How is Agritech Pioneering Food Security Solutions Globally

Technologising everything is not a new deal and therefore, its inevitable penetration into agriculture was quite obvious. The advent of agritech as a culmination of modern technology with agriculture has not only brought in substantial development, but also innovation to feed millions of people across the globe.

Agriculture-related technological breakthroughs satisfy the expanding demand for sustainability, digitization, and agricultural automation. Emerging trends in agriculture indicate a shift toward intelligent farming and the effective use of time and resources while minimizing crop losses.

What is Agritech?

The use of technological improvements in agriculture to increase production, efficiency, and profitability is known as "agritech" or "agricultural technology." This includes crop modification to grow well in different environments, harvesting, and quicker planting—all made possible by technology. The use of robotics, big data, artificial intelligence, or other methods may also be necessary to address the problems that the agricultural sector is currently facing.

This emerging industry sector aims to change agriculture from a labor-intensive sector into a cutting-edge tech job. By combining big data management technology, smart sensors, artificial intelligence systems, and predictive analytics, agriculture may become much more efficient, accurate, and resistant to environmental challenges and extreme weather. And this isn't the only benefit that this emerging sector might provide.

Agritech Trends Redefining the Way Farming Activities Take Place

IoT-based Sensor Station by Agrila - Internet of Things

Agrila, a Bulgarian startup, develops a modular Internet of Things-based sensor station to make it easier to sense important variables including soil moisture and temperature, wind speed and direction, rain, humidity, solar irradiation, and more. Real-time alerts are provided by the solar-powered station via web or mobile applications. Additionally, the system provides in-depth graphs, summaries, and analysis of sensor data, allowing farmers to acquire information in a cost- and time-effective manner.

Robotic Harvesting by Advanced.Farm - Robotics

Robotics technology is being used by US-based startup Advanced.Farm to create solutions for autonomous field navigation and harvesting. To identify and select fresh food based on size and maturity, they use robots with stereo cameras. They also develop grippers that are safe for use with food to separate the fruit from the plants. They also produce hybrid-electric drive systems and autonomous tractors, allowing farmers to automate large-scale activities with less time and effort.

AI-powered Crop Planning by Arva Intelligence - Artificial Intelligence

Arva Intelligence, a US-based firm, uses artificial intelligence to generate specialized crop planning suggestions. In order to do in-depth analyses on genetics, soil fertility, climate, harvest, and yield, the business develops a software interface that collects all farm data. They provide thoughtful ways for classifying soil and climate according to the crops grown in the field. Additionally, they support harvest analytics by providing farm-level report cards that let farmers assess the effectiveness of field inputs on the crops and identify the limiting factors.

Aerial Pollination by Wakan Tech - Drones

An Omani business called Wakan Tech is developing cutting-edge drone strategies for aerial pollination of date palm trees. They create drones to check crop health and spray pesticides and pollen precisely where needed. Their drones pollinate the trees considerably more quickly than traditional methods do by using liquid or dry pollen. To find pests and unhealthy date palm trees, these drones are outfitted with AI and computer vision technologies. Especially in the case of big farm operations, this enables faster and more precise targeting and spraying.

Precision Agriculture Tools Development by Agricolus - Precision Agriculture

An Italian start-up named Agricolus creates a variety of precision agricultural instruments to enhance farm management. They use satellites and drones to compute vitality, water stress, and chlorophyll content parameters. Additionally, they create maps that make it easier to apply fertilizer and other inputs at different rates. Additionally, the firm provides performance measurement and traceability of farm activities through their technology, AgriPlug. Overall, the solutions save management costs while optimizing output with the proper handling of inputs.

Plant Breeding by AgGene - Biotechnology

Agri-biotech industry Canadian company AgGene employs plant breeding techniques to produce seeds and tissues with more protein. They are pros at altering genes to increase the production of proteins. In response to the growing need for plant proteins around the world, the firm was established. Additionally, they use genetic editing methods like CRISPR and MAD7 to modify commercial crops to include desirable traits.

Data-driven Farming by AgriData Innovations (ADI) - Big Data & Analytics

AgriData Innovations, a Dutch firm, makes it easier to gather, analyze, and visualize farm data, particularly that related to greenhouses. ADI creates software for embedded data transport and control. They specialize in compartmentalizing information from an image up to a particular crop leaf, empowering farmers to make informed choices. The business also uses image processing and neural networks to analyze leaf size, crop health, and other factors. Their knowledge gained from data analytics and visualization enhances greenhouse operations and productivity as a whole.

Vertical Aeroponics by OnePointOne - Controlled Environment Agriculture

OnePointOne, a US-based startup, creates a vertical plane aeroponics agricultural facility. They use vertical farming methods to provide solutions that conserve water, labor, and space. They also use high-resolution hyperspectral photography to study the farm's plants. Additionally, the start-up offers farmers individualized nutrition and farming services.

Fermentation Technology by Acterra - Regenerative Agriculture

Acterra, a young Canadian company, is an expert in fermentation technology for composting, seed, soil, and residue treatments. They create a compost addition that has the dual benefits of nutrient-richly enhancing the already-existing manure and hastening the breakdown of organic materials. Their approach is also sustainable because it sequesters carbon in the soil.

Connectivity-based Sensors by Ellenex - Connectivity Technologies

Numerous agricultural sensor solutions are available from Australian firm Ellenex, many of which are enabled by connection technologies like LoRaWAN, low-power satellite, Sigfox, and low-power WiFi. Batteries-powered instruments for measuring pressure, flow, level, water quality, and temperature are supported by these network technologies. Farmers now have easy access to accurate data, which facilitates timely monitoring of the farm.

Market Scope in Future in Terms of Investment

This is possibly the most stable and predictable market to invest in in terms of long-term investments. The need for food will increase along with the global population. However, the sector will need to make an effort to persuade Gen Z and millennial members to pursue careers in the AgTech sector by promoting their values and environmental advantages.

To do this, the perception of the sector and the idea of what it means to be a farmer must be fundamentally altered. However, this is crucial to addressing one of agriculture's biggest problems today: the critical skills shortage.

Contrary to other technological disruptions in the past, this industry upheaval is focused on something far more important: our collective survival. This is something the World Economic Forum highlights as being different from other technological disruptions in the past. Therefore, please consider AgTech the next time you evaluate which industry to invest in or which industry sector to promote. It will determine our future.