smart farming combines IoT and cloud-based Big Data platforms with other AI-based monitoring techniques to optimize farming processes. Startups develop integrated solutions to improve crop production quality and reduce agricultural costs. Further, the technology enables real-time data insights and remote monitoring, among others.
CropX develops an Integrated Farm Management Platform
Israeli startup CropX develops data-driven farming solutions through its cloud platform. The startup’s platform analyzes thousands of data points that predict water-uptake patterns and detect faulty irrigation systems. CropX further provides self-calibrating sensors to monitor agricultural practices. The startup’s analytical tools also predict crop needs and expected growth through live monitoring. As a result, the integrated solution helps farmers optimize and automate farm management while saving labor costs and water.
3. Precision Farming
Precision farming, or Site-Specific Crop Management (SSCM), adopts satellite or drone imagery to optimize strategies for crop and farm management. This is done by farming in only precise locations, hence, saving time and preventing unnecessary chemicals from penetrating into the ground. For example, multispectral imagery helps determine the best fit for crops by studying terrain types. For example, a multi-year simulation helps mitigate risks by studying crop health patterns using satellite images.
Agroop specializes in Real-time Crop Monitoring
Portuguese startup Agroop focuses on farm cloud management services and risks analysis solutions. Its multi-sensor system, Stoock, is a real-time temperature monitor, in addition to monitoring the weather, moisture, and hydric balance of crops. Based on this, farmers standardize crop quality as well as analyze crops’ water needs through continuous monitoring with sensors. Agroop’s solutions also help prevent risks such as plagues or diseases by sending timely alerts.
4. Robotics & Automation
Farmers suffer yearly due to labor shortages and human-induced errors. Harvesting and irrigation continue to remain a challenge for farmers operating large fields. To overcome these challenges, startups are developing advanced robotics, automated machinery, and drones to increase the productivity of agricultural produce. Moreover, automated machinery supports many aspects of large-scale farming. A new generation of precision robotic manipulators locate, identify, select, and pick fresh produce based on their size and ripeness. In addition, smart irrigation systems optimize for both crop growth and water usage.
Agrobot builds Agricultural Robots
Agrobot is a Spanish startup that offers solutions to manage robotic manipulators that locate and identify strawberries. The robot selects and picks fruits based on the size and degree of ripeness. The startup also provides an insect vacuum robot that offers an efficient and cost-effective solution to manage pests and improve operational efficiency in farms. The all-terrain mobile robot is embedded with machine learning (ML) algorithms that enable object classification, segmentation, and instantiation.
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5. Vertical Farming
An increase in population and landscape utility is affecting the cultivable and arable land available for food production. Many startups are working on innovative solutions to facilitate indoor agriculture using minimal land space. Vertical farming is one such savior, as it is a method of food production that utilizes vertically inclined surfaces and yields ample harvest without soil. This is achieved by multiple techniques, including aeroponics. Aeroponics need proper setup and apparatus with supplement nutrients to grow. These plants have highly sensitive root systems and are susceptible to mild changes which can even cause premature death.
Neofarms implements Automated Aeroponics Technology
Neofarms is a startup from Germany, provides automatic aeroponic appliances. This setup is capable of generating a continuous yield of vegetables, fruits, and greens in a home setting. The apparatus is a plug-and-play structure that has inlets for the storage of nutrient solutions. The automated mechanism supplies nutrients directly to the roots of the crop. This efficiently reduces the time required for regular maintenance and facilitates the harvest of fresh greens right in the user’s home.
6. Biotechnology
The increasing population creates a need for higher agricultural yields and higher-quality foods. To meet this need biotechnology provides strategic tools for the agricultural industry to improve the nutritional content of crops and identify better ways to battle against pests. Genetic engineering creates seeds that are more adaptable to less optimal environments and more resilient to climate change.
MicroGen Biotech creates Biologics to improve Crop Yield
Irish scaleup MicroGen BioTech develops biologicals to increase crop yield, prevent heavy metals in crops and degrade organic pollutants in farmland. To feed the world with safer food the scaleup applies “functional microbiomes” and “high throughput screening” platform technologies to develop microbial products for remediating soil pollutants, improving soil fertility, and increasing agricultural yield under stress conditions.
7. AI & Big Data
Modern IoT sensors gather a lot of data about soil and weather conditions, which are of no use unless analyzed. Startups are developing solutions in Big Data & AI areas to optimize crop management. Artificial Intelligence in combination with Big Data can analyze data in parallel, providing useful data to the farmers, notifying them about potential risks and expected amount of crops. These two technologies also carry out improvements in business and operational processes based on stored business and operational information, thereby improving the overall performance of agricultural businesses.
Fyllo develops a Cloud-based Big Data Platform
Indian startup Fyllo utilizes cloud services to analyze farm data. Its devices are strategically placed across farms for data sensing and reporting. Fyllo also develops real-time models using farm data, providing farmers with insights into crop needs, irrigation, pests, and diseases. In addition, the startup offers personalized fertilizer schedules based on soil data analysis.
8. Drones & Satellites
Crop management is labor-intensive and consumes time and capital. Drones and satellites, on the other hand, are efficient tools in-field monitoring solutions in agriculture that address the limits of traditional methods. The two technologies provide crop producers with informative agro-data, which further helps in time and cost optimization. Startups develop integrated UAV systems that comprise data acquisition and processing to improve crop management. The technology additionally utilizes hyperspectral imaging to improve precision and smart farming practices.
Gamaya offers Digital Agronomy Solutions
Gamaya is a Swiss startup that develops digital agronomy solutions for small and large farming businesses. The startup deploys remote sensing, a proprietary hyperspectral imaging technique, & artificial intelligence for information mapping and diagnostics. Gamaya leverages the crop knowledge of farmers with better prediction models that further improve decision-making. The startup’s drone solutions enable targeted use and early detection of diseases and weeds, which reduce production costs.
Discover more AgriTech Trends & Startups
AgriTech startups such as the examples highlighted in this report focus on biotechnology, big data, automation as well as robotics. While all of these technologies play a major role in advancing the agricultural industry, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. To explore more agricultural technologies, 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.
