https://agrospectrumasia.com/rssfeed/industry/digital%20tech digital tech https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4669/mafra-and-kotra-launch-2026-k-smart-farm-roadshow-to-expand-korean-agtech-exports-across-asia.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4669/mafra-and-kotra-launch-2026-k-smart-farm-roadshow-to-expand-korean-agtech-exports-across-asia.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 15:58:35 +0530 South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) have launched the 2026 K-Smart Farm Roadshow, taking Korean agricultural technology companies to Vietnam, Indonesia and China as Seoul looks to deepen commercial links in Asia’s expanding smart-farming markets. The roadshow began in Ho Chi Minh City on September 14 and 15, followed by Jakarta on September 17 and Qingdao and Wuhan in China from September 20 to 22. The annual programme is designed to connect Korean smart-farm companies with overseas buyers and create opportunities for technology exports and business partnerships. This year’s delegation includes companies working across smart-farm equipment, environmental control systems and crop-growth management technologies. Participating companies are demonstrating their solutions to prospective buyers while holding business meetings aimed at identifying commercial opportunities in each market. The programme also goes beyond buyer meetings. In China, participating companies will visit smart-agriculture facilities to gain first-hand insight into local farming conditions, technology adoption and market requirements. The visits are intended to help Korean companies align their technologies more closely with the operational needs of overseas markets. For MAFRA and KOTRA, the focus is on converting overseas market engagement into commercial outcomes. The agencies said they will provide continued support to participating companies after the roadshow, including close follow-up on export consultations and efforts to translate business discussions into actual contracts. The geographic spread of this year’s roadshow reflects the diversity of Asia’s smart-farming opportunity, spanning Southeast Asian markets such as Vietnam and Indonesia and major Chinese agricultural centres. By combining buyer engagement, technology demonstrations and on-ground market intelligence, the programme aims to give Korean companies a more direct route into regional agricultural technology markets. The 2026 roadshow also underscores a broader shift in agricultural technology trade, with smart-farming solutions increasingly moving from demonstration projects towards commercial deployment. For Korean companies, the challenge is not simply to showcase technology overseas, but to adapt equipment, environmental controls and crop-management systems to the production economics and farming conditions of individual markets. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4666/agplenus-takes-fungicide-discovery-beyond-chemistry.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4666/agplenus-takes-fungicide-discovery-beyond-chemistry.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:09:11 +0530 Fungicide discovery is confronting a difficult equation: resistance is accelerating, while finding genuinely new modes of action remains costly, slow and inherently high-risk. In this exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Dr. Dan J. Gelvan, CEO of AgPlenus, explains how artificial intelligence could alter that equation by improving the odds of identifying viable molecules before they enter the laboratory. AgPlenus’ Antifungal Potency Predictor (APP) is built to reduce the experimental burden of conventional discovery, but Gelvan argues that chemistry is only the beginning. The bigger prize is predictive biology—anticipating field performance, toxicology, phytotoxicity and environmental behaviour before costly development decisions are made. AgPlenus therefore sees AI not as a faster screening tool, but as a way to progressively de-risk the entire fungicide pipeline. Its target-based strategy deliberately focuses on novel modes of action, with Septoria, Botrytis and Fusarium among the pathogen areas under consideration. As resistance reshapes crop protection, the interview explores whether AI can make first-in-class fungicide discovery not just faster, but economically viable. The fungicide industry has struggled with resistance for decades despite continuous innovation. How fundamentally does the Antifungal Potency Predictor change the economics and success rates of fungicide discovery compared with conventional R&D approaches? The Antifungal Potency Predictor (APP) should be assessed alongside our broader developmental approach, which includes discovering novel fungicide targets to establish new modes of action. Resistance is typically tied to a fungicide’s target and mode of action, so introducing novel targets into the discovery pipeline creates an opportunity to develop truly novel fungicides that can help address resistance. The challenge is that discovering entirely new chemical entities against novel targets is, by definition, a high-risk, time-consuming and expensive process. Conventional approaches require significant experimental work to identify and validate promising molecules. The APP is designed to improve the odds of success within that inherently risky process by helping us identify molecules with greater potential before we invest heavily in synthesis and downstream testing. In doing so, it can reduce unnecessary experimentation, saving both time and money while improving the efficiency of the discovery process. AI models are only as robust as the data they are trained on. Without revealing proprietary information, what distinguishes AgPlenus' datasets and machine learning architecture from those used by competitors developing AI-driven crop protection solutions? We have invested significant resources in building a proprietary dataset specifically for this purpose. It combines both external data and internal data generated specifically for the project, giving us a foundation that is tailored to the questions we are trying to answer in antifungal discovery. The quality and curation of the dataset are particularly important. We collected and curated the data using state-of-the-art AI tools, with the objective of understanding not only which molecular features are associated with activity, but also which features are associated with a lack of activity. Having sufficient and well-chosen negative examples is essential for effective machine learning because the model needs to distinguish between molecules that are likely to work and those that are not. This allows the APP to learn a more meaningful representation of the relationship between molecular structure and antifungal activity, rather than simply identifying patterns among successful compounds. ChemPass AI for Ag now predicts target affinity and antifungal potency before synthesis. What remains the biggest scientific bottleneck in bringing an AI-discovered molecule from computational prediction to commercial fungicide registration? Fungicides go through a long development process that is focused not only on efficacy, but also on environmental safety and the overall suitability of a molecule for practical use. The main sources of failure tend to be field performance, toxicological profile and off-target phytotoxicity. A molecule can perform well at an early discovery stage and still fail when it encounters the much more complex conditions of development and field use. We see this as an opportunity as much as a threat. Every time a molecule advances through the development funnel, it risks failing at the next step. Rather than viewing AI simply as a tool for identifying molecules, our goal is to build a string of predictive algorithms, with each algorithm targeting a different stage of the process. Together, these models could progressively de-risk the entire discovery and development pipeline. The objective is therefore to extend predictive capability beyond chemistry and potency to the biological, safety and performance questions that ultimately determine whether a fungicide can become a successful commercial product. The crop protection industry is increasingly shifting from discovering 'better molecules' to discovering entirely new modes of action. How confident are you that AI can consistently identify first-in-class fungicides rather than incremental improvements to existing chemistry? AgPlenus works exclusively on new modes of action. Our mission is to help overcome the rising resistance of crops to pesticides by developing fundamentally new approaches to crop protection. Our process starts with an AI-based workstream that we call Target Selector, which identifies new essential targets in the target organism. Our molecular discovery process is then target-based: we look for molecules that bind to a specific protein target in order to elicit the desired biological effect. The choice of target is therefore central to the discovery process. By choosing new targets, we are, by definition, choosing new modes of action for our lead candidates. This is different from taking an existing mode of action and attempting to optimise the chemistry around it. Our focus is on identifying biological vulnerabilities that can provide the foundation for an entirely new class of fungicides. Your pipeline currently includes targets against Septoria Wheat Blotch, with plans to expand into Botrytis and Fusarium. What criteria determine which pathogens become priorities, and where do you see the greatest unmet commercial opportunity over the next decade? We closely monitor resistance pressures as they emerge in the field and combine that information with commercial analysis to determine which fungi and crops should be prioritised. Resistance is an important part of the equation, but it is not the only consideration. We also need to understand the commercial relevance of the crop and pathogen and whether our target-based discovery approach can address the biological problem effectively. Because our discovery approach is target-based, a compound that inhibits a particular protein will not necessarily be active against fungi in which that target is absent or is not essential. That biological constraint is an important part of how we think about the pipeline. We therefore favour targets that are expressed across multiple fungi where possible, but we are not pursuing the conventional path of trying to build one broad-spectrum fungicide that works indiscriminately across pathogens. Instead, the potential scope of the fungi we can address is defined by the target itself. This target-driven approach allows us to focus our resources on pathogens where there is both a meaningful need and a compelling biological rationale. Large agrochemical companies are investing heavily in AI-driven discovery, while biotech startups are pursuing similar ambitions. Beyond speed, what competitive advantage will ultimately determine leadership in AI-enabled crop protection—data ownership, algorithms, biological validation, or strategic partnerships? AI has largely levelled the playing field for startups. The old paradigm relied heavily on massive parallel synthesis and high- or ultra-high-throughput screening, which required significant capital investment and large experimental infrastructures. AI-based discovery changes that equation by reducing the need for synthesis by orders of magnitude and, consequently, shrinking the experimental burden. However, speed alone will not determine success. Biological validation, and predictive biology more broadly, will remain the biggest challenge in this field. Chemistry matters, but a pesticide ultimately has to perform under real field conditions, where biological systems are considerably more complex than the controlled environments used during early discovery. That means the real competitive advantage will come from our ability to predict the biology, not simply the chemistry. The APP is an example of this approach: it is designed to predict antifungal potency before synthesis. We see the same principle extending across the development pipeline, with predictive tools helping us understand which candidates are most likely to succeed as they move from computational discovery into increasingly complex biological and field environments. With regulatory expectations and sustainability demands becoming increasingly stringent worldwide, how do you anticipate AI-driven molecule discovery influencing the environmental profile, development timelines, and regulatory approval process for future fungicides? Environmental profiling and regulatory approval are among the hardest things to predict, which is precisely where we believe AI needs to be applied. The value of AI is not limited to solving relatively easy optimisation problems. It should also be applied to the difficult questions that determine whether a molecule can ultimately become a viable pesticide. As we develop predictive capabilities across the discovery and development process, environmental and regulatory characteristics are important areas where those capabilities can potentially create value. If we can identify potential issues earlier, we can make better-informed decisions about which molecules to advance and which ones to deprioritise. It is tempting to use AI to solve easy problems, such as finding the fastest route home, but the real value comes from putting it to work on hard problems. That is exactly what we are doing at AgPlenus: applying AI to difficult biological and development questions where better prediction could have a meaningful impact on the efficiency and risk profile of pesticide discovery. Looking ahead five to ten years, do you envision AgPlenus evolving primarily as an AI-powered discovery engine partnering with global crop protection companies, or as a developer advancing proprietary fungicide assets further toward commercialization? What strategic milestones should the industry watch for? We are building a pipeline of partnered products. Whether we initiate a given project ourselves or collaborate with a partner that initiated it is less important than our core business model: building a unique pipeline of novel mode-of-action pesticides. Our objective is to create value through that pipeline and through the ability to discover and develop products based on new biological targets. Partnerships are an important part of that model because they provide a route to combining our discovery capabilities with the development and commercial capabilities required to bring products to market. From our perspective, therefore, any progress in the pipeline is strategic. The key milestones are not limited to the evolution of the AI platform itself; they include progress in identifying and validating novel targets, discovering active molecules, advancing candidates through development and ultimately building a portfolio of partnered products based on genuinely new modes of action. -- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4662/uk-project-brings-precision-pollination-to-commercial-fruit-production-and-breeding.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4662/uk-project-brings-precision-pollination-to-commercial-fruit-production-and-breeding.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:21:34 +0530 A new UK research and innovation project is seeking to change how commercial fruit growers manage one of the most important — and least precisely measured — variables in crop production: pollination. The two-year Precision Pollination to Accelerate Breeding and Boost Productivity in Fruit Production project, led by agri-technology company AgriSound in partnership with Hutton Scientific Services, will develop a data-driven approach to monitoring pollination in commercial fruit production. The initiative aims to help growers identify pollination gaps, improve fruit set and yield, and generate new insights that can feed directly into the breeding of future fruit varieties. The James Hutton Institute will play a central research role through Hutton Scientific Services, drawing on its expertise in crop genetics, plant breeding and pollination science. Hutton Scientific Services provides analytical, research and development, consultancy, plant breeding and licensing services, with a focus on science-led solutions to agricultural and sustainability challenges. The commercial importance of the project is straightforward. Pollination determines whether flowers successfully progress to fruit, influencing fruit set, quality and ultimately the volume of marketable produce. Yet pollination management in many commercial systems still relies heavily on visual observations, conventional hive recommendations and growers’ experience. That approach is becoming harder to rely on as weather patterns become more variable, pollinator populations shift and pollinator activity differs between crops, farms and production environments. Growers can therefore struggle to establish whether sufficient pollination is taking place, where gaps exist or when intervention is justified. The new project is designed to replace that uncertainty with measurable field-level data. “Pollination is mission-critical to fruit production, but it is still too often managed through assumption. Our goal is to make precision pollination scalable across crops and useful as a day-to-day production tool,” said Dr Casey Woodward, CEO of AgriSound. The project will build on AgriSound’s existing Precision Pollination platform, which combines in-field bioacoustic sensors with artificial intelligence-based analytics to monitor pollinator activity within crops. The partners will expand the technology into a multi-species, multi-crop system capable of monitoring honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies. The initial focus will span five commercially important fruit crops — strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and cherries. By tracking different pollinator species across different production systems, the project aims to build a more detailed picture of how pollination behaves in real-world commercial environments. The research will go beyond simply counting pollinator activity. Validation studies will combine acoustic monitoring with smart-tag observations, time-lapse imaging, environmental monitoring and crop performance assessments. These datasets will allow researchers to refine pollinator detection algorithms and examine how pollinator behaviour changes according to crop, production system and environmental conditions. A key objective will be to establish clearer relationships between pollinator activity and actual commercial outcomes. The research will investigate links between pollination activity, fruit set, yield and fruit quality, potentially giving growers a more practical basis for decisions about pollinator management. For fruit producers, that could shift pollination from a largely observational management issue towards another measurable component of crop productivity. Instead of relying primarily on assumptions about hive numbers or general pollinator presence, growers could eventually have access to field-level information showing when and where pollination activity is adequate and where additional action may be required. The project also has a second objective that could prove important beyond the current production cycle: using pollination data to improve fruit breeding. Hutton scientists will investigate how plant genetics and flower characteristics influence pollinator attraction and pollination efficiency. The work could help identify plant traits that make varieties more attractive or accessible to pollinators while retaining the characteristics required for commercial production. Dr Susan McCallum, Soft Fruit Geneticist and Breeder at the James Hutton Institute, said the collaboration combines technology with data-driven insight to improve understanding of pollination and its impact on soft fruit productivity. She said the research could generate practical evidence to help growers and breeders make better-informed decisions while supporting a more resilient and sustainable future for fruit production. The breeding dimension gives the project a longer-term significance. Improving pollination is not only about managing pollinators around existing varieties; it also raises the possibility of designing or selecting plants whose floral characteristics work more effectively within changing pollination environments. The initiative comes as fruit production faces a combination of pressures that are increasingly difficult to manage through individual interventions. Weather variability can alter flowering periods and pollinator activity, while changes in pollinator populations can affect the reliability of natural and managed pollination. At the same time, commercial fruit production requires consistent fruit set, quality and yield to remain economically viable. The partners therefore see precision pollination as part of a broader move towards data-driven horticulture, where biological processes that were once difficult to quantify can increasingly be monitored alongside environmental and crop-performance data. The project’s multi-species approach is particularly significant because different pollinators do not necessarily behave in the same way. Honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies can differ in their activity patterns and interactions with crops. Understanding those differences could help build more targeted pollination strategies rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. The project will also generate datasets that could improve the underlying AI-based detection system. As acoustic observations are matched against smart tags, imaging and environmental measurements, researchers can improve the ability of the technology to distinguish pollinator activity and understand the conditions associated with productive pollination. Ultimately, the ambition is to make pollination as measurable and manageable as other major production variables. If successful, the technology could give growers a clearer basis for decisions while giving breeders new evidence on the relationship between plant traits, pollinator behaviour and commercial performance.   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4654/hokkaido-becomes-japans-launchpad-for-ai-powered-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4654/hokkaido-becomes-japans-launchpad-for-ai-powered-agriculture.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 18:20:23 +0530 Japan is turning one of its biggest farming regions into a test bed for the next generation of agricultural automation, with the government designating 19 municipalities in Hokkaido’s Tokachi region, including Obihiro, as national strategic special zones for AI-powered agriculture. The move is significant not simply because it opens the door to more autonomous machinery, but because it tackles one of the less visible barriers to agricultural automation: regulation. Under the special-zone framework, Japan will ease procedures governing the operation of autonomous robot tractors on public roads and the use of drones for pesticide spraying. The objective is to move AI-enabled machinery beyond controlled fields and into the wider operating environment of commercial farms. For Japan, where labour availability is a structural constraint on agriculture, the experiment is also a test of whether regulation can catch up with the technology already emerging on farms. Regulation Moves Closer to the Farm The problem is particularly acute on large farms in Tokachi. Under existing rules, autonomous robot tractors must have a driver when travelling on public roads, including when moving between a warehouse and a field. When several tractors are deployed across large areas, the requirement effectively puts a person on each machine — limiting the labour savings that autonomous systems are designed to deliver. The new special-zone rules will allow driverless autonomous tractors to travel on public roads when operating in a convoy with a crewed truck or other vehicle. The government will also ease regulatory requirements for the communications infrastructure required to support uncrewed operations. That distinction matters. The next phase of agricultural automation is unlikely to be determined solely by whether a machine can operate autonomously in a field. It will depend increasingly on whether farms can integrate those machines into the full logistics chain — from storage and transport to field operations. Tokachi Becomes Japan’s AI Agriculture Test Bed Tokachi is a logical testing ground for that model, given its large-scale farms and the scope of its agricultural operations. Obihiro Mayor Yosuke Ueno said the region’s recognition as a national strategic special zone reflects its suitability as a demonstration site for AI-powered agriculture. A Cabinet Office survey and demonstration project is scheduled to begin later this month, while a symposium is planned in Obihiro in November. The government is also looking beyond the immediate demonstration projects. By creating a regulatory environment specifically designed for AI-enabled farming, it hopes to attract more technology companies into agriculture and accelerate commercial deployment. This is the first national strategic special-zone designation in Japan specifically focused on AI-powered agriculture. From Labour Saving to a New Farm Model Japan has used its national strategic special-zone system before to test agricultural deregulation. In Niigata, for example, an exception was introduced allowing farmers to open restaurants on farmland. But the Tokachi initiative goes further into the technology stack, addressing how machines move, communicate and operate autonomously within the agricultural system. That could make the special zones a useful bridge between agricultural technology development and commercial adoption. The underlying question is no longer whether autonomous tractors and agricultural drones can perform individual tasks. It is whether farms can redesign operations around machines that require fewer people to supervise them. Mitsugi Takenaka, mayor of Kamishihoro and chairman of an association representing municipalities in Tokachi, said the region could use the special-zone framework to establish a new form of agriculture in a short period and ultimately spread it across Japan and internationally. For Japan’s agriculture sector, the experiment is therefore about more than easing a few regulations. It is an attempt to create the conditions in which AI, autonomous machinery and connected farm infrastructure can operate as one system — and to determine whether that model can scale beyond Hokkaido. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4651/jacto-scales-up-its-agricultural-drone-strategy-with-t55-and-t100.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4651/jacto-scales-up-its-agricultural-drone-strategy-with-t55-and-t100.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:51:45 +0530 Jacto is expanding its agricultural drone business as demand for faster, more precise and increasingly automated field operations reshapes the machinery market. The Brazilian company, which has partnered with DJI since 2024, is adding the T55 agricultural drone and the dual-battery T100 agricultural drone to its portfolio. The new models are designed to extend operating time and improve productivity, particularly in applications covering large agricultural areas. The additions complement Jacto’s existing range, which includes the T70, T25P and Mavic 3M, giving farmers and agricultural operators a broader set of options across spraying, solid-material distribution, imaging and cargo transport. “The new equipment will join the models Jacto already distributes, including the agricultural drones T70 and T25P and the imaging drone Mavic 3M, expanding the range of solutions for different operational profiles in the field,” said Rodrigo Madeira, Product Planning Manager at Jacto. “Featuring technologies geared toward spraying, solid-material distribution, and cargo transport, these models reinforce Jacto’s strategy of making equipment that combines operational efficiency, precision, and versatility available,” he added. T55 Targets Flexible, Single-Operator Applications The T55 is positioned as a lightweight agricultural drone designed for individual operators handling multiple field applications. It has a 50-litre spraying capacity, can carry up to 55 kg for solid-material spreading, and supports a lifting-system payload of up to 40 kg. Its design allows a single operator to transport, assemble and operate the drone, reducing the logistical burden associated with deploying aerial equipment in the field. The T55 has a maximum speed of 72 km/h, a spraying flow rate of up to 50 litres per minute and a solids discharge rate of up to 400 kg per minute. Its technology package includes millimetre-wave radar, a quad-vision system and enhanced algorithms aimed at improving operational safety and enabling intelligent obstacle avoidance. The system is also designed to support reliable operation in challenging conditions, including rain, fog and low-light environments. For Jacto, the model broadens the role of agricultural drones beyond specialised spraying applications towards a more versatile platform capable of handling several routine field operations. Dual-Battery T100 Takes Aim at Large-Area Operations The T100 with dual batteries takes a different approach, focusing on productivity and endurance in large agricultural operations. With two intelligent batteries, the configuration increases flight time by 50 per cent for the same cargo, allowing operators to keep drones in the field for longer periods and reduce interruptions during extended operations. The drone's solid-material distribution system supports a payload of up to 100 kg, with a discharge rate of up to 400 kg per minute. Its cargo lifting and transport system can handle loads of up to 80 kg. In its dual-battery configuration, the spraying system has a 90-litre tank and a flow rate of up to 40 litres per minute. The platform can also be configured with two different spraying-system models, allowing operators to adapt the equipment to different agricultural applications. The distinction between the two new models reflects a broader shift in agricultural drone deployment: while smaller platforms can address flexibility and ease of operation, larger systems are increasingly being evaluated on the basis of payload, flight endurance and field productivity. Jacto Broadens Its Precision-Agriculture Play The expanded portfolio gives Jacto coverage across a wider range of aerial applications, from imaging and precision spraying to solid-material distribution and cargo transport. The move also strengthens the company's positioning in a segment where the economics of drone operations are increasingly determined not simply by aircraft specifications, but by how much work can be completed per flight cycle and how easily the technology can be integrated into routine farm operations. With the T55 and dual-battery T100 joining the T70, T25P and Mavic 3M, Jacto is effectively building a portfolio around different operational requirements rather than a single drone category. The strategy points to a larger opportunity for agricultural machinery companies: as drones become more embedded in farm workflows, their value is likely to be measured less by their novelty and more by their ability to reduce downtime, improve application precision and cover more hectares with fewer operational constraints. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4650/p101-leads-5-2-mn-round-in-biorsaf-as-food-regtech-consolidation-accelerates.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4650/p101-leads-5-2-mn-round-in-biorsaf-as-food-regtech-consolidation-accelerates.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:15:22 +0530 Italy’s food industry is becoming the next frontier for RegTech as Biorsaf raises €5.2 million in a round led by P101 SGR and acquires Cooki, bringing together two complementary platforms to build what the companies describe as Italy’s first integrated digital solution for food compliance and data management. The transaction marks a shift in how food businesses manage increasingly complex regulatory and operational requirements. Rather than digitising individual functions, the combined platform aims to connect the full compliance chain — from food safety and HACCP to quality, traceability, nutritional information, food costs and labelling. The new capital will support a three-year expansion programme centred on artificial intelligence, product development and market consolidation. Biorsaf plans to grow its team from 40 employees to 120 within the next 18 months, while targeting exponential annual revenue growth. The opportunity is substantial but remains largely untapped. The Italian food, work and water safety market comprises around 3.4 million businesses and generates more than €12 billion in revenue, yet the sector’s digitalisation rate remains at just 3 per cent, according to the company. At the centre of Biorsaf’s expansion is the development of an AI-powered platform designed to automate quality, safety and operational processes. The ambition is not simply to replace paper-based procedures, but to turn compliance data into an operating layer for food businesses. Founded in 2021 in Castell'Azzara, Grosseto, by a team with more than four decades of experience in food safety, Biorsaf has developed BS-Safe, a vertical platform that digitises food safety, workplace safety and water-quality management. It enables businesses to automate controls, improve traceability and manage regulatory compliance and documentation centrally. The company says it has become Italy’s leading operator in the segment within three years, with more than 10,000 active users across customers ranging from independent operators to large restaurant chains, HORECA businesses and grocery retailers. Its customer base includes Gruppo Cigierre, which operates brands including Old Wild West, American Graffiti, Pizzikotto, Wiener Haus and Shi's, as well as GDO operator Conad. The economics of digitisation are also becoming increasingly tangible. By eliminating paper-based processes and automating traditionally manual controls, Biorsaf estimates that its platform saves around 30 minutes of work per user each day. Across its active user base, the company estimates that this translated into more than €30 million in potential operating-cost savings in 2025, while also improving efficiency, sustainability and workplace safety. Biorsaf has also moved beyond software towards specialised AI tools. It has developed what it describes as the first professional AI agent dedicated to digital food-safety management, designed to automate monitoring, compliance checks, control activities and document management for companies and specialist consultants. Cooki Adds the Missing Operational Layer The acquisition of Cooki expands that proposition from compliance into the day-to-day management of food information and operations. Founded by Giuseppe Grammatico in 2017, Cooki operates across more than 450 Italian cities, with over 1,000 active users and a database containing more than 35,000 coded products. Its platform supports traceability, labelling, food-cost management, inventory and allergen-risk management. Bringing the two businesses together creates a broader digital architecture covering the principal data and compliance processes across the food chain. For Biorsaf, the strategic value extends beyond product integration. The acquisition is the first step in a broader consolidation strategy targeting an Italian market that remains highly fragmented. “With the new round and the acquisition of Cooki we are accelerating Biorsaf’s growth. In just three years we have built the reference platform for food compliance automation in Italy and are now ready for the next phase of development. The integration with Cooki completes our offering and represents the first step in a strategy to consolidate a still highly fragmented market. Our objective is to grow rapidly, both organically and through market consolidation and technological innovation, putting artificial intelligence at the service of safety and efficiency for food-sector businesses,” said Marco Papalini, CEO, Biorsaf. For P101, the investment fits a broader thesis around technology serving highly regulated industries. “Biorsaf has all the characteristics we look for in RegTech: a strong technology component, deep vertical expertise and leadership in a highly regulated market. We will support the company in this significant new phase of growth, working alongside the team to create, including through buy-and-build strategies, a platform capable of accelerating the digital transformation of an entire industrial sector,” said Giuseppe Donvito, Partner, P101. From Food Compliance to Food Infrastructure The round also brings together investors with established interests in agrifood technology and regional innovation. Maia Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on agrifoodtech, and Farming Future – the National AgrifoodTech Technology Transfer Hub – participated in the round. Farming Future originated and supported the company’s first investment round in November 2024, promoted by CDP Venture Capital SGR in partnership with ToSeed & Partners. Toscana Next, the co-investment fund established and managed by CDP Venture Capital and backed by leading Tuscan banking foundations, also participated. Existing investors are therefore continuing to back the company as it moves into its next stage. The transaction further strengthens P101’s position in RegTech, which accounts for around 20 per cent of investments made through Programma 103. Its portfolio in the segment includes Aptus.AI and A-Cube, while its food-sector investments have included Cortilia, Soplaya and Tannico. The investment is P101’s 15th transaction through Programma 103, Azimut ELTIF Venture Capital P103 and Programma 103R Digital. Programma 103 is also supported by the European Union through the InvestEU Fund. Programma 103R Digital is supported by CDP Venture Capital through the Digital Transition Fund under Italy’s PNRR, using European Union resources under NextGenerationEU to accelerate digital transformation across supply chains and SMEs.   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4638/nofence-turns-cattle-collars-into-a-precision-livestock-platform.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4638/nofence-turns-cattle-collars-into-a-precision-livestock-platform.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:45:39 +0530 Norwegian livestock technology company Nofence has launched the N3 cattle collar, positioning the device as the foundation of a broader precision livestock platform that brings virtual fencing, herd health monitoring and grazing management into a single system. Announced on September 2 in Oslo, the N3 is designed to move Nofence beyond virtual fencing and towards a more integrated model of livestock management, where data collected from individual animals can support decisions on reproduction, health and pasture utilisation. The company said the new collar is five times more durable than its previous model and comes with a 10-year warranty, reflecting its focus on long-term deployment across demanding livestock environments. The collar is designed to operate in extreme temperatures and uses a solar-chargeable battery that Nofence says can maintain performance in low-light conditions, including forests, valleys and high-latitude winters. Nofence has sold more than 200,000 collars across Europe and North America and reports a 99.7 per cent containment rate, drawing on more than a decade of field experience with GPS-based virtual fencing. Connectivity Becomes A Competitive Edge One of the N3’s biggest changes is its approach to connectivity. The collar uses three independent communication layers: cellular networks, satellite connectivity and HerdNet, Nofence’s proprietary collar-to-collar network. The combination is designed to extend the system into areas where conventional cellular networks are unavailable. “Satellite connectivity changes who Nofence works for,” said Jeff Glasson, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Nofence. “Millions of cattle graze in areas where cellular networks do not reach. With triple-layer connectivity, those producers are no longer limited to solutions that require expensive infrastructure.” That could expand the addressable market for virtual fencing, particularly across remote grazing regions where deploying conventional fencing or telecommunications infrastructure can be costly. From Virtual Fences To Herd Intelligence Nofence is also using the N3 to broaden its proposition from animal containment to continuous herd monitoring. The platform incorporates reproductive and health-related tools, including heat-cycle scores, calving alerts and individual activity and rumination tracking. The company said these capabilities are informed by behavioural data collected across more than 20 million grazing days. The shift reflects a larger change in livestock technology, where connected devices are increasingly being used not only to automate physical tasks but also to identify changes in animal behaviour that could help producers intervene earlier. “Livestock management tends to be dependent on visual observations,” Glasson said. “The system monitors every animal continuously so producers don’t have to guess when to check on cattle.” For Nofence, the commercial opportunity is therefore moving beyond selling a collar. The objective is to create a recurring technology platform around data, herd management and grazing decisions. “Virtual fencing was our beginning, and our customers showed us what should come next,” said Joachim Kähler, Chief Executive Officer, Nofence. Turning Pasture Into A Data Asset The N3 platform also targets grazing management, allowing producers to draw paddocks on a smartphone, schedule livestock movements and automatically record grazing activity. Those records can potentially be used to support applications for agricultural grants and value-added programmes, adding another layer of economic value to the data generated through the system. For livestock operators, the proposition is straightforward: reduce the physical burden of fencing while gaining greater visibility into where animals are, how they behave and how pasture is being used. Ole Kristian Kildahl, who operates a dairy and beef farm in Løten, Norway, said the system saves his farm approximately two weeks of fence maintenance each year. That type of labour saving could become increasingly relevant as livestock producers face pressure to improve productivity while managing labour availability and operating costs. A Broader Precision Livestock Bet Nofence’s launch reflects a broader evolution in livestock technology. Virtual fencing established the company’s position by replacing physical barriers with GPS-enabled animal management. The N3 takes that proposition further by combining containment with health, reproduction and pasture data. The company’s installed base of more than 200,000 collars gives it a significant dataset from which to build additional applications, while its triple-layer connectivity could extend the technology into previously underserved grazing environments. The bigger bet is that the collar becomes more than a fence. By making every animal a connected data point, Nofence is positioning precision livestock management as a continuous operating system for the farm—one that can influence where animals graze, when they move and when producers need to intervene. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4627/vietnam-and-russia-see-high-tech-agriculture-as-next-frontier-for-bilateral-cooperation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4627/vietnam-and-russia-see-high-tech-agriculture-as-next-frontier-for-bilateral-cooperation.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 17:43:16 +0530 Vietnam and Russia are looking to take their agricultural relationship into a more technology-driven phase, with researchers from both countries identifying artificial intelligence, automation, biotechnology and digital farming as areas where their capabilities could complement each other. The opportunity comes as agriculture globally moves toward data-driven production, with farmers and agribusinesses increasingly using AI, remote sensing, robotics and digital platforms to improve yields, manage resources and respond to climate risks. For Russia, the push into high-tech agriculture is being supported by advances in biological sciences, digital farming and agricultural automation. Vietnam, meanwhile, brings decades of experience in intensive tropical agriculture, rice production and aquaculture—creating potential for cooperation that goes beyond the conventional exchange of agricultural commodities and technology. Professor and Academician Gennady Karlov, Director of the All-Russian Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology (VNIISB), said high-tech agriculture has become a strategic area for Vietnam-Russia cooperation, alongside automation, AI and biotechnology. Russia’s agricultural technology development is increasingly linked to biological research, with VNIISB using digital phenotyping and artificial neural networks to accelerate plant breeding and genetic research. The complementary nature of the two agricultural systems could provide a foundation for joint innovation. Vietnam has developed expertise in intensive farming systems, rice cultivation and aquaculture suited to tropical conditions, while Russia has significant capabilities in large-scale grain and oilseed production, crop breeding and agriculture across diverse climatic zones. Researchers from the two countries are already exploring cooperation in rice. Joint work includes the cultivation of Indica and Japonica varieties in Russia, as well as exchanges of genetic resources for breeding and genomics research. The potential agenda is broader still. Remote sensing, AI-based agricultural forecasting, food safety, quality control and technologies for adapting agriculture to climate change have all emerged as possible areas for collaboration. Karlov has also proposed establishing a Vietnam-Russia innovation corridor focused on knowledge-intensive projects and joint laboratories. Research institutions including VNIISB and the Russian State Agrarian University–Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy are working with Vietnamese counterparts on scientific exchanges and training programmes for students and young researchers. The scale of Russia’s digital agriculture ambitions could make the partnership particularly relevant. Pham Thi Thu Ba, a master’s student at the Russian State Agrarian University, said Russia is accelerating digitalisation and automation under its strategy for developing the agro-industrial and fisheries complexes through 2030. Russia plans to launch a unified digital agricultural platform by the end of 2026, linking information on land, crops, livestock, weather and logistics. By 2030, at least 80 per cent of agricultural enterprises are expected to use domestically developed software for key production processes. The country is also expanding the use of precision agriculture and autonomous machinery. Around 24,000 AI-integrated autonomous agricultural machines are reportedly in operation in Russia in 2026, while businesses are adopting technologies ranging from soil mapping and drones to robotic milking systems and domestic agricultural software. For Vietnam, access to such technologies could complement its own strengths in intensive production and tropical agriculture. For Russia, Vietnamese expertise could help adapt agricultural technologies and production models to warmer climates and different farming environments. But turning that potential into commercial projects will not be straightforward. Ba pointed to several barriers, including the gap between cooperation plans and concrete projects, differences in natural conditions and technical standards, logistics and payment challenges, and quarantine requirements. The economics of the relationship also point to room for expansion. Bilateral agricultural trade has doubled over the past five years to about $1 billion annually, according to Ba, but investment in high technology remains relatively limited. That could signal the next stage of the relationship: moving from trading agricultural products and transferring existing technologies toward jointly developing new ones. For Vietnam and Russia, the bigger opportunity may therefore lie not simply in importing technology, but in combining research capabilities, agricultural know-how and local market knowledge to develop solutions suited to specific production environments. A shift toward joint research, co-development and technology localisation could give both countries a stronger position as agriculture becomes increasingly shaped by data, automation and artificial intelligence. If that transition takes hold, Vietnam-Russia agricultural cooperation could evolve from a conventional trade relationship into a more technology-led partnership—linking Russia’s scientific and engineering capabilities with Vietnam’s experience in intensive and tropical agriculture. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4614/bindbridge-targets-black-grass-with-ai-discovered-molecular-glues.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4614/bindbridge-targets-black-grass-with-ai-discovered-molecular-glues.html Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:24:07 +0530 Bindbridge, an AI-driven molecular discovery company developing novel crop-protection technologies, has secured public funding of approximately £400,000 through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme to advance its internal pipeline of molecular glues for agriculture. The 24-month programme, undertaken in collaboration with Niab, will apply Bindbridge’s proprietary BRIDGE discovery platform to develop novel molecules targeting black-grass, one of the most economically damaging and herbicide-resistant weeds affecting English wheat production. BRIDGE uses AI to discover molecular glues, small molecule chemistry, that selectively trigger the degradation of plant proteins essential for weed survival, offering a potential new mode of action for crop protection. The programme will progress candidates from computational discovery through laboratory and in-plant studies, with the objective of generating experimentally validated molecules. Additionally, the project will use targeted wheat transformation to confer resistance to the novel herbicide, supporting crop selectivity and future product development. “This award accelerates two important parts of our strategy: continuing to build BRIDGE as a differentiated computational discovery platform, while generating and advancing proprietary crop-protection assets within our own pipeline”, said Dr George Crane, CEO and co-founder of Bindbridge. “Black-grass is an important application for targeted protein degradation in agriculture and a strong starting point for developing differentiated herbicide assets with broader relevance across economically important weeds.” Working with Niab, the programme will advance Bindbridge’s black-grass programme through molecular optimisation, biological characterisation and whole-plant studies, while also developing herbicide-resistant wheat to support crop selectivity and future product development. Together, these activities will strengthen the asset package for future development with leading crop-protection partners.  ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4611/reservoir-announces-10-mn-multi-year-partnership-with-john-deere-to-accelerate-rugged-ai-for-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4611/reservoir-announces-10-mn-multi-year-partnership-with-john-deere-to-accelerate-rugged-ai-for-agriculture.html Mon, 07 Sep 2026 13:25:40 +0530 At its inaugural Ruggedize conference, Reservoir announced a $10 million, three-year R&D partnership with John Deere to accelerate real-world development and commercialization of rugged AI technologies for high-value crop agriculture. The partnership builds on a relationship that began when Reservoir was founded in 2024 and reflects Deere’s commitment to an innovation ecosystem that moves faster from prototype to grower impact. “John Deere is committed to helping high-value crop growers do more with less, and that requires strong innovation built in the field, not just in the lab,” said Jason Brantley, vice president of production systems, small ag & turf at John Deere. “Real-world validation is a key part of Deere’s mission and helps ensure new solutions are addressing real challenges farmers are facing. Automation on the farm is addressing the immediate labor and efficiency needs of the industry, and Reservoir is also helping explore what innovations come next across data, connectivity and other emerging agtech solutions.” The partnership helps Reservoir broaden access to its on-farm technical community by subsidizing startup participation and lowering barriers for founders entering the ecosystem. It will also expand opportunities for innovation in rural communities by connecting entrepreneurs and deep-tech engineers more directly with growers, farm operations and industry partners across California, Arizona and soon other key agricultural regions. Since opening its Salinas and Sonoma sites in spring of 2026, Reservoir Farms has already welcomed more than 20 startups, underscoring early traction for its field-based model. “We’ve been able to manifest our vision for Reservoir thanks in no small part to the generous partnership of John Deere,” said Danny Bernstein, CEO of Reservoir. “This multi-year commitment gives startups greater access to the infrastructure, field conditions and strategic relationships they need to prove the value of rugged AI for commercial agriculture faster.” Earlier this year, Western Growers announced its own three-year commitment to Reservoir. Together, the Deere and Western Growers commitments give Reservoir the strategic backing and grower relationships needed to advance its field-based model for rugged AI innovation. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4608/why-crop-breeding-is-moving-from-resistance-to-immune-restoration.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4608/why-crop-breeding-is-moving-from-resistance-to-immune-restoration.html Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:28:09 +0530 Disease resistance in agriculture has long been defined by an evolutionary arms race as breeders introduce resistance, pathogens adapt, and the cycle begins again. In this exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Dr. Cian Duggan, Co-founder of Resurrect Bio, argues that the next breakthrough may come from understanding and restoring the plant immune mechanisms that pathogens have already learned to overcome. He explains how Resurrect Bio’s combination of computational discovery, AI-assisted prioritisation and wet-lab validation seeks to move disease resistance beyond broad screening towards the identification of causal, actionable traits. With spinach downy mildew as the immediate focus of its collaboration with Bejo, the approach offers a test case for whether mechanism-led trait discovery can produce resistance that is more durable and commercially relevant. Duggan also examines how climate-driven disease pressure could elevate crop immunity from a specialised breeding objective to a strategic pillar of global food security. Looking ahead, he envisions a more integrated crop-protection model in which genetics, biology, chemistry, digital tools and precision breeding converge to build resilience into crops rather than continually reacting to disease after it emerges. For decades, the industry has been engaged in an arms race with pathogens, with resistance genes emerging and then quickly becoming obsolete. What convinces you that this partnership can alter that cycle rather than merely delay it? The simple fact is that pathogens will continue to evolve to counter resistance genes. What makes this partnership with Bejo different is that it brings Resurrect Bio’s immune-restoration approach into a breeding context shaped by Bejo’s crop expertise and real-world understanding of disease pressure. Instead of simply introducing or selecting another resistance gene and waiting for it to be overcome by the pathogens, Resurrect Bio identifies where plant immune systems have already been defeated by pathogens and looks for ways to restore or strengthen those immune functions. In spinach, the collaboration with Bejo will apply this targeted trait discovery approach to identify disease resistance mechanisms that could support more resilient varieties. Resurrect Bio’s platform combines computational discovery, AI-assisted prioritisation and wet-lab validation to identify causal resistance targets rather than relying only on broad screening. This gives the teams developing new varieties of spinach a clearer view of how the crop and the pathogen interact with each other, how resistance breaks down crops' immune systems and how immune systems can fight back against the pathogens. As climate change accelerates the evolution and spread of crop diseases, do you foresee disease resistance becoming as strategically important to food security as yield enhancement once was? Absolutely. As climate change accelerates the spread and evolution of crop diseases, disease resistance will become just as strategically important to food security as yield enhancement has been historically. Yield potential only matters if crops can withstand the disease pressures they face in the field. As pathogens move into new regions and place greater pressure on existing resistance traits, varieties that perform well today may become vulnerable faster than expected. This is especially relevant in crops like spinach, where multiple growing cycles each year increase pressure on resistance durability. For seed companies, the challenge is to develop higher-performing varieties, whilst also ensuring reliable production in the face of evolving disease. The next phase of crop improvement needs to bring yield, quality and resilience closer together, with stronger and more durable disease resistance at its core. The seed industry has traditionally relied on incremental breeding gains. Does targeted trait discovery represent a paradigm shift in how crop innovation will be conducted over the next decade? We think targeted trait discovery has the potential to change how crop innovation is conducted, particularly for disease resistance. Traditional breeding will always be essential, but it relies on screening large populations and selecting for incremental gains. That approach can work well, but it’s not always fast enough when pathogens are evolving quickly, accelerated for example by climate change, or when the causal resistance mechanism is not well understood. Targeted trait discovery approaches the problem from the opposite direction. Instead of asking only which plants perform best, it asks why disease resistance works, why disease resistance fails or breaks down and which specific mechanisms can be strengthened or restored. This gives breeders more actionable targets and shortens the path from discovery to implementation. We see this as complementary to seed companies’ existing breeding expertise. The paradigm shift is not that breeding goes away, but that it becomes more informed by molecular understanding of interactions between plants and pathogens. Over the next few years, we expect crop innovation to become more targeted, more mechanistic and more closely integrated with precision breeding approaches. This is especially important for developing disease resistance, where durability, speed and biological understanding are becoming critical. The world loses a significant portion of its agricultural output to pests and diseases each year, yet crop immunity rarely commands the same attention as productivity or sustainability. Why has the economic cost of plant disease remained so underappreciated? The economic cost of plant disease is fragmented, variable and difficult to see in one place. Crop yield is easy to communicate and measure. Sustainability has become a clear strategic and regulatory priority. Disease, by contrast, is often treated as a technical problem within individual crops, regions or growing seasons. Losses may appear as lower yields, reduced quality, increased necessity of chemical usage, shorter variety lifetimes or disruptive supply rather than a single visible cost. There is also a tendency to focus on disease only once resistance breaks down or an outbreak becomes severe. By that point, the economic impact has already been felt by growers, breeders and supply chains. The preventative value of strong crop immunity is harder to capture because success often means that the loss never happens. As pathogens evolve and spread, disease resistance is becoming a core part of productivity and sustainability, not a separate issue. Stronger crop immunity protects yield, reduces reliance on chemical inputs and supports more stable production. In that sense, the cost of plant disease is not only what is lost today, but also the resilience the industry needs to build for the future. If successful, could technologies that strengthen innate plant immunity fundamentally reduce agriculture's dependence on chemical crop protection products and what would that mean for the future of the agrochemical industry? Where disease resistance can be made stronger, more durable and easier to integrate into breeding pipelines, strengthening plant immunity could reduce agriculture's reliance on chemical crop protection. However, we do not see technologies like ours as replacing crop protection products entirely. Continued evolution of pathogens and increasing unpredictability of growing conditions means that agricultural producers will need a multi-layered approach to fighting pathogens The opportunity is to shift more of the burden from chemical intervention towards built-in crop resilience. For the agrochemical industry, that could mean a changing role rather than a disappearing one. Future crop protection strategies are likely to be more integrated, combining genetics, breeding, biology, chemistry and digital decision-making. Companies that successfully adapt to this shift will play a central role in helping growers protect crops with fewer inputs that are used more precisely and more sustainably. Spinach downy mildew is the immediate target, but is the larger ambition to build a platform that can deliver durable disease resistance across multiple crops and geographies? What are the biggest scientific hurdles to achieving that vision? Our platform is designed to be broadly applicable because many of the principles of plant immunity apply to all crops. The aim is to identify where resistance has been defeated, understand the crop-pathogen interaction at a molecular level and design ways to restore or strengthen immune functions. The biggest scientific hurdles are biological complexity and validation. Every crop-pathogen system is different and resistance can break down through different mechanisms. In each case, we must identify the right causal targets, understand how the pathogen is suppressing or evading plant immune systems and validate that the traits are strong, durable and relevant to commercial needs. Spinach downy mildew is the immediate focus of this partnership with Bejo, but the broader ambition for Resurrect Bio is to develop disease resistance traits across multiple crops, pathogens and markets. Investors are increasingly backing agricultural biotechnology, as evidenced by your recent Series A raise. What metrics should the market use to distinguish genuinely transformative ag-biotech platforms from technologies that are merely incremental? The market should look beyond whether a platform sounds novel and ask whether it can actually create traits that seed companies can use and benefit from. Key metrics include speed, validation, applicability and commercial relevance. Can the platform identify causal targets rather than broad associations? Can it move from prediction to functional wet lab validation? Can it deliver actionable traits and timelines that match breeding programmes? Can those traits be implemented through existing seed company pipelines? Durability should also be central. In disease resistance, an incremental improvement may help for a season. A transformative platform should understand why resistance breaks down and use that knowledge to design much longer-lasting solutions. Looking ten years ahead, do you envision a future in which seed companies compete not just on genetics and yield, but on their ability to engineer resilient crop immune systems capable of adapting to an increasingly volatile climate? Yes, over the next decade, we expect resilience to become a major basis for competition in the seed industry. Yield will remain critical, but only if crops can withstand disease pressure in the field. The strongest companies will be those able to understand plant-pathogen interactions and develop more durable immune systems for increasingly volatile growing conditions. -- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4605/zenatechs-zenadrone-begins-testing-autonomous-drone-for-precision-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4605/zenatechs-zenadrone-begins-testing-autonomous-drone-for-precision-agriculture.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:40:00 +0530 ZenaTech is taking its autonomous drone business deeper into agriculture, moving a new eight-motor aircraft from prototype development toward field testing as demand grows for faster and more precise ways to spray crops and distribute seed. The Vancouver-based technology company said its ZenaDrone subsidiary has completed the initial Version 1 prototype of the IQ Octo, a medium-sized autonomous drone designed specifically for precision spraying and seeding. The company expects field testing to begin at its Arizona facility in the coming weeks. The move expands ZenaDrone’s IQ Series beyond its existing applications and gives ZenaTech another potential market for its Drone as a Service, or DaaS, model. Rather than relying solely on equipment sales, the company is positioning autonomous drones as an ongoing service for agricultural operators and other commercial users. The opportunity is significant as farmers look for alternatives to conventional machinery for crop treatment and planting. Agricultural drones can operate in wet fields, difficult terrain and standing crops where tractors and other heavy equipment may be less practical. They can also reduce the need for fuel, labour and water while limiting soil compaction and physical crop damage. The IQ Octo is being developed around those operating advantages. Its octocopter configuration uses eight motors and is battery powered, with an expected flight time of approximately 20 to 25 minutes per charge. The Version 1 aircraft is designed to carry as much as 25 kilograms of either liquid or seed. Its agricultural configuration can be adapted for different jobs. For spraying, the aircraft will carry a liquid tank fitted with spray nozzles. For seeding, it will use a hopper and spreader. Once a flight path has been programmed, the drone is designed to fly at low altitude over fields and apply liquid treatments or distribute seed at controlled rates. That ability to deliver inputs in a targeted manner is central to the precision-agriculture proposition. Instead of treating an entire field with heavy machinery, drone-based application can allow farmers to reach specific areas and work around terrain or crop conditions that make conventional equipment difficult to deploy. For ZenaTech, however, agriculture is only part of the longer-term plan for the IQ Octo. The company expects a Version 2 of the aircraft to incorporate additional capabilities, including solar-panel maintenance, autonomous refilling, swarm operations and a folding design. The solar-maintenance application could broaden the addressable market beyond agriculture, particularly as large solar installations create a growing need for inspection and maintenance services. Combining agricultural and energy-related applications could also improve the utilisation of a drone fleet operating under a service-based model. The company is building the IQ Octo around the same broader shift that is reshaping the commercial drone market: moving autonomous aircraft from specialised equipment toward repeatable, service-based operations. For agriculture, that means the value proposition is not simply the drone itself but the ability to carry out planting and crop-treatment work with greater precision and potentially lower operating costs. ZenaTech has cited industry forecasts projecting more than 30% annual growth in the precision-agriculture drone market over the next five years. The company is seeking to position its IQ Series to participate in that expansion while creating recurring revenue opportunities through its DaaS business. The immediate focus, however, remains proving the aircraft in the field. The Version 1 prototype will need to demonstrate that it can safely handle payloads of up to 25 kilograms, maintain stable flight and deliver consistent application rates under real agricultural conditions. The Arizona testing programme will therefore be an important step for ZenaTech as it moves the IQ Octo from engineering development into practical deployment. Results from those trials are expected to shape further development of the aircraft and its planned Version 2 configuration. The company has not yet provided commercial launch timelines or detailed pricing for the agricultural service. For now, the strategy is centred on developing the aircraft, validating its performance and building out a broader autonomous-drone portfolio. The timing reflects a wider change in agriculture. Labour shortages, rising machinery costs, pressure to use farm inputs more efficiently and the need to operate across increasingly challenging field conditions are creating room for autonomous systems that can perform repetitive tasks with less dependence on conventional equipment. If the IQ Octo can translate its prototype specifications into reliable field performance, ZenaTech could have a platform capable of serving more than one market. Agriculture provides an immediate use case in spraying and seeding, while future solar-maintenance capabilities could extend the aircraft into another growing infrastructure market. For now, the next milestone is straightforward: getting the prototype into the field. The results of those tests will determine how quickly ZenaTech can move the IQ Octo toward commercial deployment and whether its DaaS model can turn autonomous agricultural operations into a scalable recurring business. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4604/aflabox-targets-africa-with-1-35-mn-to-scale-portable-aflatoxin-detection.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4604/aflabox-targets-africa-with-1-35-mn-to-scale-portable-aflatoxin-detection.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:31:10 +0530 Aflatoxin testing is often a race against time. Agricultural commodities can move from farms to collection centres and processors long before laboratory results are available, leaving farmers, traders and food companies to make quality and purchasing decisions with limited information. Italian AgTech startup Aflabox is trying to close that gap. The company has raised €1.35 million in a seed funding round to scale a portable system designed to detect mycotoxins, assess grain quality and generate field-level data in less than 90 seconds. The round was completed through FoodSeed, the agrifood startup programme within CDP Venture Capital’s National Accelerator Network and managed by Eatable Adventures. Farming Future, the National Agrifood Tech Technology Transfer Hub promoted by CDP Venture Capital SGR in partnership with ToSeed & Partners, also participated. Founded in July 2024 by Fabrizio Cardillo and Luca Alinovi, Aflabox is developing what it describes as a field intelligence platform rather than a conventional testing device. The system combines UV and white-light imaging with artificial intelligence, geolocated data collection and cloud-based dashboards to provide rapid assessments of agricultural samples. The underlying problem is particularly significant in regions where access to specialised laboratories is limited. Conventional mycotoxin testing can require laboratory equipment, qualified personnel and turnaround times ranging from several hours to several days. That makes frequent testing difficult at farms, collection points and other locations where crops first enter the commercial supply chain. Aflatoxins are among the most serious mycotoxin-related food-safety concerns. Contamination can affect human health, reduce the quality and value of agricultural commodities and prevent products from meeting requirements for domestic or international markets. For producers and buyers, the financial consequences can extend from rejected consignments to lost market opportunities. Aflabox is seeking to move at least part of that testing process out of the laboratory and into everyday agricultural operations. Its system captures sample information through UV and white-light imaging and processes those signals through AI models before producing a digital result. The company says each scan takes less than 90 seconds, while the associated geolocation data can be added to a growing database of information on quality, contamination and agricultural risk. That creates several potential use cases across the supply chain. Farmers can use the system to assess crop quality in the field. Aggregators and collection centres can use test results when purchasing or storing commodities, while traders can gain additional information before making commercial decisions. For food processors and exporters, the technology could support quality control, traceability and market-access requirements. At the institutional level, the same data could help governments, donors and international organisations identify areas with elevated contamination risks and target food-safety programmes more effectively. The business case therefore extends beyond faster testing. Aflabox is also building a data infrastructure around those tests, with the aim of turning individual field measurements into a broader picture of agricultural quality and contamination patterns. The company has already begun testing that proposition in the market. It has supplied 20 devices to the World Food Programme in Kenya and presented its technology at the Cereal Millers Association Annual Technical Conference in April 2026 as it began its commercial development. Aflabox has also completed an initial validation phase for its AI-based technology and filed a patent application covering its solution. Africa is a key part of the company’s expansion plans. Aflabox is headquartered in Italy and operates in Nairobi through Aflazero Ltd, giving it a base from which to develop its business in African agricultural markets while maintaining its European operations. The new funding will be used to complete validation and certification of the device, expand commercial activity in Kenya, Nigeria and Italy and begin development of a micro-factory dedicated to manufacturing Aflabox units. The company also plans to invest in its AI platform, improve detection accuracy, expand its distribution network across Africa and Europe and strengthen its team. For Aflabox, the move into Africa is not simply an expansion into another geographic market. It is closely tied to the problem the company is attempting to solve. In agricultural regions where laboratory infrastructure is uneven and supply chains are highly dispersed, the ability to generate quality information closer to the point of production could have a greater commercial value. The potential impact is also broader than the individual farmer. A rapid test at a collection centre, for example, could influence whether a commodity is purchased, stored, processed or rejected. At the exporter level, faster quality information could help determine whether a shipment meets market requirements. At the government level, aggregated data could provide a more detailed picture of contamination risks across producing regions. This gives Aflabox a potentially larger opportunity than the market for portable testing equipment alone. The more measurements the system generates, the more valuable its underlying data infrastructure could become for monitoring quality and risk across agricultural supply chains. However, scaling the model will require more than proving that rapid testing can be performed outside a laboratory. Aflabox will need to demonstrate consistent performance across different crops, environments and operating conditions while completing certification and establishing a reliable manufacturing and distribution network. The company is now entering that next stage. The €1.35 million round gives Aflabox capital to move from early technology validation toward commercial deployment, while its initial work with the World Food Programme and its presence in Kenya provide an early foothold in the market. The broader opportunity comes as food businesses and agricultural supply chains face growing pressure to improve food safety, traceability and quality assurance. Technologies that can produce reliable information at the point where commodities are produced and traded could become increasingly important as supply chains become more data-driven. Aflabox’s approach combines that trend with a specific food-safety problem. By bringing imaging and AI-based analysis closer to farms and collection centres, the company is attempting to make contamination data available when commercial decisions are still being made, rather than after commodities have already moved through the supply chain. The next test for the Italian startup will be whether it can turn that technical proposition into a scalable business across Africa and Europe. Its new funding will now support the certification, manufacturing, distribution and AI improvements needed to make that transition. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4592/bourgault-seeding-technology-gets-global-push-through-cnh-deal.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4592/bourgault-seeding-technology-gets-global-push-through-cnh-deal.html Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:18:25 +0530 CNH is teaming up with seeding-equipment specialist Bourgault Industries to broaden its precision seeding portfolio and strengthen its presence in some of the world's largest agricultural markets. Under the strategic commercial alliance, Bourgault will manufacture equipment carrying the Case IH and New Holland brands, which CNH will distribute through its dealer network across North America, Australia and other major seeding markets. The portfolio will include precision seeding air drills and high-capacity air carts equipped with digital technologies and control systems. For CNH, the agreement offers a faster route to expanding its seeding lineup without relying solely on internal product development. The company said the partnership supports its Path to 2030 strategy by bringing advanced seeding equipment to market more quickly while combining Bourgault's specialist manufacturing expertise with CNH's global distribution, precision-agriculture capabilities and financing through CNH Capital. The arrangement also gives CNH dealers access to a broader range of seeding equipment, potentially strengthening their ability to serve large-scale farming operations. For Bourgault, the partnership provides a route into additional markets by leveraging CNH's established dealer infrastructure and international reach. The move comes as precision seeding becomes increasingly important for large farming operations looking to improve planting accuracy, input efficiency and overall productivity. Air drills and high-capacity air carts are particularly important in broad-acre farming systems, where operators need to cover large areas within increasingly narrow planting windows. CNH is also positioning the partnership within its broader focus on soil health. The company views farmland as a long-term productive asset and is increasing its focus on technologies that can help farmers raise output while protecting soil resources. Precision equipment, automation and connected farm-management systems are expected to play a growing role in that strategy. "Customers expect us to deliver a strong, comprehensive portfolio with the right technology behind it," said Gerrit Marx, CEO of CNH. He said the alliance would strengthen the company's competitive position while creating additional opportunities for dealers and supporting investment in precision technology, automation and integrated farming solutions connected through CNH's FieldOps digital platform. Bourgault Group President Bill Glanville said the agreement would create new opportunities for the company's technology to reach farmers in additional markets, while combining Bourgault's seeding capabilities with CNH's global presence. The partnership will not immediately replace CNH's existing seeding products. The company said its current portfolio will continue to be supported during a transition period, while its Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, facility will remain focused on producing planters and combine-harvester headers. The alliance underscores a broader change in the farm-equipment market, where manufacturers are increasingly combining proprietary technology with strategic partnerships to expand product portfolios and reach customers faster. For CNH, Bourgault provides a way to strengthen a strategically important category while keeping its focus on the precision, automation and connected technologies shaping the next generation of agricultural machinery. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4590/china-dairy-firm-invests-51-5-mn-in-new-intelligent-processing-park.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4590/china-dairy-firm-invests-51-5-mn-in-new-intelligent-processing-park.html Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:41:37 +0530 Anhui Liangdianshui Dairy Products Co., Ltd. is investing RMB350 million (US$51.55 million) in a new digital and intelligent dairy industrial park in Huaiyuan, Anhui, as the company moves to expand its deep-processing capacity and strengthen its position in China's growing value-added dairy market. The foundation stone for the project was laid on August 18, 2026, at the Huaiyuan Economic Development Zone. The facility will cover about 4.53 hectares, with a total floor area of 53,000 square metres, and will bring together production workshops, cold-chain storage, a digital exhibition centre and supporting office and living facilities. Once fully operational, the park is expected to process 51,000 tonnes of deep-processed dairy products annually, including butter and cheese. The project is projected to generate an annual output value of around RMB710 million ($104.57 million), giving Liangdianshui Dairy a significantly larger platform for developing higher-value dairy products. The investment is part of the company's broader digital and intelligent transformation. Rather than focusing solely on expanding physical production, Liangdianshui Dairy plans to connect research and development, manufacturing, warehousing and sales through digital systems, creating end-to-end control over its operations. The project is being developed around three principles—digital empowerment, intelligent manufacturing and green development—reflecting the changing priorities of China's food-processing industry. For dairy manufacturers, greater digital integration can improve production management, inventory control, traceability and coordination with cold-chain logistics, particularly as companies expand into more specialised product categories. The timing of the investment also reflects a wider opportunity in China's dairy market. Demand for products such as cheese, butter and other deep-processed dairy products continues to grow, but the country remains dependent on imports for some high-end dairy raw materials and products. That dependence has created space for domestic companies to expand processing capabilities and capture a greater share of the value generated further down the dairy chain. The shift is closely linked to China's efforts to revitalise its dairy sector and improve the industry's technological and processing capabilities. As the market matures, increasing milk production alone is no longer the only route to growth. The ability to convert dairy inputs into differentiated, higher-value products is becoming increasingly important for domestic processors. Huaiyuan project represents a bet on that transition. By combining large-scale processing capacity with digital manufacturing and integrated cold-chain infrastructure, the company is positioning the new park as a domestic base for deep-processed dairy products and as a platform for competing in segments where China still has considerable scope for import substitution. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/features/26/4587/why-data-may-be-agricultures-most-underrated-input.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/features/26/4587/why-data-may-be-agricultures-most-underrated-input.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 18:32:09 +0530 We talk a lot about agricultural inputs. Land, labor, seed, fertilizer, water, machinery. Walk into any agri conference and you'll hear debates about input costs, input efficiency, input availability. But there's one input that rarely gets its own session, and yet it's quietly reshaping every decision made across the value chain. Data. I know, I know. "Data is the new oil" has been said so many times it barely registers anymore. But stay with me, because what's happening in agriculture right now is genuinely different from the broader digital economy conversation. This is about whether a rice processor in the Mekong Delta, a sugar mill in Maharashtra, or a dairy cooperative in Tamil Nadu can actually make better decisions tomorrow than they did today, and whether data is the thing that gets them there. The Connection Nobody's Talking About Deloitte puts the potential at a 20 per cent reduction in input costs and yield improvements of up to 30 per cent through better use of agricultural data. Those are significant numbers in a sector where margins are tight and unpredictability is baked into the business model. But here's what I find more interesting than the yield numbers. The real opportunity isn't just on the farm. It's in the connections between the farm and everything downstream. Weather data linked to harvest planning. Harvest volumes feeding factory scheduling. Factory throughput tied to customer demand signals traveling back up the chain. Each connection builds on the last, and the intelligence that emerges from a connected system is something no single data source could produce alone. I think of it like pieces sitting in separate boxes. Each piece has a function. But connect them and you start building something that actually works.  Asia Has More Skin in This Game Than It Realizes Across Asia, the infrastructure for this connectivity is arriving, sometimes faster than organizations are ready for. IoT sensors in fields and processing facilities. Satellite imagery at costs that were unthinkable a decade ago. Government-led data frameworks like India's AgriStack actively creating the conditions for information to move across organizational boundaries. And this matters here more than almost anywhere else, because Asian agriculture carries a structural complexity that most Western frameworks simply don't account for. Fragmented landholdings. Contract farming models that stretch across multiple intermediaries. Monsoon-driven seasonal cycles that compress decision windows to days, sometimes hours. These aren't just operational challenges, they're data challenges. Getting the right information to the right person at the right moment is genuinely hard in this context. Which is exactly why the organizations that figure it out will have a meaningful edge over those that don't. You Don't Need to Boil the Ocean One concern I hear often is that data-driven agriculture is really only accessible to large, well-resourced players. That the investment required, in technology, talent, infrastructure, puts it out of reach for cooperatives, mid-sized processors, or smallholder aggregators. I'd push back on that. There's no required starting point here. Some organizations begin with spreadsheets and structured record-keeping and that's a perfectly valid first step. It evolves into digitization, then analytics, then predictive decision-making over time. The path isn't the same for everyone, and it shouldn't be. A sugar cooperative in Tamil Nadu is solving a different problem than a large grain trader in Vietnam. But both can start where they are, with what they have. The important thing is to start.   The Boring Work That Actually Matters Here's something I wish more people would say out loud: the technology is not the hard part. Organizations invest in analytics platforms, AI tools, dashboards, and then discover that the underlying data is fragmented, inconsistent, or sitting in silos that don't talk to each other. The intelligence they expected never materializes, not because the tools failed but because the foundation wasn't there. The work that actually makes data useful, collecting it reliably, cleaning it, integrating it across systems, establishing who can access what and when, is unglamorous. It doesn't feature in keynotes. But it's the difference between an organization that generates enormous volumes of raw information and one that actually uses information to make better decisions. Data pipelines, governance frameworks, interoperability standards, these aren't exciting topics. They are, however, the reason some organizations are pulling ahead while others are still waiting for their technology investments to deliver. A Different Kind of Input What makes data genuinely distinct from every other agricultural input is what happens when you use it. Fertilizer is applied and it's gone. Fuel is burned. Water is irrigated into the ground. Each traditional input is consumed at the moment of use. Data doesn't work that way. The same dataset can support irrigation planning, yield forecasting, logistics scheduling, factory throughput, sustainability reporting, and buyer communication, sometimes simultaneously. Its value doesn't diminish with use. If anything, it grows as more decisions draw from it. Agriculture's history has been built on better seeds, better chemistry, better machinery. Each innovation added a layer of productivity that the previous generation couldn't have imagined. I think better data connections are next in that line, not as a replacement for agronomic expertise, but as the layer that makes every other input work harder. That's worth paying attention to. Especially here in Asia, where the scale of the opportunity and the complexity of the context make it one of the more consequential conversations in the sector right now.   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4576/lesotho-launches-national-farmers-portal-to-put-countrys-farmers-on-one-digital-registry.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4576/lesotho-launches-national-farmers-portal-to-put-countrys-farmers-on-one-digital-registry.html Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:37:50 +0530 Lesotho has launched a national digital registry for farmers, bringing together information on farmers, land parcels, households, livestock and agricultural activities across all 10 districts in what the government says is a major step towards improving how agricultural services are planned and delivered. The Lesotho Farmers Portal was officially launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition (MAFSN), under Minister Selibe Mochoboroane, in partnership with Vodacom Lesotho. The platform will be used by field officers across the country to register farmers and record details ranging from national identity numbers and household information to farming activities, livestock, assets and land parcels. The importance of the system lies in replacing a fragmented record-keeping process. Before the portal was introduced, farmer information was spread across paper files, spreadsheets and separate district-level records. Those records were not connected, making it difficult for the Ministry to develop a complete picture of the country's farming population. The new registry is designed to bring that information into one place. Field officers can register farmers against their national identity numbers and record information about their households, farms, livestock and assets. Land parcels can also be recorded using GPS boundaries. Ministry officials can then search and review the information centrally, giving the government a national view of farmers and agricultural activity that was previously difficult to obtain. For a country where agricultural programmes can depend heavily on knowing who is farming, where they are farming and what they produce, the shift has practical implications. A reliable farmer registry can make it easier to identify eligible beneficiaries, plan programmes and determine where agricultural inputs and other forms of assistance are needed. The system also creates the basis for moving away from broad, one-size-fits-all support towards programmes that can be directed at specific farmers or groups based on verified information. For farmers, registration creates a formal record of their involvement in agriculture and their land and production activities. That could eventually support services such as targeted subsidies and input distribution as the platform develops beyond its initial registration function. For the Ministry, the value is equally direct: a single source of information can provide a stronger basis for policy decisions, programme design and budget planning. The portal was developed by FiscalAdmin Ltd using the Joget DX Enterprise platform. MAFSN retains ownership of the registry, data and processes, while the International Telecommunication Union provided the programme framework and digital-government methodology. GovStack contributed the Registration Building Block specification and reference architecture, while the World Food Programme supported implementation, including the Joget DX Enterprise licence. Vodacom Lesotho partnered on the launch and efforts to reach field officers. The project has been designed around the practical constraints of a small government technology team. Instead of requiring developers to make every routine change, Ministry staff can manage many elements of the system through configuration. Information such as districts, villages, crops, livestock categories and document types can be maintained within the platform itself. That matters because agricultural programmes rarely remain static. Eligibility rules change, new crops or livestock categories may need to be added, administrative structures can evolve and new government schemes may be introduced. A system that allows ministry staff to make routine adjustments themselves can reduce the dependence on outside developers for every modification. Aare Lapõnin, Founder and CEO of FiscalAdmin Ltd, the technical delivery partner, said the objective was to create a national service that remained practical for the people using it every day. He said the Farmers Portal brings together processes that would otherwise remain separate while giving the Ministry greater control over its own data. According to Lapõnin, the system was built as a live implementation of the GovStack Registration Building Block and had to work under actual field conditions rather than simply satisfy a technical specification. The project was delivered over a two-year period, with Joget's enterprise application platform allowing a small team to develop the prototype into a national service that the Ministry can operate and maintain itself. The development process also incorporated LLM-assisted, specification-led development, according to FiscalAdmin. The approach involved having an LLM assistant work from a written specification rather than directly modifying the live system. Outputs were then passed through the platform's API and tested automatically before being released. When problems were identified, the correction was incorporated into the written specification rather than being made directly to the live system. The technology is ultimately a means to an administrative end. The more important question for Lesotho will be what the government does with the information once the registry reaches meaningful coverage. The portal already has capabilities for programme applications, eligibility assessment, decision management and entitlement issuance. These functions can be introduced as the system moves beyond farmer registration. That could allow the registry to become a common entry point for agricultural assistance, rather than simply serving as a database. Raveesh Dewan, President and CEO of Joget Inc., said the project's importance lies in addressing a practical problem faced by the Ministry: obtaining reliable information about farmers and using it to support agricultural services across the country. He said the portal was designed to remain adaptable as the Ministry's requirements change, allowing additional services to be built on the same foundation. The national rollout also comes at a time when governments are increasingly looking to digital registries to improve the delivery of public services. In agriculture, the quality of such systems depends heavily on the quality of the information collected at farm level. That makes the work of field officers particularly important. The registry can only provide an accurate picture of Lesotho's farming population if registrations are complete, land information is correctly captured and farmer records are kept up to date. The use of national identity numbers and GPS-based land boundaries gives the system a more structured basis for identifying farmers and connecting them with their production areas. Over time, maintaining accurate records will be just as important as establishing the database itself. The immediate goal is to achieve national coverage across all 10 districts. Once that foundation is established, the Ministry expects to build additional services around the registry, including programme applications and input distribution. That could change the role of the Farmers Portal from a registration exercise into a core piece of agricultural administration. For farmers, the potential benefit is easier access to government support. For policymakers, it is better information about the people and land underpinning the country's agricultural sector. And for the Ministry, the long-term value will depend on whether a single, continuously maintained registry can replace the fragmented records that previously made it difficult to see the country's agricultural sector as one connected system. Lesotho has now built the database. The next test will be whether it can turn that information into better-targeted programmes, more efficient distribution of support and a clearer understanding of the country's farmers. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4569/china-launches-cottonmind-1-0-dedicated-ai-platform-for-cotton-research-and-farmers.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4569/china-launches-cottonmind-1-0-dedicated-ai-platform-for-cotton-research-and-farmers.html Mon, 31 Aug 2026 11:33:38 +0530 The Institute of Cotton Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, working with the academy’s Western Agricultural Research Center, has released CottonMind 1.0, a specialised digital platform built for the cotton sector. The launch marks an effort to connect cotton research, breeding, field management and farmer advisory services through one knowledge system. The platform is designed to help researchers find and interpret scientific information faster while giving growers access to crop advice and expert support through their phones. CottonMind 1.0 was developed by a team led by Yang Zuoren, a researcher at the Institute of Cotton Research, CAAS. The platform has two interfaces: a web-based research platform for scientists and a mini-programme designed for cotton growers. For researchers, the web version acts as a searchable cotton knowledge library. It offers scientific search, faster reading of research papers and visual tools that connect information on genes, traits, crop varieties, cultivation practices and plant-health issues. For growers, the mini-programme is intended to function as a portable farm advisory service. Users can ask crop-management questions, upload photographs for preliminary diagnosis and seek online consultation from specialists. The goal is to reduce the distance between agricultural expertise and the field, particularly in regions where farmers may not have immediate access to extension workers. The platform draws on a large cotton-specific information base: 41,680 Chinese and international research papers, more than 2,000 patents and national standards, 559 specialised books and 1,806 approved cotton-variety records. The knowledge base covers gene function, trait development, variety breeding, cultivation management and pest and disease control. That breadth matters because cotton production is shaped by decisions that often cannot be treated in isolation. A farmer dealing with low yield may need to consider seed choice, irrigation, nutrient management, pest pressure, weather and planting density. A breeder working on a fibre-quality trait may need to assess genetic information alongside field performance and breeding records. CottonMind 1.0 is meant to make those connections easier to access. Rather than relying on a general online search, users can draw from a cotton-focused information base built around the sector’s own research and production needs. The system uses a retrieval-based approach that brings relevant documents and technical records into the response process, rather than relying only on a general model’s stored information. It also uses multiple specialised digital agents to address different types of questions. The practical aim is to reduce a familiar problem with general-purpose AI tools: they can produce fluent answers even when the underlying information is incomplete, outdated or incorrect. A crop-specific platform can narrow the field of reference, draw on recognised agricultural sources and make it easier for users to trace answers back to technical material. Still, CottonMind 1.0 should be seen as an aid to decision-making rather than a replacement for field inspection, laboratory testing or professional agronomic judgement. Farmers will still need local advice where a diagnosis carries financial or crop-health consequences. The platform supports Chinese, English, Uyghur and Uzbek across its interfaces. This multilingual design is particularly relevant for cotton-growing areas such as Xinjiang, where language can affect farmers’ access to technical guidance. The inclusion of Uyghur and Uzbek could also help build links between Chinese cotton researchers and cotton-producing regions across Central Asia. Cotton is a major agricultural and industrial crop in several countries in the region, and common digital tools may make it easier to exchange research, cultivation practices and varietal knowledge. For government departments, the platform could provide another function: bringing together industry data that may support planting plans, disease-control strategies and sectoral policies. If the data are regularly updated and handled carefully, such a system could help authorities identify emerging pest risks, compare varietal performance and understand changes in production conditions. The next challenge is adoption. A digital platform can contain extensive data, but its real value depends on whether researchers use it in their work and whether farmers find it reliable, easy to access and useful during time-sensitive field decisions. For researchers, CottonMind 1.0 will need to demonstrate that it saves time without oversimplifying scientific evidence. For farmers, it will need to provide practical and locally relevant answers in a form that can be understood and acted upon. For agricultural extension agencies, it will need to complement—not duplicate or displace—existing farmer-support systems. The developers say they will continue refining the model, expanding its applications and improving its deeper analytical capabilities for researchers and precision services for producers. The launch comes as China’s cotton sector increasingly turns to digital crop management, biological breeding and data-led farm services. Earlier initiatives have included cotton digital-management systems that combine farm data, crop models and agronomic standards to support cultivation  CottonMind 1.0 takes that work a step further by attempting to bring the knowledge side of cotton production into the same system: research literature, patents, standards, variety records and production advice. Its promise lies in making specialised knowledge easier to use. A cotton researcher should not have to search through thousands of papers to find a relevant disease-management study. A grower should not have to wait days to obtain basic guidance on a visible crop problem. A policymaker should not have to rely only on fragmented reports to assess changing production conditions. Whether CottonMind 1.0 can meet those expectations will depend on the quality of its answers, the frequency with which its knowledge base is updated, the transparency of its sources and its ability to work in the practical conditions of cotton farms. For now, the launch is a notable milestone for China’s cotton industry. It represents an attempt to turn decades of cotton research and field experience into a tool that can serve both laboratories and farms—and to make the path from scientific discovery to crop management a little shorter. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4565/heritable-agriculture-and-annogen-partner-to-accelerate-ai-driven-trait-design-in-maize.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4565/heritable-agriculture-and-annogen-partner-to-accelerate-ai-driven-trait-design-in-maize.html Fri, 28 Aug 2026 18:28:12 +0530 Heritable Agriculture and Annogen Agri B.V. are joining forces to address one of the more difficult problems in crop genetics: determining which stretches of DNA outside genes actually influence plant traits. Under the collaboration, Annogen will use its SuRE platform to functionally annotate non-coding variants in maize by measuring how individual DNA sequences affect gene expression directly in plant protoplasts. The resulting experimental data will help distinguish variants that increase or decrease gene activity from those that have little or no measurable effect. That distinction could prove valuable for Heritable Agriculture, which uses artificial intelligence to identify DNA sequences involved in regulating gene expression and design genetic changes aimed at improving crop performance. Non-coding regions of the genome do not directly produce proteins, but they can play an important role in controlling when, where and how strongly genes are expressed. For crop developers, identifying which of these sequences have a functional effect can be a significant bottleneck because large numbers of predicted variants may ultimately require testing in plants and, later, under field conditions. The companies aim to reduce that bottleneck by bringing high-throughput experimental evidence into Heritable’s AI-driven discovery process. The functional data generated through Annogen’s platform will be used to strengthen the sequence-to-expression relationships underpinning Heritable’s models. Rather than advancing a large pool of computationally predicted variants into resource-intensive in-planta and field experiments, Heritable expects to use the data to identify a smaller set of variants with higher confidence. That could reduce the number of candidates requiring downstream validation while shortening the time needed to move from computational prediction to experimentally validated traits. “We’re excited to work with Annogen because their high-throughput platform will allow us to iterate more efficiently than if we optimized the assay in-house,” said Davide Sosso, Chief Science Officer at Heritable Agriculture. “That means we can evaluate more variants more quickly, giving us a way to rapidly test our models.” The partnership reflects a broader shift in agricultural biotechnology toward combining machine learning with large-scale experimental datasets. AI models can identify patterns across genetic sequences and generate hypotheses, but their usefulness ultimately depends on the quality of the biological evidence used to train and test them. For Heritable, the collaboration provides a way to close that loop. Computational models can nominate regulatory sequences, Annogen’s SuRE platform can test their functional impact, and the resulting measurements can then be fed back into the modelling process. “We are proud to collaborate with Heritable, a leader in AI-driven trait design,” said Joris van Arensbergen, CEO and founder of Annogen Agri B.V. “This partnership reinforces our belief that purpose-built, large-scale experimental datasets are essential for building high-performing AI models that will transform how gene regulatory elements are engineered.” Maize provides a significant testing ground for this approach because of the complexity of its genome and the importance of the crop across food, feed and industrial markets. If the collaboration can reliably connect specific non-coding sequences with changes in gene expression, the resulting data could help make trait design more targeted and reduce the amount of trial-and-error involved in crop development. The longer-term opportunity lies in creating a more efficient sequence-to-trait pipeline—one in which AI does not simply generate increasingly large lists of genetic possibilities, but becomes progressively better at identifying the variants most likely to produce a useful biological outcome. For agricultural biotechnology companies, that distinction matters. The ability to eliminate low-value candidates earlier could lower research costs, reduce laboratory and field testing requirements and potentially accelerate the development of crops with improved performance. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4562/sifly-aviation-raises-20-mn-to-scale-long-endurance-electric-drones-for-agriculture-infrastructure-and-public-safety.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4562/sifly-aviation-raises-20-mn-to-scale-long-endurance-electric-drones-for-agriculture-infrastructure-and-public-safety.html Fri, 28 Aug 2026 17:26:26 +0530 SiFly Aviation has raised $20 million in Series A financing as the drone maker moves to scale production of its long-endurance Q12 electric aircraft and expand its technology into commercial applications ranging from agriculture and infrastructure inspection to public safety. The round was led by Shield Capital, with participation from Qudit, BBK Capital and Alumni Ventures, among others. The company plans to use the capital to expand U.S. manufacturing, strengthen its domestic supply chain, accelerate customer deliveries and build the commercial infrastructure needed to support wider deployment of the Q12. At the centre of SiFly’s strategy is a simple proposition: drones that can stay airborne significantly longer can cover more ground with fewer aircraft, operators and launches. The Q12 is designed to combine the vertical takeoff, landing and hovering capabilities of a multirotor with the efficiency and range associated with fixed-wing aircraft. SiFly says the platform can fly four to five times longer and up to 10 times farther than leading enterprise drones, while carrying payloads of up to 10 pounds. The company has validated the aircraft through thousands of flights and hundreds of hours of testing. In one flight, the Q12 remained airborne for 3 hours, 11 minutes and 54 seconds, earning a Guinness World Record for the longest flight by an electric multirotor aircraft in its weight class. “Most multirotor drones were designed for short flights close to the operator. We built the Q12 to combine the agility, precision hover and vertical takeoff and landing of a multirotor drone with the efficiency, range and speed of a fixed-wing aircraft,” said Brian Hinman, founder and CEO of SiFly. “This financing allows us to scale production, fulfill our growing backlog and support successful customer deployments.” For agriculture, endurance can translate directly into operational efficiency. A drone capable of remaining in the air for longer periods can map and analyse more acreage in a single mission, potentially reducing the number of aircraft, launches and operators required to complete the same work. The opportunity extends beyond farming. Utilities and infrastructure operators can use longer-range aircraft to inspect greater distances per flight, while public safety agencies can maintain aerial coverage for longer periods during emergencies. SiFly is also developing DronePort, a multi-drone infrastructure system designed to extend the capabilities of autonomous and remotely operated drone deployments. The company will use part of the new financing to continue development and field validation of the system. For public safety applications, the combination of Q12 and DronePort could support more persistent Drone-as-First-Responder operations, allowing agencies to deploy aerial systems for surveillance and response without relying entirely on conventional crewed aircraft or keeping personnel in the air. The funding arrives as commercial and government buyers are placing greater emphasis on domestic drone manufacturing and resilient supply chains. Geopolitical tensions and concerns over dependence on overseas components have increased interest in U.S.-manufactured alternatives, particularly for mission-critical applications. SiFly is positioning its domestic production capabilities alongside the Q12’s endurance as part of that pitch. Rather than competing solely on aircraft specifications, the company is targeting applications where the economics of each mission matter—whether that means inspecting more infrastructure, responding faster to an incident or covering more farmland in a single flight. “For drone operators, greater endurance translates into faster response, broader coverage and lower cost per mission,” said Ray Rothrock of Shield Capital. “SiFly is positioned to redefine how drones are used across mission-critical applications—including public safety, critical infrastructure and agriculture—where value is directly tied to the productive work each aircraft can deliver.” The next phase will be about turning technical performance into repeatable commercial deployments. SiFly plans to increase Q12 production, expand manufacturing and supply-chain capacity, support initial customer deliveries and strengthen its go-to-market and customer-operations capabilities. The company will also continue developing DronePort and building the regulatory capabilities needed to support broader adoption. For SiFly, the larger opportunity is not simply to build a drone that flies longer. It is to change the economics of how commercial drones are used. If a single aircraft can stay in the air for hours, cover substantially more territory and carry meaningful payloads, the value proposition shifts from owning more drones to getting more productive work from each one. That distinction could prove particularly important in agriculture and infrastructure, where the cost of operating a drone is measured not only by the aircraft itself, but by the people, time and logistics required to keep it working.   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4561/alveo-and-agrinerds-build-data-driven-early-warning-system-for-avian-influenza.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4561/alveo-and-agrinerds-build-data-driven-early-warning-system-for-avian-influenza.html Fri, 28 Aug 2026 17:11:01 +0530  AlveoTechnologies, Inc., a global leader in rapid, point-of-need molecular diagnostics for early disease detection, today announced a strategic partnership with AgriNerds Inc, which has developed the Waterfowl Alert Network, a first-of-its-kind dynamic surveillance and awareness program that predicts historic and daily waterfowl activity around the nation's poultry and livestock farms. The partnership will pair Alveo's unique, rapid, molecular diagnostic with AgriNerds' Waterfowl Alert Network, a proprietary system that uses a combination of satellite imagery, weather radar, and telemetry to create daily farm-level HPAI risk scores based on remote sensing and HPAI surveillance data. To defend against HPAI and otherpathogens, poultry producers have heavily invested in strengthening their biosecurity programs, but farms continue to suffer from HPAI outbreaks triggered by migratory birds, which is the source of infection for 68 per cent of US H5N1 outbreaks since 2022, according to the APHIS. Currently, producers typically take one of two strategies for testing. Most test only when animals display flu-like symptoms, but this approach risks detecting the virus too late to prevent it from spreading. Some conduct periodic blind surveillance testing, which has the advantage of enabling early detection, but can be expensive. Alveo and AgriNerds are partnering to develop a new rapid and targeted approach: dynamic surveillance that alerts farmers when the risk of infection is high. AgriNerds' Waterfowl Alert Network will use radar imagery to detect migratory bird movements, analyze the data using AI-powered pattern recognition software, and generate daily risk scores it shares with customers. When risk escalates, Alveo's on-farm molecular test will help farms to conduct asymptomatic surveillance testing that provides precise results in under an hour, as opposed to waiting days for traditional PCR results to arrive from a lab. This targeted, risk-based testing approach is designed to lower costs and increase effectiveness, so farmers can detect thevirus early and reduce its spread. “To stop the spread of HPAI, producers need tools that will enable them to monitor risk and, when it’s elevated, employ rapid, accurate tests so they can take quick action and prevent further infection," said Shaun Holt, CEO of Alveo Technologies “This dynamic solution will aggregate and simplify rich data from AgriNerds’ and deliver sophisticated risk assessments to users phones in a simple red, yellow and green format. They can then run surveillance tests based on informed risk and rapidly respond if bird flu is detected.” The two organizations will use this feedback loop to strengthen the accuracy of risk assessments over time. As positive and negative test data accumulate across regions and seasons, both the risk alerts and testing guidance will become increasingly precise and valuable, securing the nation’s food supply as well as producers’ businesses. "Biosecurity extends far beyond the facility's fence line," said Maurice Pitesky, professor at UC Davis and CEO and co-founder of AgriNerds. "Our Waterfowl Alert Network gives farmers visibility into the dynamic risk landscape around their operations. When paired with Alveo's testing capability and rapid results, farmers can respond to real risks in real time. In this way, agriculture can move past reactive disease management to adopt a proactive, risk-informed approach." ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4559/breedr-raises-27-mn-to-build-digital-record-for-every-cow-from-farm-to-retail.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4559/breedr-raises-27-mn-to-build-digital-record-for-every-cow-from-farm-to-retail.html Fri, 28 Aug 2026 16:46:05 +0530 Breedr, the platform giving every cow a digital record that follows it from birth to the supermarket shelf, today announced it has raised $27 million in Series B funding led by Partech, through its impact fund, with participation from Latitude, the growth-stage fund of seed investor LocalGlobe, and Outsiders Fund, which led the company’s Series A. The round takes total funding to $46.6 million and will be used to grow the team, bring more ranchers and farmers onto the platform and enhance the platform to capture more data points such as genomic data. Partech’s Arnaud Minvielle and Latitude’s Remus Brett will join Breedr’s board. With more than 1.3 billion cattle in the world, Breedr’s ambition is to become the system of record for every major livestock-producing region, producing higher quality, more sustainable beef. More than two million cattle are already on the platform with close to $500 million of livestock transacted this year, and customers range from family ranches to operations handling more than 100,000 cattle a year. The US cattle herd began 2026 at its lowest level since 1951 and this year's calf crop is projected to be the smallest on record, while demand for beef keeps rising. To close that gap, the industry must get more from every animal - hard to do when most beef is still raised on paper records. Breedr gives every animal a digital record- its weight, health and family history, updated at each of the three or four farms and ranches an animal typically passes through during its lifespan. Instead of selling at auction, where buyers judge an animal by eye, producers trade on Breedr's marketplace, where every animal comes with its digital record and fees are lower. Breedr’s growth prediction model uses AI to help inform the optimum point of sale. A separate cattle fund managed by Breedr advances cash against livestock, so producers can unlock money tied up in animals they're still raising. As the digital record stays with the animal, beef producers can see how it is growing at every stage, resulting in getting cattle to market weight up to five months sooner than the previous guesswork approach, earning producers more than $500 per animal. The decreased time it takes to go to market also means the cattle produce less methane - a reduction Breedr estimates at 20 to 30 per cent per animal. Breedr was founded in the UK in 2018 by Ian Wheal, who grew up on a cattle farm in Australia, where his father built one of the country’s first cattle cooperatives, before studying at London Business School and working in consulting and technology. The company has been headquartered in Texas since 2022 when Wheal relocated and operates across the US, UK and Australia, with a growing presence in New Zealand and Europe. Ian Wheal, founder and CEO of Breedr, commented: “We built Breedr to bring value back to the people who raise the cattle. Demand for beef is climbing while the herd is the smallest it has been in 75 years. The industry has to get more value from every animal, and you cannot do that on paper. "If you have bought beef from a major retailer in the United States or UK, there is a good chance it has moved through a Breedr-powered supply chain. We already do the same in Australia and New Zealand, and this round enables us to expand connected supply chains globally - where every animal tells its own story and every producer gets paid for the quality they raise." Arnaud Minvielle, General Partner at Partech, added: “Beef is one of the most complex decarbonization problems there is. Breedr cuts emissions while helping producers become more profitable. Ian and the Breedr team are building the transaction layer for one of the world’s largest unmodernized markets, earning revenue every time an animal changes hands. That alignment between the commercial engine and the environmental outcome is exactly what our impact fund exists to back. We truly believe that Ian, being an insider from this industry, and his team can fundamentally transform this value chain with data intelligence.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4550/food-manufacturers-chase-ai-gains-but-data-remains-the-missing-link.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4550/food-manufacturers-chase-ai-gains-but-data-remains-the-missing-link.html Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:50:03 +0530 For years, artificial intelligence in the food and beverage industry has carried an almost ornamental aura—full of promise, possibility and, often, more excitement than real-world impact. That is beginning to change. In this exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Michael Guantiero, Vice President and Head, Solution Consulting – Asia Pacific, Japan and India, looks at how AI is gradually finding its way from boardroom conversations and pilot projects into the everyday workings of food businesses. The discussion moves beyond the noise around generative AI to ask a more practical question: can technology actually help companies cut waste, improve efficiency and navigate an increasingly unpredictable marketplace? Guantiero’s answer comes with an important caveat—AI is only as useful as the data, systems and people behind it. As the industry looks towards 2030, the real winners may not be those chasing the most sophisticated technology, but those quietly building smarter, more connected and more responsive businesses. Food and beverage manufacturers have spent the last few years experimenting with AI. Are we now entering the era where AI is becoming a boardroom investment decision rather than an innovation initiative? What signals convince you that the industry has reached this inflection point ? We are seeing AI move from experimentation to becoming a boardroom priority. Over the past few years, many food and beverage manufacturers explored AI through pilots. Today, the conversation is centred on measurable business outcomes. Rising input costs, supply chain disruption, labour shortages, evolving consumer demand and increasing sustainability expectations have made AI a strategic investment rather than an innovation initiative. The clearest signal is that business leaders are no longer asking, "How do we use AI?" but "Where can AI deliver the greatest operational impact?" Success is increasingly measured through improvements in production efficiency, demand forecasting, yield optimisation, waste reduction and supply chain resilience. At Infor, we see this reflected in customer outcomes. More than 1,000 food and beverage companies run on Infor, with customers achieving up to 30 per cent faster time to market for new products, €500K in annual savings through improved yield and significantly faster AI-driven product and pricing recommendations. These are tangible operational and commercial gains that demonstrate why AI is now being evaluated on measurable business impact rather than technical potential. For food and beverage manufacturers, the real value comes when AI is embedded into the operational systems that manage production, quality, inventory and distribution. Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage and Infor Velocity Suite, enables organisations to combine industry-specific AI, automation and process intelligence to improve operational performance while addressing the unique requirements of sectors such as dairy, bakery, meat processing and beverages. The industry has reached an inflection point because organisations now have the evidence to treat AI as a business investment with measurable financial and operational returns, rather than simply an innovation initiative. Many manufacturers still operate on decades-old ERP systems that were never designed for AI-driven decision-making. In your experience, what is the biggest misconception companies have about digital transformation, and why do so many modernization programs fail to deliver the expected business value? The biggest misconception is that digital transformation is simply a technology replacement exercise. Replacing an ERP system alone does not create business value. Successful transformation starts by identifying the business outcomes an organisation wants to achieve and then aligning technology to those priorities. Many programmes fall short because organisations focus on deploying new technology rather than improving business performance. At Infor, we believe the process should begin with understanding what the business needs to do faster or better, defining measurable outcomes, and then building a roadmap around those priorities. For food and beverage manufacturers, industry context is equally important. A bakery, dairy processor or beverage manufacturer all operate differently, and those processes need to be reflected in the ERP, data model and AI capabilities from the outset. Hence, our industry-specific CloudSuites are designed around the operational realities of each sector, helping organisations modernise faster while delivering measurable business value. Generative AI has dominated headlines, but factory floors depend equally on predictive analytics, automation, IoT and machine learning. Which of these technologies do you believe will create the greatest competitive advantage for food manufacturers over the next five years, and why? While Generative AI has captured the spotlight, the greatest competitive advantage will not come from any single technology. Over the next five years, food manufacturers will differentiate themselves by combining predictive analytics, machine learning, IoT, automation and Generative AI within industry-specific operational workflows. Each technology contributes a different layer of intelligence. IoT and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) provide real-time visibility into production, equipment and quality, while predictive analytics and machine learning help improve forecast accuracy, optimise production schedules, manage raw material variability, increase yield and reduce waste. Generative AI builds on these capabilities by making insights easier to access and act upon, enabling employees to interact with enterprise systems using natural language, accelerate product innovation and optimise recipes and formulations. The real opportunity lies in embedding these capabilities into the day-to-day flow of work rather than treating them as standalone technologies.  Manufacturers that connect data across the value chain and combine AI with automation and advanced analytics will be better positioned to improve productivity, resilience and innovation. Ultimately, competitive advantage will not come from having the latest AI model; it will come from applying AI with industry context. Manufacturers that can connect data across the value chain and turn real-time insights into operational decisions will be better positioned to innovate faster, reduce costs and build more resilient, profitable businesses. The food industry operates on extremely thin margins while facing rising input costs, labour shortages and increasing sustainability pressures. Can AI realistically solve these structural challenges, or is there a risk that companies are overestimating what technology alone can achieve? AI is not a silver bullet for the structural challenges facing the food industry and there is certainly a risk of overestimating what technology alone can achieve. Rising input costs, labour shortages and climate-driven supply chain disruptions are complex issues that require a combination of business strategy, operational excellence and workforce transformation. AI can support these efforts, but it cannot replace them. Where AI delivers the best value is by helping manufacturers make faster, more informed decisions in the face of these challenges. It can improve demand forecasting, optimise production schedules, reduce waste by managing raw material variability, enhance yield, strengthen inventory planning and identify inefficiencies before they impact operations. These capabilities help manufacturers protect margins, improve resilience and make better use of limited resources. The greatest value comes when AI is applied to real operational challenges using trusted data and industry-specific processes. When manufacturers integrate AI into planning, production and supply chain decision-making, they are better equipped to respond to volatility while maintaining quality, regulatory compliance and sustainability goals. One of AI's greatest promises is real-time decision intelligence across procurement, production, inventory and distribution. What are the most compelling examples you've seen where AI has translated directly into measurable gains in productivity, waste reduction or profitability? One of the strongest examples is production and yield optimisation. By combining machine learning with production and quality data, manufacturers can better manage raw material variability, optimise recipes, improve yields and reduce waste all while maintaining food safety and compliance. Another is supplying chain planning, where AI improves demand forecasting and inventory decisions by helping manufacturers respond more quickly to changing demand, optimise stock levels and strengthen end-to-end traceability. This enables better service levels while reducing excess inventory and waste. We are also seeing measurable gains through process automation and real-time decision intelligence. Infor Velocity Suite, organisations can combine AI agents, process mining and automation to streamline routine processes, accelerate decision-making and improve operational efficiency. The impact is already measurable: for example, Frontier Co-op reduced reporting time by more than 95 per cent, giving leaders faster access to real-time business insights and enabling quicker decisions. Whether it is improving yield, reducing waste, accelerating decision-making or strengthening supply chain performance, the organisations seeing the greatest success are those applying AI to high-value business processes where the return on investment can be clearly measured. Asia-Pacific is an incredibly diverse manufacturing landscape, ranging from digitally mature multinational enterprises to family-owned processors beginning their transformation journey. How should organisations calibrate their AI strategies to match their digital maturity rather than simply chasing the latest technology trends? The single biggest strategic mistake I see is a company benchmarking its AI ambitions against a peer at a completely different stage of maturity. A digitally mature multinational and a family-owned processor starting their cloud journey should not be running the same playbook, even if they are competing in the same category. The right starting point is not "what is the latest AI capability" it is  an honest assessment of your data and process foundation. If you do not yet have clean, trusted, real-time data flowing from your core operations, deploying an advanced AI agent on top of that foundation just automates bad decisions faster. That is not transformation, that is amplified risk. For organisations earlier in their journey, the highest-value first move is usually foundational: establishing a trusted cloud-based system of record that connects core ERP and operational data. Once that foundation is in place, organisations are in a much stronger position to scale AI and automation with confidence. For more digitally mature organisations, the conversation shifts to orchestration: how do you combine multiple proven use cases and let them compound, rather than deploying AI point solutions in isolation? The most successful organisations do not chase technology trends; they align AI investments with their digital maturity and business priorities. A well-executed, "boring" data foundation project will outperform an ambitious AI pilot built on shaky ground every time. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in enterprise operations, concerns around data quality, cybersecurity, governance and workforce readiness are growing just as quickly. Which of these do you see as the biggest barrier to enterprise-scale AI adoption, and how should business leaders address it ? Data quality and context, without question. It is not just about having clean data; it is about ensuring the data accurately reflects the way a business operates. AI is only as effective as the operational context it is built on. Many organisations invest significant time and resources in building clean, consolidated data platforms, only to discover that the data lacks the industry-specific context needed to generate meaningful insights. The operational challenges of a food and beverage manufacturer, for example, are fundamentally different from those of a hospital or an industrial manufacturer. Clean data without business context still cannot power good AI decisions, and retrofitting that context later is often a costly and time-consuming exercise. Cybersecurity and governance are equally important, particularly as AI evolves from generating recommendations to taking autonomous actions through agentic AI. As organisations deploy more AI agents, strong governance becomes essential to ensure they operate on trusted data, follow clearly defined policies and remain transparent and accountable. That means establishing governance from the outset through role-based access controls, explainable decision-making, clear data ownership and strong security policies. The organisations that scale AI successfully are the ones that invest in the foundations first. Trusted, contextual and well-governed data should come before ambitious AI initiatives. While AI applications often attract the most attention, it is the strength of the underlying data and governance framework that ultimately determines whether enterprise-scale AI adoption succeeds. Looking ahead to 2030, what will distinguish the next generation of food manufacturers from those that fail to remain competitive? Will the defining advantage come from better AI models, stronger data ecosystems, more intelligent supply chains, or a fundamentally different way of running the  enterprise? By 2030, I do not believe the defining advantage will come from better AI models alone. It will come from operating a fundamentally different kind of enterprise: one that is connected, intelligent and able to respond continuously to change. AI models will become increasingly accessible. The real differentiator will be how effectively manufacturers connect data, people and processes across the value chain to make faster and better operational decisions. The manufacturers that lead will not simply automate individual tasks. They will build connected operations where procurement, production, inventory, quality and supply chain functions work together using real-time intelligence. That will allow them to anticipate disruption, optimise resources and adapt much faster to changing customer demand, ingredient availability and regulatory requirements. This is the vision behind the Agentic Enterprise, where AI agents, process intelligence and automation work together to orchestrate business processes rather than simply support them. The goal is not to replace people, but to enable smarter, faster and more consistent decision-making across the organisation. By the end of the decade, the manufacturers that remain competitive will not necessarily be those with the most advanced AI; they will be the ones that have built the most intelligent, connected and resilient way of running their business. -- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4549/solinftec-expands-u-s-ag-robotics-push-as-solix-coverage-grows-15-fold.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4549/solinftec-expands-u-s-ag-robotics-push-as-solix-coverage-grows-15-fold.html Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:51:56 +0530 Solinftec is accelerating its push into autonomous agriculture in the United States, combining rapid growth in field deployment with a new direct-to-farmer parts strategy and expanded robotics capabilities. The agriculture AI and robotics company said more than 100 Solix robots operated across 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico through July 2026, covering 55,427 acres—15 times the acreage recorded three years ago. The fleet also monitored more than 95 million plants individually while reducing chemical use by an average of 85 per cent, according to the company. Solinftec will showcase the next phase of its expansion at the 2026 Farm Progress Show, scheduled for September 1–3 in Boone, Iowa. The company plans to launch an Amazon store for selected Solix replacement parts, demonstrate its autonomous Refill Station and preview an expanded family of Solix robots. The move into Amazon is designed to give farmers greater access to replacement parts and allow them to carry out more routine repairs themselves. Solinftec said it will become the first agricultural robotics company to offer replacement parts through Amazon, as part of a broader self-service model that includes direct robot purchases and remote technical support. A major focus of the company’s 2026 commercial season has been autonomous refilling. Solinftec’s Refill Station enables Solix robots to dock, replenish their supply and return to field operations without requiring a farmer to travel to the site. Through July, the company’s robots completed more than 1,700 autonomous refills, transferring over 45,000 gallons of product. One Refill Station refilled its associated robot more than 120 times, potentially eliminating the same number of farmer trips to the field. “A robot that still requires a person to repeatedly drive to the field and refill it is not fully autonomous,” said Guilherme Guiné, COO at Solinftec. “Closing that cycle gives farmers something extremely valuable: flexibility in their day.” Solinftec expects to deploy approximately 200 robots and 80 additional Refill Stations for the 2027 growing season. The company is also broadening the Solix platform into a four-model family, giving farmers a choice of power sources, capacities and field applications. All models will operate on Solinftec’s ALICE AI platform. The lineup includes the solar-electric Solix X1, battery-electric Solix XT, gas- or diesel-powered Solix XR, and hybrid-electric Solix XC. The models will range from 50 to 1,200 gallons in capacity and are designed for targeted or targeted-and-broadcast applications, depending on the configuration. At the Farm Progress Show, Solinftec plans to preview the Solix XR, a gas- and diesel-powered model expected to become commercially available for the 2027 growing season. The current Solix robot is priced at $55,000. Solinftec estimates that growers can recover the investment in approximately 2.5 years through projected input savings alone, excluding potential savings from labour, fuel, equipment use and reduced field passes. As agricultural robotics moves beyond pilot projects and demonstration farms, Solinftec’s strategy is increasingly focused on a broader question: how autonomous machines can operate with less human intervention while becoming easier for farmers to purchase, maintain and deploy at scale. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4546/fao-director-general-calls-for-science-and-technology-to-bridge-digital-rural-and-gender-divides.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4546/fao-director-general-calls-for-science-and-technology-to-bridge-digital-rural-and-gender-divides.html Wed, 26 Aug 2026 14:15:09 +0530 The Asia-Pacific region must place science, technology and artificial intelligence at the centre of efforts to transform agrifood systems, while ensuring that innovation helps close – rather than widen – the digital, rural and gender divides, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu has said. Speaking on Tuesday at the 11th APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting, the Director-General highlighted the region’s progress in reducing hunger while stressing the need for a new generation of agrifood systems that are more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable. Asia has made significant progress since the launch of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In 2025, the prevalence of undernourishment in the region was 25 percent lower than in 2015. Yet around 292 million people in Asia still face hunger, while nearly one third of the population cannot afford a healthy diet. “This tells us something important: food security is about more than just producing enough food – it is about producing the right food, making it accessible and affordable, and doing so sustainably,” the Director-General said during panel session on high-quality agricultural and rural development in the Asia Pacific region. He highlighted the potential of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, precision agriculture and smart machinery to open new frontiers in agriculture and rural development, while stressing that their benefits must reach rural communities and translate into better livelihoods, nutrition and resilience. He called for diversified production, stronger local food systems, improved food safety and greater access to nutritious, affordable foods, alongside rural revitalization through better infrastructure, digital connectivity, stronger value chains and greater opportunities for women and young people. As the region undergoes rapid change, the Director-General called for stronger collaboration to connect science and knowledge with investment and practical solutions. “FAO stands ready to contribute to this partnership through science, standards, data, policy expertise and practical experience from across the world,” he said. Science, technology and inclusivity During a second panel, focused on technological innovation and digital agriculture, the Director-General stressed that the transformation driven by science, technology and artificial intelligence must be inclusive. “Science, technology and AI must not widen the triple divide – digital divide, rural divide, and gender divide – it must help close them,” he said. He emphasized that the true measure of digital agriculture is not the sophistication of an algorithm, but whether innovation delivers tangible benefits for people and communities – enabling farmers to produce more with less, helping families access healthier food at affordable prices, strengthening rural communities against climate shocks and allowing agriculture to prosper without exhausting natural resources. He called for AI to be harnessed as a “force multiplier”, turning vast amounts of data into practical decisions for producers and agrifood systems – from weather forecasting and early warning of pests and diseases to optimizing irrigation and inputs, improving supply-chain efficiency and better matching supply with demand. “We can make use of AI, but we cannot eat AI,” he said. The Director-General stressed that innovation should become a regional public good, with economies sharing data, knowledge, technologies, standards and good practices to accelerate adoption and bring solutions to scale. He also interpreted what “SMART” agriculture stands for, “s” for science driven, “m” for machine learning, “a” for AI, “r” for resilience and “t” for transformation of agrifood system. His speeches came a day after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between FAO and Hunan Agricultural University, strengthening cooperation in food security, sustainable agricultural development, digital agriculture and South-South and Triangular cooperation. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4538/agtrinsic-launches-ai-engine-to-predict-crop-disease-risks-before-they-escalate.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4538/agtrinsic-launches-ai-engine-to-predict-crop-disease-risks-before-they-escalate.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:26:49 +0530 Agtrinsic is betting that the next frontier in crop protection will be defined not simply by better forecasting, but by agricultural systems capable of continuously learning and responding as disease risks evolve. The US-based agricultural technology company has launched its Disease Intelligence Engine, an artificial intelligence platform designed to improve how growers, agronomists and agricultural organisations identify, predict and manage crop disease risks. The technology has been tested under commercial field conditions across Central Illinois during the 2026 growing season. According to Agtrinsic, the working models have demonstrated a high level of predictive accuracy while providing earlier visibility into changing disease conditions than traditional forecasting approaches. For decades, disease prediction in agriculture has largely been built around established models such as the disease triangle, historical weather information, fixed environmental thresholds and visual symptoms observed in the field. While these tools remain important, they can provide only a partial picture of a disease environment that changes continuously. Agtrinsic's new platform is designed around a different premise: disease risk is dynamic, and the intelligence used to manage it must evolve at the same pace. The Disease Intelligence Engine creates a continuously updated assessment of crop disease risk as conditions change in the field. Rather than relying solely on periodic forecasts or visible symptoms, the platform is intended to provide an ongoing view of emerging threats, helping agricultural professionals identify where attention may be needed before disease pressure becomes more apparent. That could have important implications for how scouting and crop protection resources are deployed. Earlier and more targeted intelligence could allow growers and agronomists to prioritise field inspections, evaluate emerging risks and make better-timed decisions around crop protection interventions. “We did not set out to make a minor improvement to our currently patented disease modeling,” said Scott Plato, Director of Agronomy Innovation and Technology at Agtrinsic. “We set out to rethink how crop disease should be predicted.” Plato said the technology was designed around the understanding that disease conditions are constantly changing and that agricultural decision-making systems need to become more adaptive. The company's broader ambition is to move crop disease management away from a largely periodic and reactive model towards one that is more predictive and continuously informed. Agtrinsic believes the technology could eventually support increasingly autonomous decision-making systems capable of assessing risk and determining appropriate actions over time. “Our goal is to give agriculture more time to act and greater confidence in what action to take,” said Matt Free, Vice President of Agronomy. “This technology has the potential to influence how the industry identifies risk, deploys scouting resources and executes crop protection decisions.” The Disease Intelligence Engine has been designed as a scalable platform rather than a single-crop or single-market application. According to Agtrinsic, the technology can support multiple crops, diseases, geographies and production systems. The company expects the platform to form the technological foundation for future grower-facing applications, enterprise-level tools, industry integrations and strategic partnerships. The underlying technology is also the subject of pending patent applications in the United States and internationally. The launch comes as artificial intelligence increasingly moves deeper into production agriculture, with technology companies seeking to use data and predictive models to help growers respond to increasingly complex and variable production environments. For crop disease management, the value of such technology may lie less in replacing agronomists or existing forecasting tools and more in expanding the industry's ability to process changing conditions and identify risks earlier. Agtrinsic plans to continue field evaluations across the US Midwest for the remainder of the 2026 growing season while expanding testing into additional international regions. If those trials continue to validate the technology's performance across different crops and production environments, Agtrinsic's Disease Intelligence Engine could represent a shift in how the agriculture industry approaches one of its most persistent challenges—from responding to disease after the threat becomes visible to continuously anticipating where the next risk may emerge. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4468/why-plant-intelligence-could-be-next-competitive-edge-for-cbg-operators.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4468/why-plant-intelligence-could-be-next-competitive-edge-for-cbg-operators.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:49:43 +0530 In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Kishor Vyas, CEO, Edifice Automation Pvt Ltd, discusses how automation, IoT and AI can help CBG plants move from operator-dependent processes towards data-driven and increasingly autonomous operations. Vyas says the first step is establishing reliable, continuous and standardised plant data, which can then be converted into actionable intelligence through analytics and AI. He identifies anaerobic digestion and gas purification as key areas where automation can deliver significant returns by improving digester stability, methane recovery and gas quality. With agricultural feedstocks remaining highly variable, Vyas argues that the future is not about replacing operators but empowering them with predictive insights and intelligent decision-support systems. He also calls for a common digital architecture for India’s CBG sector, including standardised data points, instrumentation, communication protocols and performance indicators. Drawing on Edifice Automation’s experience of automating more than 12 CBG plants, Vyas explains how the company’s Bio Energy Intelliplant platform is helping move the industry from simply monitoring what happened to predicting what will happen and recommending the next action. Can automation move CBG plants from operator-dependent operations to truly data-driven, autonomous facilities—and what are the biggest barriers ? Yes, automation can move CBG plants significantly towards data-driven and increasingly autonomous operations. However, the transition is not an overnight shift from manual operations to fully autonomous plants. It is a progressive journey, beginning with reliable automation, structured data acquisition and continuous monitoring, and then moving towards analytics, artificial intelligence and autonomous decision support. At Edifice Automation, we have more than five years of experience in CBG automation and have automated over 12 CBG plants across India. Our experience shows that the first and most important step towards an intelligent plant is the availability of reliable, structured and continuous operational data. Without good-quality data, even the most advanced AI system will struggle to deliver meaningful outcomes. Once the data foundation is established, the next stage is to convert that data into actionable intelligence through analytics and AI. This enables operators to identify patterns, detect deviations and anticipate potential problems before they affect plant performance. The biggest barriers today are feedstock variability, inconsistent instrumentation and data quality, lack of standardisation across plants and the continued dependence on operator experience. CBG plants process biological systems, and the characteristics of agricultural and organic feedstocks can change significantly. That makes complete automation more complex than in a conventional manufacturing process. Full autonomy will take time, but autonomous decision support is already achievable. The immediate opportunity is to use automation and AI to empower operators with better information, faster alerts and predictive insights so that decisions are based on data rather than only experience. Where does automation deliver the highest ROI in a CBG plant? There is no single answer because the highest-return automation opportunities vary from plant to plant. However, in most CBG facilities, some of the greatest value can be generated around anaerobic digestion and gas purification. The reason is straightforward. Even relatively small improvements in digester stability, methane yield, methane recovery and gas quality can directly influence the quantity and quality of CBG produced, and therefore the plant’s revenue. Automation can continuously monitor critical process parameters and help maintain the digester within its desired operating range. This can improve process stability and reduce fluctuations in gas production. Similarly, automation of gas purification can help optimise methane recovery and maintain gas quality while identifying deviations that could result in losses. Beyond these areas, feedstock handling and energy management can provide additional efficiency gains. Monitoring the energy consumed by equipment such as compressors, pumps and other major auxiliaries can identify abnormal consumption and opportunities for optimisation. However, the real value does not come from automating individual packages in isolation. It comes when these systems are integrated and the data from different parts of the plant is brought together. For example, understanding the relationship between feedstock characteristics, digester performance, gas production, purification efficiency and energy consumption can provide much deeper insights than monitoring each system separately. The objective should therefore be to create an integrated plant intelligence layer rather than simply automate individual pieces of equipment. How can AI, IoT and predictive analytics help operators anticipate digester instability, methane losses and equipment failures? The biggest shift enabled by AI and predictive analytics is moving from understanding “what happened?” to understanding “what is likely to happen next?” IoT provides the foundation by continuously capturing process parameters from the plant. These could include temperature, pressure, flow, pH, gas composition, methane concentration, energy consumption and other critical operating variables. Analytics can then establish patterns and identify deviations from normal operating behaviour. AI can go a step further by recognising relationships between multiple parameters that may not be immediately visible to an operator. This can provide early warnings of potential digester instability, declining methane yields, abnormal energy consumption or changes in equipment performance. For example, instead of waiting for methane production to fall significantly, a predictive system can identify a combination of process changes that historically preceded a decline and alert the operator early. The same principle can be applied to compressors, pumps and other critical equipment. Changes in vibration, energy consumption, operating pressure or other parameters can indicate developing equipment problems before an outright failure occurs. This has the potential to shift maintenance from a reactive model to a predictive one. The objective, however, is not simply to collect more data. CBG plants can generate enormous quantities of operational data, but data by itself does not create value. The real value comes from converting that data into early, actionable decisions. An intelligent system should tell the operator not only that a parameter has changed, but why that change matters, what could happen if it continues and what action should be considered. Given the variability of agricultural and organic feedstocks, can automated control systems consistently optimise biogas yields—or will human intervention remain indispensable? Automation can optimise the process within defined operating boundaries, but human expertise will continue to remain important. CBG plants are fundamentally different from many conventional industrial facilities because the raw material is biological and its characteristics can change considerably. The composition, moisture, organic content and other characteristics of agricultural and organic feedstocks can vary depending on the source, season, storage conditions and even individual batches. Automated control systems can respond to these changes by continuously adjusting process parameters and maintaining the plant within defined operating limits. AI-based systems can further improve this capability by identifying patterns and recommending optimal operating conditions. However, there will always be situations where contextual judgement is required. The future, therefore, should not be viewed as “humans versus automation.” It should be about humans being empowered by automation and AI. The system should continuously monitor the plant, adapt operating parameters within approved boundaries, identify anomalies and provide recommendations. The operator should retain control over decisions that require contextual judgement or involve conditions outside the system’s defined operating envelope. This human-in-the-loop model is likely to be the most practical pathway towards increasingly autonomous CBG plants. Over time, as more operational data becomes available and AI models become more mature, the level of autonomous decision-making can increase. What would it take to create a common digital architecture for India’s CBG plants? India needs a standardised digital architecture for CBG plants, beginning with common data points, instrumentation standards, communication protocols and key performance indicators. At present, plants can differ significantly in terms of equipment, automation systems, instrumentation and the way operational data is recorded. This makes it difficult to benchmark plants or develop large-scale predictive models. A common digital architecture would allow reliable plant data to be captured in a consistent structure. Once that foundation exists, cloud-based platforms can provide real-time monitoring, multi-site benchmarking, methane-yield analysis, emissions tracking, energy-performance analysis, predictive maintenance and trend-based anomaly detection. This could be particularly valuable for companies operating multiple CBG plants because management would be able to compare plant performance across locations and identify underperforming assets much faster. At Edifice Automation, we are moving in this direction through our Bio Energy Intelliplant platform. Based on our experience of automating more than 12 CBG plants, we have developed a secure, cloud-based platform designed for multi-site monitoring, advanced analytics, predictive insights and trend-based anomaly detection. The philosophy is simple: data is the foundation; intelligence is what converts that data into better plant performance and profitability. A common digital architecture could eventually enable the CBG industry to develop industry-wide benchmarks for parameters such as methane yield, gas recovery, energy consumption, equipment availability and plant efficiency. That would represent an important step towards professionalising and standardising the operational performance of the sector. The next generation of CBG plants will not be differentiated merely by the quality of their equipment or the capacity of their digesters. Increasingly, they will be differentiated by how intelligently they use their operational data. Automation is the first step. It creates visibility and control. The next step is plant intelligence, where data from different systems is integrated, analysed and converted into actionable insights. The ultimate objective should be to move from simply monitoring what happened to understanding why it happened, predicting what is likely to happen next and recommending what the operator should do. At Edifice Automation, our vision is to help CBG plant owners make this transition — from automation to plant intelligence. The opportunity is significant because improving the performance of existing CBG assets can be as important as building new capacity. If digital technologies can improve digester stability, increase methane recovery, reduce energy consumption, minimise downtime and optimise maintenance, they can directly strengthen the economics of CBG projects. In an industry where feedstock costs, plant efficiency and operational reliability have a direct bearing on profitability, the ability to make faster and better decisions could become one of the most important competitive advantages for CBG operators. -- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4440/cgiar-receives-nz3-39-mn-to-accelerate-climate-adaptation-for-smallholder-farmers.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4440/cgiar-receives-nz3-39-mn-to-accelerate-climate-adaptation-for-smallholder-farmers.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:16:28 +0530 New Zealand has committed NZ$3.39 million to extend the CGIAR Initiative on Asian Mega-Deltas (AMD), reinforcing international efforts to strengthen climate resilience, food security and sustainable agricultural production across some of Asia's most productive yet climate-vulnerable farming regions. The funding, announced by New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters during the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC)+1 Sessions, provides a 12-month extension to the AMD programme, ensuring continued momentum after the successful completion of its first phase (2022–2025). The investment will support climate-smart agriculture across the Mekong Delta (Cambodia and Vietnam), Irrawaddy Delta (Myanmar), and the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta (Bangladesh and India)—regions that collectively produce a significant share of Asia's rice, horticultural crops and aquaculture products while facing mounting threats from climate change, sea-level rise and extreme weather. The extension reflects growing recognition that safeguarding delta ecosystems is central to regional food security, as climate variability increasingly disrupts agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods. Over the coming year, the initiative will provide 350,000 agricultural workers with timely weather forecasts, climate-risk information and digital advisory services to help farmers adopt climate-smart practices, manage production risks and improve on-farm resilience. Beyond supporting farmers, the programme will strengthen government decision-making by expanding the use of climate-risk mapping, advanced food systems analysis and evidence-based land-use planning. It will also accelerate the regional deployment of climate-smart technologies through public extension networks, non-governmental organizations, private-sector partners and community-based institutions. According to Dr. Bjoern Ole Sander, scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and leader of the AMD initiative, the programme remains focused on removing systemic barriers that limit the large-scale adoption of transformative agricultural technologies. "Our mission remains to create resilient, inclusive and productive deltas by removing systemic barriers to scaling transformative technologies and practices at community, national and regional levels," Dr. Sander said. The next phase will place particular emphasis on expanding diversified farming systems, strengthening nutrition-sensitive food networks, scaling digital climate advisory platforms, and improving governance, institutional capacity and investment planning across participating countries. The AMD initiative brings together expertise from six CGIAR research centres alongside numerous international and national research institutions, reflecting the increasingly collaborative nature of global efforts to address climate adaptation and food system transformation. As governments seek practical solutions to rising climate risks and growing food demand, New Zealand's latest investment underscores the expanding role of international partnerships in accelerating agricultural innovation, strengthening smallholder resilience and protecting the productivity of Asia's critical delta ecosystems.   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4407/korea-and-philippines-chart-next-phase-of-rice-supply-chain-transformation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4407/korea-and-philippines-chart-next-phase-of-rice-supply-chain-transformation.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:38:14 +0530 The Philippines and the Republic of Korea are reinforcing their long-standing agricultural partnership through continued Official Development Assistance (ODA) initiatives aimed at modernizing the country's rice supply chain, improving seed quality and strengthening national food security. The renewed commitment was highlighted during the Workshop on Project Achievements and Future Directions for Enhancing the Rice Supply Chain in the Philippines, where government agencies and development partners reviewed the progress of a Korea-supported rice modernization project and explored future areas of collaboration. The workshop was jointly hosted by the Global Agriculture Policy Institute (GAPI), the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the National Food Authority (NFA), with organization support from Orient Integrated Development Consultants, Inc. (OIDCI) and backing from the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC). Central to the discussions was the Korea ODA project, Improving the Rice Supply Chain to Ensure Quality of Seeds and Milled Rice for Distribution and Buffer Stocks in the Philippines, which has introduced modern seed processing and storage infrastructure while strengthening institutional capacity across the country's rice sector. Among the project's key achievements is the establishment of advanced rice seed processing facilities and cold-storage seed warehouses at PhilRice research stations in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija; San Mateo, Isabela; and Batac, Ilocos Norte. The initiative has also improved seed quality management, buffer stock systems and information management through technical training and digital tools. Delivering the keynote address, Christopher V. Morales, Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development at the Department of Agriculture, described the Korea-supported initiative as a model of bilateral cooperation built on shared expertise and a common commitment to strengthening food security. He said the project has contributed beyond infrastructure development by enhancing seed systems, post-harvest facilities, information management and institutional capabilities, complementing the Philippine government's Masagana Rice Industry Development Program, the National Rice Program and the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF). Morales also emphasized that the partnership's long-term value extends to continued knowledge exchange and future collaboration, including the proposed Digital Agriculture Transformation through Enhanced Technology (DA-TECH) initiative, which aims to accelerate digital innovation across Philippine agriculture. Highlighting the broader significance of the partnership, Dr. Byung Ki Lee, President of GAPI and Project Manager, said the collaboration demonstrates the enduring commitment of South Korea and the Philippines to advancing agricultural innovation, strengthening institutional capacity and improving food security through technology-driven development. Technical sessions during the workshop featured presentations on implementation lessons, project outcomes and future digital agriculture strategies. Speakers included Jiwan Yoon of GAPI, Herman Ongkiko, President and Chief Executive Officer of OIDCI, and Eduardo Jimmy Quilang, Deputy Executive Director of PhilRice, who presented the proposed DA-TECH follow-up initiative. The event concluded with a panel discussion involving representatives from the Department of Agriculture, PhilRice, the Korea Program on International Agriculture (KOPIA) Philippines Center, and OIDCI, reaffirming their commitment to sustaining the gains achieved through Korea-Philippines cooperation in agricultural development. The workshop underscores the growing role of international partnerships in strengthening agricultural infrastructure, digital transformation and resilient food systems across Southeast Asia as governments seek to modernize staple crop production in response to climate and food security challenges. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4393/australia-launches-digital-disease-forecasting-app-to-help-lupin-growers-cut-yield-losses.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4393/australia-launches-digital-disease-forecasting-app-to-help-lupin-growers-cut-yield-losses.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:44:12 +0530 Australia is advancing the digital transformation of crop protection with the launch of SclerotiniaLM, a new decision support application designed to help lupin growers make more informed fungicide decisions and reduce the economic impact of one of the crop's most damaging fungal diseases. Developed by the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) with co-investment from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), the application translates years of scientific research into a practical, field-ready tool that enables growers to assess disease risk before symptoms become visible. The launch reflects a broader shift toward precision agriculture, where digital technologies are increasingly helping producers optimize crop management while improving returns on farm inputs. Sclerotinia stem rot remains a significant threat to lupin production across Australia's grain-growing regions, particularly in Western Australia, where severe outbreaks can reduce yields by as much as 20 per cent. As effective disease control depends on preventive fungicide applications rather than treatments after infection has occurred, growers have traditionally been required to make costly management decisions based on uncertain seasonal conditions rather than visible disease symptoms. The new application seeks to reduce that uncertainty by combining weather patterns, crop development, grain prices, fungicide costs, and expected yield responses into a single decision-making platform. Instead of simply predicting disease risk, the app evaluates the likely economic return from applying foliar fungicides, comparing treatment and no-treatment scenarios under both optimistic and conservative conditions. This allows growers to weigh the financial implications of disease management before committing to chemical applications. The technology is built on extensive research undertaken through a joint GRDC and DPIRD investment focused on lupin sclerotinia management. By integrating scientific disease models with economic analysis, the application provides growers and agronomists with recommendations tailored to individual crop conditions rather than relying on generalized advice. Researchers involved in the project note that weather remains one of the most influential factors driving sclerotinia outbreaks, making disease management particularly challenging. Since infection often develops before symptoms are apparent, delaying fungicide applications can significantly reduce their effectiveness. The app is designed to support decision-making during the critical bloom stage, when timely intervention offers the greatest opportunity to protect yield and profitability. The release also expands Australia's growing suite of digital crop protection tools. SclerotiniaLM becomes the first application in a new lupin management series and complements existing decision support platforms developed for canola disease management, including tools addressing sclerotinia and blackleg diseases. Together, these technologies illustrate how digital agronomy is becoming an increasingly important component of integrated disease management strategies across Australia's grain sector. Developers emphasize that the application has a clearly defined purpose. It is intended specifically to guide decisions on managing sclerotinia canopy infection during flowering and should not be used to assess basal sclerotinia, a soil-borne disease that does not respond to foliar fungicide treatments. Used alongside the existing Lupin Sclerotinia Disease Risk Assessment Guide, the app provides growers with an additional layer of evidence to support treatment decisions during one of the crop's most vulnerable growth stages. For GRDC, the launch demonstrates the practical value of translating publicly funded agricultural research into technologies that deliver measurable on-farm benefits. Rather than remaining confined to research publications, disease modelling has been converted into an accessible mobile application that supports real-time decision-making throughout the growing season.     ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4389/agerpoint-secures-meta-catalyst-grant-to-bring-ai-powered-smart-glasses-to-agricultural-field-operations.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4389/agerpoint-secures-meta-catalyst-grant-to-bring-ai-powered-smart-glasses-to-agricultural-field-operations.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:44:23 +0530 Agerpoint is taking wearable artificial intelligence from concept to the farm field after securing Meta's highest-tier AI Glasses Impact Catalyst Grant, a recognition that positions the agricultural technology company at the forefront of next-generation digital farming solutions. The funding will support the development of hands-free spatial intelligence tools that enable agricultural workers to collect field data, monitor crop conditions, and receive real-time operational insights through AI-enabled smart glasses. The grant places Agerpoint among a select group of organizations chosen by Meta to develop wearable AI technologies capable of delivering measurable economic and societal impact. By receiving the program's Catalyst Grant—the initiative's highest level of support—the company will accelerate the integration of wearable computing into agricultural workflows, where labor shortages, rising production costs, and increasing demand for operational efficiency continue to reshape farm management. The initiative builds on Agerpoint's existing spatial intelligence platform, extending its mobile and cloud-based capabilities into wearable devices powered by Meta's Wearables Device Access Toolkit. Rather than relying on handheld devices, agricultural workers will be able to capture observations, record field conditions, and log operational data through voice commands while remaining fully engaged in field activities. The system is also designed to provide immediate AI-driven feedback, allowing growers and farm managers to shorten the time between field observations and management decisions. According to the company, wearable-generated information will complement data already collected from agricultural machinery, remote sensors, aerial imagery, and farm management platforms. Integrating these multiple data streams is expected to create a more comprehensive picture of field conditions, enabling growers to make faster and more informed decisions while improving the accuracy of precision agriculture practices. Agerpoint believes the technology arrives at a critical moment for global agriculture as producers face mounting labor constraints alongside growing pressure to improve productivity. Hands-free digital tools can reduce administrative burdens on field workers while increasing the speed and consistency of crop monitoring, particularly in labor-intensive production systems where timely observations directly influence yield and quality. The company's first commercial pilot programs will focus on California's permanent crop sector, including vineyards, berry farms, and tree fruit orchards. These high-value cropping systems generate tens of billions of dollars annually and depend heavily on skilled field labor, making them an ideal testing ground for wearable AI technologies designed to improve workforce efficiency and operational precision. Beyond the funding itself, the award also provides Agerpoint with continued participation in the Meta Wearables Community, a collaborative ecosystem of developers, researchers, and technology innovators working to advance practical applications of wearable computing across multiple industries. The partnership is expected to accelerate product development while giving the company access to emerging hardware capabilities and collaborative research opportunities. The grant reflects a broader trend in precision agriculture, where artificial intelligence is increasingly moving beyond software dashboards and autonomous machinery into wearable technologies that place actionable intelligence directly in the hands—or, in this case, the line of sight—of field workers. As farms generate larger volumes of operational data, wearable AI is emerging as a new interface for connecting workers with real-time agronomic insights without interrupting day-to-day operations. For Agerpoint, the Meta Catalyst Grant represents more than financial support. It signals growing confidence that wearable AI can become a practical productivity tool for modern agriculture, helping producers bridge labor gaps, improve field-level data collection, and transform how critical decisions are made across high-value crop production systems. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4382/usda-to-launch-ai-challenge-for-faster-crop-breeding-using-germplasm-data.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4382/usda-to-launch-ai-challenge-for-faster-crop-breeding-using-germplasm-data.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:11:04 +0530 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is preparing to launch a nationwide artificial intelligence initiative aimed at transforming crop breeding by enabling researchers to extract insights more rapidly from the agency's extensive germplasm and plant genetics datasets. Expected to be introduced later in 2026, the Agricultural National Science and Technology Challenge will encourage researchers, technology developers and interdisciplinary teams to create AI-powered tools capable of accelerating plant breeding and crop improvement. The initiative forms part of the federal government's broader effort to integrate advanced computing and artificial intelligence into agricultural research to strengthen food security, improve crop productivity and enhance resilience to climate-related stresses. AI to Unlock Value from Complex Agricultural Data Under the proposed challenge, participating teams will develop analytical platforms capable of processing multiple forms of agricultural data simultaneously. The AI systems are expected to combine information from crop imagery, field observations, laboratory analyses and germplasm datasets to identify valuable genetic traits and plant characteristics with greater speed and accuracy than conventional research methods. By improving the interpretation of complex biological data, the initiative aims to shorten breeding cycles and help scientists identify promising crop traits more efficiently, supporting the development of higher-yielding, disease-resistant and climate-resilient crop varieties. The USDA believes advanced AI models could significantly reduce the time required to translate genetic information into practical breeding outcomes for agricultural producers. National Research Infrastructure to Support Participants Teams selected for the competition will receive access to the American Science and Security Platform, a national scientific infrastructure led by the U.S. Department of Energy. The platform connects high-performance computing resources, advanced research facilities, scientific datasets and artificial intelligence tools, providing participants with large-scale computational capabilities for analysing complex agricultural information. The infrastructure is designed to encourage collaboration among federal laboratories, universities, research institutions and private-sector technology companies working on next-generation scientific applications. Part of the Federal Genesis Mission The AI challenge will be delivered through the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AgARDA) in collaboration with the federal Genesis Mission, an initiative established by executive order in November 2025 to accelerate scientific discovery through advanced computing and cross-sector collaboration. The Genesis Mission seeks to apply artificial intelligence and high-performance computing across multiple scientific disciplines, with agriculture emerging as one of its priority application areas. For crop science, the programme is expected to strengthen the integration of computational biology, genomics and plant breeding, enabling researchers to analyse increasingly complex biological datasets that were previously difficult to process at scale. Competition Details Expected Later This Year While the USDA has confirmed plans to launch the competition during 2026, additional programme details—including funding levels, eligibility criteria, submission requirements and application timelines—have yet to be announced. The department is expected to release further information as the challenge moves toward implementation. As governments worldwide increasingly invest in AI-driven agricultural innovation, the USDA's planned initiative highlights the growing role of machine learning and advanced data analytics in modern plant breeding. By combining large-scale germplasm resources with next-generation computational tools, the programme aims to accelerate the development of crop varieties capable of meeting future food production and climate resilience challenges. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4377/wengfu-jiangshan-named-2026-guizhou-advanced-intelligent-factory-for-landmark-22-billion-smart-chemical-complex.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4377/wengfu-jiangshan-named-2026-guizhou-advanced-intelligent-factory-for-landmark-22-billion-smart-chemical-complex.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 16:04:08 +0530 Marking a major milestone in China's industrial modernization, Guizhou-based Wengfu Jiangshan Chemical Co. Ltd. was officially named a 2026 Guizhou Province Advanced Intelligent Factory on June 25 for its flagship Weng'an County New Materials and Electronic Chemicals Digital and Intelligent Construction Project. The honor comes on the heels of the project being recognized in December 2025 as a typical case of digital transformation in the province's industrial sector, reinforcing its position as a benchmark for smart manufacturing. Spanning over 3,000 acres, the 22 billion yuan facility represents the largest phosphorus chemical project currently under construction in Guizhou. Jointly developed by Wengfu (Group) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Guizhou Phosphate Chemical Group, and Nantong Jiangshan Agrochemical & Chemical Co., Ltd., the sprawling complex encompasses multiple production lines including yellow phosphorus, TCP, and chlor-alkali. Rather than applying digital overlays post-construction, the project prioritized building a unified data foundation from the outset, connecting more than 30 business systems, 15,339 devices, and 160,000 master data entries across an industrial internet platform. Inside the central control facility, a massive circular dispatch screen provides operators with a real-time panoramic view of the entire park. Utilizing a three-dimensional digital twin model, plant managers can monitor real-time pressure, temperature, and energy metrics or fine-tune process parameters in the yellow phosphorus production area kilometers away with a simple click. The facility has also pioneered unmanned operations across key areas, deploying 5G inspection robots in substations and utilizing AI-driven vibration analysis for predictive maintenance on rotating machinery. Safety management has been similarly transformed through computer vision and real-time spatial monitoring. An integrated AI system scans for nine major hazard sources—such as unhelmeted personnel or unauthorized entry into restricted zones—and automatically alerts site supervisors to close the management loop in strict accordance with national emergency management guidelines. Furthermore, industrial AI models integrated into the chlor-alkali production process predict main cell voltage trends and optimize chemical dosing, a single enhancement projected to save over one million yuan annually. By unifying engineering lifecycle data from over 50 construction partners into a single 3D digital base, the facility has created a closed-loop system where laboratory test results instantly trigger automated process adjustments. According to company projections, the comprehensive digital architecture has delivered a 25 percent increase in overall production efficiency, a 22 percent reduction in operating costs, a 90 percent unmanned operation rate, and a 70 percent improvement in safety management effectiveness, establishing a new standard for intelligent chemical manufacturing. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4357/guangzhou-guangxing-poultry-equipment-expands-global-footprint-with-intelligent-livestock-farming-solutions.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4357/guangzhou-guangxing-poultry-equipment-expands-global-footprint-with-intelligent-livestock-farming-solutions.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:22:08 +0530 Guangzhou Guangxing Poultry Equipment Group Co., Ltd. is strengthening its position in the global livestock equipment industry by expanding its portfolio of intelligent farming technologies and automated production systems designed to improve productivity, enhance animal welfare and support the modernization of commercial livestock operations. Backed by decades of manufacturing expertise and continued investment in research and development, the company is positioning itself to meet the evolving demands of the global poultry and swine sectors. The company is capitalising on a growing global shift towards automated livestock production as producers increasingly seek solutions that improve operational efficiency, reduce labour dependence, strengthen food safety and promote sustainable farming practices. Rising demand for high-quality animal protein, coupled with increasing pressure to optimise production performance, continues to accelerate investment in intelligent agricultural equipment across international markets. Guangzhou Guangxing has developed an integrated portfolio of livestock equipment that spans poultry, swine and egg processing operations. Its pig farming solutions include automated feeding systems, durable housing infrastructure, ventilation technologies, waste management systems and intelligent environmental control equipment designed to improve herd health, operational efficiency and resource utilisation while reducing labour intensity on commercial farms. The company has also expanded its value-added processing capabilities through advanced egg grading technology that enables commercial producers to automatically classify eggs according to weight and quality standards. The automated grading systems improve processing efficiency, minimise product damage, reduce manual handling and help processors deliver more consistent product quality to downstream markets. Research and development remain central to the company's long-term growth strategy. Dedicated engineering teams continuously evaluate emerging agricultural technologies, customer requirements and market trends to develop equipment that combines engineering precision with practical farming applications. Continuous product optimisation enables Guangzhou Guangxing to respond to changing industry requirements while improving equipment reliability and ease of operation. Quality assurance is embedded throughout the manufacturing process, with stringent controls covering raw material selection, precision machining, welding, assembly, surface treatment and final inspection. The company's manufacturing facilities incorporate advanced fabrication technologies, automated production equipment and standardised manufacturing processes to ensure consistent product quality and long-term operational reliability under demanding farming conditions. Sustainability has become an increasingly important component of the company's product development strategy. Guangzhou Guangxing integrates energy-efficient ventilation systems, optimised feeding technologies, waste management solutions and environmentally responsible engineering principles into its equipment portfolio, enabling livestock producers to reduce resource consumption while supporting more sustainable farming operations. The company also places strong emphasis on animal welfare by designing equipment that promotes stable environmental conditions, effective ventilation, hygienic housing and efficient feeding systems that contribute to healthier livestock and improved production performance. Recognising the diverse requirements of modern livestock enterprises, the company provides OEM and ODM manufacturing services that allow customers to customise equipment according to production scale, farm layout, climatic conditions and local regulatory requirements. At the same time, Guangzhou Guangxing continues to integrate digital technologies, including smart monitoring systems, automated feeding controls, environmental sensors and data-driven farm management tools, helping producers transition towards more intelligent and connected farming operations. The company's growing international presence reflects increasing demand for reliable agricultural equipment across global markets. Its products are deployed across commercial poultry farms, pig farms, egg processing facilities and integrated livestock operations, supported by comprehensive technical consulting, installation guidance, operator training and after-sales services. Guangzhou Guangxing has also strengthened procurement, production planning, inventory management and logistics coordination to improve supply chain resilience and ensure dependable product delivery for international customers. As livestock production becomes increasingly automated and data-driven, Guangzhou Guangxing expects continued demand for intelligent farming equipment that enhances productivity while supporting sustainable agricultural development. The company plans to expand investments in advanced manufacturing technologies, smart livestock systems, product innovation and global market development as it strengthens its role in the evolving agricultural equipment industry. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4361/adb-and-jica-launch-seek-initiative-to-scale-japanese-startups-across-southeast-asia-and-pacific.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4361/adb-and-jica-launch-seek-initiative-to-scale-japanese-startups-across-southeast-asia-and-pacific.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:38:46 +0530 The Asian Development Bank (ADB), through its venture capital platform ADB Ventures, has launched the Southeast Asia Emerging Entrepreneurs Kickstart (SEEK) programme in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to accelerate the commercialisation and regional expansion of Japanese startups addressing key development challenges across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Supported by the High-Level Technology Fund (HLTF), an ADB trust fund financed by the Government of Japan, the initiative is designed to bridge the funding and market access gap faced by early-stage technology companies developing solutions for emerging economies. The programme combines early-stage capital with market-entry assistance to help startups validate demand, adapt technologies to local conditions and scale commercially across the region. SEEK will support startups developing innovations across multiple high-impact sectors, including clean energy, sustainable industry, smart mobility, logistics, sustainable agriculture, circular economy, inclusive finance, digital economy and resilient communities. Eligible companies will be considered for seed funding of up to US$400,000, enabling them to progress from market exploration to commercial deployment. Beyond financing, the initiative provides participating startups with access to ADB's regional development network, potential customers, strategic partners, investors and technical experts. The programme is intended to reduce market-entry barriers by helping companies refine business models, establish regional partnerships and better align their technologies with local development priorities. The programme will initially focus on Japan-based startups, leveraging the country's strong innovation ecosystem and growing pipeline of technology companies developing solutions with potential application across Asia and the Pacific. By connecting Japanese innovation with development needs in emerging markets, ADB and JICA aim to accelerate technology transfer while creating new commercial opportunities for startups seeking international expansion. The initiative also reflects growing recognition that access to patient capital remains one of the principal constraints facing early-stage companies developing technologies for sustainable development. Through the combination of catalytic funding, technical assistance and regional market access, SEEK seeks to improve the commercial readiness of promising innovations while reducing investment risks during the early stages of business growth. ADB said the programme is expected to create a replicable framework for linking startup innovation with regional development priorities, strengthening collaboration between public development institutions, investors and private-sector innovators. By supporting commercially viable technologies capable of addressing climate resilience, sustainable food systems, clean energy and financial inclusion, the initiative aims to contribute to long-term economic and social development across ADB's developing member countries. Japan-based startups interested in expanding into Southeast Asia and the Pacific will be invited to submit company profiles and pitch decks for evaluation under the programme. Successful applicants will gain access to funding, strategic advisory support and regional business networks designed to accelerate market adoption and sustainable business growth. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4350/magictrap-2-debuts-in-uk-as-bayer-expands-ai-enabled-crop-protection-tools.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4350/magictrap-2-debuts-in-uk-as-bayer-expands-ai-enabled-crop-protection-tools.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:45:25 +0530 Bayer has launched MagicTrap 2 in the United Kingdom, introducing the latest generation of its AI-enabled digital pest monitoring system for oilseed rape. The upgraded solution features enhanced imaging, improved connectivity and greater ease of use, helping growers monitor pest populations remotely and make faster, data-driven crop protection decisions. Building on the original MagicTrap platform, the new device incorporates several hardware enhancements designed to improve monitoring accuracy and field performance. Bayer said MagicTrap 2 combines a higher-resolution camera with autofocus technology to capture sharper images, while an integrated flash enables reliable image capture under low-light conditions, supporting more consistent automated pest analysis. MagicTrap is Bayer's fully automated digital yellow water trap for oilseed rape pests. The system captures field images and analyses them automatically before delivering results through the MagicScout smartphone application. It identifies, categorises and quantifies a broad range of economically important pests, including flea beetles, pollen beetles and weevils, while distinguishing target pests from beneficial and non-target insects. The latest version also introduces stronger connectivity through an upgraded antenna, improving data transmission from the field. Updated LED indicators displaying battery status and signal strength directly on the device further simplify installation, routine monitoring and in-field maintenance. The launch forms part of Bayer's broader strategy to expand AI-driven digital agriculture solutions that enhance precision crop protection and improve operational efficiency for growers. By enabling continuous remote monitoring of pest pressure, MagicTrap 2 supports more timely intervention decisions while reducing the need for frequent manual field inspections. Following its commercial introduction in Germany and Austria, MagicTrap 2 is now available in the United Kingdom. Bayer plans to expand deployment across 14 additional European markets by 2027, further strengthening its portfolio of digital farming technologies across the region. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4342/corteva-taps-moa-technologys-discovery-platform-for-future-herbicide-development.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4342/corteva-taps-moa-technologys-discovery-platform-for-future-herbicide-development.html Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:17:55 +0530 Moa Technology and Corteva have entered into a multi-year research and development collaboration to accelerate the discovery of next-generation herbicides with novel modes of action, as the agricultural sector intensifies efforts to address the global rise of herbicide-resistant weeds. The partnership combines Moa Technology's proprietary herbicide discovery platforms with Corteva's crop protection research and development capabilities to identify innovative weed management solutions for growers facing declining efficacy of existing herbicide chemistries. The collaboration comes at a time when herbicide resistance is becoming one of the most significant challenges for global crop production. The widespread use of existing herbicide modes of action has contributed to the emergence of resistant weed populations, increasing demand for entirely new chemistries capable of delivering effective and sustainable weed control. Founded as a spinout from the University of Oxford in 2017, Moa Technology has focused on discovering both synthetic and biological herbicides with novel modes of action. Over the past three years, the company's proprietary discovery platforms have screened more than 850,000 compounds, identifying more than 80 potential new modes of action. Its lead herbicide candidates are currently undergoing their fifth season of international field trials, demonstrating consistent activity against several major weed species. The partnership is expected to combine Moa's early-stage discovery expertise with Corteva's global research, development and commercialisation capabilities, helping accelerate the advancement of promising herbicide candidates from laboratory discovery to field application. The agreement marks Moa Technology's fourth major commercial collaboration in the past two years, following partnerships with Certis Belchim, Gowan Company and Nufarm. Together, these collaborations reflect growing industry investment in expanding the pipeline of herbicides with new modes of action to address increasingly complex weed resistance challenges. As resistance to existing herbicides continues to spread across key agricultural markets, collaborations between technology innovators and global crop protection companies are expected to play a critical role in delivering the next generation of weed management solutions for farmers. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4344/becks-ragt-partner-with-phytoform-to-accelerate-ai-driven-corn-trait-development.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4344/becks-ragt-partner-with-phytoform-to-accelerate-ai-driven-corn-trait-development.html Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:32:01 +0530 Beck's and RAGT have partnered with agricultural biotechnology company Phytoform to develop next-generation corn traits using artificial intelligence, marking a significant step towards applying precision gene tuning to improve crop productivity across major global corn-growing regions. The multi-company collaboration will combine Phytoform's proprietary CRE.AI.TIVE™ platform with Beck's corn breeding expertise, RAGT's global breeding programmes, proprietary germplasm and commercial market knowledge. The initial research programme will focus on optimising whole-plant architecture to improve harvestable yield and overall productivity in key markets, including the United States, South America and potentially Europe. The partnership comes as seed companies increasingly turn to artificial intelligence to accelerate crop improvement while addressing mounting pressure on growers to produce higher yields with greater resource efficiency. At the centre of the collaboration is Phytoform's CRE.AI.TIVE platform, which uses artificial intelligence to identify precise genetic edits within a plant's native regulatory DNA. Rather than introducing foreign genes, the technology fine-tunes when, where and to what extent existing genes are expressed, enabling the development of both simple and complex agronomic traits through targeted gene regulation. Because the platform works within the crop's own genome, the resulting varieties may, in certain jurisdictions, be regulated in a manner similar to conventionally bred crops, potentially simplifying commercial adoption while aligning with evolving regulatory frameworks and market preferences. For Beck's and RAGT, the collaboration provides access to AI-enabled trait discovery that complements conventional breeding programmes and could accelerate the delivery of differentiated corn hybrids with improved field performance. Optimising plant architecture is expected to enhance harvestable yield while supporting stronger productivity across diverse production environments. The agreement also highlights the growing convergence of artificial intelligence, gene editing and plant breeding as seed developers seek faster and more precise approaches to crop improvement. By integrating AI-driven discovery with elite germplasm and established breeding programmes, the partners aim to shorten development timelines for commercially valuable traits. Beyond corn, Phytoform said its CRE.AI.TIVE platform is crop-agnostic, creating opportunities to extend AI-powered gene tuning to additional crops and a broader range of agronomic challenges in the future. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4337/south-korean-researchers-develop-ai-system-that-gives-orchard-robots-smarter-view-of-field.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4337/south-korean-researchers-develop-ai-system-that-gives-orchard-robots-smarter-view-of-field.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:18:50 +0530 A research team at Chonnam National University has developed an artificial intelligence framework capable of creating highly accurate digital models of commercial orchards by combining aerial drone imagery with ground-based LiDAR data, an advance that could significantly improve the performance of autonomous agricultural robots and precision farming systems. The study, led by Professor Kyeong-Hwan Lee from the university's Department of Convergence Biosystems Engineering, addresses one of the most persistent challenges in orchard automation: generating reliable maps and three-dimensional models in dense, tree-covered environments where conventional navigation technologies often struggle. The research was published in the June 2026 issue of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture. Modern orchards are becoming increasingly dependent on automation as growers grapple with labour shortages, rising production costs and the need to improve productivity through data-driven farming. Yet dense tree canopies often interfere with satellite signals, making it difficult for autonomous ground vehicles to maintain accurate positioning over large orchards. While drones can generate detailed aerial maps, they typically fail to capture the complex structure beneath tree canopies. Ground-based LiDAR systems, meanwhile, excel at recording tree architecture but accumulate navigation errors over long distances. Rather than relying on a single source of information, the Chonnam research team developed a cross-modal AI framework that enables drones and autonomous ground robots to "see" the same orchard from different perspectives and merge those observations into a unified digital representation. The system processes low-altitude drone imagery into detailed orthomosaic maps while simultaneously converting LiDAR data collected by ground robots into structured bird's-eye-view maps that preserve essential three-dimensional information. A transformer-based deep learning model then aligns the two datasets by recognising common orchard features—including tree rows, canopy structures and open spaces—despite differences in viewing angles, seasonal conditions and repetitive orchard layouts. By integrating these complementary data streams into a geographic information system (GIS)-based pose graph, the researchers created multilayer digital orchard models capable of supporting autonomous navigation while also enabling detailed analysis of tree structure, crop phenotypes and plant health. Field evaluations demonstrated localisation accuracy within just a few centimetres while significantly reducing the long-distance positional drift that commonly affects ground-based robotic systems operating beneath dense foliage. The framework also remained reliable under changing seasonal conditions and was designed to operate efficiently on embedded computing platforms, making real-time deployment in commercial orchards increasingly practical. Beyond improving robotic navigation, researchers believe the technology could become a foundation for continuously updated "living digital twins" of orchards, allowing growers to monitor crop performance, detect structural changes, optimise field operations and make more informed management decisions throughout the growing season. The development reflects a broader shift across global agriculture, where artificial intelligence, robotics and geospatial technologies are increasingly converging to improve productivity while reducing dependence on manual labour. As commercial orchards continue to embrace automation, accurate digital models are expected to become critical infrastructure for robotic harvesting, precision spraying, autonomous scouting and predictive crop management. Professor Lee said the long-term vision extends beyond navigation, with future digital orchard models serving as intelligent decision-support systems capable of helping farmers respond more effectively to seasonal changes, environmental stress and evolving production challenges. The research, titled "Transformer-based Cross-view LiDAR–Orthomosaic Fusion for Geo-localization and Digital Modeling in Apple Orchards," was published in Volume 16, Issue 2 of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture after first appearing online in March 2026. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4329/philippines-kadiwa-food-program-surpasses-77-mn-in-sales-as-affordable-rice-initiative-gains-momentum.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4329/philippines-kadiwa-food-program-surpasses-77-mn-in-sales-as-affordable-rice-initiative-gains-momentum.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:24:21 +0530 The Philippines' flagship food market intervention program has surpassed PHP4.42 billion (approximately $ 77 million) in cumulative sales, underscoring the government's efforts to improve food affordability while creating stronger market opportunities for farmers and fisherfolk. According to the Department of Agriculture, the KADIWA ng Pangulo initiative generated more than PHP 4.42 billion in sales between July 2022 and July 20, 2026, reaching over 12 million consumers through more than 22,000 marketing activities conducted nationwide. A significant share of the program's growth has been driven by the government's subsidized rice initiative, introduced in May 2025 to provide affordable rice to priority groups, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, minimum-wage earners, public transport workers, low-income households, and registered farmers and fisherfolk. Since its launch, the rice program has recorded approximately PHP2.4 billion in sales after distributing more than 121,000 metric tonnes of rice to an estimated 12.1 million beneficiaries, highlighting continued demand for affordable staple food as households navigate elevated living costs. The expansion has also significantly increased the program's national footprint. More than 800 dedicated affordable rice outlets are now operating across the country, including hundreds of regularly scheduled selling sites, while the subsidized rice initiative has expanded into 57 provinces. The broader KADIWA retail network now includes more than 820 permanent outlets, strengthening direct access to agricultural products for consumers. Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the initiative demonstrates how shortening agricultural supply chains can generate benefits for both producers and consumers by reducing intermediary costs while improving farmers' market returns. Beyond subsidized rice, KADIWA has evolved into a broader farm-to-market platform that connects agricultural producers directly with consumers. The Department of Agriculture has accredited nearly 190 suppliers and consolidators, expanding marketing opportunities for farmers, fisherfolk and agribusiness enterprises while reducing dependence on traditional distribution channels. Assistant Secretary Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra, who oversees agribusiness, marketing and consumer affairs within the department, said the initiative has developed into a key component of the government's food security strategy by improving access to affordable food while strengthening domestic agricultural markets. The program's continued expansion comes as food inflation eases in the Philippines, with policymakers increasingly relying on targeted market interventions to complement broader efforts aimed at stabilizing food prices. Analysts note that sustaining the initiative's long-term impact will depend not only on continued consumer support but also on improvements in domestic agricultural productivity that strengthen local food supply alongside affordability measures.   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4328/philippines-south-korea-launch-ai-powered-agriculture-data-platform-to-modernize-farm-support.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4328/philippines-south-korea-launch-ai-powered-agriculture-data-platform-to-modernize-farm-support.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:17:02 +0530 The Philippines has launched a centralized digital agriculture platform developed in collaboration with South Korea, marking a significant step toward modernizing agricultural governance through real-time data integration and artificial intelligence. The Agriculture-Based Central Data Ecosystem (AbCDE) Platform was introduced by the Philippine Department of Agriculture with support from South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The initiative is designed to consolidate fragmented agricultural information into a unified digital system that improves policy implementation, program delivery and food supply management. The platform enables government agencies to access real-time agricultural data through a single interface, replacing multiple disconnected databases that previously operated independently. Officials said the integrated system is expected to improve coordination among national and regional offices while enabling faster and more informed decisions on agricultural planning, resource allocation and food security. According to the Department of Agriculture, the digital platform has already delivered measurable operational improvements. The rollout time for new agricultural support programs has been reduced by approximately 80%, shortening implementation from 26 days to just five days. The faster processing is expected to accelerate the delivery of seeds, fertilizers, financial assistance and other government interventions to farmers. Artificial intelligence forms a core component of the platform, helping verify beneficiary records, eliminate duplicate entries and improve transparency in the distribution of agricultural assistance. The technology also enhances supply chain monitoring by providing policymakers with timely insights into production trends and market conditions that can support efforts to stabilize food prices. Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. described the initiative as a major milestone in the country's digital transformation, noting that the sector has long relied on isolated digital systems that limited coordination and efficiency. He said the new platform establishes a unified foundation for data-driven governance across the agricultural sector. Beyond technology deployment, the partnership highlights growing cooperation between the Philippines and South Korea in digital agriculture. South Korea contributed technical expertise and institutional support to help develop the platform, reflecting broader efforts to promote smart agriculture and digital innovation across the region. Government officials believe the integrated ecosystem will strengthen collaboration among agencies involved in agricultural development while improving responsiveness to farmers' needs. By combining centralized data management with AI-powered analytics, the platform is expected to support more resilient food systems, improve public service delivery and enhance long-term agricultural productivity. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4307/nanovel-wins-2-5-mn-eu-grant-to-commercialise-ai-harvesting-robots.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4307/nanovel-wins-2-5-mn-eu-grant-to-commercialise-ai-harvesting-robots.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:42:59 +0530 Precision agritech startup Nanovel has secured a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator, providing a significant boost to its plans to commercialise AI-powered autonomous harvesting robots for citrus orchards. The award also makes the company eligible for up to €4.3 million in equity investment, which is expected to support a broader funding round of approximately €8 million as Nanovel prepares for large-scale field validation and market entry. The funding underscores growing investor and institutional confidence in agricultural robotics as growers worldwide grapple with chronic labour shortages, rising production costs and increasing pressure to improve operational efficiency. Addressing agriculture's labour challenge For fresh fruit producers, harvesting remains one of the most labour-intensive and expensive stages of production, with seasonal labour accounting for nearly half of total production costs in many citrus-growing regions. Nanovel is developing autonomous robots designed to harvest fruit in dense-canopy orchards—an environment where automation has historically struggled because of limited visibility and the need for delicate fruit handling. The company plans to use the EIC funding to complete development of its commercial robotic platform, conduct large-scale field trials with growers across Europe, and prepare for a commercial launch in 2028, initially targeting orange and lemon orchards. The company estimates the global market opportunity for automated harvesting in these crops alone at around $1 billion annually. "Our mission is to ensure global availability for consumers and economic viability for fresh fruit growers by automating the most critical and labor-intensive part of the production process," said Isaac Mazor, Founder and CEO of Nanovel. He added that the EIC grant will accelerate the company's expansion into Europe, one of the world's largest citrus-producing regions. AI meets precision harvesting At the centre of Nanovel's technology is a proprietary harvesting system that combines computer vision, deep-learning algorithms and robotics. Its patented "Grip & Trim" mechanism uses telescopic robotic arms to identify fruit hidden deep inside tree canopies, gently grip individual fruit and cut the stem with precision to minimise damage—an essential requirement for premium fresh produce markets. Unlike conventional robotic harvesters that rely on a single manipulator, Nanovel's platform simultaneously operates multiple robotic arms coordinated through a central onboard computer, allowing higher harvesting efficiency while remotely managing an entire fleet of machines. Expanding global field trials The company is now expanding field trials across Spain, Italy, Israel, and the United States, building on successful validation work conducted in California in partnership with the Citrus Research Board (CRB) during 2025. Although the first commercial application will focus on oranges and lemons, Nanovel plans to adapt the platform for additional citrus varieties as well as high-value fruit crops including mangoes, peaches and nectarines. Agricultural robotics enters a new phase The EIC award reflects a broader shift in agricultural technology investment, where robotics and artificial intelligence are increasingly viewed as practical solutions to structural labour shortages rather than experimental technologies. With Europe, North America and other major fruit-producing regions facing persistent workforce constraints, autonomous harvesting is emerging as one of the most closely watched segments within precision agriculture. For Nanovel, the latest funding provides both financial backing and institutional validation as it moves from prototype development towards commercial deployment in one of agriculture's most technically challenging applications. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4303/why-hydroponics-needs-more-than-technology-to-scale.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4303/why-hydroponics-needs-more-than-technology-to-scale.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:30:55 +0530 Brio Hydroponics' FOCO (Franchise-Owned, Company-Operated) model represents an ambitious attempt to reimagine commercial agriculture by combining land ownership, technology, infrastructure, and professional farm management within a single operating framework. Under the model, franchise partners invest in hydroponic infrastructure on a minimum 30-acre land parcel, while Brio assumes end-to-end responsibility for cultivation, operations, market access, and supply chain management—transforming farming into a professionally managed, performance-driven enterprise. The most compelling interviews are those that challenge ideas rather than celebrate them. That is the premise of this conversation with Pravin Patel, Founder & Chairman of Brio Hydroponics. Instead of accepting hydroponics as the inevitable future of agriculture, the discussion rigorously examines the business model behind it—its economic viability, governance framework, capital intensity, execution risks, and long-term scalability. The questions are designed not to endorse a narrative, but to test its resilience against commercial and operational realities. Patel's responses encourage readers to look beyond the technology and explore a larger shift, where agriculture is increasingly shaped by infrastructure, institutional capital, and disciplined execution. Whether or not one agrees with the proposition, this interview provides a thoughtful framework for understanding how the business of farming is evolving—and what it will take for that evolution to succeed. Asset-Class Innovation or Rebranding Does Brio's FOCO model represent a genuine asset-class innovation in agriculture, or is it primarily a rebranding of managed farmland investment under agritech terminology? The Honest Answer: It Is Both — and Neither Fully The FOCO model occupies a genuinely new structural space in Indian agriculture. It cannot be fairly dismissed as a rebrand of managed farmland, nor can it claim to be an entirely new financial instrument disconnected from its agricultural roots. The honest characterization is that FOCO is a hybrid infrastructure-operations-investment platform that borrows from managed farmland thinking but restructures the economic engine in a fundamentally different way. Here is where FOCO diverges meaningfully from conventional managed farmland investment: What makes it structurally different: The productive asset is not the land — it is the infrastructure built on it. Traditional managed farmland derives value from soil quality, location, water rights, and appreciation. FOCO's value is derived from the climate-controlled hydroponic structures, operational systems, crop planning, and market access built on top of the land. Land in FOCO is the substrate, not the asset. Returns are linked to yield density, not land appreciation. FOCO targets 25–30 per cent net returns through operational productivity — six to eight harvest cycles per year, 28+ premium crop varieties, and integrated supply chain access — not through passive land value appreciation over a holding period. Operations are centralized under a specialist operator. Managed farmland typically involves land management, tenancy, or leasing to farmers. FOCO involves Brio deploying proprietary CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) technology, managing crop calendars, running input procurement, and maintaining buyer relationships as a professional agricultural operator. Investor participation has a defined performance framework. FOCO includes transparent reporting, buyback mechanisms, staged investment structures, and structured yield sharing — closer to an operating partnership than a passive landholding. Where the comparison to managed farmland does hold: Land is still central; a 30-acre owned plot is the precondition for the model Long-duration commitments mean investors are exposed to site-specific constraints Biological production remains the underlying revenue source — there is no technology that fully eliminates agricultural operating variables The Asset-Class Argument For institutional framing purposes, FOCO is best positioned as yield infrastructure — a category closer to operational infrastructure assets (think toll roads, renewable energy parks) than to passive farmland. The return driver is operating performance and asset utilization, not land scarcity or appreciation. As India's hydroponics market grows from $ 263 million in 2024 toward a projected $ 2,227 million by 2035 at a CAGR of 21.43 per cent, the FOCO model is well-positioned to become a legitimate standalone category within India's alternative asset landscape — but only if it consistently demonstrates operational performance over time, not just structural elegance. "Any model that substitutes agritech language for agricultural substance will eventually be exposed by its own yields. FOCO has to be justified by what comes out of those net houses — crop quality, market realization, and investor returns — not by what it is called, " says Pravin Patel, Founder & Chairman, Brio Hydroponics. Sustainability of 25–30 per cent Net Returns How sustainable are projected 25–30 per cent net returns in hydroponic farming when benchmarked against input volatility, energy dependency, and price discovery in fresh produce markets? The Return Thesis: Plausible, Not Guaranteed Projected net returns of 25–30 per cent are grounded in a legitimate operational logic, but their sustainability depends on how well five key variables are managed: crop mix, realized selling prices, energy costs, infrastructure utilization, and execution consistency across production cycles. What Supports the Return Thesis The economics of hydroponics at commercial scale are structurally different from traditional farming in ways that genuinely support elevated returns: Revenue density: Six to eight production cycles per year per acre, versus one to two cycles for most open-field crops, means the same land and infrastructure generates five to six times more crop output annually Crop premium: Leafy greens, exotic herbs, coloured capsicums, cherry tomatoes, and specialty cucumbers command 30–60 per cent premiums over equivalent open-field produce in organized retail and HORECA channels Input efficiency: 90 per cent water savings, reduced pesticide use, and minimized soil amendment costs lower the variable cost base relative to comparable outdoor production Year-round production: Elimination of weather-driven seasonal gaps removes the revenue voids that suppress annual returns in traditional farming . Brio's Unnati park is structured to produce more than 2,000 tonnes of high-value vegetables annually, with Vexotics retail stores targeting 100 outlets by March 2027 providing a direct premium market channel that bypasses intermediary margin erosion. The Honest Range At optimized operations with strong market access, 25–30 per cent net returns are achievable and have been demonstrated in Brio's operational portfolio. At full competitive maturity — when CEA supply in premium urban catchments increases — a more conservative sustainable floor of 18–22 per cent net IRR is the range most consistent with comparable infrastructure asset performance in India. The headline projection is realistic in Year 1–5; returns may compress in Year 6–10 as the sector matures, but should remain significantly above open-field agriculture equivalents on a risk-adjusted basis. "Twenty-five to thirty percent returns are not the outcome of speculation; they are the outcome of crop planning, infrastructure utilization, and disciplined execution. But like any serious business, the return is earned through operational performance, not promised by the model alone ," says Pravin Patel, Founder & Chairman, Brio Hydroponics. Counterparty Risk in Company-Operated Agriculture To what extent does centralized "company-operated" agriculture introduce counterparty risk for investors, particularly in long-duration FOCO land commitments? Counterparty Risk Is Real — and Manageable Centralization is the FOCO model's greatest strength and its primary risk concentration point. By consolidating crop planning, input procurement, operations, buyer relationships, and financial reporting under one operator, the model reduces investor complexity but transfers decision-making authority entirely to the company. In long-duration land commitments, this creates a genuine counterparty dependency. Where Counterparty Risk Accumulates Operational dependence: Investors rely on Brio for feasibility execution, crop calendar discipline, infrastructure maintenance, yield quality, and buyer management. If any of these links weakens, the investor has limited direct ability to intervene. Revenue realization dependence: The investor's return is determined by what Brio sells, at what price, through which channels. Unlike public market investments, there is no daily price discovery or liquidity signal. Long-duration commitment exposure: FOCO requires land commitment for multi-year periods. If the operator underperforms during this window, exit options may be limited, and recovery of capital may depend on operator goodwill and contractual enforcement. Governance gaps: For smaller investors not protected by institutional-grade contracts, the absence of independent board oversight, third-party audit rights, and performance escrow mechanisms can leave them exposed. What Mitigates This Risk Brio's model incorporates several counterparty risk mitigation features that, when properly structured, substantially reduce investor exposure: Transparent reporting: Regular operational and financial updates with crop performance data Buyback mechanisms: Structured exit options for investors on agreed timelines Third-party feasibility: Independent project viability assessment before capital deployment Proven track record: Enterprise clients including Adani Group and Welspun Group, and 11+ years of operational history, provide credibility that reduces execution uncertainty Institutional partnerships: Linkages with IFFCO and Anand Agricultural University add institutional oversight dimensions The Governance Imperative For any investor — retail, family office, or institutional — the FOCO model's counterparty risk is manageable in proportion to the quality of the legal documentation governing the relationship. A robust FOCO agreement should specify: crop performance benchmarks, reporting cadence, audit rights, breach remedies, exit pathways, force majeure provisions, and performance-linked compensation structures. Without this contractual architecture, centralized operations can become the single largest risk in the structure. "FOCO removes day-to-day complexity for the investor, but that also means the operator must earn trust every single day. Counterparty risk is not addressed through marketing language — it is addressed through reporting discipline, contractual clarity, and proven execution on the ground " , says Pravin Patel, Founder & Chairman, Brio Hydroponics Electricity Price Resilience Is hydroponics at scale economically resilient enough to withstand fluctuations in electricity pricing, given its heavy reliance on controlled-environment infrastructure? Energy Is the Hidden Variable in CEA Economics Controlled Environment Agriculture systems depend on pumps, fertigation networks, climate management systems (including fans, cooling, and humidity control in Indian conditions), lighting supplements, and monitoring infrastructure. This makes electricity a structurally embedded input cost that cannot be fully avoided, unlike in open-field farming. The economic question is therefore not whether power costs affect returns — they do — but whether the productivity premium of CEA is sufficient to absorb realistic power price variability. The Resilience Case The argument for resilience rests on three structural foundations: Productivity leverage: The revenue-per-unit-of-energy in CEA is significantly higher than in comparable energy applications because every kilowatt is supporting a high-value productive cycle. A premium-crop hydroponic system generating Rs 25–35 lakhs per acre annually can absorb moderate energy cost increases without catastrophic margin damage, provided other cost elements are well managed. Solar integration: Brio's site designs incorporate scope for solar power integration, which can reduce grid energy dependency by 40–60 per cent and substantially insulate operations from utility tariff escalation. For long-duration FOCO commitments, solar PPAs or on-site generation become an essential margin protection tool. Operational scheduling: Unlike open-field farming, CEA systems offer flexibility in scheduling energy-intensive operations during off-peak tariff hours, enabling active energy cost management that traditional farmers cannot access. Where Resilience Has Limits If electricity prices in a given state rise sharply — as has occurred in several Indian states due to fuel cost pass-through and supply constraints — the impact on thin-margin crop categories within a CEA portfolio can be material. Parks with high dependence on temperature control in extreme-heat states like Gujarat and Rajasthan during summer months face peak energy load at exactly the time grid tariffs are highest. The practical answer is that hydroponics at scale is conditionally resilient to electricity fluctuation — resilient when solar integration, energy-efficient infrastructure design, and operational scheduling are embedded from day one, and vulnerable when energy is treated as an afterthought. "Climate control gives us production certainty, but energy discipline gives us margin certainty. A hydroponic park that does not plan its power economics carefully is not building a resilient business; it is building avoidable volatility into its own cost structure , " says Pravin Patel, Founder & Chairman, Brio Hydroponics Solving Inefficiencies or Shifting Risk Does the FOCO model fundamentally solve agricultural operational inefficiencies, or does it shift traditional farming risks — climate, market, logistics — into corporate execution risk? Both — and That Is Precisely the Point The FOCO model does solve several of the most damaging structural inefficiencies in Indian agriculture: fragmented expertise, inconsistent crop planning, unpredictable weather exposure, weak post-harvest systems, and disconnected buyer relationships. It addresses these by centralizing them under a professional operator with CEA technology, market tie-ups, and systematized operations. But solving these problems does not eliminate risk — it transforms the nature of risk. The Risk Transformation Thesis The FOCO model is most accurately described as a risk transformer, not a risk eliminator. It converts diffuse, unmanageable risks (monsoon, soil degradation, smallholder fragmentation) into concentrated, manageable risks (operator execution, energy costs, market channel performance). That transformation has genuine value because corporate execution risk is, in principle, more measurable, more governable, and more addressable than weather or smallholder fragmentation. The critical implication for investors is that evaluating a FOCO investment is not primarily about evaluating Indian agricultural risk — it is about evaluating Brio's operational capability, governance standards, track record, and management depth. That is a fundamentally different due diligence question. "FOCO does not pretend that agriculture becomes risk-free. What it does is replace unpredictable risks like weather and fragmented operations with disciplined, measurable execution risk — and that is a far more manageable foundation for building scale, " says Pravin Patel, Founder & Chairman, Brio Hydroponics Valuation Logic vs. Farmland and REIT Structures How does the valuation logic of FOCO-managed hydroponic parks compare with traditional farmland appreciation and REIT-like agricultural investment structures? FOCO-managed hydroponic parks should be valued primarily as operating yield assets using a discounted cash flow framework applied to projected produce revenues, factoring in infrastructure capex, operating costs, and the residual value of structures at end of useful life. Key valuation inputs include: Revenue per acre per year: Rs 25–35 lakhs at optimal operations Operating margin: 40–48 per cent at 100-acre industrial scale Capex per acre: Rs 35–65 lakhs depending on scale and specification Infrastructure useful life: 15–20 years with maintenance Exit or residual value: Transferable to next operator, upgradeable, or partially liquidated as scrap infrastructure The FOCO model does not currently offer the liquidity, regulatory oversight, or secondary market pricing of a REIT structure. However, its return profile and asset characteristics make it a natural candidate for aggregation into an Agri-InvIT (Infrastructure Investment Trust) framework — a pathway that, if executed, would bring FOCO returns under SEBI-regulated governance and open them to pension, insurance, and sovereign wealth capital. "Traditional farmland is valued for what it is. A hydroponic park must be valued for what it can consistently produce. That shift — from static appreciation to operating yield and execution capability — is the foundation of a completely different investment conversation.", says Pravin Patel, Founder & Chairman, Brio Hydroponics Water Savings as Economic Advantage Can water savings of up to 90 per cent in hydroponic systems be meaningfully translated into net economic advantage once capital expenditure and maintenance costs are fully factored in? Yes — With Important Conditions Water savings of up to 90 per cent in hydroponic systems compared to traditional open-field cultivation are real and documented. In closed-loop nutrient delivery systems, water is recirculated rather than lost through soil percolation, surface evaporation, and runoff, enabling the same productive output with a fraction of the water volume. The economic question is whether this saving justifies — or contributes meaningfully to offsetting — the elevated capital and maintenance costs of CEA infrastructure. Direct Economic Value of Water Savings The direct saving from reduced water consumption is modest in isolation. In most Indian agricultural contexts, water itself is not the primary cost driver — it is availability, extraction cost, and supply reliability that matter. In water-stressed states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Telangana, however, the economics change materially: Bore well drilling and maintenance costs in depleted aquifer zones are rising sharply Water purchase costs for irrigation in drought years can represent 8–15 per cent of total production cost for some crops Regulatory limits on groundwater extraction are tightening in several states, potentially forcing reductions in open-field irrigated acreage In these contexts, a 90 per cent water saving translates not just into direct cost avoidance but into production continuity that open-field operators cannot guarantee — which is a strategic economic advantage, not merely an efficiency metric. The Broader Economic Argument The stronger economic case for water efficiency is as an enabler, not just a saver: Site viability: Hydroponic parks can operate in regions where traditional farming is water-constrained, expanding the addressable geography for premium crop production Regulatory future-proofing: As India tightens water usage norms, hydroponic operators face less regulatory risk and lower compliance costs ESG premium: Institutional investors, international buyers, and sustainability-aligned capital increasingly value water efficiency as a material factor — unlocking premium market positioning and potentially lower cost of capital The Full Economic Accounting When capital expenditure and maintenance are fully factored in, water savings alone do not justify the FOCO model. Water efficiency becomes economically meaningful as one of several compounding advantages — alongside multi-cycle productivity, premium crop access, and climate resilience — that together justify the capex premium over open-field alternatives. "Ninety percent water saving is not just an environmental number — it is an economic buffer. In regions where water is becoming scarce, unreliable, or expensive, efficiency is no longer a sustainability add-on. It becomes a site selection advantage and a long-term cost moat " , says Pravin Patel, Founder & Chairman, Brio Hydroponics Scalability Constraints What are the scalability constraints of high-density hydroponic parks in India, particularly in relation to land aggregation, regulatory frameworks, and urban proximity to markets? Scalability Is Real but Not Frictionless The FOCO model's minimum land requirement of 30 acres for a franchise site, combined with the capital commitment for hydroponic infrastructure development, immediately defines the addressable developer pool. This is not a mass-market entry product — it is designed for landowners, land aggregators, family office investors, and institutional developers who can meet these prerequisites. That narrows the scale pathway compared to a model that can begin with 1–2 acres. Key Scalability Constraints Land aggregation: Assembling 30+ acres of contiguous or near-contiguous land near urban demand centers is challenging in states with fragmented smallholder ownership patterns. In Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Telangana, large contiguous plots near highways and consumption corridors exist but require active aggregation or direct engagement with large landowners. FPO-led aggregation is an emerging mechanism but still early-stage. Urban proximity: Premium fresh produce has a logistics window of four to six hours from harvest to retail shelf for optimal quality. This means hydroponic parks must be located within 50–80 km of significant Tier-1 or large Tier-2 urban centers. This constraint limits viable sites to specific geographic corridors and prevents replication in remote or interior geographies regardless of land availability. Energy infrastructure: Reliable three-phase power supply with sufficient load capacity is essential for CEA operations. In semi-urban and peri-urban locations near demand centers, grid reliability and sanctioned load can be bottlenecks that require upfront investment in dedicated feeder lines or captive solar generation. Skilled labor: CEA operations require trained technical personnel for monitoring, maintenance, and crop management. In areas outside existing training infrastructure — which currently centers on Gujarat — this creates a labor constraint that slows replication speed. Regulatory framework: There is no single unified national regulatory framework for protected cultivation or hydroponic parks. State-level land use classifications, construction permits for large greenhouse structures, water extraction norms, packhouse approvals, and export certification requirements vary significantly across India. Navigating this patchwork adds time, complexity, and legal cost to every new site. The Optimal Replication Strategy Rather than attempting uniform national rollout, the most resilient scaling approach is cluster-based geographic expansion — establishing 10–25-acre nodes within 50–80 km of identified demand centers, scaling up to larger parks as market absorption is proven. Clusters around Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Jaipur represent the first wave of viable expansion corridors. "Hydroponic parks can scale in India, but not everywhere and not in the same way. Success depends on the right combination of land readiness, market proximity, and operational infrastructure. Scale comes from disciplined site selection — not from forcing a template onto every geography " , says Pravin Patel, Founder & Chairman, Brio Hydroponics Financialized Agriculture — Risk or Evolution? Does the FOCO model signal a structural shift toward "financialized agriculture," where crop production becomes secondary to structured yield products for investors? A Legitimate Structural Evolution — With a Warning The FOCO model does represent a move toward more financialized agriculture — and that is not inherently negative. Agriculture has historically been under-served by formal capital markets precisely because it lacked the structural clarity, predictable cash flows, and governance frameworks that investors require. FOCO addresses this by layering investment design, structured return expectations, and professional operations onto agricultural production, making it accessible to capital that could not previously engage with farming on manageable terms. Where Financialization Adds Value Capital mobilization: Structured investment frameworks bring private and institutional capital into agricultural infrastructure at a scale that government schemes and rural banking cannot match alone Operational discipline: Investor expectations of transparent reporting and defined returns impose performance discipline on operations that informal farming models rarely experience Market integration: Financial structuring forces integration with organized buyer channels — retail, export, HORECA — which elevates the entire value chain Risk professionalisation: Centralized operator responsibility creates accountability for agricultural performance that dispersed smallholder systems do not Where Financialization Becomes a Risk The risk emerges when the investment narrative becomes more important than the production reality. If FOCO-style models prioritise investor acquisition over crop performance, if return projections are set to attract capital rather than to reflect agricultural viability, or if the complexity of structured investment products obscures weak operational fundamentals, then financialization has gone too far. India's agri-investment history has cautionary examples — most notably the managed plantation sector of the 1990s and early 2000s, where structured investment products attracted significant retail capital but collapsed when production economics proved unsustainable. The FOCO model must avoid this pattern by maintaining production performance as the non-negotiable foundation of its investor proposition. The Right Balance The healthy version of financialized agriculture is one in which investment structures enable and strengthen agricultural production — providing capital for infrastructure, creating incentives for operational excellence, and connecting farmers and operators to markets they could not access alone. Brio's FOCO model sits closer to this productive end of the spectrum because its return thesis genuinely depends on crop output, buyer realization, and infrastructure utilization. But the risk of drift — toward packaging over substance — is real and must be actively managed. "Investor capital should strengthen agriculture, not distract from it. In our model, finance is the enabler, but production performance is still the foundation. If the crop does not work, the structure does not work — and no amount of financial engineering changes that truth " , says Pravin Patel, Founder & Chairman, Brio Hydroponics. ----- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com)           ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4296/indonesia-harnesses-ai-to-fast-track-chilli-breeding-and-strengthen-digital-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4296/indonesia-harnesses-ai-to-fast-track-chilli-breeding-and-strengthen-digital-agriculture.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:25:16 +0530 Indonesia is advancing its digital agriculture agenda with the development of an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered research platform designed to accelerate the identification of superior chilli varieties, a move expected to modernise plant breeding, strengthen seed quality assurance and support the country's long-term food security strategy. The initiative, spearheaded by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), integrates artificial intelligence with computer vision technology to automate the analysis of chilli plant characteristics. By replacing laborious manual assessments with data-driven image analysis, researchers aim to significantly improve the speed, consistency and accuracy of phenotype identification—a critical process in crop improvement and seed development. Developed by BRIN's Data Science and Information Research Center, the project represents a significant step towards embedding advanced digital technologies into Indonesia's agricultural research ecosystem. The agency believes the platform will streamline multiple stages of crop development, from breeding programmes and seed purity testing to variety certification and germplasm management. Unlike conventional methods that rely heavily on visual inspections by plant breeders, the AI system applies deep learning algorithms to analyse leaf images and other morphological features, identifying subtle patterns that may be difficult or impossible to detect through manual observation. This enables researchers to characterise plant varieties more objectively while reducing variability in assessment outcomes. According to Eka Prakasa, Head of BRIN's Data Science and Information Research Center, the technology has the potential to transform how agricultural institutions evaluate and develop improved crop varieties. By automating phenotype analysis, the platform is expected to shorten breeding cycles, enhance decision-making and improve operational efficiency for researchers, seed producers and regulatory agencies. Beyond accelerating research, the technology is also expected to strengthen Indonesia's broader digital agriculture ecosystem by supporting higher seed productivity, improving competitiveness within the seed industry and contributing to national food security through evidence-based agricultural innovation. BRIN researcher Wiwin Suwarningsih noted that the increasing demand for faster and more reliable plant identification methods is driving the adoption of AI across agricultural research. She emphasised that modern breeding programmes require scalable technologies capable of delivering consistent results to support plant variety protection, certification processes and the effective management of genetic resources. The research team believes advances in deep learning have created new opportunities to automate phenotype identification with greater precision, producing standardised and reproducible assessments that can support large-scale breeding programmes and regulatory activities. The initiative aligns with Indonesia's wider strategy to digitalise agriculture and leverage emerging technologies to improve productivity, sustainability and resilience across the food system. As policymakers increasingly promote innovation-led agricultural development, AI-enabled crop analysis is expected to play an expanding role in supporting scientific research, regulatory oversight and precision farming. Automated phenotype identification could also help address longstanding challenges associated with manual evaluation, including inconsistencies between observers, longer assessment timelines and limited scalability. By generating reliable digital crop data, the system has the potential to improve transparency in certification processes while enabling more informed decision-making across public institutions and the seed industry. Looking ahead, BRIN expects the AI platform to serve as a foundational technology for broader applications in plant breeding, seed testing and agricultural biotechnology. As Indonesia continues investing in digital transformation across its agricultural sector, initiatives such as this underscore the growing role of artificial intelligence in building more productive, resilient and technology-driven food systems. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4291/agplenus-launches-novel-ai-model-for-predicting-antifungal-potency-expanding-chempass-ai-for-ag-capabilities.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4291/agplenus-launches-novel-ai-model-for-predicting-antifungal-potency-expanding-chempass-ai-for-ag-capabilities.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:59:19 +0530 AgPlenus Ltd., a company developing novel, sustainable crop protection products and a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd.,  today announced the launch of its Antifungal Potency Predictor (APP). This new machine learning model predicts the antifungal potency of small molecules directly from their chemical structures, expanding the capabilities of Evogene’s ChemPass AI for Ag platform by forecasting biological efficacy prior to chemical synthesis and fungal assay validation. The global fungicide market is estimated at approximately $221 billion annually. Fungal diseases cause significant crop loss worldwide, resulting in tens of billions of dollars in economic damage each year and posing a growing threat to global food security. Concurrently, the widespread and repetitive use of existing fungicides has accelerated the emergence of resistant fungal pathogens, diminishing the long-term efficacy of many commercial products. As resistance continues to spread, the agriculture industry faces an urgent need for novel fungicides with innovative modes of action (MoAs) and distinct chemical structures. The APP model, developed using advanced machine learning algorithms trained on AgPlenus' proprietary curated datasets, represents a significant milestone in the company’s AI-driven fungicide discovery capabilities. Building upon the proven success of the ChemPass AI for Ag platform in identifying novel crop protection targets and generating molecules with high target-protein affinity, the new model further extends these capabilities to predict the small molecule activity within the fungus itself. By forecasting antifungal potency during the earliest discovery phases, the model enables highly informed decision-making prior to chemical synthesis and biological testing. This approach significantly reduces the number of molecules requiring experimental evaluation, focusing resources on candidates with the highest probability of downstream development success and accelerating the discovery of next-generation fungicides. The launch of the APP model is expected to support and advance AgPlenus’ internal fungicide pipeline, which includes promising targets such as APTF-1. This target is designed to combat devastating global crop diseases, including Septoria Wheat Blotch. Additionally, the model is expected to contribute to planned pipeline expansions targeting other critical pathogens, such as Botrytis and Fusarium. Beyond its immediate application in accelerating current and future product development, the APP model lays the groundwork for additional predictive AI models that AgPlenus and Evogene plan to co-develop, aiming to forecast other critical biological attributes throughout the crop protection discovery process. Dr. Dan J. Gelvan, CEO of AgPlenus, commented: "In 2025, we demonstrated the power of the ChemPass AI for Ag platform to identify novel target proteins capable of overcoming resistance, as well as novel active small molecules combating devastating crop diseases like Septoria Wheat Blotch. Today, we are taking another major step forward with the launch of our Antifungal Potency Predictor. By enabling us to forecast antifungal potency directly from molecular structure, prior to chemical synthesis, the APP model allows us to identify and prioritize high-quality candidates at the earliest stages of discovery. I am excited to see this breakthrough model integrated into ChemPass AI for Ag, further strengthening our ability to advance current and future product development programs."  ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4281/syngenta-bets-on-ai-to-become-agricultures-predictive-intelligence-partner.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4281/syngenta-bets-on-ai-to-become-agricultures-predictive-intelligence-partner.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:34:37 +0530 Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping agriculture, but its true value lies not in replacing agronomic innovation—it lies in making every farm decision smarter, faster and more precise. In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Feroz Sheikh, Chief Information and Digital Officer, Syngenta, and Kiran Joseph, IT & Digital Enablement Lead – Europe, Syngenta, explain how AI is redefining the company's role from a provider of seeds and crop protection solutions to a trusted predictive intelligence partner for farmers. They discuss the strategic significance of Syngenta's collaboration with ANNAM.AI, India's potential to become a global innovation hub for AI-enabled agriculture, and why data-driven intelligence will be as transformative as the next generation of seeds and biologicals. The conversation also explores how hyperlocal forecasting, multilingual advisory and responsible data governance can help farmers navigate increasing climate volatility while building trust in digital agriculture. As AI moves from pilot projects to large-scale deployment, the executives argue that success will depend on integrating technology seamlessly into farmers' daily decision-making rather than adding complexity. They also share why India's diverse farming systems offer the ideal environment for developing AI solutions that can eventually be replicated across Africa, Southeast Asia and other smallholder markets. The interview provides a forward-looking perspective on how AI could become as indispensable to farming as seeds, fertilizers and irrigation in the decade ahead. Syngenta has traditionally been associated with seeds, crop protection and agronomic innovation. How do you see artificial intelligence transforming Syngenta’s role—from an input provider to a predictive intelligence partner for farmers? Feroz considers AI increasingly helpful in enriching the nature of the relationship Syngenta has with farmers, positioning the brand from being a company that sells products at specific moments in the season to one that’s continuously helping farmers make better decisions. Now, with the kind of data Syngenta has from genomics to field performance to weather and satellite data, the company can use AI to turn all of that into predictive, real-time insights. So instead of just recommending a product, Syngenta now helps a farmer anticipate pest outbreak, optimize planting or spraying windows, or even manage climate risks before they impact yield. This approach is hyper-local, dynamic, and personalized down to the field level. So overall, AI is helping Syngenta strengthen its personal relationships with farmers and bringing to life the vision of ‘breakthroughs for every farmers in every field’. India is home to more than 600 million people whose livelihoods are linked to agriculture. What makes the ANNAM.AI partnership strategically important for Syngenta’s long-term vision in one of the world's most complex agricultural markets? India is a highly diverse ecosystem with millions of smallholder farmers, different agro-climatic zones, and extreme unpredictability in climate volatility. The partnership with  ANNAM.AI will help build the foundation of a national, open, AI-driven agricultural intelligence platform, backed by government, academia, and technology players, designed to deliver hyperlocal, real-time, multilingual advisory at scale. " For Syngenta, being a strategic partner in this ecosystem is significant because it allows us to plug our deep digital and agronomic expertise into an expansive infrastructure. We’re excited to be part of the core intelligence layer that is powering decision-making for millions of Indian farmers", says Kiran. "By contributing through our knowledge base that we’ve built through these years, we are helping build predictive capabilities that can transform the Indian agricultural space. It gives us reach, relevance, and trust, because the platform is designed to provide free, accessible intelligence, meeting farmers where they are, in their language and context ", he added. The future of agriculture is increasingly being shaped by data. In your view, what will create more value for farmers over the next decade: new biological and chemical innovations, or AI-driven decision intelligence? I don’t see this as one or the other or having to choose between the two. Breakthroughs in seeds, crop protection and biologicals will continue to define what’s possible on the farm, but the reality is that most of that potential is still not fully realized in day-to-day farming because external factors are so dynamic and unpredictable. According to Feroz, this is where AI-driven decision intelligence will come in to help farmers make better, more precise choices in real time based on weather, soil, crop stage and risk factors. Many AI initiatives in agriculture generate impressive pilots but struggle to scale. What are the key ingredients required to translate AI research into measurable productivity gains at the farm level? To me, the first ingredient is high-quality, integrated data that is reliable at field level. Next is embedding AI into the actual workflow of farmers and agronomists, not expecting them to adapt to technology, but ensuring the technology fits seamlessly into how decisions are already made in the field. Equally important is moving from insights to action, because farmers eventually benefit from clear, timely recommendations. Another key ingredient is scalability by design, where platforms are built to operate across crops, regions and varying levels of digital maturity rather than being optimized for a single use case. " Finally, success depends on strong integration between digital, R&D and commercial teams, because AI cannot sit in isolation ", states Feroz. When these elements come together, AI stops being a pilot and starts becoming an effective engine to drive agricultural progress. Climate volatility is becoming a defining challenge for global food production. How can AI-powered forecasting and heat-stress intelligence help farmers move from reactive crisis management to proactive risk mitigation? What’s really changing today is how farmers deal with uncertainty. What AI is doing now is helping farmers see risks coming before they become problems. Think of AI-powered forecasting as moving from a general weather report to something that is much more personal to your farm. That makes a huge difference, because timing is everything in agriculture. " Heat stress is a great example. There are certain moments, like flowering in maize or wheat, when heat can really hurt yields. AI can pick up those trends and warn the farmer in advance", Feroz opines. So instead of reacting after the crop shows stress, the farmer can act earlier maybe irrigate a bit sooner, adjust input use, or even change practices to protect the crop. Over time, this starts changing behavior. Farmers begin planning ahead. It builds confidence too, because decisions are backed by evidence, not just experience or instinct. As AI becomes more central to agricultural decision-making, concerns around data ownership, transparency and trust are growing. How does Syngenta envision a responsible framework for managing farmer data while driving innovation? If AI is going to play a bigger role in farming, then trust becomes absolutely non-negotiable. At Syngenta, the way we think about it is quite straightforward that a farmer’s data belongs to the farmer. Any digital system we build must respect that from day one. That means being very clear about what data is being collected, why it’s being collected, and what value the farmer gets in return. There can’t be any ambiguity. Syngenta has strong governance around data privacy - around how data is stored, protected, and potentially shared across the ecosystem. That includes working with partners, governments, and platforms to ensure standards are consistent. " Innovation will only scale if farmers feel safe participating in it ", says Feroz. Syngenta operates across vastly different agricultural systems worldwide. Could India emerge as a global innovation laboratory for AI-enabled agriculture, with solutions developed here being exported to other markets? From a Syngenta perspective, smartphone and internet penetration in India brings a huge opportunity. Diversity in field sizes, complexities in regions and diverse weather conditions mean we need to co-create solutions in India that are not just technically sound, but also practical and usable at scale. And once they’re proven here, many of those learnings can be exported to regions where smallholder systems face similar challenges. " So, I strongly believe India can move from being just a large market to being a true innovation engine for global agriculture, especially in AI-led solutions. The ANNAM.AI partnership is a perfect example - solutions co-created for Indian complexity that can inform our approach in Africa, Southeast Asia, and beyond", opines Feroz. You have described ANNAM.AI as an opportunity to build a transformative digital foundation for Indian agriculture. What does that future look like in practical terms, and how close are we to a world where AI becomes as indispensable to farming as seeds, fertilizer or irrigation? The future we’re building with ANNAM.AI is about making AI quietly present in every important farm decision, without making it complicated for the farmer. In practical terms, it could look like a farmer starting their day with a simple app that tells them what matters most today, for example, maybe there’s a heat stress risk in the next few days, maybe pest pressure is building, or maybe it’s the right time to apply a certain input. It’s not overwhelming them with data, it’s guiding them with clarity. Over time, this becomes the way-of-farming for them. The system understands the farm better season after season - the soil, the weather patterns, the crop choices and keeps improving its recommendations. " We’re very close to this ambition. What’s still evolving is scale, accessibility, and trust. Initiatives like ANNAM.AI are important because they bring all of that together - technology, local relevance, and farmer-centric design" , opines Kiran. " If we get it right, AI won’t feel like a separate layer. It will simply become part of a farmer’s routine - and that's when we know we've delivered a real breakthrough", he added. -- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com)   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4276/syngenta-and-groundwork-bioag-enter-partnership-to-bring-innovation-in-biologicals-and-soil-carbon-solutions-to-farmers.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4276/syngenta-and-groundwork-bioag-enter-partnership-to-bring-innovation-in-biologicals-and-soil-carbon-solutions-to-farmers.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 16:32:31 +0530 Syngenta and Groundwork BioAg today announced a strategic partnership to market Groundwork's mycorrhizal technology. Syngenta, the global leader in biological crop protection, now offers a biological solution that enhances crop performance, provides resistance to plant stress while improving soil health with a carbon credit program, generating an additional revenue stream for farmers.  Under the partnership, Syngenta will commercialize mycorrhiza-based products and soil carbon solutions under its own label. The innovative offer will initially target corn, soy, cereals and sunflower in Latin America and Europe. Groundwork BioAg will be responsible for manufacturing, supply, digital tooling and the full carbon program development process. Farmers will benefit from enhanced nutrient uptake that delivers higher, more resilient crop yields, while simultaneously unlocking a new revenue stream from carbon credits. Petra Laux, Chief Sustainability Officer of Syngenta Group, comments: “The model we've built with Groundwork BioAg goes beyond farming carbon - it builds resilience, restores soil health, and accumulates long term carbon stocks at a remarkable pace, while generating carbon credits from which farmers directly benefit. We see this as a natural evolution of what carbon programs can achieve. This new offering perfectly fits within Syngenta’s sustainability goal of supporting farmers to produce higher yield while lowering their impact on the environment”. Alon Werber, CEO of Groundwork BioAg: “By combining Syngenta's market access with our proven mycorrhizal capabilities, we are positioning mycorrhizal fungi as both a valuable agronomic input and a significant pathway for agricultural climate mitigation through our end-to-end carbon program.” Emilhano Lima, Global Head Seedcare & Biologicals: “This partnership reflects how biologicals are increasingly becoming a central part of agriculture. Nature-inspired solutions give farmers effective, reliable tools, while also providing concrete agronomical returns.”  Soil carbon sequestration is the process by which carbon dioxide is drawn from the atmosphere by plant photosynthesis and stored in the soil through biological activity. Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic relationships with crop root systems, improving nutrient and water uptake and supporting long-term soil health. The fungi also catalyse the formation of durable mineral-associated organic matter, increasing the potential for long-term carbon storage. For farmers, soils that sequester more carbon are generally more fertile, retain water more effectively, and are more resilient to drought and erosion.    ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4269/global-market-will-be-won-by-whoever-can-unleash-most-reliable-dairy-decisions-at-lowest-integration-cost-anand-mahurkar-founder-ceo-findability-sciences.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4269/global-market-will-be-won-by-whoever-can-unleash-most-reliable-dairy-decisions-at-lowest-integration-cost-anand-mahurkar-founder-ceo-findability-sciences.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:35:12 +0530 Discussing the launch of LactaAI , Mahurkar argues that dairy processors need AI systems capable of translating fragmented plant data into real-time operational actions that improve yield, reduce energy consumption, and accelerate decision-making. He explains how the platform’s proprietary AI Factory architecture and industry-specific intelligence can unlock annual value ranging from Rs 2.35 crore to Rs 28.2 crore per plant, while integrating seamlessly with existing ERP, MES, SCADA, and plant systems. The conversation also explores AI adoption on the factory floor, the future of outcome-based industrial AI, and Findability Sciences’ global ambitions as it takes LactaAI from India to major dairy markets worldwide. Your claim that dairy plants “do not need more dashboards” challenges a crowded industrial analytics space. What fundamentally differentiates LactaAI from existing AI and Industry 4.0 solutions, and why hasn’t this problem been solved effectively until now? Dashboards describe. AI Factories decide. That is the difference, and it sits at the centre of everything LactaAI does.  After fifteen years and meaningful capital, the industrial analytics space has converged on a familiar pattern: collect telemetry, surface it on a dashboard, and leave the plant manager to figure out what to do with it. The result is what the industry now openly calls dashboard fatigue. Operators have more visibility than ever, and exactly the same decisions to make.  LactaAI starts from a different premise. We treat the dairy plant as an AI Factory, an environment that produces decisions the way a power plant produces electricity. Each decision is tied to a specific outcome: a yield gain, an energy unit saved, a quality deviation prevented, a changeover shortened. The platform is closed-loop by design. It ingests operational data, computes a recommendation, routes it to the person who can act, and then measures what actually happened.  Two reasons the problem has not been solved before. The industrial analytics market has been dominated by horizontal Industry 4.0 platforms that are deep in operational technology plumbing but shallow in dairy physics and biochemistry. They digitise signals; they do not understand the difference between fat recovery in a separator and SNF loss in evaporation. The commercial models of legacy vendors reward dashboards over decisions, because a dashboard scales as a license while a decision requires ownership of an outcome. We accept that ownership.  Dairy plants generate massive volumes of data that often go unused. What are the core technical and organizational barriers that prevent this data from translating into decisions, and how does LactaAI overcome both? Two layers of friction sit between data and decisions in dairy. Both are structural, not aspirational.  The technical layer first. Data lives across SCADA, MES, ERP, LIMS, IoT gateways, and laboratory notebooks. Each system has its own schema, its own time signature, and its own owner. Plant historians capture telemetry at one cadence, ERP captures transactions at another, LIMS captures test results at a third. Joining these into a unified picture of a single batch or a single shift is non-trivial. Add legacy PLCs on proprietary protocols, and a meaningful fraction of operational data never reaches a place where a model can reason about it.  The organizational layer is the harder one. Even when data is consolidated, recommendations stall. Operators do not trust outputs they cannot interrogate. Plant managers do not have a closed-loop feedback mechanism to verify whether an AI suggestion actually moved the metric it claimed. Ownership of the outcome remains diffuse between IT, OT, quality, and operations.  LactaAI addresses both. The platform sits on our I-CUPP architecture, which unifies the data layer before any model touches it, so the AI reasons over a coherent operational picture rather than fragments. On top of that, our Business Process Co-Pilot embeds each recommendation into the systems operators already use, with a transparent rationale, an accountable owner, and a measured outcome. The decision and its consequences are bonded.  Industrial environments are notoriously resistant to change. How do you ensure adoption among plant operators and decision-makers who may be skeptical of AI-driven recommendations, especially in high-risk production settings? Operator adoption is earned, not assumed. Three principles guide how we earn it.  First, we deploy as a Co-Pilot, not an autopilot. Every recommendation comes with the reasoning behind it in plain plant language, the variables it considered, and a confidence band. The operator remains the decision-maker. This matters because in a high-risk production setting, the person closest to the asset must retain authority.  Second, we sequence the decisions. We begin with high-confidence, low-risk recommendations where the operator can verify the outcome quickly, such as CIP cycle optimization or boiler load scheduling. Trust accumulates. Only once a track record is established do we move to higher-leverage decisions like composition-aware standardization or fat-recovery setpoints.  Third, we localise. Our interfaces run in the languages operators actually speak. In India that means Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, and Tamil. The recommendation is useless if the operator has to translate it. Training materials and onboarding are built around the working vocabulary of shift supervisors and floor leads, not corporate slide decks.  The result is that operators move from skepticism to ownership within a few weeks of go-live, because they see the platform working with them rather than around them. LactaAI integrates with legacy systems like ERP, MES, and SCADA without requiring replacement. What were the biggest engineering challenges in achieving this interoperability, and how do you handle data inconsistencies across systems? Interoperability with legacy systems is the single hardest engineering problem in industrial AI. Dairy plants run a cocktail of vintages: SAP or Oracle ERP from the 2010s, Wonderware or Siemens SCADA, custom MES, LIMS from a half dozen vendors, and OEM-controlled PLCs that sometimes predate the people running them.  Our approach has three layers. At the bottom, a protocol adapter layer that speaks OPC-UA, Modbus, MQTT, and the vendor-specific protocols that matter in dairy. We read before we write. In the first phase of every deployment, we are a non-intrusive observer; we do not push setpoints back into the control system until governance and trust are in place.  In the middle, the unification layer, which is the U in I-CUPP. This is where data inconsistencies are resolved: entity resolution across systems that use different identifiers for the same batch or SKU, time synchronization across instruments with drift, unit normalization, and semantic harmonization so that what one system calls fat percentage and another calls FAT_PCT become the same field.  At the top, the decision layer, which is where the AI Factory runs. By the time models see the data, it is coherent and reliable.  The biggest engineering challenges were time-series at scale, particularly hot-cold tiering for plants generating millions of tag-seconds per day, and reconciling real-time streams with batch-loaded reference data without compounding errors. We solved them by treating the unification layer as a first-class product, not a connector marketplace.  Dairy processing varies widely—from fluid milk to complex whey derivatives. How scalable is LactaAI across different product categories, and what customization is required for each segment? Dairy looks like one industry from the outside and a dozen sub-industries from the inside. Fluid milk, butter, ghee, paneer, cheese, milk powders, condensed milks, whey derivatives, infant nutrition, ice cream, fermented products. Each has its own process flow, its own quality regime, and its own economic drivers.  What scales across all of them is the I-CUPP architecture. The way we collect, unify, process, and present data is invariant to product category. What customises per category is what sits on top: the process model, the BOM derivation logic, and the decision packs that encode the levers that matter for that product.  We have built a library of pre-configured process models for the major dairy segments. For a fluid milk plant, the high-value decisions cluster around standardization, route optimization, and shelf-life prediction. For a milk powder plant, around evaporator and dryer thermal efficiency, particle size control, and lactose crystallization windows. For cheese and paneer, around culture management, syneresis control, and ageing. For whey, around membrane fouling and protein recovery.  The customization required for a new segment is the process model and the decision pack, not the platform. Typically a new segment takes us six to ten weeks from first engagement to first production decisions.  India is the launchpad, but dairy is a global industry. How do you see LactaAI competing internationally, particularly against established industrial AI players, and what markets are you targeting next? Our near-term international roadmap targets the United States first, where our Chicago go-to-market is engaging the top-25 processors and where the consolidation of the industry into a small number of large producers makes the unit economics attractive. Australia and New Zealand follow, with channel work underway into the Fonterra ecosystem and the broader Oceania industry. Japan is open through our SoftBank relationship, with strong specialty dairy and functional nutrition demand. Latin America is the natural next step from our existing presence in adjacent agri-industrial categories.  The global market will not be won by whoever has the largest platform. It will be won by whoever can produce the most reliable dairy decisions at the lowest cost of integration.   --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com)   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4268/business-case-for-agricultural-drones-is-moving-beyond-spraying.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4268/business-case-for-agricultural-drones-is-moving-beyond-spraying.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:19:52 +0530 Every technological revolution begins with a simple question: what changes first—the tool or the system? In Indian agriculture, drones are rapidly moving beyond being flying machines to becoming the intelligence layer that could redefine how food is grown, financed and traded. But will they truly democratise precision farming for millions of smallholders, or simply deepen the technological divide between those who can access data and those who cannot? As policymakers push for an indigenous drone ecosystem, the real contest is no longer about hardware—it is about ownership of agricultural intelligence and the future of farm economics. The answers will shape not just productivity, but India's competitiveness in the global agri-tech race. In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and Director, Garuda Aerospace, explains why drones are evolving from operational tools into strategic agricultural infrastructure with far-reaching implications for credit, insurance, sustainability and food security. If India's next Green Revolution is intelligence-driven rather than input-driven, this conversation offers an early glimpse into what that future could look like. India's agricultural transformation has historically been driven by breakthroughs in seeds, irrigation and crop protection. Do you see drones emerging as the next foundational agricultural infrastructure, and what economic indicators would convince you that India has crossed that threshold? Every major agricultural transformation has been enabled by infrastructure that helped farmers produce more with fewer resources. I believe drones have the potential to become the next foundational layer of agricultural infrastructure because they bring precision, speed, and data-driven decision-making directly to the farm. Today, drones are helping farmers optimize the use of water, fertilizers, and crop protection products while reducing labour dependency and improving operational efficiency. As agriculture faces few challenges, drones are evolving from a productivity tool into a necessity for sustainable farming. The real tipping point will be when drone services become as commonplace as tractors or irrigation systems. For India, this will largely happen through a Drone-as-a-Service model, making advanced technology accessible even to small and marginal farmers. The economic indicators that would signal India has crossed that threshold include widespread adoption of drone-based spraying and crop monitoring, profitable rural drone service businesses, integration of drone data into crop insurance and agri-credit systems, and drones becoming a standard component of farm operating expenses. When these markers become mainstream, drones will no longer be viewed as an emerging technology; they will be recognized as critical agricultural infrastructure driving India's next phase of agricultural growth and productivity. Much of the conversation around agricultural drones focuses on operational efficiency. But can drones fundamentally alter farm economics by improving decision quality? In your view, what is the long-term value of intelligence generated by drones compared to the immediate value of spraying and surveillance services? While operational efficiency is often the most visible benefit of agricultural drones, I believe their greatest long-term value lies in the intelligence they generate. Spraying and surveillance deliver immediate gains through reduced costs, improved precision, and faster operations. However, data-driven decision-making has the potential to fundamentally reshape farm economics. Drones enable farmers to move from reactive to predictive agriculture. By providing real-time insights on crop health, pest infestations, nutrient deficiencies, water stress, and field variability, they empower farmers to make more informed decisions about when, where, and how to intervene. This not only optimizes input usage but also helps improve yields and enhance overall profitability. Over time, the value of this intelligence will far exceed the value of any single drone operation. Drone-generated data can support precision farming, strengthen crop insurance assessments, improve access to credit, and enable more accurate farm advisory services. As AI and analytics become more integrated into agriculture, drones will serve as the primary data collection layer powering smarter farming ecosystems. In the long run, I see drones evolving from being tools that perform tasks to platforms that enable better decisions. Spraying creates operational efficiency for a season; intelligence creates compounding value over multiple seasons. That is where the true transformation of agriculture will occur. India remains one of the world's most fragmented agricultural markets, dominated by smallholder farmers. Does this structural reality limit the scalability of drone technologies, or could it actually create a unique innovation model that differs from large-scale farming economies such as the United States and Brazil? India's smallholder farming ecosystem is one of the biggest opportunities for drone innovation anywhere in the world. Rather than limiting scalability, it is encouraging the development of business models that are more inclusive, accessible, and suited to the realities of modern agriculture. India's model is increasingly being powered by shared services, FPOs, cooperatives, and rural drone entrepreneurs. This enables even small and marginal farmers to benefit from advanced drone technology without significant upfront investment. What makes this particularly exciting is that India is building a drone ecosystem that prioritizes reach and impact. By leveraging Drone-as-a-Service models, we can bring precision agriculture to millions of farmers, improve productivity, optimize resource usage, and create new livelihood opportunities in rural areas. In many ways, India's agricultural structure is shaping a uniquely Indian blueprint for drone adoption; one that combines technology, entrepreneurship, and accessibility. If successful, it has the potential to become a model for agricultural economies across the developing world. As agricultural drones become increasingly sophisticated, are we witnessing the evolution of a new category of farm machinery, or are drones better understood as data platforms that happen to fly? How should agribusiness leaders think about this distinction? Agricultural drones are evolving beyond the traditional definition of farm machinery. While they perform critical operational tasks such as spraying, monitoring, and surveying, their true value lies in their ability to generate actionable intelligence that enables better decision-making across the agricultural value chain. Agribusiness leaders should view drones as both a productivity tool and a data platform. The operational benefits deliver immediate value through greater efficiency, precision, and resource optimization, while the data collected helps drive smarter decisions around crop health, input management, risk assessment, and yield improvement. As agriculture becomes increasingly technology-driven, the ability to capture and analyze real-time field data will become just as important as the ability to execute farm operations. Drones sit at the intersection of these two capabilities, making them a powerful enabler of modern agriculture. There is a growing policy emphasis on indigenous drone manufacturing. However, true technological sovereignty extends beyond assembly to critical components, software and analytics. Where does India currently stand on that spectrum, and what are the most strategic vulnerabilities that still need to be addressed? India has made remarkable progress in building a domestic drone ecosystem over the last few years. What is particularly encouraging is that the conversation has evolved from simply assembling drones to developing end-to-end capabilities across design, manufacturing, software, and drone applications. However, technological sovereignty is a journey, not a destination. True self-reliance requires strength across the entire value chain; from airframes and flight-control systems to sensors, communication technologies, AI-powered analytics, and advanced components. While India has built strong momentum in indigenous manufacturing and software development, there is still significant opportunity to deepen capabilities in certain high-value and specialized technologies. The focus now should be on accelerating research and development, strengthening component manufacturing, fostering deeper industry-academia collaboration, and nurturing a robust innovation ecosystem that can compete globally. Equally important is building intellectual property within India and creating globally competitive products that are designed, developed, and manufactured domestically. The combination of supportive policies, a vibrant startup ecosystem, growing demand, and strong engineering talent gives us a unique opportunity to emerge as a global hub for drone innovation. The next phase will be about moving from adoption and manufacturing to leadership in core technologies, software, and advanced analytics that define the future of the industry. Agriculture is increasingly being shaped by climate volatility, resource scarcity and input inefficiencies. How do you see drones contributing to the broader transition from input-intensive farming to intelligence-intensive farming, and what evidence are you seeing of that shift already taking place? Agriculture is undergoing a fundamental shift; from relying primarily on higher inputs to relying on better insights. As farmers face increasing challenges from climate variability, resource constraints, and rising production costs, the ability to make precise, data-driven decisions is becoming critical. This is where drones are playing a transformative role. Drones enable farmers to monitor crop health, identify stress factors, assess field conditions, and apply inputs with far greater precision than traditional methods. Instead of adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, farmers can make targeted interventions based on real-time field intelligence, helping optimize the use of water, fertilizers, and crop protection products while improving productivity and sustainability. In the long run, I believe drones will serve as a critical intelligence layer for agriculture. Their greatest contribution will not simply be automating farm operations, but enabling smarter decisions that help farmers become more resilient, productive, and sustainable in an increasingly complex agricultural environment. Precision agriculture promises to optimize every drop of water, gram of fertilizer and millilitre of crop protection product. Yet adoption often lags expectations. Is the primary challenge technological, economic, behavioural or institutional, and how should the industry address it? The challenge is not technological, today's precision agriculture solutions have already demonstrated their ability to improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. The real opportunity lies in accelerating adoption through greater awareness, accessibility, and ecosystem collaboration. For many farmers, adopting new technologies requires clear evidence of value and ease of access. This is why demonstration-driven adoption, farmer education, and service-based delivery models are so important. When farmers can see tangible improvements in productivity, input optimization, and cost savings, adoption follows naturally. At the same time, industry, policymakers, agri-institutions, and technology providers must work together to build a supportive ecosystem that simplifies access to precision agriculture solutions. Initiatives focused on skilling, rural entrepreneurship, and last-mile service delivery are already helping bridge this gap. The focus now should be on scaling access and demonstrating impact at the farm level, because when farmers experience the value firsthand, adoption becomes a natural outcome. Many emerging technologies create value not by replacing labour, but by augmenting human decision-making. In the context of Indian agriculture, do you see drones as labour-saving tools, productivity-enhancing tools, or knowledge-enabling tools—and which of these ultimately offers the greatest economic value? I see drones as all three; labour-saving, productivity-enhancing, and knowledge-enabling tools; but their greatest long-term value lies in enabling better decisions. The first wave of drone adoption in agriculture has understandably focused on efficiency. Drones help farmers save time, reduce labour dependency, and apply inputs with greater precision. These benefits deliver immediate economic value and are important for improving farm operations. However, the bigger opportunity lies in the intelligence layer. Drones generate real-time insights on crop health, pest outbreaks, nutrient deficiencies, and field variability, allowing farmers to make more informed and timely decisions. In an environment where climate uncertainty, resource constraints, and input costs are increasing, the quality of decisions can have a greater impact on outcomes than the quantity of inputs used. This is why I believe knowledge-enabling capabilities will ultimately create the greatest economic value. Labour savings and productivity gains are important, but they are often incremental. Better decision-making has a compounding effect; it improves resource efficiency, reduces risk, enhances yields, and strengthens farm profitability over multiple seasons. The future of agriculture will be driven not just by mechanisation, but by intelligence. Drones are uniquely positioned at the intersection of both, making them one of the most transformative technologies for the sector. Agricultural data is rapidly becoming a strategic asset. As drone-generated datasets grow in scale and sophistication, who will ultimately capture the greatest value—the farmer, the technology provider, agri-input companies, insurers, financial institutions, or food companies? The greatest value should; and ultimately will; accrue to the farmer. Drone-generated data has the potential to create value across the entire value chain. Agri-input companies can develop more targeted solutions, insurers can improve risk assessment, financial institutions can make more informed lending decisions, and food companies can strengthen traceability and supply-chain efficiency. What makes drone data particularly powerful is its ability to create a shared intelligence layer across the agricultural ecosystem. When used responsibly, it can align incentives among stakeholders and enable more efficient decision-making from farm to market. Over the long term, I believe the most successful models will be those that treat data as a tool for collaboration rather than ownership. The organizations that create the most value will not necessarily be those that collect the most data, but those that transform data into actionable insights that benefit farmers and strengthen the broader agricultural ecosystem. As agriculture becomes increasingly data-driven, the real opportunity lies in ensuring that intelligence flows back to the farmer, because a more informed farmer ultimately creates value for every participant in the value chain. If India succeeds in deploying drones at scale, what could be the second-order effects on agricultural supply chains, credit access, crop insurance, sustainability reporting and carbon markets? Are we underestimating the broader economic implications of drone adoption? We are only beginning to understand the broader economic impact that drones can have on agriculture. While the current focus is largely on spraying, monitoring, and operational efficiency, large-scale drone adoption has the potential to create far-reaching benefits across the entire agricultural ecosystem. As drones generate high-quality, real-time field data, they can bring greater transparency and visibility to agricultural supply chains. This can improve traceability, strengthen quality assurance, and enable more informed decision-making from farm to market. Drone-generated insights can also support more accurate risk assessment for lenders and insurers, helping improve access to credit and enabling faster, data-driven crop insurance processes. For farmers, this could translate into better financial inclusion and reduced uncertainty. From a sustainability perspective, drones can help measure and optimize the use of water, fertilizers, and crop protection products, creating a stronger foundation for sustainability reporting and environmental compliance. As carbon markets and climate-focused agricultural programs evolve, reliable field-level data will become increasingly important for monitoring outcomes and validating impact. The larger opportunity is that drones can become a digital intelligence layer connecting agriculture, finance, sustainability, and supply chains. When that happens, their value will extend far beyond farm operations and contribute to a more efficient, transparent, and resilient agricultural economy. The global drone industry is increasingly converging with artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous systems. How should Indian agribusinesses prepare for a future where farm operations are increasingly automated, predictive and data-driven rather than reactive and manual? The future of agriculture will be increasingly defined by intelligence, automation, and predictive decision-making. As drones, AI, robotics, and data analytics converge, agribusinesses will need to evolve from managing farm operations to managing agricultural intelligence. The first step is to view technology not as a standalone tool, but as a strategic capability. Agribusinesses that invest early in digital infrastructure, data-driven processes, and technology adoption will be better positioned to improve productivity, optimize resources, and respond to changing market and environmental conditions. Equally important is building a culture that embraces innovation. The future farm will rely on real-time data, predictive insights, and automated interventions. Organizations must therefore focus on developing digital skills, strengthening partnerships with technology providers, and creating systems that can effectively translate data into action. Farmers, agronomists, and agribusiness leaders will continue to be at the center of decision-making, but they will be supported by technologies that make those decisions faster, more precise, and more informed. Those who begin preparing today for a more connected, automated, and intelligence-driven agricultural ecosystem will not only improve operational efficiency but also gain a significant competitive advantage in the years ahead. The future belongs to organizations that can combine human expertise with technological intelligence to create more resilient, productive, and sustainable agricultural systems. Looking ahead a decade, what will distinguish countries that merely use agricultural drones from those that genuinely derive strategic advantage from them? In that future, what role do you envision India—and Garuda Aerospace—playing in the global agricultural technology landscape? Over the next decade, the distinction will not be between countries that have drones and those that do not; it will be between countries that use drones as tools and those that integrate them into a broader agricultural intelligence ecosystem. India is uniquely positioned to be one of those leaders. With one of the world's largest agricultural sectors, a rapidly growing drone ecosystem, supportive policy frameworks, and a strong talent base in technology and engineering, India has the opportunity to create a globally relevant model for precision agriculture at scale. What makes this particularly significant is that India's innovations are being designed for accessibility, affordability, and impact; qualities that are highly relevant to agricultural economies around the world. At Garuda Aerospace, our vision is to contribute to this transformation by building indigenous drone technologies and enabling large-scale adoption of precision agriculture solutions. We see ourselves not just as a drone manufacturer, but as a technology company helping accelerate the transition toward smarter, data-driven farming. As agriculture becomes increasingly intelligence-led, our goal is to help position India as a global hub for agricultural drone innovation; developing solutions that improve farmer outcomes, strengthen food systems, and demonstrate how technology can drive sustainable agricultural growth at scale. -- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com)   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4261/philippines-bets-on-ai-and-satellite-intelligence-to-strengthen-agricultural-planning-and-food-security.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4261/philippines-bets-on-ai-and-satellite-intelligence-to-strengthen-agricultural-planning-and-food-security.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 13:21:45 +0530 The Philippines is accelerating the digital transformation of its agriculture sector by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite technology into national farm data systems, a move aimed at improving crop forecasting, food security planning and evidence-based policymaking. The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) have expanded their collaboration on agricultural data sharing to build a more accurate and responsive information system capable of supporting production planning, logistics management and government interventions. Officials said reliable, real-time agricultural data has become increasingly critical as policymakers seek to respond more effectively to production shortfalls, climate-related risks and shifting food demand. Enhanced datasets are expected to help direct public investments to regions where they can deliver the greatest impact while strengthening the country's long-term food security strategy. A key feature of the initiative is the wider adoption of artificial intelligence and satellite imagery for crop monitoring and production estimation. The PSA has already tested these technologies through pilot projects, demonstrating their potential to generate faster and more precise estimates of agricultural output. The expanded partnership will combine satellite-based observations with field-level verification conducted through the agriculture department's nationwide network. Officials believe integrating remote sensing with on-ground validation will improve the accuracy and reliability of crop assessments while reducing the time required to generate critical agricultural statistics. The agencies also emphasized that stronger collaboration is essential because agriculture and fisheries remain central to national economic growth, rural employment and domestic food supply. More dependable statistics are expected to strengthen policy formulation, investment planning and emergency response mechanisms. Beyond monitoring current production, the government aims to use advanced analytics to anticipate emerging supply challenges before they escalate into food shortages. Officials said predictive data will enable authorities to shift from reactive crisis management to proactive planning, helping safeguard national food availability. The initiative also aligns with the country's latest national census, the first comprehensive population count in nearly a decade. Updated demographic and consumption data will enable policymakers to refine food demand projections, recalibrate production targets and allocate agricultural funding more efficiently in the coming years. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4260/philippines-bets-on-ai-and-satellite-intelligence-to-strengthen-agricultural-planning-and-food-security.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4260/philippines-bets-on-ai-and-satellite-intelligence-to-strengthen-agricultural-planning-and-food-security.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:23:48 +0530 The Philippines is accelerating the digital transformation of its agriculture sector by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite technology into national farm data systems, a move aimed at improving crop forecasting, food security planning and evidence-based policymaking. The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) have expanded their collaboration on agricultural data sharing to build a more accurate and responsive information system capable of supporting production planning, logistics management and government interventions. Officials said reliable, real-time agricultural data has become increasingly critical as policymakers seek to respond more effectively to production shortfalls, climate-related risks and shifting food demand. Enhanced datasets are expected to help direct public investments to regions where they can deliver the greatest impact while strengthening the country's long-term food security strategy. A key feature of the initiative is the wider adoption of artificial intelligence and satellite imagery for crop monitoring and production estimation. The PSA has already tested these technologies through pilot projects, demonstrating their potential to generate faster and more precise estimates of agricultural output. The expanded partnership will combine satellite-based observations with field-level verification conducted through the agriculture department's nationwide network. Officials believe integrating remote sensing with on-ground validation will improve the accuracy and reliability of crop assessments while reducing the time required to generate critical agricultural statistics. The agencies also emphasized that stronger collaboration is essential because agriculture and fisheries remain central to national economic growth, rural employment and domestic food supply. More dependable statistics are expected to strengthen policy formulation, investment planning and emergency response mechanisms. Beyond monitoring current production, the government aims to use advanced analytics to anticipate emerging supply challenges before they escalate into food shortages. Officials said predictive data will enable authorities to shift from reactive crisis management to proactive planning, helping safeguard national food availability. The initiative also aligns with the country's latest national census, the first comprehensive population count in nearly a decade. Updated demographic and consumption data will enable policymakers to refine food demand projections, recalibrate production targets and allocate agricultural funding more efficiently in the coming years. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4250/hafas-powers-ethiopias-next-phase-of-digital-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4250/hafas-powers-ethiopias-next-phase-of-digital-agriculture.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:19:18 +0530 Ethiopia is accelerating its digital agriculture agenda with the Harmonized Fertilizer Advisory System (HaFAS), an artificial intelligence-powered platform that is rapidly emerging as the country's flagship model for delivering personalised crop and nutrient management advice at scale. The system took centre stage at the Ministry of Agriculture's Annual Digital Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (DAEAS) Forum in Addis Ababa, where policymakers, researchers, technology providers and development partners outlined strategies to institutionalise digital advisory services nationwide. Held under the theme of strengthening collaboration, harmonisation and innovation in digital extension, the forum brought together more than 200 stakeholders from government agencies, research institutions, universities, technical training institutes, NGOs and the private sector to chart the next phase of Ethiopia's digital transformation in agriculture. Among the technologies showcased, HaFAS stood out as one of the country's most advanced digital advisory platforms. Developed by Ethiopia's Ministry of Agriculture, the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Regional Agricultural Research Institutes (RARIs), ICRISAT and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the platform integrates artificial intelligence, machine learning, soil health, climate and agronomic datasets to generate location-specific fertilizer and crop management recommendations for individual farms. Unlike conventional extension systems that often rely on generic recommendations, HaFAS uses data-driven decision support tools to produce site- and season-specific advisories, enabling farmers to optimise fertilizer use while improving crop productivity and resource efficiency. The platform has already demonstrated significant field-level impact. During 2025, HaFAS advisories reached 22,162 farmers through a zonal scaling network involving agricultural offices, NGOs and ICRISAT. Digital delivery channels further expanded its footprint, highlighting the growing role of mobile technologies in agricultural extension. ICRISAT's Telegram network, operating across 43 district groups, disseminated 19,260 advisory messages, while its interactive Telegram bot recorded 120 farmer feedback interactions, primarily related to crop management and disease diagnosis. Meanwhile, Digital Green's FarmerChat platform delivered personalised recommendations to 49,000 farmers, and agritech platform LERSHA extended advisory services to 32,000 farmers while connecting 8,000 producers to agricultural credit and insurance products, including 1,300 women farmers. Building on these early successes, Ethiopia has set an ambitious objective of expanding harmonised digital advisory services to seven million farmers nationwide. Discussions at the forum focused on scaling the platform through stronger public-private partnerships and leveraging existing agricultural institutions at zonal, district and kebele levels alongside cooperatives, extension workers and private digital service providers. Technical sessions also explored multiple delivery mechanisms designed to improve accessibility and farmer engagement. Participants highlighted the complementary use of AI-enabled chatbots, SMS alerts, voice messaging, hotlines, farmer agents and extension officers to ensure that digital advisory services reach farmers across diverse production environments and varying levels of digital literacy. Beyond technology deployment, stakeholders emphasised that HaFAS is built upon long-term scientific research, validated agronomic evidence and rigorous quality assurance protocols. Its harmonised framework provides a nationally standardised process for developing fertilizer and agronomic recommendations, reducing duplication among digital platforms while improving interoperability across Ethiopia's expanding agricultural innovation ecosystem. Participants concluded the forum by reaffirming their commitment to strengthening collaboration through the national digital advisory platform, recognising that integrated digital services will play a critical role in improving productivity, enhancing climate resilience and modernising Ethiopia's agricultural extension system. As African agriculture increasingly embraces artificial intelligence and digital advisory tools, Ethiopia's HaFAS programme illustrates how coordinated partnerships between governments, research institutions and technology providers can help transform scientific data into practical, farm-level decisions capable of reaching millions of smallholder farmers. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4245/chinas-xag-raises-bar-for-agricultural-automation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4245/chinas-xag-raises-bar-for-agricultural-automation.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:33:35 +0530 Chinese agricultural technology company XAG has introduced a new generation of autonomous farming solutions, signalling its ambition to move beyond standalone agricultural drones and build a fully integrated precision agriculture ecosystem. The company's latest X Series combines autonomous flight, intelligent crop protection, automated chemical mixing and battery management into a unified platform designed to reduce labour dependency and improve operational efficiency. At the heart of the launch is the X150 Agricultural Drone, supported by the XA1 Agricultural Drone Airport and the LM1 Smart Liquid Mixing System. Together, the three products automate virtually every stage of crop protection—from mission planning and precision spraying to pesticide mixing, battery charging and equipment cleaning—eliminating many of the manual interventions that have traditionally limited large-scale drone adoption. According to XAG Founder Peng Bin, the objective is to make agricultural automation both practical and commercially viable by simplifying complex workflows for farmers. Rather than treating crop protection as a labour-intensive seasonal activity, the company aims to transform it into a routine, technology-driven operation requiring minimal human supervision. The new platform also introduces significant advances in autonomous navigation and operational safety. A next-generation 4D imaging radar, working alongside a newly developed vertical radar, enables all-weather environmental perception and delivers more than 90 per cent accuracy in identifying overhead power lines, one of the most critical safety challenges for agricultural drone operations. Battery management, another longstanding operational bottleneck, has also been fully automated. XAG's new B18630 smart flash battery reduces charging time to just 2.5 minutes for a rapid recharge and 3.5 minutes for a full charge, while offering a lifecycle of approximately 4,000 charging cycles. The accompanying charging system has also been engineered to support varying three-phase voltage standards across international markets, enabling wider global deployment. The company has extended automation to chemical preparation as well. The LM1 Smart Liquid Mixing System automatically formulates and dispenses crop-protection solutions based on pre-programmed prescriptions, while an integrated one-touch cleaning mechanism flushes tanks, pipes and nozzles after every operation to minimise clogging, corrosion and chemical cross-contamination. Beyond aerial applications, XAG also expanded its ground robotics portfolio with the launch of the RM80 unmanned mower. Designed for orchards, plantations and field maintenance, the lightweight electric robot can navigate slopes of up to 30 per cent, travel at speeds of 1.5 metres per second and cover between 0.33 and 0.53 hectares per hour in orchard environments. Equipped with a dual-battery system, the machine delivers up to 40 minutes of continuous operation on a single charge. The product launches come as XAG continues to strengthen its international business. In 2025, the company reported revenue exceeding 1.166 billion yuan, with overseas operations contributing 419 million yuan—an increase of 13 per cent over the previous year. International markets now account for 36 per cent of total revenue, reflecting the company's expanding presence across nearly 70 countries and regions. The latest launches underscore a broader shift within the global agtech industry, where manufacturers are moving beyond individual smart machines to integrated autonomous farming systems. As labour shortages, input costs and precision farming requirements intensify worldwide, end-to-end automation is emerging as the next competitive battleground in agricultural mechanisation. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4244/fishings-digital-reckoning.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4244/fishings-digital-reckoning.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:43:42 +0530 For decades, commercial fishing has remained one of the world's least digitised food production systems, operating largely on instinct beneath an invisible ocean surface. That era is beginning to end. In this interview, Inga Wise, Executive Director, SAFET and Tom Rossiter, Co-founder and CEO, CatchCam make the business case for treating underwater data as a strategic asset—one that can simultaneously improve operational efficiency, reduce environmental risk, strengthen supply-chain credibility and unlock new commercial value. As climate volatility reshapes fish stocks and buyers demand unprecedented levels of traceability, real-time marine intelligence is emerging as a competitive differentiator rather than a technological novelty. The conversation also challenges investors to look beyond conservation and recognise ocean data as the foundation of the next wave of blue economy innovation. If precision agriculture transformed farming, precision fisheries may well redefine the future of global seafood. For decades, commercial fishing has operated with limited visibility beneath the waterline. How is access to real-time underwater data changing the economics of fishing, and what new competitive advantages does it create for operators? Inga Wise: Today, real-time underwater data is changing the economics of fishing, helping operators to plan with precision and turning sustainability into a driver of profitability. At SAFET, we see this data-driven transformation creating a range of distinct competitive advantages across three areas: operational efficiency, precision catch, and market access and transparency. Ultimately, underwater data from companies like CatchCam is helping to accelerate innovation, allowing both small-scale and industrial fleets to optimize their gear. Today, technology has the power to transform sustainability from a regulatory burden into a measurable, profit-driving strategy and competitive edge. Tom Rossiter: For example, compact, ruggedized cameras like CatchCam give fishers immediate visibility into gear behavior on the seabed. Skippers can adjust  gears on the go and avoid wasting a multi-hour, fuel-heavy blind and unproductive fishing time. On the topic of precision catch, access to underwater data lets operators see what is entering their nets before hauling. If non-target species are detected, fishers can alter depth, trigger release mechanisms, or shift locations — ensuring hold capacity is filled exclusively with high-value, legal catch. Market access and transparency is particularly important today, as global retailers and consumers are demanding verifiable proof of sustainable fishing. Operators leveraging underwater data and electronic monitoring gain an immediate market advantage. This data allows fishers to seamlessly qualify for premium eco-labels and secure lucrative contracts that command higher dockside prices. The agriculture sector has embraced precision farming, while logistics relies heavily on real-time analytics. Do you see fisheries entering a similar era of precision decision-making, and what role does underwater intelligence play in that transition? Tom Rossiter: Commercial fishing has seemingly been the exception to the modern data revolution we’ve seen play out across the agricultural sector and logistics teams. Fishers have had to deploy expensive gear into an underwater black box, relying on a "tow and see" strategy. With the help of underwater intelligence, we are finally seeing an uptick in precision fishing. Underwater intelligence — and the technology that supports it — is the foundational data layer that allows us to manage the ocean with the same granularity that a farmer manages a field. Instead of treating a massive body of water as a uniform, hidden zone, technology can now map out exact behavioral and environmental variables at the point of catch, transitioning the industry from reactionary management to predictive, live-action precision. For instance, it enables micro-spatial resource management. Fish gather based on local currents, seabed topography, and temperature structures amongst other factors. Underwater data from CatchCam cameras and sensors allows crews to overlay comprehensive intelligence with these metrics, helping operators identify the exact boundary lines where target species thrive and non-target species decline. This intelligence also enables automated catch accountability. Capturing clear data beneath the surface opens the door for automated species identification and size-grading before the fish ever hit the surface. This creates a record that can feed real-time quota tracking and dynamic marine spatial planning as well as provide valuable data to the market, reducing waste and adding value to the catch. Ocean data has traditionally been collected for scientific research and conservation. How can marine data be transformed into commercially actionable intelligence that improves profitability, operational efficiency and risk management for seafood businesses? Inga Wise: Scientific research and conservation have built an important foundation for ocean data. The next step is to make that data useful for day-to-day fishing decisions as well, turning broad marine knowledge into practical, tailored intelligence that helps businesses improve profitability, efficiency, and risk management. Tom Rossiter: Through our work at CatchCam, we’ve seen that this commercial transformation is well underway. Marine data is quickly redefining paths to profitability and operational efficiency through gear optimization. Small- to large-scale fisheries use underwater intelligence and technology to save on fuel and to qualify for premium labels, higher prices, and lucrative contracts. In terms of fuel savings, if a net is distorted or towed through an empty zone, they can adjust immediately, maximizing catch and minimizing wasted fuel. This data is also turning risk management from a guessing game into a visual science. For example, bycatch is an enormous economic risk that threatens quota closures and regulatory penalties. Near-real-time underwater insights allow operators to identify what species are entering their gear before pulling it up. This intelligence lets fishers make better informed decisions on the fly, protecting local ecosystems while ensuring hold capacity is filled only with legal, premium target catch. As seafood supply chains face increasing scrutiny around sustainability, traceability and ESG performance, do you foresee underwater monitoring data becoming a critical business asset rather than simply a compliance tool? Inga Wise: Yes. This transformation is already well underway. Like land-based corporate supply chains, the availability of more granular, more accurate data enables better operational and strategic decision making. Where the data might have started as a compliance exercise, the insights it gives into costs and efficiency are becoming embedded in planning and delivery. This turns tightening international traceability and sustainability standards into an enabling tool for competitive advantage. Tom Rossiter: From our vantage point at CatchCam, underwater monitoring data is becoming a critical validator of commercial integrity — especially at a time when greenwashing can devastate a brand. Major international retailers and seafood distributors are actively restructuring their procurement strategies around verifiable and reliable data streams. Having visual and sensor-driven evidence of what happens at the point of catch acts as a necessary digital lever for the seafood industry. For fisheries, this data fundamentally alters corporate risk management. Having real or near real time data available allows the fishers to avoid scenarios where their activity creates an unintentional negative impact. This could be seabed damage, unwanted bycatch or simply unproductive fishing. Avoiding or minimising these is essential in modern food production. In addition, the fisheries are generating exceptionally high resolution data on what is happening in the seas and this will improve understanding for managers and lead to wider societal benefits. Climate change is altering fish migration patterns, ocean temperatures and ecosystem dynamics. How can data-driven insights help fisheries adapt to growing environmental uncertainty while maintaining economic viability? Inga Wise: In the past, managers and operators relied on stationary, predictable patterns, expecting certain species to be in specific places at the same time of year. Today, rapidly changing ocean conditions can cause stocks to move. At SAFET, we believe high-quality data can help fishers and fisheries managers respond to change and plan ahead. By using technology and reliable information, we can build a clearer picture of how the ocean is changing. This helps the industry protect fish stocks and marine habitats while still supporting profitable fishing. Instead of relying mainly on past experience, fishers can make better decisions using accurate information at the time they need it. Tom Rossiter: Fishermen have always sought to work in the most productive area. In the past there has been a rhythm to fishing that was for the most part predictable. Many of these patterns have now broken down and it is more difficult to find the fish. Many fishers are now using localized surface and increasingly subsurface data to guide the fishing activities. It’s also important to note that environmental instability brings significant biological stress to marine ecosystems, causing unexpected fluctuations in feed and predators as well as target catch. Fit for purpose data collection can help map these changes and predict where they will occur in the future, Data-driven insights essentially convert fishing vessels into responsive labs. The value of data often lies not in collection but in interpretation. What advances in artificial intelligence and analytics are most likely to unlock the next generation of commercial insights from underwater observations? Inga Wise: Across marine technologies, artificial intelligence and computer vision can help fishers and fisheries teams get more value from the data they already collect. These tools can quickly highlight useful moments in long video recordings, giving crews, analysts, and managers clearer information to support faster, better-informed decisions. Tom Rossiter: Machine learning algorithms trained on underwater camera and sensor data have changed what’s possible — instantly flagging anomalies like unexpected species interactions, gear fouling, or signs of stock stress that would previously have been buried in hours of footage. We saw this firsthand in our SeaFrame project, where AI-powered computer vision automated video analysis and significantly reduced review time. By identifying moments of interest with pinpoint accuracy, the software ensures that critical information is not lost in the flood of data collected by underwater technologies. The challenge is to link this to relatable activities for the fishers and here AI is also helping too as we move to presenting the insight in a familiar plotter view for the skippers. Investors are increasingly interested in the blue economy, yet ocean technologies still attract far less capital than sectors such as agritech or climate tech. What are investors overlooking about the commercial potential of marine intelligence platforms? Tom Rossiter: In addition to lack of awareness, we’ve seen that the investment community is largely underestimating the extreme operational inefficiencies that threaten the blue economy. Agritech soared because optimizing a tractor's path yielded clear aggregate returns. Commercial fishing operates on a far steeper, but lesser-known curve. When a vessel uses hardware-enabled intelligence to eliminate blind tows, for example, it directly slashes fuel burn and prevents potentially catastrophic bycatch. The hardware is merely a mechanism for actionable data streams, which then build incredibly valuable customer — and investor — relationships. Looking ahead five to ten years, could ocean data become as strategically important to seafood companies as consumer data is to retailers or operational data is to manufacturers? What might that future industry landscape look like? Inga Wise: At SAFET, we already see ocean data as very important. Our work with regional fisheries and governments has shown how useful it can be. What is changing now is how the seafood industry uses that data, it is no longer only for research or meeting regulations. It is helping businesses make better plans and decisions. Over the next five to ten years, we expect fishing to become less reactive and more planned. Instead of vessels going out and looking for fish with limited information, data could help them understand where the best fishing opportunities are before they leave port. This is similar to how retailers use customer data to predict demand and manage stock. That data layer won’t stop at the surface. We see it deeply integrating into global supply chains, where seafood brands deliver not just a product, but a complete digital record of every catch. Tom Rossiter: Fishing is food production and the advancements in operational efficiency we see in agriculture or manufacturing are open and available to fishing operators too albeit it is more challenging given the sheer number of variables and the difficulty is monitoring and understanding them. We envision fleets operating as synchronized digital networks rather than isolated vessels, with cameras and sensors continuously synthesizing data on temperatures, currents, and species behaviors to chart surgical, micro-spatial harvesting paths. If the twentieth century was defined by humanity's ability to map the land and the twenty-first by our ability to digitise industries, will the next frontier be the digitisation of the oceans — and how will that reshape global food production, marine sustainability and the blue economy? Inga Wise: We are certainly headed in that direction. We like to say that we are living through the “Fourth Industrial Revolution at Sea,” moving from an era of blind resource extraction to digital, transparent, and data-led ocean stewardship. Better ocean data can play an important role in protecting the climate and improving food security and livelihoods. By using technology below the surface, we can understand what is happening at sea more clearly. This can help fishers avoid unwanted catch, reduce damage to habitats, and show evidence of better fishing practices. For the wider blue economy, this makes marine conservation more practical. It can become a useful tool that helps fishers of all sizes make better decisions on the water. Tom Rossiter: From the CatchCam perspective, digitizing the ocean is fundamentally an operational revolution. The twentieth-century approach of dragging nets and hoping for the best won’t cut it in a world of volatile fuel prices and shifting fish migrations. Looking ahead, subsurface intelligence — interconnected across fleets — will predict high-yield zones and drive efficiency across global food production, maximizing catch-per-unit-effort. What we're really building is a foundation for ocean stewardship at scale, where every data point makes the next harvest smarter and more accountable. -- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com)     ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4242/capital-city-fruit-achieves-farm-to-retail-traceability-with-repositraks-touchless-technology.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4242/capital-city-fruit-achieves-farm-to-retail-traceability-with-repositraks-touchless-technology.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:02:58 +0530 Capital City Fruit has become the first fresh produce distributor to implement farm-to-retail touchless traceability across its distribution centre operations, marking a significant milestone in the digital transformation of food supply chains. The achievement, enabled through the ReposiTrak Traceability Network, allows the company to maintain end-to-end product traceability without relying on manual case-level scanning or introducing additional labour-intensive processes. The implementation positions the Iowa-based produce distributor at the forefront of supply chain transparency as the food industry prepares for stricter traceability requirements under the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Rule 204. As a grower, shipper, repacker and supply chain service provider, Capital City Fruit handles large volumes of fresh fruits and vegetables through complex distribution networks. Traditionally, maintaining traceability across distribution centres has required extensive barcode scanning during receiving, storage, order picking and shipping—processes that often increase labour costs and disrupt operational efficiency. ReposiTrak's Touchless Traceability platform eliminates these bottlenecks by automatically linking supplier-generated traceability records with product movement data generated within distribution centres. The system creates the required traceability events digitally as products move through the warehouse, removing the need for manual intervention while ensuring regulatory compliance. The technology has been designed to help food businesses meet upcoming FSMA 204 requirements without fundamentally changing existing warehouse workflows or investing in additional scanning infrastructure. A critical component of the project was supplier integration. ReposiTrak worked directly with Capital City Fruit's supplier network to establish digital connectivity, map traceability data, configure reporting protocols and provide technical training. The company's onboarding specialists also assisted suppliers with limited digital capabilities, reducing implementation complexity for both Capital City Fruit and its trading partners while ensuring consistent data quality throughout the supply chain. According to Randy Fields, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ReposiTrak, the project demonstrates that comprehensive traceability can now be embedded within normal distribution operations rather than treated as a separate compliance exercise. He noted that the company's hands-on supplier onboarding programme significantly reduces the burden on distributors while improving the accuracy and reliability of traceability records. The need for advanced traceability solutions is particularly acute in the fresh produce sector, where highly perishable products, rapid inventory turnover, variable packaging formats and extensive supplier networks create significant challenges for maintaining accurate product records. By automating the collection, validation, linking and retrieval of key traceability information, the ReposiTrak platform aims to improve operational efficiency while strengthening food safety and recall readiness. The ReposiTrak Traceability Network enables growers, suppliers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers to exchange traceability information through a secure, standardised digital platform capable of supporting multiple data formats and varying levels of technological maturity. Automated validation tools, continuous data monitoring and proactive error detection further enhance the quality and integrity of supply chain records. For Capital City Fruit, the implementation represents more than a regulatory compliance milestone. By integrating traceability directly into day-to-day distribution activities, the company has established a scalable model for improving supply chain visibility while minimising operational disruption. The move is expected to strengthen food safety, enhance recall preparedness and support growing retailer and consumer expectations for greater transparency across the fresh produce value chain. With regulatory scrutiny increasing and digital traceability becoming a strategic priority across global food systems, Capital City Fruit's adoption of touchless farm-to-retail traceability signals a broader shift towards technology-driven supply chain management that balances compliance, efficiency and operational resilience. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4232/scanit-launches-ai-powered-sporewarn-network-to-detect-airborne-crop-diseases-before-outbreaks.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4232/scanit-launches-ai-powered-sporewarn-network-to-detect-airborne-crop-diseases-before-outbreaks.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:39:31 +0530 Scanit Technologies has introduced the Iowa SporeWarn Network, an artificial intelligence-driven airborne pathogen monitoring service designed to provide growers with early warning of crop diseases before visible symptoms emerge in the field. The new network addresses one of agriculture's longstanding challenges—detecting disease pressure during its earliest stages. While conventional forecasting systems estimate disease risk based on weather conditions, the Iowa SporeWarn Network measures the actual presence of airborne pathogens, giving farmers direct insight into evolving disease threats. At the core of the platform is SporeCam, Scanit's autonomous, AI-enabled pathogen detection technology. Installed across agricultural fields in central Iowa, the sensors continuously sample the surrounding air to identify microscopic spores associated with major corn and soybean diseases. The technology enables continuous surveillance of pathogen activity well before infections become visible on crops. By combining real-time airborne pathogen detection with AI-powered analytics, the platform enables growers to distinguish between conditions that merely favor disease development and situations where pathogens are actively present. This additional layer of intelligence is intended to support more precise fungicide application decisions, targeted scouting efforts and improved disease management strategies. Subscribers receive daily updates through an online dashboard featuring pathogen pressure summaries, seven-day trend analyses, disease risk assessments and regional heat maps that visualize changing pathogen activity across monitored areas. The service also delivers concise morning alerts via text message, allowing growers to monitor shifts in disease pressure throughout the growing season. The network currently monitors five economically significant diseases affecting corn and soybeans across nearly 500,000 acres in Iowa's Story, Marshall, Polk and Hardin counties. The monitored diseases include tar spot, gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight, southern rust and soybean white mold, providing regional intelligence for producers throughout central Iowa. To support field deployment, Scanit has partnered with MaxAg, an independent agricultural services provider headquartered in Maxwell, Iowa. The company oversees monitoring locations, maintains sensor infrastructure and integrates pathogen intelligence with agronomic expertise, helping translate biological data into practical crop management recommendations. Beyond raw pathogen detection, the platform has been designed to simplify interpretation through user-friendly reports, localized agronomic context and educational resources that explain how changing disease pressure should influence scouting priorities and crop protection decisions. In addition to grower subscriptions, Scanit has introduced a business-tier offering for agricultural retailers, crop advisors, non-governmental organizations, drone service providers and other industry stakeholders seeking broader pathogen intelligence across production regions. The company positions the network as a complementary tool to existing weather-based disease forecasting systems by providing direct biological measurements rather than relying solely on environmental conditions. The commercial launch marks another step in the growing adoption of artificial intelligence, autonomous sensing and real-time biological monitoring in precision agriculture. As disease forecasting increasingly shifts toward data-driven decision-making, Scanit plans to expand the SporeWarn Network beyond Iowa, extending airborne pathogen monitoring to additional cropping regions in future seasons. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4231/brazils-b4a-unveils-ai-platform-that-predicts-soil-biological-risks-from-routine-fertility-tests.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4231/brazils-b4a-unveils-ai-platform-that-predicts-soil-biological-risks-from-routine-fertility-tests.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:31:06 +0530 Brazilian agri-biotech company B4A (Biome4All) has introduced Biostart, an artificial intelligence-powered platform that predicts biological soil risks using data generated through standard soil fertility analyses. The innovation is designed to help growers and agronomists assess soil biological health without the need for additional sampling or specialized laboratory testing. The platform represents an effort to bridge the gap between conventional soil chemistry assessments and biological diagnostics by extracting deeper insights from data that producers already collect as part of routine agronomic practices. Built on a proprietary database of more than 14,000 soil samples collected across Brazil's diverse agricultural regions, Biostart applies machine learning algorithms to interpret physicochemical soil characteristics and estimate the biological condition of the soil ecosystem. The AI model evaluates ten commonly measured chemical parameters and translates them into seven biological health indicators. Based on these relationships, it predicts the likelihood of 19 biological risks linked to microbial activity, nutrient dynamics and the presence of economically significant soil-borne pathogens. Among the biological challenges assessed by the platform are limitations in biological nitrogen fixation, deficiencies in mycorrhizal activity, reduced nutrient cycling efficiency and elevated risks from pathogens including Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Macrophomina, Ralstonia and Agrobacterium. Analysis of the company's extensive soil database revealed that Fusarium oxysporum was the most frequently predicted biological threat, appearing in more than 40 per cent of evaluated samples. The data also highlighted widespread constraints in phosphorus-solubilizing microbial activity and biological nitrogen fixation—two processes considered essential for improving nutrient-use efficiency and reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. Rather than serving as a replacement for laboratory microbiological testing, Biostart has been developed as a decision-support platform that enables growers to identify areas requiring more detailed biological investigation. By highlighting potential hotspots of biological risk, the system can help optimize diagnostic investments and improve the efficiency of soil health monitoring programmes. The launch reflects the growing emphasis on biological soil intelligence as regenerative agriculture, soil microbiome research and sustainable farming practices gain momentum worldwide. Although chemical soil analyses have long formed the basis of fertility management recommendations, biological diagnostics have remained relatively inaccessible because of their higher costs and dependence on specialized laboratory infrastructure. By integrating artificial intelligence with conventional soil testing, B4A aims to democratize access to biological soil assessments, providing farmers, agronomists and crop advisors with an additional layer of agronomic intelligence to support crop management decisions. The company believes the platform can strengthen biological input programmes, improve disease risk forecasting, enhance nutrient management strategies and guide investments in soil health interventions. Founded in Brazil, B4A (Biome4All) focuses on microbiota diagnostics for agriculture, livestock and environmental applications, combining metagenomics, bioinformatics and data science to convert complex biological information into practical decision-making tools for agricultural production. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4217/fao-launches-cropsuit-app-to-help-farmers-grow-the-right-crops-in-the-right-places.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4217/fao-launches-cropsuit-app-to-help-farmers-grow-the-right-crops-in-the-right-places.html Fri, 03 Jul 2026 16:36:58 +0530 Farmers, extension workers and governments now have a powerful new tool to help identify the crops best suited to specific parcels of land, enabling more efficient use of resources and greater resilience to climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today launched CropSuit, a free web-based application that combines soil information with climate information, topography, land cover and other environmental data to identify the crops most likely to perform well in a given location. By helping farmers plant the best crop for local conditions, CropSuit supports better yields, improved incomes, more efficient fertiliser use and more sustainable land management. The tool comes at a critical time when 1.7 billion people around the world live in areas where land degradation is reducing agricultural productivity. The application was unveiled during FAO’s Global Conference on Smart Farming, which gathered ministers, policy makers, researchers and private-sector representatives from around the world to discuss how digital innovation can improve food production while making agriculture more resilient and sustainable. "Technology does not replace farmers. It gives them better information to make better decisions, at the right time and in the right place. CropSuit is one example of how innovation can turn science into practical support for farmers," said Lifeng Li, Director, FAO Land and Water Division. "The challenge is no longer whether smart farming works. It is whether we can ensure that these tools reach the farmers who need them most,” he added. The CropSuit application is part of FAO’s Soil Mapping for Resilient Agrifood Systems (SoilFER) programme, an initiative funded by Japan and the United States of America that helps countries in Africa and Central America strengthen their soil information systems by combining advanced soil data, geospatial data integration, crop modelling and digital decision-support tools. It builds on the Global Agro-Ecological Zoning (GAEZ) framework developed through collaboration between FAO and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and expands access to information on a wide range of crops, including nutrient-dense, traditional and indigenous species with significant potential to improve food security and nutrition. The CropSuit app further expands the capabilities of the SoilFER Geospatial Platform by providing an intuitive and user-friendly interface  for exploring this open-access data. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4203/sas-taps-ai-to-boost-incomes-and-food-security-for-south-african-micro-farmers.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4203/sas-taps-ai-to-boost-incomes-and-food-security-for-south-african-micro-farmers.html Wed, 01 Jul 2026 11:28:27 +0530 Global analytics and artificial intelligence company SAS is leveraging data science to support South Africa's micro-farmers, demonstrating how advanced analytics can improve agricultural decision-making, strengthen local food systems and create new economic opportunities for some of the world's most underserved farming communities. Through a collaborative initiative with dataDecisions.ai and The Dream, SAS analyzed seasonal crop performance, growth cycles and market pricing data from micro-farms situated near South Africa's Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region is home to thousands of small-scale producers who cultivate crops on modest plots adjacent to homes and informal settlements, often with limited access to technology, financing and formal markets. The project employed advanced analytics to identify which crops offered the strongest potential returns, the most suitable planting periods and the optimal production volumes under highly constrained conditions. The assessment evaluated crop performance across multiple growing seasons, incorporating factors such as yield variability, maturation timelines and prevailing market prices. By translating complex datasets into practical recommendations, the initiative aims to reduce uncertainty for micro-farmers, enabling them to allocate scarce resources such as water, labor and inputs more efficiently. Importantly, the approach delivers actionable insights without relying on expensive digital infrastructure or sophisticated on-farm technologies that are often beyond the reach of smallholders. The initiative also underscores the critical role of micro-farming in supporting household nutrition and community food security. Unlike large-scale commercial agriculture, these small farms often serve as a direct source of sustenance and income for vulnerable communities, making improvements in productivity and profitability particularly consequential. The findings provide a pathway for micro-farmers to transition from informal subsistence production toward more predictable income streams and greater participation in local markets. By improving access to data-driven decision-making, the project seeks to empower small producers as indispensable contributors to regional food systems and economic development. As climate variability, resource constraints and food security challenges intensify globally, the initiative highlights the growing potential of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to deliver meaningful impact in agriculture, particularly for smallholders who have historically been excluded from technological advancements. The project demonstrates that data-driven agriculture is not solely the preserve of large commercial operations. When tailored to local realities, analytics can become a powerful tool for improving livelihoods, enhancing resilience and strengthening food systems from the ground up. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4191/intelligent-distillery-how-ai-is-rewiring-economics-of-bioenergy.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4191/intelligent-distillery-how-ai-is-rewiring-economics-of-bioenergy.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:48:42 +0530 In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Anand Mahurkar, Founder & CEO of Findability Sciences, argues that artificial intelligence is emerging as the hidden engine of modern bioenergy systems, transforming everything from feedstock management and fermentation efficiency to energy optimisation and ESG compliance. He contends that the greatest losses in bioenergy plants arise from small, recurring inefficiencies that conventional systems fail to detect, but which AI can identify and address in real time. As India accelerates beyond its E20 ethanol blending target and looks toward higher ambitions, AI-powered process intelligence is becoming a critical competitive advantage for sugar mills and distilleries. Looking ahead, Mahurkar envisions AI-enabled bioenergy facilities evolving into intelligent, self-learning energy nodes that enhance grid resilience while delivering stronger economic and environmental outcomes. How is AI changing the economics and performance architecture of modern bioenergy systems? The economics of a bioenergy plant are not lost in one big failure. They bleed out through small, recurring inefficiencies, inconsistent fermentation, excess steam use, suboptimal feedstock allocation, equipment that degrades quietly. Conventional systems show you what is happening. AI tells you why, and what to do before the loss compounds. What makes this urgent is the scale of what is at stake. India crossed the E20 blending milestone in November 2025 ahead of target, and the conversation has already moved to E22. That ambition requires every distillery and sugar mill to perform at its best. At Findability Sciences, we believe the next competitive edge is not just in how much ethanol a plant produces, but in how intelligently it produces it. The margins in bioenergy are not lost in one big failure — they bleed out quietly, every shift. AI makes that bleeding visible before it becomes a crisis. What inefficiencies inside bioenergy plants can AI identify and optimise better than conventional systems? The biggest losses are the invisible ones, not alarms going off, but margins leaking out every hour. Take an integrated sugar-distillery operation. The decision on how to split output between sugar, ethanol, and power export is often made quarterly, when the data is telling you something new every shift. That is a data problem, not a capital problem. What AI does is unify the information that already exists, SCADA, lab results, maintenance logs, feedstock quality — and make it actionable in real time. On a 10,000 TCD mill, even half a percentage point of additional sugar recovery translates to tens of crores over a season. The data has always been there. What was missing was the intelligence layer connecting it. The data already exists in the plant. It just isn’t unified, and it isn’t used to decide. That’s the gap AI closes. Is bioenergy underestimated as a sector compared to solar, wind, and green hydrogen? Honestly, yes. Bioenergy doesn’t photograph as dramatically as a wind turbine or a solar array, so it tends to get less attention in the clean energy conversation. But it is already the largest source of renewable energy globally, accounting for more than 50% of all renewable energy use in 2023. In India, it is expected to grow up to 45 per cent between 2023 and 2030. What makes bioenergy different, and more relevant to India, is that it sits at the intersection of energy, agriculture, rural livelihoods, and industrial productivity. When we work with sugar mills or distilleries, we are not just optimising energy output. We are improving the economic health of entire farming communities connected to that plant. Bioenergy doesn’t photograph as well as a solar farm. But it’s the only renewable that also feeds a farmer, runs a mill, and powers a village — all from the same crop. How difficult is it to integrate intelligent systems into legacy industrial infrastructure? It is challenging, but the challenge is rarely technical. Most plants have PLCs, SCADA systems, ERP platforms, lab systems, and manual records all running in parallel with very little talking to each other. The answer is not to rip and replace. The answer is to build an intelligence layer that sits above all of it and makes sense of the data collectively. The harder challenge is trust. An operator who has run a fermentation process for 15 years is not going to act on a recommendation from a machine unless he understands why that recommendation was made. At Findability Sciences, we design specifically for that. AI should augment what the operator already knows ,not override it. When that relationship works, adoption happens naturally. An operator with 15 years on the fermentation floor knows things no algorithm does — yet. Our job is to make AI earn that operator’s trust, not bypass it. Could process intelligence become the hidden competitive advantage in industrial decarbonisation? I think it already is - for the companies paying attention. Decarbonisation is not only about switching energy sources. It is also about using less energy, wasting fewer inputs, and recovering more from what you already have. The IEA calls energy efficiency the “first fuel” of the clean energy transition, and for industrial sectors, process intelligence is how you actually implement that idea. McKinsey’s research found that energy companies with advanced AI capabilities achieve total shareholder returns up to 2x their peers. In agro-industrial terms, that gap will show up not just in profitability but in ESG credibility, which is increasingly what large offtakers and lenders are asking for. Decarbonisation is not just about switching fuels. It’s about wasting less of what you already have. Process intelligence is where that actually happens. How critical is machine learning in managing variable bioenergy feedstocks? It is fundamental. Sugarcane is not a consistent raw material. Moisture content, sucrose levels, trash load, and how long the cane sat before crushing, all of it affects fermentation and yield. A plant running grain-based ethanol faces its own version of this with maize or broken rice quality variations across procurement cycles. Machine learning helps you get ahead of that variability instead of reacting to it. Our Super 50 AI Farmers programme in Jalna, Maharashtra is built on exactly this, giving real-time advisory to farmers on crop conditions, which feeds back into better feedstock quality for the mill. Better farm intelligence leads to better plant performance. That circular benefit is what makes AI genuinely transformative in this sector, not just useful. Sugarcane is never the same crop twice. The mill that can read that variability in real time — and adjust before the fermentation tank tells you something went wrong — is the mill that wins the season. Are companies beginning to see AI-enabled energy optimisation as a compliance necessity? That shift is happening faster than most people realise. A year ago, energy efficiency was primarily an operations conversation. Today, it is a board-level one. ESG scrutiny from investors, carbon accounting requirements from export partners, and sustainability disclosures tied to green financing, all of these require plant-level data that most companies currently don’t have in an auditable form. AI doesn’t just optimise the process, it creates a continuous, verifiable data record of how efficiently and responsibly a plant is operating. That is increasingly non-negotiable for companies wanting access to institutional capital or serving buyers with sustainability mandates. Optimisation used to be a productivity lever. It is now a licence to operate. AI-enabled optimisation used to be a productivity conversation. Today it’s a licence-to-operate conversation. That shift happened faster than the industry expected. Where does AI-powered bioenergy fit into future smart and resilient energy grids? Unlike solar or wind, bioenergy is dispatchable, you can manage it. A sugar mill with a co-generation unit, a distillery, and biomass residue is essentially a local energy node. With AI, that node can become intelligent: forecasting feedstock availability, optimising how it balances sugar versus ethanol versus power export on any given day, and responding to grid demand signals in real time. India has 499 distilleries with a combined annual capacity of 1,822 crore litres as of mid-2025. If even a fraction of those plants become AI-optimised energy nodes, the contribution to grid stability in agricultural belts becomes genuinely significant , not just as energy producers, but as intelligent, responsive infrastructure. A sugar mill with co-gen and a distillery is already a local energy hub. Add AI, and it becomes an intelligent grid node that responds, adapts, and optimises in real time. That’s the future we’re building towards. Does the long-term value of AI lie in automation alone, or in predictive, self-learning infrastructure? Automation is table stakes. Any plant can automate a routine task. The real value is in a system that learns , that gets sharper as it processes more seasons, more feedstock variations, more production cycles. That is the infrastructure we are building at Findability Sciences: not a fixed automation layer, but a self-improving intelligence that becomes more valuable the longer it runs. For sectors like sugar, ethanol, and dairy, which operate at the intersection of biological variability and industrial precision, that capability is not a future concept. It is the difference between a plant that performs consistently and one that leaves margin on the table every single season. Automation solves for today. Self-learning AI solves for every season that follows. That’s the difference between a tool and an asset. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4189/flagship-pioneering-launches-terion-to-build-digital-infrastructure-for-future-of-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4189/flagship-pioneering-launches-terion-to-build-digital-infrastructure-for-future-of-agriculture.html Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:25:55 +0530 ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4153/operating-in-india-has-been-most-rigorous-real-world-stress-test-for-the-system-vinay-nair-ceo-founder-khetibuddy.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/interviews/26/4153/operating-in-india-has-been-most-rigorous-real-world-stress-test-for-the-system-vinay-nair-ceo-founder-khetibuddy.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:34:39 +0530 In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview with Vinay Nair, CEO & Founder of KhetiBuddy, the discussion outlined the company’s global expansion strategy, beginning in India and North America and now extending to Europe as a natural next step driven by ecosystem readiness and structural opportunity. He emphasised that while India helped build a highly scalable, variability-driven platform for fragmented agricultural systems, Europe presents a contrasting challenge where digitisation already exists but lacks integration across farm, supply chain, and sustainability ecosystems. The interview highlighted KhetiBuddy’s differentiated approach of a standardised core platform with configurable localisation, enabling seamless adaptability across markets without compromising scalability or performance. What structural gaps or opportunities in European agriculture made it the right next market for KhetiBuddy, and how does that differ from the Indian smallholder context you started with?  Europe is not our first international market—it is the next logical step after our expansion into North America through Canada. Our global strategy has always been driven by ecosystem readiness and the ability to solve structural agricultural challenges, not just geographic scale. We began in India, one of the most complex agri ecosystems in the world, with fragmented landholdings, inconsistent data, and limited supply chain visibility. This forced us to build a highly scalable platform designed to operate in environments defined by variability and fragmentation, focusing on integration across farmers, input providers, financiers, and supply chains. Europe presents a different challenge. Agriculture there is already digitised, but systems remain fragmented. Farm data, supply chains, and sustainability frameworks exist independently without meaningful integration. Our focus in Europe is not digitisation, but integration—connecting existing systems to enable interoperability, unified visibility, and measurable outcomes across farm operations, compliance, and sustainability. European agriculture is highly regulated and technologically advanced. How do you adapt your model without losing the scalability that defines your operations in India?  Most agritech platforms struggle to scale globally because they are built around localised assumptions—specific crop patterns, regulatory environments, or market structures—that get embedded into the core architecture. As a result, when they enter new geographies, they often require significant re-engineering or complete redesign. Our approach is fundamentally different. We have deliberately built a standardised core platform that is consistent across markets. The underlying architecture—data models, workflows, and integration layers—remains uniform regardless of geography. What changes is not the core system, but the configuration layer on top of it. This configuration layer allows us to adapt key variables such as agronomic practices, regulatory and compliance frameworks, language interfaces, and operational workflows to suit each market. In other words, we separate the stable technology backbone from market-specific intelligence. Owing to this design, expansion from India to Europe is not a rebuild exercise. It is a controlled localisation process built on top of an already scalable foundation. This significantly reduces deployment complexity while ensuring consistency in platform performance. In fact, when architecture is designed correctly, localisation becomes a strength rather than a constraint. It enhances scalability by allowing the same core system to operate effectively across diverse agricultural ecosystems without losing adaptability or relevance. By entering Europe through a local partner, are you prioritising speed over control, and how do you mitigate risks around brand, data ownership, and execution quality?  In agriculture, entering a new market without a deep local context is one of the quickest paths to failure. The sector is shaped by regional agronomy, fragmented supply chains, entrenched relationships, and regulatory nuances that cannot be understood remotely or replicated through a purely technology-led approach. That is why our partnership-first model is intentional. We are not exchanging control for speed; we are replacing assumptions with on-ground insight. Instead of trying to own every layer of the ecosystem ourselves, we focus on bringing a robust platform while our partners contribute critical local strengths—trust networks, farmer relationships, market access, and execution capability. In this model, roles are clearly defined. We provide the technology backbone that standardizes data, workflows, and decision-making across markets. Our partners ensure contextual relevance by embedding the platform into existing rural and agricultural ecosystems, where relationships and credibility are essential for adoption. From a risk and governance perspective, the structure is deliberately balanced. Data ownership remains fully with the client, ensuring transparency and control at the source. Platform governance is centralized to maintain consistency, security, and scalability across geographies. At the same time, execution is standardized through our system, ensuring that processes, outputs, and performance benchmarks remain uniform. This means control is not diluted—it is restructured. Instead of being concentrated in one layer, it is distributed across ownership, governance, and execution in a way that preserves accountability while enabling scale and local relevance simultaneously. How do the economics of your services translate in a higher-cost market like Europe—does profitability improve with scale, or does it depend on premium positioning? The economics in Europe are fundamentally stronger, but that strength only translates if you are addressing the right set of problems. The nature of value creation in agriculture differs significantly between emerging and developed markets, and the monetisation model must reflect that shift. In India, agritech economics is largely volume-driven. Value is created by reaching scale across a large base of farmers, where services are often priced for affordability and adoption. The emphasis is on breadth—serving millions of farmers through low-cost, high-frequency transactions. In Europe, the structure is fundamentally different. The market is value-driven rather than volume-driven. Agribusinesses, cooperatives, and supply chain participants are not primarily investing in advisory services alone—they are investing in compliance, traceability, carbon accounting, and verifiable sustainability outcomes. These are not optional services; they are becoming mandatory requirements driven by regulation, ESG commitments, and global supply chain standards. This shifts the entire business model. Instead of cost-based pricing tied to service delivery, the opportunity moves toward outcome-based pricing, where value is linked to measurable impact—such as emissions reduction, audit readiness, supply chain transparency, or sustainability certification. In this context, scale still matters, but it plays a different role. Scale improves operating leverage and margin efficiency, but it is premium positioning and outcome credibility that determine success in the market. The ability to deliver verified, auditable, and integrated sustainability outcomes becomes the core value proposition, not just the ability to provide digital services at scale. To what extent are your agritech solutions—developed for Indian conditions—transferable to European farms with different crop systems, climate patterns, and mechanisation levels?  Our agritech solutions were not designed specifically for India—they were designed for variability. That distinction is critical when assessing their transferability to markets like Europe. The platform is fundamentally data-centric rather than crop-centric. This means it is not hardwired to any single agricultural system, crop type, or agronomic condition. Instead, it is built to process diverse data inputs and generate outcomes through configurable logic layers. As a result, adapting the system to a new geography does not require rebuilding the technology stack—it requires adjusting the underlying parameters, agronomic models, and regulatory rules that sit on top of it. In that sense, Europe is not a redevelopment challenge; it is a reconfiguration exercise. The core platform remains unchanged, while inputs such as crop calendars, mechanisation practices, compliance frameworks, and sustainability standards are localised to match regional conditions. In fact, operating in India has been the most rigorous real-world stress test for the system. We have already built and deployed across extreme variability—multiple crops, diverse climatic zones, fragmented landholdings, and inconsistent infrastructure. This forced us to design for complexity from day one. Compared to that, Europe is structurally more standardised. Farming systems are more uniform, data quality is higher, and mechanisation is more consistent. Paradoxically, this makes deployment simpler, not harder, because the range of variability we need to account for is narrower and more predictable. Europe’s stringent agricultural and environmental regulations can be a hurdle—do you see them as a constraint, or as a long-term competitive moat once you’re established?  In the short term, regulatory frameworks in Europe can feel restrictive, as they add layers of compliance, reporting, and validation that increase implementation complexity and time-to-market. However, over the long term, this same regulatory rigour acts as a powerful market filter that eliminates weak or non-compliant players and rewards only those with robust, transparent, and scalable systems. We view Europe’s regulatory environment not as a constraint, but as a structural moat in the making. Regulations around carbon accounting, traceability, food safety, and sustainability reporting are becoming deeply embedded into how the agri-ecosystem operates. These are not temporary requirements—they are evolving into permanent infrastructure for how agricultural value chains are governed and evaluated. Once a platform is fully aligned with these frameworks, its role shifts significantly. It is no longer just an external service provider; it becomes embedded within the compliance and reporting architecture of the ecosystem itself. Whether it is carbon measurement, supply chain traceability, or sustainability disclosures, the platform becomes a trusted layer through which data is generated, validated, and reported. This creates a much stronger form of defensibility. Instead of competing on features or pricing alone, the value shifts to system integration and regulatory alignment. At that point, switching costs increase significantly, and the platform becomes difficult to replace without disrupting compliance workflows and reporting continuity. In this sense, regulation does not just shape the market—it defines the entry barrier and ultimately determines who becomes structurally embedded in the ecosystem versus who remains peripheral. Unlike India, Europe already has a dense ecosystem of agritech players—what is the core differentiation that allows you to compete against well-funded incumbents?  Yes, Europe already has a large and mature agritech ecosystem, with many companies addressing specific parts of the agricultural value chain. However, most of these solutions are built to solve narrow, well-defined problems in isolation—farm management, traceability, precision agriculture, or sustainability reporting as separate use cases. The limitation is not the absence of technology; it is the fragmentation of it. Different systems operate independently, creating data silos across farm operations, supply chains, compliance frameworks, and sustainability reporting. As a result, agribusinesses often end up managing multiple platforms that do not communicate effectively with each other. Our approach is focused on solving this structural gap. Instead of competing as another point solution, we are building the connective layer that brings these fragmented systems together into a unified data backbone for agribusinesses. The objective is to enable interoperability across existing platforms rather than replace them. This means we sit above individual tools and systems, integrating data flows across farm operations, traceability systems, sustainability frameworks, and regulatory reporting structures. In doing so, we enable a single, consistent view of agricultural activity across the entire value chain. That is the fundamental distinction. We are not positioning ourselves as another standalone application in an already crowded landscape. We are building the underlying layer that allows all these systems to function together coherently, turning fragmented data into a connected, usable, and decision-ready ecosystem. As you expand internationally, how do you balance global growth ambitions with your original mission of supporting farmers at the grassroots level—does scale risk diluting impact?  Our mission has not changed in its intent—it has evolved in its scope and the level at which we intervene. We began at the farm level because that is where the challenges in agriculture are most immediate and visible—uncertain incomes, fragmented inputs, limited market access, and lack of reliable advisory. Working directly with farmers allowed us to understand ground realities in depth and build solutions rooted in real constraints rather than assumptions. However, over time, it became clear that sustainable, large-scale impact cannot be achieved by addressing farms in isolation. Agriculture is a systems-driven sector, where outcomes at the farm level are heavily influenced by decisions made upstream and downstream—by agribusinesses, supply chains, financial institutions, and policy frameworks. Owing to this, the real leverage lies not in optimising individual farms one by one, but in enabling the platforms and institutions that collectively influence thousands or even millions of farms at once. This includes improving how agribusinesses manage sourcing and distribution, how supply chains ensure traceability and efficiency, and how policymakers design and monitor agricultural interventions. This shift does not represent a departure from impact—it represents an evolution in how impact is created. Instead of limiting ourselves to direct, localised interventions, we are scaling our influence through system-level enablers that multiply outcomes across the ecosystem. In that sense, the work becomes more structural and far-reaching. We are not moving away from farmers or impact at the ground level; we are extending that impact by shaping the systems that determine farmer outcomes at scale. -- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4133/syngenta-unveils-proprietary-atlas-robot-to-accelerate-product-innovation-and-tank-mix-testing.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4133/syngenta-unveils-proprietary-atlas-robot-to-accelerate-product-innovation-and-tank-mix-testing.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:02:09 +0530 In a move that underscores the growing role of automation and advanced analytics in agricultural research and development, Syngenta has introduced ATLAS (Application Technology Laboratory Automation System), a proprietary robotics platform designed to transform how crop protection products are tested before reaching the market. Developed and refined in-house, ATLAS represents a significant advancement in tank-mix compatibility testing, enabling Syngenta to accelerate product development, improve testing accuracy and provide more reliable application recommendations to customers. The company describes the platform as a first-of-its-kind automated system capable of conducting highly standardized evaluations while replicating real-world spray conditions. Bringing Automation to Product Development Tank-mix compatibility remains one of the most critical aspects of crop protection product performance. Farmers and applicators routinely combine multiple products, adjuvants and fertilizers in a single spray application, making compatibility testing essential to prevent issues such as sedimentation, nozzle blockage or uneven product distribution. Traditionally, these evaluations have relied heavily on manual testing methods that can be time-consuming and subject to human variability. ATLAS seeks to address those limitations through automation. According to Syngenta, the robotic system can process between 500 and 600 tank-mix combinations every month, a workload that would require up to six months to complete through conventional manual testing procedures. The platform manages the entire testing workflow, from sample preparation and mixture imaging to comprehensive analysis and evaluation. By removing subjective assessments from the process, the company says ATLAS generates more consistent, repeatable and data-driven results that can support product development, stewardship programmes and technical recommendations. Enhancing Confidence in Application Decisions "ATLAS is another example of how Syngenta is truly innovating through all parts of our R&D process, including application technology," said Stephanie Schwenke, Turf Market Manager at Syngenta. "By automating and standardizing tank-mix evaluations, we can generate meaningful insights faster, reduce subjectivity and provide greater confidence for our customers’ application decisions." The system's ability to rapidly evaluate hundreds of product combinations is expected to help researchers identify compatibility challenges earlier in the development cycle, potentially accelerating the introduction of new products while strengthening performance validation. Supporting Customers Beyond Product Launch Beyond pre-commercialization testing, Syngenta says ATLAS is playing an increasingly important role in technical support and troubleshooting. When customers encounter tank-mix issues that prove difficult to reproduce in traditional laboratory settings, the platform can recreate field-specific conditions using customer-provided water samples, adjuvants or other application inputs. This capability allows researchers to investigate issues such as sedimentation, mixing order complications, nozzle plugging and spray-tank instability under controlled conditions. The system also contributes to the development of a growing historical database of compatibility data, enabling faster diagnosis of recurring issues and supporting more precise technical recommendations. By combining automation with real-world application scenarios, Syngenta aims to shorten response times and improve problem-solving capabilities for growers and professional applicators. Part of a Broader Innovation Strategy The launch of ATLAS reflects a broader trend across agriculture toward integrating robotics, automation and data science into research and product development processes. "The ATLAS system is part of the broader Syngenta innovation ecosystem focused on integrating research, technology and real-world insights to support our customers across markets," said Mark Coffelt, Ph.D., Head of Technical Services for Syngenta Professional Solutions in North America. "It reinforces the Syngenta commitment to delivering science-backed solutions that help customers work more efficiently." As agricultural production becomes increasingly complex and precision-focused, technologies such as ATLAS could play a growing role in helping companies validate product performance, improve application reliability and reduce uncertainty for end users. For Syngenta, the robot represents more than a laboratory automation tool—it signals the company's continuing investment in digital and robotic technologies designed to bring greater precision, speed and consistency to agricultural innovation. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4132/bayer-launches-ougude-in-china-bringing-next-generation-seed-treatment-technology-to-corn-growers.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4132/bayer-launches-ougude-in-china-bringing-next-generation-seed-treatment-technology-to-corn-growers.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 15:53:33 +0530 Developed over seven years and validated through more than 200 field trials, Bayer’s new seed treatment combines dual-active disease protection with nano-formulation technology to boost emergence, resilience and yield potential Bayer Crop Science China has introduced Ougude, a next-generation seed treatment product designed to strengthen disease protection and crop establishment in corn production, marking a significant milestone in the company’s SeedGrowth strategy in China. The launch follows seven years of research, development and validation across more than 200 field trials conducted in major corn-growing regions throughout the country. Bayer positions Ougude as a broad-spectrum seed treatment solution capable of delivering comprehensive protection against key soil-borne and seed-borne diseases while supporting stronger crop performance from planting through harvest. Built on a combination of the active ingredients ipconazole and metalaxyl-M, and enhanced through Bayer’s proprietary nano-scale formulation technology, Ougude is designed to offer broad-spectrum disease control, systemic and contact activity, high efficacy and crop safety. Robert Puhl, Bayer’s Segment Management Lead for Corn and Seed Growth & Resilience Strategy, said the product reflects years of collaboration across Bayer’s global and regional research networks. “Bringing Ougude to growers in China is the result of close cooperation between our global teams, local experts and trusted partners. Our goal remains helping farmers establish healthy crops and achieve more productive harvests,” he said. Addressing Disease Pressure in China’s Largest Grain Crop Corn remains China’s most widely cultivated grain crop, but it faces disease pressure throughout the growing season. Seedlings are particularly vulnerable to pathogens such as Fusarium, Pythium and Rhizoctonia solani, while later growth stages can be affected by head smut and stalk rot, both of which can significantly reduce productivity. According to Bayer, multi-year field evaluations demonstrated strong performance across diverse growing conditions. Trials showed seedling blight control levels reaching up to 95.5 percent, while emergence rates improved to 94 percent compared with 88 percent in untreated controls. The company also reported improvements in plant vigor, chlorophyll content and biomass accumulation, particularly under challenging conditions such as drought and low temperatures. Long-term multi-location studies indicated average yield gains ranging between 20 and 30 percent in treated corn fields. Dual-Active Protection and Nano-Scale Delivery The technology combines two complementary fungicidal modes of action. Ipconazole, a triazole fungicide, targets major fungal pathogens including Fusarium, Rhizoctonia and smut diseases, while metalaxyl-M provides protection against oomycete pathogens such as Pythium and Phytophthora. Bayer said laboratory evaluations demonstrated exceptionally high biological activity from the ipconazole component, while the use of the highly active R-isomer in metalaxyl-M enables effective disease control at significantly lower application rates than conventional formulations. A distinguishing feature of Ougude is its nano-scale particle formulation. With a particle size of approximately 753 nanometers, Bayer says the product delivers more uniform seed coverage, improved adhesion and enhanced penetration into seed surface structures. The thinner coating layer also improves breathability, helping support germination and early seedling development. The formulation’s efficiency enables application rates of just 20–30 milliliters per 100 kilograms of seed, substantially lower than many conventional seed treatment products used in corn production. Supporting Differentiation in China’s Seed Market The launch comes as China’s seed industry undergoes increasing consolidation and competition. With corn seed inventories remaining high and product differentiation becoming more difficult, seed treatments are emerging as an important value-added component for both seed companies and growers. Industry observers note that seed-applied technologies are increasingly viewed as a practical risk-management tool, particularly during the critical first month after planting, when crop establishment often determines final yield outcomes. By improving emergence consistency, reducing disease losses and strengthening early-season stress tolerance, Bayer believes Ougude can help seed companies enhance product value while providing growers with greater confidence in crop performance. Expanding Beyond Corn Ougude has already secured registration for use in corn and peanut production in China. Bayer plans to expand applications into additional crops, including rice, soybean and garlic, broadening the product’s relevance across multiple production systems and agricultural regions. The launch underscores Bayer’s continued investment in seed treatment innovation and reflects the company’s broader strategy of integrating crop protection, seed technologies and agronomic support to improve productivity and resilience across global farming systems. As Chinese agriculture continues to prioritize yield stability, disease management and input efficiency, Bayer is positioning Ougude as a technology platform capable of delivering value from the moment a seed enters the soil through to harvest. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4126/building-ai-platform-to-help-food-security-2.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4126/building-ai-platform-to-help-food-security-2.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:07:42 +0530 Researchers at the University of Leeds, in collaboration with a team at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency, are developing an AI-driven tool to reduce food waste and enhance global food security Each day, tonnes of nutrient-rich agri-food waste are generated worldwide, including damaged crops that have either rotted in the field or gone unharvested. This waste can be fermented using microorganisms such as yeast to produce upcycled, high-quality sustainable protein, which can be incorporated into conventional food products or used to create meat and dairy alternatives. The process represents a significant opportunity to advance the circular bioeconomy. However, converting agri-food waste into protein through fermentation remains a complex challenge due to the highly variable nature of agricultural waste streams. Designing optimal fermentation and downstream processing systems requires numerous technical decisions, making the process both time-consuming and expensive. As a result, upcycled protein often struggles to compete on cost with conventional protein sources. A global team of researchers, led by the University of Leeds, is now seeking to overcome this challenge through artificial intelligence. The team is developing an AI-powered platform capable of identifying the optimal fermentation conditions required to produce microbial protein at the lowest possible cost. The new tool is expected to provide actionable insights on the selection of yeast strains, fermenter configurations and ideal process parameters, enabling industry players to develop customised proteins more efficiently. By streamlining process design, the platform aims to make microbial protein production cost-competitive with non-upcycled alternatives. Professor Nicholas Watson, Professor of Artificial Intelligence in Food at the School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, said: “To make a meaningful impact on global food security, upcycled protein must move beyond being a niche option and be priced competitively with products already available on supermarket shelves.” He added: “To truly impact global food security, upcycled protein can't just be a niche alternative, it has to compete on price with what is already on the supermarket shelf. We are excited to work with CSIRO and partners across the globe to bridge that gap, launching an AI platform to turn agri-food waste into sustainable protein.” The initiative brings together expertise in artificial intelligence, fermentation science and food systems innovation. Dr. Kai Knoerzer, Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO, said: “Billions of tonnes of nutrient-rich material are currently being lost every year. If we want a more resilient food system, we need tools that make valorisation simple and scalable. Partnering with the University of Leeds, we are combining AI, fermentation science and real case studies to deliver a practical solution that helps industry turn waste into sustainable protein at scale, and we are genuinely looking forward to getting started.” The project is supported by the Bezos Earth Fund, which is backing 15 global initiatives focused on scaling AI-powered solutions to address biodiversity loss, climate change and food insecurity. Dr. Amen Ra Mashariki, Director of AI and Data Strategies at the Bezos Earth Fund, said: “These projects show how AI, when developed responsibly and guided by science and local knowledge, can strengthen environmental action and ensure its overall impact on the planet is positive.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4122/ocealia-backs-cyclair-to-scale-robotic-weeding-signaling-new-push-for-herbicide-alternatives-in-european-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4122/ocealia-backs-cyclair-to-scale-robotic-weeding-signaling-new-push-for-herbicide-alternatives-in-european-agriculture.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:16:56 +0530 French cooperative invests in autonomous field robotics as growers face mounting pressure to reduce chemical inputs while preserving farm profitability French agricultural cooperative group Océalia has taken a strategic minority stake in agri-robotics company Cyclair, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable farming under its Cap 2030 roadmap and accelerating the deployment of autonomous weeding technologies across field crops. The investment reflects a broader shift within European agriculture, where cooperatives and growers are increasingly seeking scalable alternatives to conventional herbicides amid tightening environmental regulations, rising sustainability expectations, and growing demand for precision farming solutions. Founded in Pressac in western France, Cyclair has developed an autonomous mechanical weeding robot designed specifically for large-scale field crop operations. The technology combines computer vision and LIDAR-based navigation, enabling the machine to identify crop rows, distinguish weeds from cultivated plants, and navigate field obstacles without relying on GPS guidance. The system is currently deployed in maize, sunflower and rapeseed cultivation, with future expansion planned into cereals, vegetable crops and higher-value specialty segments. Beyond weed management, the platform also functions as a field intelligence tool, collecting agronomic data such as crop development indicators that can support more informed farm management decisions. For Océalia, the partnership aligns closely with its Sillon Responsable sustainability framework, which positions technological innovation as a key lever for improving environmental performance while maintaining economic viability for farmers. A central focus of the collaboration is ensuring that robotic weeding can compete economically with traditional chemical weed-control programmes. Current herbicide-based interventions typically cost between €35 and €85 per hectare depending on crop and application complexity. Both organisations are working toward achieving comparable operational economics, a critical factor in driving broader adoption beyond early technology adopters. To accelerate commercial deployment, Océalia and Cyclair have jointly submitted a proposal under France’s PRAAM programme, a national initiative designed to support large-scale testing of agricultural innovations and new business models. The proposal includes a performance-guarantee mechanism that shifts a portion of adoption risk away from farmers and toward solution providers, potentially lowering barriers to technology uptake. The partnership is also exploring technical synergies with Océalia’s network of Lely Centers, creating opportunities to leverage existing robotics expertise and establish local maintenance and support infrastructure across the cooperative’s operating regions. The investment underscores a growing recognition that autonomous field robotics could play an increasingly important role in future crop production systems, particularly as growers seek practical pathways to reduce dependence on chemical inputs while improving operational efficiency. As precision agriculture evolves from experimentation to large-scale implementation, collaborations between farmer-owned cooperatives and technology developers are emerging as a critical mechanism for translating innovation into field-level impact. With regulatory scrutiny of agrochemical use intensifying across Europe and labour availability becoming a growing concern in many farming regions, robotic weed management is rapidly moving from a niche innovation toward a mainstream component of sustainable crop production strategies. Source: iGrow News ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4115/from-5-million-farmers-to-one-connected-ecosystem.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4115/from-5-million-farmers-to-one-connected-ecosystem.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:34:32 +0530 Simon Wiebusch explains how Bayer’s FarmRise platform is evolving from a digital advisory tool into a comprehensive agricultural intelligence network As India’s digital agriculture landscape accelerates, Bayer’s FarmRise platform has crossed the milestone of five million registered farmers, raising larger questions about whether agri-tech can move beyond information dissemination to influence real farm-level decision-making. In an exclusive conversation with AgroSpectrum, Simon Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head – Crop Science Division, Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, argues that the future of agriculture lies in a “phygital” ecosystem where AI-powered advisory, market access, risk protection and agronomic intelligence converge to build farmer resilience at scale. He contends that digital tools are not replacing human extension networks but amplifying their reach, particularly in a country where personalised advisory for millions of smallholders remains a formidable challenge. The discussion also explores the evolution of agricultural insurance through Bayer’s Alivio platform, the growing importance of data stewardship, and the role of AI in delivering hyperlocal recommendations without sacrificing agronomic precision. At its core, the interview examines whether integrated digital ecosystems can emerge as the operating infrastructure of Indian agriculture while balancing commercial scalability with the broader imperative of food-system resilience. 1. FarmRise has now crossed 5 million registered farmers in India, yet agricultural decision-making at the farm level remains deeply heterogeneous. How do you reconcile scale with true behavioral depth—are you influencing agronomic decisions, or primarily improving information access ? Reaching five million registered farmers is an important milestone, but scale alone is not a measure of impact. India is not a single farming system—it is thousands of highly localized systems shaped by soil, climate, cropping patterns, labor availability, and market access. The real challenge is maintaining local relevance at scale. FarmRise was therefore designed not just as an information platform, but as a decision-support ecosystem. Farmers are accessing crop-specific advisory, weather intelligence, mandi prices, government schemes, and sustainability guidance across nine-plus Indian languages. More importantly, we are seeing early signals of behavioral change—over 10 million anti-counterfeit scans, increasing uptake of Direct Seeded Rice advisory via Ask Deena, and stronger engagement with market linkage and risk-protection tools. For us, success is not measured by downloads. It is measured by whether farmers can take more confident decisions, manage risk better, and build resilience over time. 2. Bayer describes FarmRise as part of a “phygital ecosystem” combining advisory, insurance, credit, and market access. At what point does this integrated model shift from being a farmer empowerment platform to becoming a vertically integrated agri-services architecture, and how do you ensure neutrality of advice within it ? Indian agriculture has historically operated through fragmented systems, where advisory, finance, inputs, and markets sit in silos. That fragmentation creates inefficiency, especially for smallholders. Our phygital approach is designed to improve coordination and access—not to centralize control. The model itself is partnership-led. FarmRise One for example supports over 500 FPOs and 200,000+ farmers, connecting them with multiple lenders, input partners, and premium buyers. Across the broader ecosystem, we have 60+ value-chain partnerships reaching millions of farmers. Trust remains the most critical currency. If farmers perceive advice as transactional or biased, adoption will not sustain. That is why our approach is anchored in science-based agronomy, strong stewardship, and recommendations that prioritize long-term farm outcomes over short-term transactions. 3. Despite rapid digitization, trust in agriculture is still largely built through human extension systems. What evidence suggests that AI-driven advisory tools and chatbots are genuinely displacing, rather than simply supplementing, traditional extension networks ? I don’t see agriculture evolving into “digital versus human.” Farming is inherently trust-driven, and trust is built through relationships, consistency, and outcomes over time. What AI is enabling is improved accessibility and responsiveness. Our AI chatbot, launched in 2025, has already handled over 25,000 queries, while Ask Deena has engaged more than 25,000 farmers across key rice-growing regions. These tools provide immediate support in local languages, often beyond the reach of traditional extension. However, large agronomic transitions, whether in Direct Seeded Rice, sustainability practices, or climate resilience, still require field-level engagement. Additionally, given the small average landownership and subsequent high number of farmers in India, AI is probably the only viable option to give personalized advise at scale. So, we see AI as an augmentation layer, not a replacement. It democratizes access to agronomic intelligence, while human expertise remains essential for contextualization and sustained behavioral change. Technology amplifies trust; it doesn’t replace it. 4. FarmRise and associated platforms now span advisory, input verification, risk protection through Alivio, and market linkage via FarmRise One. Is there a risk of over-centralizing the farmer’s ecosystem within a single corporate digital spine, and how do you address concerns around data ownership and consent ? Digital agriculture can only be scaled if it is built on transparency, farmer agency, and responsible data governance. Farmers must clearly understand the value exchange. Our intent is not to centralize agriculture into a single digital spine. Indian agriculture is inherently decentralized, and ecosystem driven. What we are addressing is fragmentation, which limits farmer access to advisory, finance, markets, and risk solutions. This ecosystem is collaboration-led—FarmRise One works with 500+ FPOs and multiple partners, while our broader initiatives span 60+ partnerships. Over time, the differentiator will not be who captures the most data, but who uses data responsibly to create measurable farmer value while maintaining trust. Without that trust, no digital platform can scale meaningfully. 5. The anti-counterfeit scanning feature has recorded over 10 million scans. Beyond engagement metrics, what measurable behavioral or economic outcomes have you observed—particularly in terms of input quality assurance, yield improvement, or farmer income stability ? The 10 million-plus scans signal much more than engagement; they reflect a shift in farmer behaviors toward greater awareness and traceability. Counterfeit or substandard inputs directly impact productivity, crop quality, and farmer incomes. By enabling instant verification, we are strengthening confidence in the input ecosystem. We also see improved engagement around responsible use and stewardship. Importantly, the scan feature acts as an entry point into a broader advisory layer—covering agronomy, weather, and market intelligence. In agriculture, outcomes rarely come from a single intervention. They are the result of cumulative improvements, better inputs, better advisory, stronger risk management, and improved market access. The real opportunity is in connecting these layers to improve decision quality across the crop cycle. 6. With AI-powered advisory and multilingual chatbots scaling rapidly, how do you mitigate the risk of algorithmic bias or oversimplified recommendations in highly localized agronomic contexts where micro-variations in soil and climate are decisive ? Agriculture is inherently local, so oversimplification is a real risk if technology is not grounded in agronomy and local validation. That is why we position AI as a decision-support layer, not an autonomous agronomist. Our systems continuously evolve through localized data, crop intelligence, weather inputs, field interactions, and farmer feedback. Equally important, they remain connected to human expertise on the ground. India is one of the most complex agricultural environments globally. Any scalable digital solution must respect that diversity, not standardize over it. The future lies in combining AI, data science, and field intelligence to deliver more precise, context-aware advisory. 7. Alivio introduces a model where agronomic thresholds trigger instant benefits and input redemption. Does this represent a fundamental redefinition of agricultural insurance—from indemnity-based protection to real-time agronomic risk monetization ? Agriculture is becoming more volatile due to climate variability and changing economics. Farmers need risk-management systems that are faster and more closely aligned with real conditions on the ground. Alivio uses high-resolution satellite data and plot-level intelligence to trigger support when agronomic thresholds are breached. Instead of long settlement cycles, farmers receive timely benefits that can be immediately redeemed for seeds and crop protection inputs. The model is already active in crops like onion and corn and will expand further. What we are seeing is a shift from purely indemnity-based insurance to more integrated resilience models—where the focus is on keeping farmers productive despite shocks. 8. Looking ahead, do you see Bayer’s phygital ecosystem evolving into an operating system for Indian agriculture, and if so, how do you balance commercial scalability with the long-term public-good dimension of food system resilience ? Indian agriculture is undergoing a structural shift—driven by digitization, FPO-led aggregation, climate-smart practices, rural financial inclusion, and productivity-focused innovation. Initiatives around Digital Public Infrastructure and value-chain modernization are accelerating this transition. Going forward, digital and phygital platforms will increasingly act as foundational infrastructure layers—connecting advisory, sustainability, markets, traceability, and risk management. Today, Bayer’s ecosystem already spans over 5 million FarmRise users, 60+ partnerships, 500+ FPOs through FarmRise One, and an additional 370+ through SFAC collaborations. Sustainability platforms like DirectAcres and the Good Rice Alliance are also delivering measurable impact on a scale. Importantly, commercial scalability and food-system resilience are not in tension; they are interdependent. When farmers become more productive, profitable, and climate-resilient, the entire system becomes stronger; agriculture becomes more regenerative. Our role is to bring science-led innovation, digital capability, and ecosystem partnerships to support a more resilient, competitive, and future-ready agricultural sector in India. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4112/bernas-accelerates-digital-agriculture-push-as-ai-drones-and-precision-analytics-reshape-malaysias-rice-sector.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4112/bernas-accelerates-digital-agriculture-push-as-ai-drones-and-precision-analytics-reshape-malaysias-rice-sector.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 17:13:10 +0530 As climate volatility, water constraints and rising production costs intensify pressure on padi cultivation, Bernas is expanding smart farming technologies to improve productivity, optimise resource use and strengthen national food security Malaysia’s rice sector is entering a new phase of technological transformation as Bernas expands the deployment of drones, satellite monitoring systems, smart soil sensors and artificial intelligence-driven agronomy platforms in an effort to enhance padi productivity and reinforce the country’s long-term food security architecture. The initiative reflects a broader shift taking place across global agriculture, where the ability to anticipate challenges before they become visible is increasingly emerging as a decisive competitive advantage. In modern farming systems, the difference between a productive harvest and a disappointing season often lies not in the severity of a problem, but in how early it is identified and addressed. For rice cultivation, where margins are often narrow and productivity gains hard-earned, the capacity to detect crop stress, nutrient imbalances, soil degradation or water management issues at an early stage can have significant implications for yields, farm profitability and national food availability. Traditionally, many agronomic challenges have only been identified once visible symptoms begin to appear in the field. By that stage, crop damage is frequently underway, limiting intervention options and increasing the likelihood of yield losses. Precision agriculture technologies are now changing that equation by enabling continuous monitoring of crop and soil conditions with unprecedented accuracy. At the centre of Bernas’ strategy is the growing adoption of multispectral imaging technologies delivered through drones and satellite platforms. These systems provide a detailed view of crop performance, enabling the identification of subtle variations in plant health that are often imperceptible to the human eye. By detecting early indicators of nutrient deficiencies, moisture stress, disease pressure and field variability, farmers are able to undertake corrective action before production losses escalate. Complementing aerial surveillance technologies are advanced soil monitoring systems that provide real-time insights into critical parameters such as nutrient availability, soil fertility status and organic matter content. The resulting data allows fertiliser application and field management decisions to be guided by actual agronomic requirements rather than predetermined schedules or generalised assumptions. The outcome is a more precise allocation of resources, reduced input wastage and improved operational efficiency at the farm level—an increasingly important consideration as production costs continue to rise across agricultural systems worldwide. The urgency of such interventions is underscored by the mounting challenges confronting Malaysia’s rice industry. Climate variability, changing rainfall patterns, water management constraints and escalating input expenses are placing unprecedented pressure on domestic padi production. Recent developments in Kedah, Malaysia’s most important rice-producing region, illustrate the scale of the challenge. Delays in planting activity linked to operational costs and water availability concerns raised questions about potential impacts on the nation’s rice self-sufficiency objectives, highlighting the vulnerability of conventional production systems to environmental and economic disruptions. Although planting activities have since resumed across much of the affected area, the episode reinforced a broader reality: future agricultural resilience will depend not only on expanding cultivation but on producing more efficiently within increasingly constrained resource environments. Against this backdrop, Bernas is positioning technology as a strategic enabler of productivity rather than merely a supplementary tool. Through its SMART Sawah Berskala Besar programme, the organisation is advancing a model of agriculture in which data, predictive intelligence and precision management become integral components of farm decision-making. The transformation extends beyond hardware deployment. Increasingly, digital agriculture is creating opportunities to analyse crop performance trends, evaluate input effectiveness, forecast production outcomes and optimise management strategies using advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence. By integrating agronomic expertise with digital intelligence, Bernas aims to provide farmers with more timely, localised and actionable recommendations, enabling them to respond more effectively to changing field conditions and emerging risks. The significance of this evolution extends beyond Malaysia’s borders. Around the world, food systems are confronting an increasingly complex convergence of challenges, including climate-related disruptions, supply-chain vulnerabilities, resource scarcity and geopolitical uncertainties that have amplified concerns over food security and agricultural sustainability. In such an environment, productivity gains are no longer solely a function of expanding acreage or increasing input application. They increasingly depend on the ability to maximise efficiency, minimise avoidable losses and make informed decisions supported by real-time information. The growing adoption of precision agriculture technologies reflects a recognition that the future of farming will be defined as much by intelligence and data as by land and labour. Farmers who can access predictive insights and manage variability more effectively are likely to be better positioned to navigate uncertainty while maintaining productivity. For Malaysia’s rice sector, the implications are particularly significant. As the country seeks to strengthen domestic food production capabilities while reducing vulnerability to external shocks, investments in digital agriculture offer a pathway toward greater resilience and self-reliance. Bernas’ expanding technology-driven approach signals a broader reimagining of how padi farming can evolve in an era of climatic unpredictability and resource constraints. By combining drone surveillance, satellite imagery, soil intelligence and AI-powered agronomy, the company is contributing to the development of a more adaptive and data-centric agricultural ecosystem. Ultimately, the challenge facing modern agriculture is not simply to produce more food, but to do so with greater precision, efficiency and sustainability. As digital technologies become increasingly embedded in farming systems, the future of food security may depend less on the scale of cultivation and more on the quality of decisions made long before challenges become visible in the field. -- Nur Firdaus Yusof , Head Agronomist at Bernas Farm Management ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4099/fuhua-chemical-unveils-ai-powered-carbon-management-platform-to-accelerate-low-carbon-transformation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4099/fuhua-chemical-unveils-ai-powered-carbon-management-platform-to-accelerate-low-carbon-transformation.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:54:26 +0530 Strategic collaboration with Carbon Newture strengthens digital carbon governance, supply-chain transparency, and sustainability competitiveness across the agrochemical value chain Fuhua Chemical has launched a comprehensive digital carbon management platform developed in partnership with climate technology specialist Carbon Newture, marking a significant step in the company’s transition toward data-driven, intelligent low-carbon operations. The platform was unveiled during the opening of the Shanghai International Carbon Neutrality Expo, underscoring the growing importance of digital sustainability infrastructure in the global chemical and crop protection industries. The launch reflects a broader shift underway across the agrochemical sector as manufacturers face increasing pressure from regulators, customers, and global supply chains to demonstrate measurable progress on emissions management, sustainability performance, and carbon transparency. As one of China’s leading chemical manufacturers with operations spanning mineral resource development, basic chemicals, fine chemicals, and crop protection solutions, Fuhua Chemical has been steadily expanding its sustainability agenda. The company has invested in carbon footprint assessments, clean energy optimisation, circular economy initiatives, industry sustainability standards, and collaborative emission-reduction programmes aimed at strengthening environmental performance across its operations. The newly launched Fuhua Carbon Management Platform is designed to consolidate these efforts within a unified digital framework. Built on Carbon Newture’s proprietary AI-native carbon management architecture, the platform enables real-time carbon accounting, emissions monitoring, supply-chain data integration, compliance reporting, and decision-support analytics. The system supports carbon management across multiple operational levels, including manufacturing facilities, corporate entities, and supply-chain networks. Advanced functionalities such as intelligent data processing, automated carbon accounting, emissions modelling, and optimisation recommendations are expected to improve both operational efficiency and environmental governance. The initiative arrives at a time when carbon transparency is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for participation in global chemical supply chains. Sustainability frameworks such as Together for Sustainability (TfS), alongside procurement requirements from multinational companies, are raising expectations around verified carbon data and structured emissions management systems. For upstream chemical manufacturers, the challenge is particularly complex. Product carbon footprints often extend across multiple stages of production, from raw material extraction and processing to logistics and downstream applications. Managing these interconnected data streams requires sophisticated digital infrastructure capable of delivering accurate, auditable, and scalable carbon intelligence. Alongside the platform launch, Fuhua Chemical also received product carbon footprint verification for several of its key products, further strengthening the company’s sustainability credentials and reinforcing its commitment to internationally recognised environmental standards. The platform is expected to serve as a strategic foundation for Fuhua’s next phase of green growth, enabling the company to move beyond traditional carbon accounting toward integrated low-carbon business management. By linking emissions performance with operational decision-making, customer engagement, and supply-chain collaboration, the company aims to enhance both environmental outcomes and long-term competitiveness. Industry observers view the development as part of a wider digital transformation reshaping sustainability management across the chemical sector. As carbon data increasingly becomes a strategic business asset, companies that can effectively integrate digital technologies with environmental performance management are likely to gain a competitive advantage in global markets. With the launch of the Fuhua Carbon Management Platform, Fuhua Chemical is positioning itself at the intersection of digital innovation and sustainable manufacturing, laying the groundwork for more transparent, efficient, and resilient operations while supporting broader decarbonisation efforts across the agrochemical value chain. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4097/rijk-zwaan-opens-advanced-open-field-research-hub-to-accelerate-next-generation-crop-innovation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4097/rijk-zwaan-opens-advanced-open-field-research-hub-to-accelerate-next-generation-crop-innovation.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:12:39 +0530 New Trial Centre in the Netherlands combines digital phenotyping, practical field research, and global customer engagement to support the future of open-field agriculture Rijk Zwaan has strengthened its global research and breeding capabilities with the official opening of its Trial Centre Open Field in the Netherlands, a state-of-the-art facility designed to advance innovation in open-field vegetable production and support the development of next-generation crop varieties. The new centre represents a strategic investment in applied research, precision breeding, and customer collaboration at a time when open-field agriculture is undergoing profound transformation. Rising mechanisation, evolving disease pressures, changing climatic conditions, and the emergence of new production systems are reshaping grower requirements and creating demand for increasingly specialised crop varieties. Located in one of Europe’s leading horticultural innovation ecosystems, the Trial Centre Open Field will serve as Rijk Zwaan’s principal platform for testing, evaluating, and demonstrating open-field crop varieties to growers, retailers, and value-chain partners from around the world. The facility supports research across 20 open-field crops, including lettuce, brassicas, spinach, and chicory, and integrates advanced technologies with practical field-based experimentation. Among its standout features are a digital phenotyping laboratory, which enables precise data-driven assessment of plant characteristics, and a dedicated darkroom for chicory trials, allowing researchers to evaluate crop performance under highly controlled conditions. Additional trial zones focus on specialised activities such as asparagus breeding and seed production. As agriculture increasingly embraces digital technologies, Rijk Zwaan sees the integration of advanced analytics with traditional breeding expertise as critical to accelerating innovation. “Open-field cultivation is evolving rapidly, and growers face increasingly complex challenges,” said Marco van Leeuwen, Managing Director at Rijk Zwaan. “By combining practical research with data-driven techniques such as digital phenotyping, we can evaluate varieties faster and with greater precision. Together with growers and partners, we translate those insights into varieties that create tangible value in the field.” Beyond research, the facility is designed as a global showcase for the company’s open-field portfolio. Customers and industry stakeholders will have opportunities to explore new varieties, cultivation approaches, and agronomic insights through demonstrations and knowledge-sharing events. The company’s annual autumn demonstration programme, scheduled for September, is expected to become a flagship event at the new site. The opening reflects Rijk Zwaan’s broader strategy of investing in specialised research and demonstration infrastructure that bridges scientific innovation with commercial agriculture. Over recent years, the company has expanded its network of advanced trial centres, including the Trial Centre Hydroponics in Dinteloord, focused on water-based lettuce production systems, and the Trial Centre High Tech in De Lier, which showcases greenhouse-grown cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers under highly controlled conditions. The Trial Centre Open Field has been operational since early May and was formally inaugurated on 11 June in the presence of project partners and company representatives. For Tom Hollemans, Station Manager for Open Field Crops, the opening marks the culmination of years of planning and collaboration. “It is immensely rewarding to see this facility become a reality,” he said. “The project reflects the commitment, expertise, and collaboration of everyone involved, and it provides a strong foundation for future innovation in open-field crop development.” The launch also signals a transition for Rijk Zwaan’s long-standing open-field demonstration site in Fijnaart, which served the company for more than 25 years. The site will now be repurposed for breeding activities and field trials, allowing the company to further strengthen its research pipeline. As global agriculture faces mounting pressures from climate variability, resource constraints, and evolving consumer demands, Rijk Zwaan’s newest investment underscores the growing importance of research-driven breeding programmes. By combining cutting-edge technology, practical agronomy, and close collaboration with growers, the company aims to accelerate the development of resilient, productive, and market-oriented varieties capable of meeting the future needs of open-field agriculture. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4096/rivulis-deepens-digital-irrigation-push-in-europe-through-strategic-alliance-with-spherag.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4096/rivulis-deepens-digital-irrigation-push-in-europe-through-strategic-alliance-with-spherag.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:07:38 +0530 Partnership brings advanced IoT-enabled irrigation automation and fertigation technologies to growers across key European agricultural markets Rivulis EU has announced a strategic Europe-wide agreement with Spherag, the Spanish agri-tech company recognized for its innovative irrigation automation solutions. Through this partnership, Rivulis will strengthen its smart irrigation offering by integrating a new range of digital solutions into its portfolio for key European dealers and agricultural markets. The collaboration expands Rivulis’ portfolio with advanced irrigation automation and fertigation solutions Under the agreement, Spherag products will be accessible through the Rivulis network across Europe. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Zaragoza, Spain, Spherag has experienced rapid growth driven by its decentralized approach to intelligent irrigation management. For Rivulis, partnering with an EU-based technology provider also delivers strategic advantages, including operational proximity, faster support capabilities, and greater flexibility in serving regional markets. A key highlight of the agreement is Atlas X, the most advanced device in Spherag’s IoT range. It is a compact, robust device that is easy to operate and install, and is ideal for scalable deployment. Atlas communicates bidirectionally with the cloud platform, which processes data collected by a wide variety of field sensors. A comprehensive solution that enables remote, real-time monitoring, automation and control of irrigation systems, helping growers to improve water management and operational performance on their farms. “This partnership marks another important milestone in our strategy to drive innovation and digital transformation in irrigation across Europe. By integrating Spherag technologies into the Rivulis portfolio, we will be able to offer our customers even more efficient, user-friendly solutions aligned with the needs of modern, sustainable agriculture,” said Anthony Sèches, Rivulis Europe Technical Director. Jesús Ibáñez, CEO of Spherag, highlighted the importance of the agreement: “Rivulis’ clear vision and firm commitment to technology as a driver of transformation in the agricultural sector make it the ideal partner to accelerate the roll-out and bring our irrigation automation solutions to a wider base of growers in key European markets. Creating real value for the end farmer is at the heart of what Spherag stands for, and we are confident that this partnership will enable us to do so on a larger scale.” With this agreement, Rivulis reinforces its commitment to delivering integrated solutions that support a more efficient, sustainable, and technology-driven future for agriculture. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4084/eu-bets-on-digital-transparency-with-biggest-crop-protection-label-reform-in-decade.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4084/eu-bets-on-digital-transparency-with-biggest-crop-protection-label-reform-in-decade.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:29:47 +0530 New framework combines technology, sustainability and regulatory oversight to modernize agricultural inputs The European Union has unveiled a sweeping overhaul of labeling requirements for crop protection products, setting the stage for a more digital, transparent and sustainability-focused regulatory framework across the agricultural sector. The European Commission has adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/1123, replacing the long-standing Regulation (EU) No. 547/2011. The new rules will begin taking effect from January 1, 2028, with a phased rollout of digital labeling requirements culminating in full implementation by 2030. At the heart of the reform is the introduction of mandatory digital labeling, requiring plant protection products to feature QR codes or equivalent digital links that provide users with free access to updated product information. The move is expected to modernize how farmers, distributors and regulators access critical product data, while allowing manufacturers to update information without relabeling physical packaging. The regulation also strengthens alignment with the EU’s Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) framework, aiming to improve consistency in hazard communication and provide clearer safety guidance for users. Officials say the revised system introduces a more structured, risk-based approach to conveying handling instructions, disposal requirements and risk-mitigation measures. Environmental protection has emerged as a central pillar of the new framework. The regulation introduces a dedicated bee hazard pictogram, standardized disposal instructions, and mandatory sensitization warnings for microorganism-based products. New labeling categories covering treated seeds and environmental safeguards are also intended to improve awareness of ecological risks associated with pesticide use. Beyond safety and sustainability, the reforms seek to support the EU’s broader push toward precision agriculture. Labels will now reference Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles and consider precision application technologies, encouraging more targeted and efficient use of crop protection products. The regulation further tightens oversight of parallel trade products, introducing enhanced identification and traceability requirements designed to combat fraud and strengthen market surveillance across supply chains. Industry stakeholders—including manufacturers, distributors and authorization holders—will now face a multi-year transition period to update compliance systems and labeling practices. Once fully operational, the new regime is expected to fundamentally reshape how crop protection product information is communicated throughout the European agricultural market, blending traditional labeling with real-time digital access to safety, environmental and usage data. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4070/swarm-engineering-raises-10m-series-a-to-transform-operational-decisions-with-ai.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4070/swarm-engineering-raises-10m-series-a-to-transform-operational-decisions-with-ai.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:05:16 +0530 Domain-trained AI agents and optimization algorithms for faster, higher-quality operational decisions in agrifood and manufacturing   SWARM Engineering, the decision intelligence company for agrifood and manufacturing, today announced it has raised $10 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round led by S2G Investments and AgRogue Growth Partners, with participation from Radicle Growth, Grit Road Partners, Middleland Capital, Open Prairie, Serra Ventures, and Trailhead Capital. The funding will accelerate SWARM's mission to transform operational decisions with AI, delivering optimization across supply chain, workforce, and logistics.   Agrifood and manufacturing companies operate in environments where demand shifts daily, supply chains fragment, and margins compress with every delayed or misinformed decision. The urgency is real: Disrupted trade lanes are redrawing supply chains in real time. Input costs, labor, and transportation are simultaneously volatile. Margins that were once manageable are now existential. Operations leaders who once asked, "should we invest in AI" are now asking "how fast can we deploy."  Despite this, most organizations still rely on planning tools built for a slower, more predictable world. Led by Microsoft, Palantir, Google, and UiPath veterans with deep roots in agentic AI, optimization, and industrial operations, SWARM addresses this directly with domain-trained AI agents and optimization algorithms that understand the actual decision logic, constraints, and variables that drive these operations.  SWARM also announced that Jason Trusley, SVP and Chief Strategy Officer at Land O'Lakes, Inc., has joined its Advisory Board, bringing enterprise strategy leadership and deep roots across the U.S. cooperative and agrifood ecosystem.  "In agrifood and manufacturing, every operational decision has a downstream consequence,” said Shail Khiyara, CEO of SWARM Engineering. “Most AI platforms learn your business over time. SWARM is different because it’s built on the ontology of these industries - the decision logic, the constraints, the relationships between variables that can take decades to accumulate. That domain knowledge is native, not acquired, and that's not something generic AI can replicate."   SWARM's operational AI is purpose-built for agrifood and manufacturing, combining intelligent agents and optimization algorithms into a single system that uniquely understands how these industries make decisions. Built on the operational ontology of these industries, it ingests real-time data, preserves institutional knowledge across an organization, and runs scenarios across thousands of variables in minutes.   Customers simulate hundreds of logistics and supply chain scenarios in minutes, compress planning cycles that once took days, and gain cross-functional visibility that legacy planning tools never delivered. Recognized by AgTech Breakthrough as a back-to-back award winner in 2024 and 2025, SWARM is transforming operational decision-making across some of the most complex supply chain and logistics networks in North America.  “We run a complex multi-site manufacturing operation where inventory decisions have real financial consequences. SWARM didn't just improve our planning process, it changed what’s possible. We freed up working capital we didn't know we had and cut planning cycles by 40 per cent. That is what domain-trained AI looks like in a manufacturing environment," said Oscar Bolaños, COO, Springs Window Fashions, a global manufacturer of custom window treatments with more than 9,000 employees and brands including Bali, Graber, and Horizons.   “Most AI platforms are built for generic problems. Agrifood and manufacturing don't have generic problems. Co-leading this round reflects our conviction in the platform SWARM is building and the management team behind it, one with the domain depth and enterprise-grade foundation to become a defining player in how these industries operate," said Mike Wise, Principal at S2G Investments.  "Agrifood has been underserved by technology for decades. SWARM is the first company we have seen that truly understands how operational decisions get made in this industry, at the field level, the facility level, and the network level. Shail brings the kind of operator credibility this industry demands and rarely gets from an AI company. That is why we co-led this round," said Kirk Haney, Managing Partner at Radicle Growth.   The new capital will accelerate SWARM's operational AI roadmap, expanding decision intelligence across new use cases in agrifood and manufacturing. Additionally, it will help to scale go-to-market operations and deepen integrations with leading ERP and supply chain systems to reduce time to value for customers.  ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4060/syngenta-eyes-deeper-market-expansion-as-bangladesh-agriculture-embraces-digital-transformation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4060/syngenta-eyes-deeper-market-expansion-as-bangladesh-agriculture-embraces-digital-transformation.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:14:14 +0530 Company strengthens support for farmers through digital advisory platforms, crop insurance, mechanisation services, and climate-resilient agriculture initiatives Syngenta Bangladesh is expanding its investment in digital agriculture, climate-smart farming, and farmer-centric services as it seeks to strengthen productivity, sustainability, and income opportunities for smallholder farmers across the country. The company reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Bangladesh’s agricultural sector during a recent visit by senior global executives, who highlighted the growing role of digital innovation, mechanisation, and ecosystem-based solutions in addressing the evolving challenges faced by farmers. Bangladesh is emerging as a strategic market within Syngenta’s Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) operations, supported by increasing adoption of modern farming technologies and growing demand for integrated agricultural solutions. According to Alexander Berkovskiy, Regional Director for Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA), agriculture in Bangladesh is undergoing a significant transformation driven by mechanisation, digitalisation, and climate adaptation. As part of this transition, Syngenta continues to expand CENTRIGO, its integrated farmer ecosystem platform designed to address key gaps in agricultural services. The platform connects growers with access to financing, crop insurance, advisory support, market linkages, agricultural inputs, and mechanisation services through both physical and digital channels. The initiative also includes harvester services aimed at improving operational efficiency and reducing labour constraints, while helping farmers access a broader range of agricultural resources through a single ecosystem. Crop insurance remains a key focus area as Syngenta works with insurance providers to improve farmer confidence in risk management solutions. The company believes wider adoption of agricultural insurance will play an increasingly important role in building resilience against climate-related crop losses. Digital innovation is also becoming central to Syngenta’s strategy in Bangladesh. The company is promoting precision agriculture tools and automation technologies that enable farmers to make more informed decisions, optimise input use, and improve productivity while reducing environmental impact. Drone-based agricultural services are being introduced as part of Syngenta’s broader vision of achieving higher yields with lower resource intensity. In parallel, Syngenta is collaborating with public and private sector stakeholders to advance climate-resilient agriculture, particularly in Bangladesh’s salinity-affected coastal regions. The company is supporting the deployment of saline-tolerant crop varieties developed through research partnerships while promoting water-harvesting systems that enable year-round cultivation in vulnerable farming areas. These efforts form part of a wider regenerative agriculture approach focused on improving both productivity and ecosystem health. Bangladesh’s growing importance within Syngenta’s regional operations is further reflected in the company’s local manufacturing investments. Syngenta has established formulation facilities in the country and is evaluating opportunities to leverage Bangladesh as a potential export hub for neighbouring markets. Complementing these efforts, Syngenta has introduced CropWise Grower, a digital agriculture platform designed to provide farmers with real-time decision-support tools. The platform enables growers to diagnose crop health issues through image-based analysis, receive customised agronomic recommendations, access localised weather forecasts, identify optimal spraying windows, and locate nearby Syngenta retail partners. Paul Luxton, Head of Asia at Syngenta, said digital platforms are becoming increasingly important in helping farmers improve productivity while managing risk more effectively. The company’s broader vision for Bangladesh extends beyond technology adoption to include stronger market access, expanded climate-smart farming practices, improved post-harvest infrastructure, and deeper collaboration across the agricultural value chain. Syngenta believes that greater crop diversification, wider digital adoption, stronger farmer partnerships, and supportive long-term agricultural policies will be critical to ensuring future food security and sustainable agricultural growth in Bangladesh. Through initiatives spanning crop insurance, market connectivity, stewardship programmes, and advanced crop protection technologies, the company aims to build a more resilient and productive agricultural ecosystem capable of supporting the country’s growing food and nutrition needs. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4035/uc-riverside-unveils-ai-driven-irrigation-mapping-system-to-combat-water-waste-in-orchards.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4035/uc-riverside-unveils-ai-driven-irrigation-mapping-system-to-combat-water-waste-in-orchards.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:29:07 +0530 New tree-by-tree soil moisture technology combines robotics, sensors, and data analytics to help growers optimize irrigation, conserve water, and improve crop productivity amid mounting drought pressures As water scarcity intensifies across major agricultural regions, researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) have developed an advanced precision irrigation system capable of mapping soil moisture on a tree-by-tree basis, offering growers a powerful new tool to reduce water waste while sustaining productivity. The technology, detailed in the journal Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, represents a significant step forward in precision agriculture by enabling farmers to identify exactly where irrigation is needed across an orchard rather than relying on limited data from a handful of buried moisture sensors. Led by Dr. Elia Scudiero, Associate Professor of Precision Agriculture and Director of UCR’s Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (CAFE), the project addresses one of the most pressing challenges confronting modern agriculture: managing water resources efficiently in an era of prolonged droughts, rising irrigation costs, and increasing groundwater restrictions. “Current soil moisture sensors provide only a very localized view of field conditions,” Scudiero explained. “Growers often have to extrapolate that information across hundreds or even thousands of trees, despite significant variations in soil characteristics within the same orchard.” Those variations can be substantial. Differences in soil texture, clay content, salinity, and drainage patterns often result in neighboring trees experiencing dramatically different moisture conditions, even when irrigation systems distribute water uniformly across the field. To overcome this limitation, the UCR team developed a robotic system capable of traversing orchards while measuring soil electrical conductivity, a property influenced by moisture, salinity, and soil composition. By integrating these conductivity measurements with data from strategically placed soil moisture sensors, researchers created a predictive statistical model capable of estimating water availability throughout the entire orchard. The outcome is a highly detailed moisture map that reveals water distribution at the individual tree level, allowing growers to target irrigation with unprecedented precision. “Using this system, farmers can understand not only how much water is available across their fields, but also where specific trees may be experiencing water stress,” Scudiero said. “That enables more informed irrigation decisions and helps ensure water is applied only where it is truly needed.” The implications extend beyond water conservation. Maintaining optimal soil moisture is critical to tree health and productivity. Insufficient water can weaken crops and increase vulnerability to pests and diseases, while excessive irrigation can deprive roots of oxygen, impairing growth and reducing yields. “There is a balance growers need to achieve,” Scudiero noted. “Too little water creates stress, but too much can be equally damaging.” The technology could also help address mounting economic and environmental pressures facing growers. Across California and other water-stressed agricultural regions, farmers are grappling with tighter groundwater regulations and escalating water costs. Precision irrigation offers a pathway to maintain production while reducing overall water consumption. “If water becomes increasingly scarce, producers are often left with difficult choices,” Scudiero said. “They can reduce cultivated acreage, or they can adopt technologies that allow them to grow the same crops with less water.” Beyond irrigation efficiency, the system may also contribute to improved environmental outcomes. Overwatering can cause fertilizers and nutrients to leach beyond the root zone and contaminate groundwater supplies. By matching irrigation more closely to crop requirements, growers can reduce nutrient losses and improve fertilizer-use efficiency. The project represents the culmination of several years of interdisciplinary collaboration between agricultural scientists and engineers at CAFE. Research began in 2019 with the goal of integrating advanced soil sensing technologies with autonomous field robotics. For Scudiero, the development fulfills a long-held vision. Having spent more than a decade studying soil electrical conductivity and its agricultural applications, he saw autonomous field surveying as the next logical step in transforming how growers manage water resources. The research team has already filed a patent covering aspects of the robotic system, including a novel method that enables interaction with in-field sensors without disrupting their measurements. Initial testing was conducted at the UCR Citrus Research Center and Agricultural Experiment Station. Looking ahead, researchers plan to expand testing beyond university research orchards and evaluate the system under commercial farming conditions. Future development will focus on creating more rugged autonomous platforms capable of operating across diverse crops, terrains, and weather conditions. Industry partnerships are also expected to play a role in bringing the technology to market. The initiative forms part of a broader effort at UCR to advance precision agriculture through the integration of robotics, sensor technologies, and data science. As climate pressures continue to reshape agricultural production, researchers believe such innovations will become increasingly essential for sustaining food production while preserving critical natural resources. For growers facing uncertain water supplies, the promise is straightforward: higher efficiency, lower waste, and greater resilience. As Scudiero succinctly puts it: “More crop per drop.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4033/vietnam-strengthens-inter-agency-push-against-illegal-fishing-with-digital-transparency-drive.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4033/vietnam-strengthens-inter-agency-push-against-illegal-fishing-with-digital-transparency-drive.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:02:06 +0530 New coordination framework, nationwide inspections and integrated reporting systems aim to reinforce compliance efforts ahead of European Commission review Vietnam has intensified its campaign against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by strengthening inter-agency coordination, advancing digital governance and introducing more transparent monitoring mechanisms as the country seeks to reinforce its fisheries compliance framework ahead of future engagements with the European Commission (EC). The renewed effort was underscored during the first meeting of the Inter-agency Working Group on Combating IUU Fishing, chaired by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vo Van Hung, who also serves as Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU Fishing and Head of the newly consolidated working group. Held in Hanoi on June 2, the meeting brought together representatives from multiple ministries and government agencies tasked with implementing urgent measures aimed at improving fisheries governance, strengthening regulatory enforcement and ensuring greater transparency across the sector. A key outcome of the meeting was the formal consolidation of the inter-agency working group, bringing together specialised units from relevant ministries and agencies under a more coordinated operational structure. The move is intended to create a unified system capable of facilitating effective oversight while ensuring that documentation, procedures and compliance records are maintained to international standards. Officials indicated that the strengthened framework is designed to enhance Vietnam’s preparedness for future inspections and assessments by the European Commission, which has closely monitored the country’s efforts to address IUU fishing concerns in recent years. The working group also reached consensus on a set of operating principles intended to improve accountability and efficiency across participating agencies. Under the agreed framework, responsibilities will be clearly assigned, with an emphasis on transparent task allocation, defined institutional roles and streamlined decision-making processes. At the centre of the new approach is the establishment of a more responsive information-sharing mechanism, enabling government agencies to exchange data and coordinate actions more effectively. Authorities believe such integration will help improve policy implementation while ensuring quicker responses to emerging compliance challenges. Participants further endorsed a comprehensive work plan that includes periodic reporting to the National Steering Committee on IUU Fishing and a targeted inspection programme covering all 22 coastal provinces and cities. The inspection strategy is expected to focus on key risk areas while maintaining flexibility to address region-specific challenges within the fisheries sector. Government officials emphasised that inspection teams will be structured to maximise effectiveness while avoiding unnecessary administrative burdens. The streamlined approach aims to ensure that enforcement efforts remain focused on priority compliance issues and deliver measurable outcomes. A significant aspect of the new initiative is the accelerated adoption of digital technologies to support fisheries governance. In his concluding remarks, Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung highlighted the critical role of information technology in strengthening transparency, oversight and administrative efficiency. He instructed the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance, which serves as the standing body of the working group, to urgently operationalise a digital reporting database dedicated to monitoring anti-IUU fishing activities nationwide. The proposed platform is expected to integrate data from ministries, government agencies and local authorities into a unified reporting system capable of generating real-time assessments and performance evaluations. Officials indicated that the system will feature automated scoring mechanisms, transparent data extraction capabilities and enhanced reporting functions designed to improve the accuracy and reliability of compliance monitoring. By creating interoperable databases across institutions, Vietnam aims to reduce information gaps, improve traceability and strengthen evidence-based decision-making within the fisheries sector. The latest measures reflect the government’s broader commitment to modernising fisheries management and aligning domestic practices with international standards governing sustainable marine resource use. Authorities increasingly view digital transformation as a critical component of long-term efforts to combat illegal fishing activities and improve transparency throughout seafood supply chains. As global markets place greater emphasis on sustainability, traceability and responsible sourcing, Vietnam’s fisheries sector faces growing pressure to demonstrate robust compliance mechanisms and effective regulatory oversight. The enhanced inter-agency framework and digital monitoring initiatives are expected to play a central role in addressing these expectations. With nationwide inspections, stronger institutional coordination and data-driven governance now forming key pillars of its anti-IUU strategy, Vietnam is seeking to build a more transparent and accountable fisheries management system—one capable of supporting sustainable sector growth while reinforcing confidence among international trading partners. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4020/rijk-zwaan-partners-with-eternal-ag-to-build-next-generation-of-robot-ready-tomatoes.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/4020/rijk-zwaan-partners-with-eternal-ag-to-build-next-generation-of-robot-ready-tomatoes.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:25:16 +0530 Initiative focuses on breeding characteristics that enable consistent performance in autonomous greenhouse operations Dutch vegetable breeding specialist Rijk Zwaan and agricultural robotics innovator Eternal.ag have launched a collaborative initiative aimed at identifying tomato varieties best suited for robotic crop management, reflecting a growing convergence between plant genetics and automation in the future of protected agriculture. The partnership seeks to explore how tomato breeding can evolve alongside advances in robotics and artificial intelligence, with both companies sharing expertise to better understand which plant characteristics can enable efficient and reliable robotic operations in increasingly automated greenhouse environments. As labor shortages continue to challenge greenhouse production systems worldwide, the industry is intensifying efforts to develop technologies capable of sustaining productivity while reducing dependence on manual labor. While significant progress has been made in robotic harvesting and crop management systems, the biological complexity of crops remains one of the sector’s most persistent barriers to full automation. The collaboration between Rijk Zwaan and Eternal.ag aims to address that challenge by examining whether crop genetics can be intentionally aligned with robotic capabilities. Drawing upon Rijk Zwaan’s extensive global experience in vegetable breeding and Eternal.ag’s expertise in robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous crop operations, the initiative will investigate tomato traits that facilitate machine interaction. Researchers will evaluate plant architectures, fruit positioning, canopy structures, and other biological characteristics that may improve the consistency and efficiency of robotic harvesting and crop maintenance activities. A key area of focus will be identifying plant topologies that enhance fruit accessibility while minimizing operational complexity for robotic systems. By designing crops that are inherently more compatible with automation technologies, the companies aim to reduce the technical constraints that often limit robotic performance in commercial greenhouse settings. The initiative reflects a broader shift within controlled-environment agriculture, where innovation is increasingly moving beyond standalone technologies toward integrated production systems in which crop genetics, automation platforms, and artificial intelligence are developed in tandem. Industry observers note that while greenhouse automation has advanced considerably in recent years, many robotic solutions continue to be adapted to crops originally bred for human labor. The next phase of innovation may therefore involve breeding crops specifically designed to thrive within autonomous production environments. “Robotics will play an important role in the future of automatic greenhouses,” said Michiel Zwaan, Crop Manager for Berries and Tomato at Rijk Zwaan. “That’s why working together is important. This collaboration gives us the chance to try things out in practice.” For Eternal.ag, the partnership represents an opportunity to bridge the traditionally separate disciplines of crop science and robotics engineering. “The collaboration represents a future vision of blending advanced research, technical expertise, and real-world application,” said Renji John, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eternal.ag. “By bridging the gap between robotics and crop genetics, the goal is to improve future crop performance while addressing long-term food production challenges in a future where greenhouse automation is essential.” The collaboration arrives at a pivotal moment for the global greenhouse industry. Rising labor costs, workforce shortages, and growing demand for year-round food production are accelerating investment in autonomous technologies capable of improving operational predictability and scalability. At the same time, advances in artificial intelligence, machine vision, and precision robotics are creating new opportunities to automate tasks that were previously considered too complex for machines. As part of the initiative, Eternal.ag’s Harvester robot will be showcased at Rijk Zwaan’s Trial Center High-Tech (TCHT) facility in De Lier, the Netherlands, during the week commencing June 8, 2026. The demonstration is expected to provide industry stakeholders with a practical glimpse into how future greenhouse systems could integrate advanced robotics with crop varieties specifically optimized for automated production. Beyond tomatoes, the collaboration underscores a broader transformation underway in controlled-environment agriculture, where the future competitiveness of greenhouse operations may increasingly depend on the seamless integration of biology and technology. Rather than asking robots to adapt to crops, the industry is beginning to explore a more fundamental question: how crops themselves can be designed for a world in which machines become an integral part of cultivation. In that context, the partnership between Rijk Zwaan and Eternal.ag represents an early but significant step toward redefining the relationship between plant breeding and agricultural automation. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3972/korea-philippines-partnership-launches-unified-agricultural-data-platform.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3972/korea-philippines-partnership-launches-unified-agricultural-data-platform.html Thu, 28 May 2026 13:13:43 +0530 AbCDE 1.0 pilot advances four-year modernization program to improve efficiency and transparency in farm services The Agriculture-based Central Data Ecosystem (AbCDE) 1.0 has officially entered its pilot phase in the Philippines, marking a major step forward in the country’s digital transformation of agricultural governance through a partnership with the Republic of Korea. Developed under Korea’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) program through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion & Information Service (EPIS), the initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture as part of a four-year modernization project running from 2023 to 2026. AbCDE 1.0 is designed as an integrated digital platform that consolidates, validates, and analyzes beneficiary data across various agricultural programs of the Department of Agriculture. The system aims to streamline more than 200 existing digital initiatives into a unified and interoperable data ecosystem. According to the Department of Agriculture, the platform supports national efforts toward science- and information-driven governance, aligning with broader digitalization goals under the government’s development agenda. Officials noted that the system is expected to enhance efficiency in agricultural service delivery while improving data accuracy for policy planning and implementation. The new platform enables farmers to register and update their information more efficiently while allowing government agencies to reduce duplicate records and ensure that subsidies and interventions reach intended beneficiaries more effectively. AbCDE introduces three core digital services: the Profiling Service, which uses AI-assisted identity verification and facial recognition to improve data accuracy; the Intervention Service, which simplifies agricultural assistance delivery through procurement, voucher, and e-cash mechanisms; and the Analytic Data Service, which provides real-time agricultural data and statistics to support decision-making. The project has already begun rolling out core modules in selected pilot regions starting April 2026, with full implementation targeted within the project timeline. Officials emphasized that AbCDE 1.0 is designed not only as a technological upgrade but also as a governance reform tool that strengthens transparency and accountability in public service delivery. By improving data integrity and system integration, the platform aims to ensure that government support reaches farmers and fisherfolk more quickly, fairly, and efficiently. With its launch, AbCDE 1.0 represents a significant milestone in the Philippines’ ongoing efforts to build a more digital-ready, data-driven, and resilient agricultural sector, supported through international cooperation and innovation-led development. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3962/china-bets-on-open-source-ai-to-solve-agricultures-pest-and-pesticide-crisis.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3962/china-bets-on-open-source-ai-to-solve-agricultures-pest-and-pesticide-crisis.html Wed, 27 May 2026 15:23:58 +0530 New “Green Shield” model integrates regulatory safeguards and crop-specific intelligence to standardise farm advisory systems across major crops China has unveiled its first open-source large language model for crop protection, “Green Shield”, developed by Nanjing Agricultural University in collaboration with the National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and more than 30 industry institutions, marking a significant step toward AI-driven agricultural decision support systems. The model is designed to provide scientifically validated agricultural guidance, particularly in pest management and pesticide usage, addressing rising concerns over pest outbreaks, pesticide resistance, and inconsistent advisory quality in rural farming systems. Specialised Agricultural AI Built on Large-Scale Domain Corpus Green Shield has been trained on a proprietary agricultural dataset comprising over 2.5 billion tokens, drawn from academic research papers, patents, national standards, and field reports. The dataset spans major crops including rice, wheat, soybeans, vegetables, and fruit trees, integrating pest monitoring systems, green control methods, and pesticide registration data. Developers said the model is designed to move beyond general-purpose AI systems by focusing specifically on plant protection science and regulated agricultural inputs. Precision Advisory and Crop Diagnostics Capability According to researchers at Nanjing Agricultural University, the model is capable of identifying crop types, growth stages, and disease symptoms with high precision. It generates integrated crop protection strategies tailored to specific field conditions, aiming to improve early detection and reduce crop losses. The system is also designed to improve consistency in agricultural decision-making by standardising advisory outputs across regions and crop types. Built-in Regulatory Safeguards for Pesticide Safety A key feature of Green Shield is its automated compliance layer, which cross-references China’s national pesticide registration database before generating recommendations. Any pesticide that is banned, unsuitable for a crop, or exceeds dosage limits is automatically flagged and blocked, with the system self-correcting outputs to prevent misuse. Developers said this built-in safeguard is intended to reduce risks associated with incorrect pesticide guidance, a known limitation in general-purpose AI models. Addressing Real-World Agricultural Constraints Project leaders at Nanjing Agricultural University noted that frequent pest outbreaks and pesticide resistance remain major challenges in China’s agricultural system. They highlighted that while general AI models often struggle with plant protection queries, domain-specific training significantly improves accuracy and safety in advisory outputs. Next Phase: Field Testing and Iteration The university confirmed that Green Shield will undergo continued field testing and iterative improvements, with the goal of developing an AI system that is “understandable, usable and effective” for farmers. The long-term objective is to integrate digital intelligence across the agricultural value chain, enabling data-driven crop protection at scale. The launch of Green Shield reflects China’s broader push to integrate artificial intelligence into agricultural biosafety systems, with a focus on reducing chemical misuse, improving productivity, and strengthening real-time decision support for farmers through open-source, domain-specific AI infrastructure. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3956/sustell-and-poultryplan-push-farm-level-data-model-for-emissions-tracking.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3956/sustell-and-poultryplan-push-farm-level-data-model-for-emissions-tracking.html Tue, 26 May 2026 13:56:40 +0530 Partnership targets scalable, consent-based footprinting to meet rising supply chain sustainability demands Sustell has entered into a strategic partnership with PoultryPlan to accelerate the adoption of environmental footprinting in poultry production through simplified, data-driven tools built on primary farm-level inputs. The collaboration is designed to help poultry producers measure, manage, and reduce their environmental impact with greater ease and consistency, while supporting increasingly stringent sustainability requirements across global food supply chains. The joint initiative focuses on enabling scalable and practical footprinting solutions that translate operational farm data into verified environmental performance metrics. The system is intended to support retailers, food companies, and processors that require frequent, accurate emissions reporting as part of broader climate and sustainability commitments. By combining digital farm management capabilities with environmental modelling tools, the partnership allows producers to identify key emission hotspots, particularly in feed usage and resource efficiency, and implement targeted improvement measures. The approach is designed to improve both environmental performance and operational profitability. A core feature of the collaboration is the use of primary farm data for footprint calculations, ensuring that emissions reporting is grounded in real operational inputs rather than broad estimations. Data ownership remains fully with the farmer, with information shared only under explicit consent, reinforcing transparency and control over sensitive operational data. Farmers are expected to benefit from improved visibility into sustainability performance, enabling them to demonstrate measurable progress to downstream partners and potentially unlock value-added opportunities linked to sustainability compliance and reporting standards. According to PoultryPlan leadership, the integration is intended to reduce complexity in farm management by converting existing operational data into actionable sustainability insights without adding administrative burden. Representatives from Sustell noted that environmental footprint reporting has become a structural requirement in modern food supply chains, and scalable digital tools are essential to meeting these expectations efficiently and credibly. The partnership positions both companies within a growing shift toward data-driven agriculture, where environmental performance is increasingly measured, verified, and integrated directly into commercial decision-making across the poultry industry. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3955/trouw-nutrition-targets-egg-industry-emissions-with-integrated-carbon-programme.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3955/trouw-nutrition-targets-egg-industry-emissions-with-integrated-carbon-programme.html Tue, 26 May 2026 13:35:03 +0530 Data-driven platform aims to improve feed efficiency, extend laying cycles, and support sustainable production economics Trouw Nutrition has launched a new Carbon Reduction Programme for Layers, targeting one of the most emissions-intensive segments of animal agriculture with a structured approach to lowering environmental impact while maintaining productivity and economic viability. The initiative is designed to help egg producers measure, manage, and reduce carbon emissions per kilogram of eggs through a combination of precision nutrition, lifecycle management strategies, and digital decision-support systems. The programme addresses mounting pressure on the global egg industry to simultaneously deliver sustainability, animal welfare, efficiency, and affordability. It is positioned as a science-based framework that integrates environmental performance directly into production planning and operational decision-making. At its core, the programme combines nutritional science with digital monitoring tools and long-term flock management strategies. Alongside its Layer Longevity Programme, Trouw Nutrition provides feed optimisation solutions and data-driven modelling tools aimed at extending laying cycles and improving lifetime productivity per hen. Digital platforms such as MyEggPrint and MyFeedPrint are used to establish carbon baselines, identify emission hotspots, and simulate intervention scenarios across feed sourcing, energy use, and flock performance. These tools enable producers to evaluate trade-offs between productivity, profitability, and emissions intensity. According to the company, feed remains the largest contributor to both production cost and carbon emissions in egg production. The programme therefore prioritises precision nutrition strategies designed to improve feed conversion efficiency, enhance egg output, and reduce emissions per unit of production. Key focus areas include improved performance during rearing, stabilised onset of lay, sustained eggshell quality, and extended productive laying cycles. By increasing hen longevity and reducing replacement rates, the programme aims to increase lifetime egg output per bird while lowering overall environmental impact. The initiative also introduces structured implementation support, offering producers tailored roadmaps, key performance indicators, and expert advisory services. These frameworks are intended to support gradual transition strategies aligned with farm-specific operational and financial conditions. Trouw Nutrition stated that the programme is designed not only to reduce emissions but also to unlock commercial opportunities, including access to sustainability-linked financing and retailer-driven sustainability schemes. The Carbon Reduction Programme for Layers is aligned with the company’s broader “Feeding the Future” strategy, which focuses on improving the efficiency and sustainability of global animal protein systems. By combining nutritional innovation with digital measurement and lifecycle optimisation, the programme aims to position carbon efficiency as a core performance metric in modern egg production systems, rather than a standalone sustainability add-on. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3954/amazone-and-cultiwise-link-ai-mapping-with-field-machinery-systems.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3954/amazone-and-cultiwise-link-ai-mapping-with-field-machinery-systems.html Tue, 26 May 2026 13:22:58 +0530 Collaboration focuses on real-time data transfer to improve accuracy in spraying, sowing, and fertilization operations Amazone and CultiWise have entered into a strategic partnership designed to advance the practical adoption of digital, site-specific agriculture. The collaboration focuses on ensuring that digital applications function seamlessly across planning and field execution, delivering immediate operational value in sowing, fertilizing, and crop protection. Under the agreement, CultiWise will provide AI-supported satellite- and drone-based application maps, alongside plant recognition and agronomic decision-support tools. These capabilities are intended to complement Amazone’s machinery portfolio, enabling farmers to execute variable-rate applications with greater precision and efficiency. Both companies will remain independent and continue to develop their respective solutions separately. The partnership is structured to preserve technological openness while improving interoperability, allowing users to benefit from faster innovation cycles and cross-platform compatibility. CultiWise operates a global digital agronomy platform powered by AI models trained on large-scale field data. Its solutions include automated drone flight planning, onboard image processing, and integration with autonomous drone docking systems. These tools are designed to convert raw field data into actionable application maps for real-time farm operations. A key objective of the partnership is the seamless transfer of job and application data into field machinery workflows. Through Amazone’s cloud-based data infrastructure, AmaConnect, digital planning data generated by CultiWise will be directly linked to machine execution and documentation processes. The integration is expected to improve efficiency across key agricultural operations, including sowing, fertilization, and plant protection. Technologies such as AmaSelect, AmaXact, and DirectInject are positioned to benefit from more precise, pre-processed application maps, enabling optimized input usage and improved field performance. Variable-rate application strategies, including maize sowing maps, will also become more accessible through simplified workflows. The integration with AmaTron 4 terminals and the Amatron Share application is intended to reduce operational complexity and improve data transfer between digital systems and machinery. The partnership further strengthens the role of digital agronomy in mainstream farming operations by connecting AI-generated field intelligence with real-time machine execution. Both companies expect the collaboration to accelerate adoption of precision farming practices and enhance sustainability outcomes through reduced input waste and improved resource efficiency. By linking CultiWise’s agronomic intelligence platform with Amazone’s machinery ecosystem, the companies aim to establish a more unified digital farming workflow—where data is not only generated but directly operationalized in the field. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3943/ai-emerges-as-sugars-strategic-moat.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3943/ai-emerges-as-sugars-strategic-moat.html Mon, 25 May 2026 14:21:25 +0530 Speaking exclusively to AgroSpectrum, Guillermo Jose Medina LLarena, Chief Digital Architect (CDA) at Grupo Pantaleon outlines how data-driven mills are unlocking recovery gains, sustainability improvements and long-term operational advantages In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Guillermo Jose Medina LLarena, Chief Digital Architect (CDA) at Grupo Pantaleon, argues that artificial intelligence has rapidly shifted from a digital advantage to a competitive necessity for the global sugar industry. He explains how AI-driven platforms such as the Stoma Suite are helping sugar producers unlock multimillion-dollar operational gains through predictive crop intelligence, mill optimisation and real-time decision-making across the value chain. Medina notes that measurable improvements in sugar recovery, precision irrigation, logistics optimisation and sustainability metrics are fundamentally reshaping how mills manage profitability and climate risk. He further warns that within the next seven years, the industry will likely consolidate around producers that successfully embed AI into core operations, while laggards risk structural decline in an increasingly volatile agricultural economy. Sugar has long operated on thin margins and high volatility. Is AI now a competitive necessity rather than a digital luxury for large producers? It already crossed that line — most producers just haven’t realized it yet. For decades, sugar competed on scale, geography, and political relationships. Those advantages still matter, but they’re no longer sufficient. GLP-1 drugs are structurally reducing sugar consumption. Corn-based ethanol is undercutting margins in biofuels. Climate volatility is making historical yield models unreliable. These aren’t cyclical pressures you can hedge through — they’re permanent shifts in the competitive landscape. What AI changes is the speed at which a producer can detect a problem, understand its root cause, and correct it. A mill running on intuition and weekly reports is operating blind compared to one receiving prescriptive recommendations every four hours based on 100+ process variables. The gap between those two operations will compound every harvest cycle. Within seven years, I believe the global sugar industry will consolidate decisively around producers who mastered this — and those who are still trying to catch up. It won’t be a gradual transition. It will look like a cliff. Stomata Labs claims measurable ROI, including double-digit efficiency gains. What specific operational levers are driving that value creation? The honest answer is that the biggest lever isn’t any single variable — it’s the elimination of the lag between what’s happening in the process and what the decision-maker knows about it. In a traditional mill, by the time an anomaly in juice extraction or boiling crystallization is detected, reported, and acted upon, you’ve already lost hours of recovery. Our Global Recovery Optimizer analyzes the full process continuously and surfaces recommendations to operators in near real-time. In our deployments at Pantaleon’s PSA and Monte Rosa mills, we saw sugar recovery move from 81 per cent to 83 per cent in a single zafra — with statistical significance that removes any doubt about causality (p-value of 1.09×10⁻¹⁸). That half-percentage-point difference, sustained across a full season, is worth millions. On the agronomic side, Stoma Sense combines satellite imagery with proprietary cloud-fill algorithms that give you continuous NDVI monitoring even in tropical cloud cover — which has historically made remote sensing unreliable in precisely the regions where sugar is grown. Knowing actual crop stress at the parcel level, before the cane arrives at the mill, changes the entire harvesting and milling schedule from reactive to planned. Across a 2-million-ton facility, you estimate up to $6.6 million in annual value unlock. How much of that comes from field optimization versus mill performance improvements? We model approximately 60 per cent from mill optimization and 40 per cent from field intelligence — but that framing, while useful for budgeting conversations, obscures the more important point. The $6.6 million figure is conservative and is predicated on the two being connected. Field data that doesn’t inform the mill schedule creates agronomic insights that never become operational decisions. Mill optimization without crop-stage predictive data is reactive by definition. The value unlocks because you close the loop: you know what’s coming before it arrives, and you configure the mill accordingly. The reason we use $6.6 million for a 2-million-ton facility — rather than a larger number — is credibility. We only claim what we can demonstrate with auditable, statistically validated data. Our philosophy is to under-promise on the model and over-deliver on the harvest. The sugar industry is deeply data-fragmented. What was the biggest challenge in integrating agronomic, operational, and commercial datasets into a unified AI-ready system? The honest answer is that the industry spent years trying to solve this — and the challenge wasn’t technical. The technology to integrate these datasets has existed for some time. The challenge was building the right data models: understanding which variables actually drive yield and recovery, which signals are noise, and how agronomic data and industrial process data need to be structured to speak to each other. That took years of working inside real mills, with real operators, through real harvests. There’s no shortcut. You can’t simulate your way to those models in a lab. You learn them by being embedded in the operation — watching what a master boiler knows intuitively and figuring out how to encode that into a system that works even when he’s not on shift. What we built at Pantaleon — which has 175 years of operational history and data — gave us a foundation that others would take a decade to replicate from scratch. That institutional knowledge, now encoded in our models, is arguably as valuable as the software itself. How does embedding predictive intelligence at the crop stage change risk management compared to traditional reactive mill-based optimization? Traditional mill optimization is like reading the news. You find out what happened, you understand why, and you adjust for next time. That’s still valuable — but it’s fundamentally reactive. Predictive crop-stage intelligence is more like having a weather forecast with a confidence interval attached. You know that Block 14 is showing early stress signatures six weeks before harvest. You know that if you delay cutting by eight days, you capture a meaningful tonnage improvement. You know that three sections of cane are maturing simultaneously and will create a mill throughput bottleneck in week seven unless you resequence the harvest plan now. That shift — from reacting to problems to engineering around them before they materialize — changes the risk profile of the entire operation. You’re not just optimizing the mill. You’re optimizing the system. In an industry where a single bad week during peak zafra can wipe out a season’s margin, that’s not a marginal improvement. It’s a structural advantage. In emerging markets where digital maturity varies, how scalable is the Stoma Suite across different geographies and operational complexities? This is where most AgriTech companies fail — and where we’ve deliberately designed differently. The typical enterprise AgriTech approach assumes a level of digital infrastructure, data discipline, and technical staff that simply doesn’t exist in most mills outside of Western Europe and North America. The result is a sophisticated product that requires a sophisticated client to operate it, which limits the addressable market to the top tier of an already-small industry. We built Stoma Suite to deliver value at the operator level, not just the analytics team. The interfaces are mobile-first. The recommendations are expressed in operational language, not data science language. A senior boiler operator doesn’t need to understand the model — he needs to trust the recommendation and act on it. We’ve achieved 70 per cent adoption rates on AI recommendations at our active deployments, which in industrial settings is exceptionally high. That number tells you more about usability than any demo would. On the geographic side — we are already deployed across Mexico, Guatemala, India, and have active pipeline in Brazil and Honduras. Each geography required calibration, but the core models transfer. The data fragmentation problem is universal. The physics of cane processing don’t change by latitude. Beyond efficiency gains, how does AI integration strengthen sustainability metrics — particularly in water use, recovery rates, and carbon footprint? Sustainability in sugar has historically been a compliance conversation. AI makes it an operational one — which is where the real gains live. Recovery rate is the clearest example. Every percentage point of additional sugar recovered from the same quantity of cane is a percentage point less cane you need to grow, irrigate, harvest, and transport to produce the same output. The environmental math is straightforward. Our recovery improvements at Pantaleon translate directly to lower land use intensity per ton of sugar produced. Water is more complex but equally tractable. Stoma Sense’s parcel-level monitoring enables precision irrigation scheduling based on actual crop stress rather than calendar-based rules. In water-scarce regions — which increasingly describes every major sugar-producing geography — that’s both an economic and an existential capability. On carbon, the biggest opportunity isn’t in the mill — it’s in logistics. Harvest sequencing optimization, which our field intelligence enables, reduces the dead mileage and idle time that accounts for a surprisingly large share of cane operations’ fuel consumption. These aren’t soft sustainability claims. They’re measurable, reportable, and increasingly what institutional investors and export buyers require. Looking ahead five years, do you see AI-enabled intelligence becoming a defining moat in global sugar competitiveness? Seven years, not five — but yes, and more definitively than most in the industry are prepared to accept. Here’s the dynamic that people underestimate: AI models get better with data, and data accumulates with deployment. A producer who begins deploying today will have seven harvest cycles of model refinement by the time a competitor decides to start. The models we run today are meaningfully better than the ones we ran two seasons ago, because they’ve learned from two more seasons of real operational decisions and outcomes. That gap is not static — it compounds. What makes this different from previous technology cycles in agriculture is that the moat isn’t hardware or capital — it’s learning. You can buy the same sensors, hire the same data scientists, license the same cloud infrastructure. What you cannot buy is the accumulated harvest-by-harvest calibration of models that have learned what a specific mill, in a specific climate, with a specific variety of cane, does under a thousand different conditions. That takes time. It takes patience. And it takes a willingness to embed deeply in operations rather than sell software from the outside. The producers who treat AI as a long-term operational capability — not a procurement decision — will look back in seven years and understand that this was the moment the industry permanently separated into two groups. We’re helping the right clients make sure they’re in the right group. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3920/fao-releases-upgraded-elocust4-tool-to-strengthen-locust-monitoring-and-response.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3920/fao-releases-upgraded-elocust4-tool-to-strengthen-locust-monitoring-and-response.html Mon, 18 May 2026 12:54:36 +0530 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released the new eLocust4 tool, designed to help national Survey and Control Officers, in locust-affected countries, collect and transmit data from the field to their national locust centres in near real time via satellite eLocust4 is being deployed in 18 locust-affected countries. Each country receives some units consisting of a rugged tablet and a satellite antenna. The distribution covers CLCPRO Member Nations: Algeria, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger and Tunisia; CRC Member Nations: Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen; and SWAC Member Nations: India, Iran and Pakistan. The first eLocust series was introduced in 2000. Like the previous version, eLocust3 released in 2015, eLocust4 is a fully satellite-based field data collection system which enables officers to send critical information directly from remote desert areas, even in the absence of mobile network coverage. The data gathered forms the basis for the global desert locust monitoring and early warning system operated by the Desert Locust Information Service (DLIS) at FAO headquarters in Rome. Training in the use of new system To support swift implementation, FAO has already made available installation and first-user guides for eLocust4, and a tutorial video in English, French and Arabic. Mr Cyril Piou, FAO Locust Forecast Officer, confirmed that survey officers in participating countries will receive training on the use of the new system. Key innovations: connectivity and durability eLocust4 introduces significant improvements in both connectivity and hardware. “eLocust4 uses satellite (Iridium) which works anywhere, even with no mobile coverage, allows sending data in near real-time from the desert where there is no connectivity,” noted Cyril at the launch of the tool. The data transmission is immediate from the field, supporting the early warning system in real time, and goes directly into FAO’s global monitoring system (DLIS). The tool runs on a rugged PN10065 tablet with external satellite antenna completely sealed so that dust and moisture cannot enter, making it ideal for desert locust surveys and control operations in the desert under hot, dusty conditions. Strengthening early warning and response With eLocust4, FAO aims to enhance early warning systems and support faster, more effective responses to desert locust outbreaks. FAO continues to assist Member Nations through capacity building, rapid response measures, and the deployment of innovative technologies to improve locust management. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3910/korea-deepens-farm-tech-exports-as-uzbekistan-partnership-accelerates.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3910/korea-deepens-farm-tech-exports-as-uzbekistan-partnership-accelerates.html Fri, 15 May 2026 12:24:54 +0530 Korean technologies report higher dairy pregnancy rates and significant gains in milk output and rice farming efficiency The Republic of Korea is strengthening its agricultural cooperation with Uzbekistan through a series of new technology transfer initiatives aimed at modernising livestock production, improving crop yields, and accelerating the adoption of precision farming systems across Central Asia. The initiative is led by the Rural Development Administration, which advanced a multi-track partnership covering dairy breeding technologies, rice mechanisation, and livestock reproduction systems during a high-level visit to Uzbekistan. Administrator Lee Seung-don visited Uzbekistan over two days to deepen bilateral agricultural cooperation and expand the deployment of Korean-developed farming technologies through joint projects with Uzbek counterparts. A key milestone of the visit was a field demonstration at Sultan Farm in the Syrdarya region, where Korean embryo exporters and Uzbek partners signed a letter of intent to expand cooperation in the export and import of Korean dairy cattle embryos. The agreement formalises growing interest in Korean livestock genetics, supported by reported performance gains in reproductive efficiency. According to the Rural Development Administration, pregnancy success rates for cattle using Korean dairy embryos reached 50 per cent, compared with 30 per cent for other imported embryos. In addition, dairy cows treated with Korean veterinary medicines recorded an average increase of 2.4 kilograms of milk per day. The delegation also visited Uzbekistan’s Rice Research Institute, where discussions focused on a Korean-supported rice mechanisation programme that has been underway since 2018 in collaboration with local agricultural institutions. Officials reported that the introduction of Korean rice-transplanting machinery has reduced labour requirements by up to 70 per cent while increasing productivity by as much as 52 per cent, underscoring the impact of mechanisation on farm efficiency in labour-intensive systems. During meetings with senior Uzbek agricultural officials, including Jamshidjon Abdujakhurov, Deputy Agriculture Minister, Korea and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in livestock artificial insemination technologies. The agreement outlines joint research initiatives in animal breeding, expanded exchange of agricultural specialists, and streamlined registration procedures for veterinary medicines, reflecting a broader effort to integrate scientific collaboration with regulatory alignment. Additional discussions involved Namazov Shadman Ergashevich, head of the Agricultural Knowledge Innovation Agency, and Mansurov Abdullo Marufovich, director of the Rice Research Institute, focusing on long-term development of high-yield rice systems supported by Korean mechanisation and agronomic expertise. Officials described the cooperation as part of a broader strategy to embed agricultural innovation into Uzbekistan’s national development framework while creating export opportunities for Korean agri-technology firms. “This achievement goes beyond simply transferring technology,” said Lee Seung-don. “It represents a virtuous cycle in which cooperation becomes embedded in local policy and connected to export partnerships.” The latest agreements signal a deepening agricultural partnership between Korea and Uzbekistan, with a shared focus on boosting productivity, strengthening food security, and accelerating the adoption of advanced farming technologies across Central Asia. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3894/koppert-one-expands-with-ai-like-advisory-tool-for-sustainable-farming.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3894/koppert-one-expands-with-ai-like-advisory-tool-for-sustainable-farming.html Thu, 14 May 2026 12:52:41 +0530 Timing expert delivers instant application readiness ratings for growers In a decisive step toward the digital transformation of sustainable agriculture, Koppert Biological Systems has unveiled Timing Expert, a cutting-edge decision-support feature embedded within the Koppert One platform, designed to guide growers toward optimal application timing for beneficial nematodes in outdoor crop systems. At the intersection of biological crop protection and data-driven agronomy, Timing Expert represents a new frontier in precision farming — one where environmental intelligence and microbial science converge to enhance field-level outcomes. The new tool leverages a sophisticated synthesis of Koppert’s long-established biological expertise and real-time meteorological data, including temperature, humidity, solar radiation, rainfall, and wind conditions. By integrating geolocation services and forecast modeling, the system identifies precise application windows for foliar treatments involving entomopathogenic nematodes, widely recognized as powerful natural allies in pest control. In practice, growers are presented with intuitive condition ratings ranging from “Poor” to “Excellent,” enabling immediate, field-ready decisions that reduce uncertainty and improve treatment efficacy. “With Timing Expert, we combine biological expertise with digital intelligence to transform complex data into practical, actionable advice in the field,” said Cyrille Verdun. “It helps growers, consultants, and researchers identify the optimal moment for foliar nematode applications, improving consistency and performance across crops.” Beneficial nematodes — microscopic organisms deployed as natural pest controllers — are highly sensitive to environmental variables, making application timing a decisive factor in their effectiveness. By addressing this critical variable, Timing Expert aims to significantly enhance the reliability and success rate of biological crop protection strategies. The launch underscores Koppert’s broader commitment to democratizing agricultural innovation through accessible digital tools. Available free of charge via the Koppert One app, Timing Expert reflects a growing industry shift toward integrating biological inputs with intelligent decision-support systems that empower growers at every scale. Currently focused on foliar applications, the platform is designed with future expansion in mind, including forthcoming updates that will extend its analytical capabilities to soil-based applications, further broadening its utility across diverse farming systems. As global agriculture faces mounting pressure to increase productivity while reducing chemical dependency and environmental impact, tools like Timing Expert signal a profound evolution in how farming decisions are made — not by intuition alone, but through the seamless fusion of biology, data, and digital precision. In this emerging paradigm, Koppert positions itself not merely as a provider of biological solutions, but as an architect of intelligent ecosystems — where every application is timed with scientific precision, and every decision is guided by the quiet intelligence of nature and technology working in harmony. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3887/oishii-secures-150-mn-series-c-to-accelerate-robotics-driven-vertical-farming-expansion.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3887/oishii-secures-150-mn-series-c-to-accelerate-robotics-driven-vertical-farming-expansion.html Wed, 13 May 2026 18:37:15 +0530 Indoor farming pioneer strengthens Smart Farm model with new capital infusion to scale automated strawberry production, expand retail footprint across the US and Japan, and deepen its precision agriculture technology stack amid a reshaping global agri-tech landscape In a decisive vote of confidence for the evolving architecture of controlled-environment agriculture, Oishii—the company synonymous with high-precision indoor strawberry cultivation—has announced the first closing of its $150 million Series C financing round, marking a pivotal transition from experimental scalability to industrial maturation. Led by SPARX Asset Management Co., Ltd., with participation from a consortium of prominent institutional investors including Nomura Real Estate Development Co. Ltd, MISUMI Group Inc, and Mizuho Bank Ltd, the funding round signals sustained conviction in Oishii’s “Smart Farm” model at a time when much of the vertical farming sector has been undergoing a period of recalibration and capital retrenchment. Unlike the exuberant early phase of indoor agriculture, characterised by rapid expansion and equally rapid consolidation, Oishii’s trajectory has been notably more disciplined—anchored in robotics, automation, and a tightly engineered production philosophy that seeks to reconcile horticultural precision with industrial predictability. The company’s system integrates advanced automation with traditional Japanese cultivation methodologies, an unusual but increasingly influential hybrid approach in the global agri-tech landscape. The fresh capital infusion is expected to significantly expand production capacity across Oishii’s indoor farm network in the United States while simultaneously strengthening its technological footprint in Japan. Central to this expansion is the continued deployment of robotics systems—particularly in pollination and harvesting—enhanced further by the company’s acquisition of Tortuga AgTech and a strategic partnership with MISUMI Group Inc., a global leader in industrial automation components. Oishii’s evolution also reflects a broader recalibration of vertical farming economics. Once defined by ultra-premium positioning and niche consumer appeal, the company has gradually widened its commercial aperture. From the early introduction of its Omakase Berry at luxury price points, it has since diversified into multiple product tiers, including the Koyo and Nikko varieties, with retail offerings now spanning a far more accessible price spectrum. This strategic broadening has been complemented by innovations in packaging and shelf-life optimisation, including a proprietary stay-fresh sealing system that significantly reduces plastic usage while extending product durability—an essential factor in scaling fresh produce across long supply chains. Institutional investors backing the round have underscored not only the company’s technological differentiation but also its executional discipline. SPARX Asset Management, in particular, highlighted Oishii’s progression from concept validation to full commercial deployment as a rare example of consistent delivery in a sector often defined by volatility and unmet expectations. At its core, Oishii’s thesis rests on a deceptively simple premise: that strawberries—among the most delicate and labour-intensive fruits in global agriculture—can be transformed into a reliably produced, year-round commodity through extreme environmental control and algorithmic precision. Yet beneath this simplicity lies a deeply complex engineering challenge, one that the company continues to address through iterative advances in automation, R&D infrastructure, and operational scaling. The newly raised capital will be deployed to expand farm infrastructure, deepen robotics integration, and accelerate research initiatives across both the United States and Japan, including the development of a dedicated Open Innovation Center in Tokyo. These investments are designed to consolidate Oishii’s position at the intersection of food technology, robotics, and high-value horticulture. Having raised a cumulative $370 million since its founding in 2016, Oishii now enters what its leadership describes as a “new phase of confidence”—a stage defined not by proving feasibility, but by refining scale, efficiency, and market reach. In a sector still grappling with questions of profitability and long-term viability, Oishii’s latest financing round stands as both a validation of its model and a broader signal: that the future of premium agriculture may no longer lie in fields alone, but increasingly within precisely calibrated, data-driven environments engineered for consistency as much as for taste. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3882/brazil-approves-ctcs-transgenic-sugarcane-as-biotechnology-redraws-economics-of-sugar-energy-complex.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3882/brazil-approves-ctcs-transgenic-sugarcane-as-biotechnology-redraws-economics-of-sugar-energy-complex.html Wed, 13 May 2026 17:41:34 +0530 CTNBio clears VerdPRO2 platform combining borer resistance and herbicide tolerance, positioning Brazil at the forefront of next-generation genetically modified sugarcane for productivity and cost transformation In a decision that underscores Brazil’s deepening entrenchment within the frontier of agricultural biotechnology, the country’s National Technical Commission on Biosafety (CTNBio) has granted approval to a new genetically modified sugarcane developed by Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (CTC), marking a significant inflection point in the evolution of the global sugar-energy sector. The newly sanctioned biotechnology platform, branded VerdPRO2, integrates dual traits of resistance against the sugarcane borer—one of the most economically destructive pests in the industry—with tolerance to widely used herbicides such as glyphosate. This convergence of pest resistance and chemical resilience positions the technology as a potentially transformative intervention in a sector long burdened by high input costs, biological stressors, and operational inefficiencies. At its core, VerdPRO2 represents a strategic extension of CTC’s broader genetic innovation agenda, expanding its pipeline beyond earlier insect-resistant sugarcane varieties into a more comprehensive agronomic architecture designed to streamline field management and enhance productivity. According to the company, as many as 14 commercial varieties incorporating the new trait stack are under development, with phased market introduction expected during the 2026–27 season, subject to remaining regulatory clearances. In its initial deployment phase, CTC plans to roll out the technology selectively through monitored commercial cultivation programmes, enabling the systematic collection of field-level agronomic data. This approach reflects an increasingly data-driven model of agricultural biotechnology adoption, wherein real-world performance metrics are used to refine management protocols and optimise varietal deployment at scale. César Barros, Chief Executive Officer of CTC, described the approval as a meaningful advancement for Brazil’s sugar-energy ecosystem, emphasising its role in expanding the suite of technological tools available to improve both productivity and sustainability outcomes across sugarcane cultivation systems. The technological significance of VerdPRO2 lies not merely in its genetic architecture but in its operational implications. By conferring resistance to sugarcane borers—responsible for an estimated BRL 8 billion in annual losses—and enabling more flexible herbicide regimes targeting persistent weed species such as brachiaria and crabgrass, the platform seeks to materially reduce both yield losses and chemical management complexity. Equally consequential is its potential to reduce phytotoxic risks associated with herbicide application, thereby offering growers greater precision and safety in crop protection strategies. In a sector where margin compression is frequently driven by escalating input costs, such efficiencies are increasingly central to long-term competitiveness. CTC has positioned this approval within a broader strategic ambition to double sugarcane productivity by 2040, leveraging integrated advances in genetics, mechanisation, planting systems, and precision agronomy. This signals a deliberate shift from incremental yield improvements toward systemic productivity transformation, with biotechnology functioning as a central pillar rather than a peripheral enhancement. Brazil’s expanding adoption of genetically modified sugarcane places it among a limited group of countries actively commercialising transgenic cane at scale, reflecting both regulatory openness and the strategic importance of sugar and ethanol production to its national energy matrix. In this context, biotechnology is no longer framed merely as an agricultural innovation, but as an instrument of industrial policy and energy security. However, the company has not indicated whether additional approvals will be required in importing jurisdictions before wider international commercialisation of products derived from VerdPRO2 varieties—an omission that underscores the persistent regulatory asymmetries that continue to shape global agri-biotech trade. As Brazil advances deeper into the era of engineered crops, VerdPRO2 stands as both a technological milestone and a policy signal: that the future of sugarcane is increasingly being written not in fields alone, but in genomes, algorithms, and regulatory chambers. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3879/building-ai-platform-to-help-food-security.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3879/building-ai-platform-to-help-food-security.html Wed, 13 May 2026 16:59:18 +0530 Researchers at the University of Leeds, in collaboration with a team at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency, are developing an AI-driven tool to reduce food waste and enhance global food security Each day, tonnes of nutrient-rich agri-food waste are generated, including damaged crops that have either rotted or gone unharvested. This waste can be fermented, using yeast for instance, into upcycled, high-quality, sustainable protein, which can be incorporated into conventional food products or used to create meat and dairy alternatives. This upcycling process supports the circular bioeconomy. However, this type of fermentation is complex due to the highly variable nature of the waste. Designing optimal fermentation and downstream processes involves numerous decisions, making it time-consuming and costly. As a result, upcycled protein is often more expensive than conventional alternatives, posing a challenge for widespread adoption within the food sector. Professor Nicholas Watson, University of Leeds, said, “To make a meaningful impact on global food security, upcycled protein must move beyond being a niche option and be priced competitively with products already available on supermarket shelves.” A global team of experts, led by the University of Leeds, is addressing this challenge using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a tool capable of calculating the optimal fermentation conditions required to produce microbial protein at the lowest possible cost. The new tool will deliver actionable insights on the choice of yeast, fermenter, and ideal process conditions, enabling industry to develop tailored proteins more efficiently and with greater ease. This approach is expected to support the production of microbial protein at a cost comparable to non-upcycled alternatives. Nicholas Watson, Professor of Artificial Intelligence in Food at the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds, said, “To truly impact global food security, upcycled protein can't just be a niche alternative, it has to compete on price with what is already on the supermarket shelf. We are excited to work with CSIRO and partners across the globe to bridge that gap, launching an AI platform to turn agri-food waste into sustainable protein.” Kai Knoerzer, CSIRO Principal Research Scientist, said, “Billions of tonnes of nutrient-rich material are currently being lost every year. If we want a more resilient food system, we need tools that make valorisation simple and scalable. Partnering with the University of Leeds, we are combining AI, fermentation science and real case studies to deliver a practical solution that helps industry turn waste into sustainable protein at scale, and we are genuinely looking forward to getting started.” The project is funded by the Bezos Earth Fund, which is supporting 15 global awardees to scale real-world AI-powered solutions aimed at tackling biodiversity loss, climate change, and food insecurity. Dr. Amen Ra Mashariki, Director of AI and Data Strategies at the Bezos Earth Fund, said, “These projects show how AI, when developed responsibly and guided by science and local knowledge, can strengthen environmental action and ensure its overall impact on the planet is positive.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3875/nestle-expands-dairy-development-footprint-through-dedicated-demonstration-hub.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3875/nestle-expands-dairy-development-footprint-through-dedicated-demonstration-hub.html Tue, 12 May 2026 18:14:33 +0530 Landmark partnership to strengthen dairy productivity, technical capacity, and value chain modernization The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development of Nigeria and Nestlé Nigeria Plc have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Dairy Technical Skills Development Centre in Abuja, marking a strategic step toward strengthening the country’s dairy sector through structured capacity building, technology transfer, and value chain development The initiative is designed to enhance technical competencies across Nigeria’s dairy ecosystem, improve on-farm productivity, and support the long-term transformation of the livestock sector through practical, skills-based training and demonstration-led learning models. The planned centre will be hosted at Nestlé’s Dairy Demonstration Farm in Paikon Kore, Gwagwalada, building on the company’s existing livestock development initiatives that focus on improving milk production systems, strengthening dairy cooperatives, and enhancing hygiene and herd management practices at farm level. The facility will serve as a national hub for dairy skills development, offering structured training programmes covering key areas such as animal health, breeding practices, feed optimization, milk hygiene, farm management, and post-production handling. The objective is to address long-standing structural constraints in Nigeria’s dairy sector, including low productivity, fragmented production systems, and limited technical capacity among smallholder producers. The partnership aligns with Nigeria’s broader livestock development priorities aimed at improving domestic milk production, enhancing food security, and reducing dependency on dairy imports through increased local capacity and improved supply chain efficiency. Speaking on the initiative, stakeholders emphasized that the collaboration represents a coordinated effort between government and the private sector to build a more resilient, productive, and commercially sustainable dairy industry. The centre is expected to play a key role in equipping farmers and sector participants with modern technical knowledge and practical tools required to improve output quality and operational efficiency. Nestlé Nigeria reiterated its long-standing commitment to dairy development in the country, highlighting its focus on strengthening local milk production systems through training, knowledge transfer, and support for cooperative-based collection models. The company noted that the new centre builds on its ongoing investments in livestock development aimed at improving productivity and supporting rural livelihoods. The Dairy Technical Skills Development Centre is expected to contribute to the emergence of a more structured and integrated dairy value chain in Nigeria, fostering improved standards, greater efficiency, and enhanced competitiveness within the domestic milk sector. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3873/iflytek-applies-multimodal-ai-to-pig-farming-boosting-efficiency-and-disease-detection.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3873/iflytek-applies-multimodal-ai-to-pig-farming-boosting-efficiency-and-disease-detection.html Tue, 12 May 2026 17:40:40 +0530 Multimodal AI, robotics, and precision analytics converge to transform China’s largest hog farming sector into an intelligent, real-time managed ecosystem At the Changling Smart Farming Base operated by COFCO Joycome in Jilin province, Chinese artificial intelligence company iFlytek is deploying large AI models to re-engineer traditional pig farming into a fully data-driven and intelligent livestock management system. The initiative marks a significant step in the digitisation of China’s livestock sector, which remains the world’s largest in both production and consumption scale. In 2025 alone, national hog slaughter volume reached 719.73 million heads, according to official data, underscoring the systemic importance of efficiency improvements across the industry. From experience-led farming to algorithm-driven livestock management The smart farming platform developed by iFlytek and its subsidiary iFLYHG Technology is designed to replace traditional experience-based decision-making with real-time, data-driven operational intelligence. Under the new model, frontline expertise from veterinarians and breeders is systematically encoded into AI algorithms. Subjective observational practices are being replaced with continuous digital monitoring, while manual barn inspections are progressively substituted by automated systems capable of round-the-clock analysis. The company describes this transition as a structural shift in livestock management—from human intuition to machine-assisted precision farming—aimed at improving consistency, scalability, and biosecurity outcomes. AI infrastructure built on collaborative ecosystem design The system architecture is based on a multi-stakeholder collaboration model. Infrastructure partners provide computing and connectivity frameworks, iFlytek contributes core AI capabilities including multimodal perception systems, while iFLYHG Technology focuses on application-layer deployment and integration across farming environments. This distributed model allows for rapid adaptation across diverse farm settings, enabling scalability without requiring full redesign of existing physical infrastructure. A key technical advancement lies in the system’s ability to unify data streams across multiple equipment brands, overcoming long-standing fragmentation issues in farm-level digital ecosystems. This enables consolidated analytics and centralised decision-making across entire production units. Multimodal AI systems enable early disease detection and precision monitoring One of the most critical innovations in the platform is the use of acoustic fingerprint models that analyse barn-level sound environments. These systems are capable of identifying abnormal animal vocalisations against background noise, enabling early disease detection up to two to three days ahead of conventional observation methods. In parallel, intelligent inspection robots equipped with rail-based mobility systems perform continuous monitoring of livestock populations. These machines conduct automated counting, weight estimation, and temperature assessment, significantly reducing manual labour requirements while improving monitoring frequency and accuracy. Environmental control systems integrated into the platform dynamically regulate ventilation, temperature, and humidity in real time, ensuring optimal livestock conditions and reducing stress-induced productivity losses. Precision feeding systems optimise growth efficiency The platform also incorporates AI-driven feeding algorithms that customise feed composition and dosage based on individual animal growth stages and physiological conditions. This precision feeding approach is designed to optimise feed conversion efficiency, reduce wastage, and improve overall herd health. By aligning nutritional input with real-time biological data, the system enhances productivity while lowering input costs, addressing one of the most critical economic variables in modern pig farming. Productivity gains and operational efficiency improvements Early deployment results from the Changling Smart Farming Base indicate measurable improvements in production efficiency. The system has achieved a PSY (piglets weaned per sow per year) level exceeding 29, placing operations among leading industry benchmarks. Labour efficiency has also improved significantly, with a single worker now capable of managing close to 800 piglets in farrowing units, reflecting a substantial reduction in manpower intensity per production cycle. These gains highlight the potential of AI integration to address structural labour constraints in large-scale livestock production systems. Towards scalable and replicable smart livestock ecosystems Industry experts view the Changling deployment as a demonstration of a scalable model for agricultural AI adoption. The system’s modular design, combined with its ability to integrate heterogeneous hardware and software systems, makes it adaptable across different farm sizes and operational conditions. The approach is being positioned as a low-cost, replicable pathway for modernising traditional livestock systems, particularly in high-volume production environments where efficiency gains can have significant macroeconomic impact. Reconfiguring the future of livestock production The integration of large AI models into pig farming represents a broader transformation in agricultural production systems, where digital intelligence is increasingly embedded into core biological processes. By combining data analytics, automation, and real-time environmental control, the system seeks to redefine how livestock health, productivity, and resource efficiency are managed at scale. As deployment expands, the model is expected to contribute to a new generation of smart farming systems that blur the boundaries between traditional agriculture and advanced digital infrastructure, setting a precedent for AI-led transformation across global livestock industries. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3867/doriane-introduces-bloomeo-breeding-bringing-ai-led-precision-to-modern-plant-breeding.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3867/doriane-introduces-bloomeo-breeding-bringing-ai-led-precision-to-modern-plant-breeding.html Tue, 12 May 2026 16:25:38 +0530 €10 million investment powers integrated breeding software designed to unify data, workflows and decision-making across global seed and research organisations Doriane SAS has officially launched Bloomeo Breeding, its next-generation software platform designed to redefine how plant breeding programmes are managed, integrated and accelerated in an increasingly data-intensive agricultural landscape. The launch marks a significant expansion of the company’s broader Bloomeo ecosystem following successful deployment across agronomy testing and variety development programmes. With the new platform now commercially available, Doriane is positioning the solution as a central operating layer for breeding organisations ranging from global seed companies to research institutions and mid-sized breeding enterprises. At a time when agricultural innovation cycles are under mounting pressure from climate volatility, food security concerns and evolving market expectations, breeding organisations are increasingly seeking systems capable not only of storing data, but of orchestrating complex scientific workflows across distributed research environments. It is precisely this transition that Bloomeo Breeding seeks to address. Unlike traditional breeding databases built around fragmented data repositories, the platform introduces a workflow-oriented architecture designed to unify every stage of the breeding lifecycle — from parental selection and crossing strategies to field advancement, trial evaluation and commercialisation pathways. At the heart of the platform lies an open, API-driven infrastructure intended to function as a central nervous system for breeding research and development. The architecture enables integration across laboratory systems, legacy databases, external analytics platforms and operational workflows, allowing organisations to consolidate breeding intelligence within a single digital environment. Commenting on the launch, Louis Gauthier, Co-CEO of Doriane SAS, noted that modern breeding organisations are moving beyond the need for static databases toward collaborative systems capable of streamlining increasingly complex breeding operations. According to him, breeding programmes today require interconnected platforms that can accelerate decision-making, integrate multi-source datasets and support cross-functional collaboration at scale. The platform has also been developed around a KPI-driven operational framework aimed at improving breeding efficiency and programme return on investment. By embedding breeding objectives into workflow execution from the outset, the system provides real-time visibility into operational performance, trial progression and programme bottlenecks. Integrated dashboards consolidate data from multiple sources, enabling breeding teams to compare cultivar performance against predefined product profiles while supporting faster and more informed decision-making. One of the platform’s defining capabilities lies in its integration of genetics, environment and management variables into a unified analytical model — often referred to within agricultural science as GxExM interactions. Through this approach, the platform enables breeders to analyse how genetic material performs not only across varying environmental conditions, but also under different agronomic and management practices. The system integrates phenotypic, genotypic, agronomic and environmental datasets within a single operational framework while supporting field data collection through a mobile offline-first application. The objective, according to the company, is to transform breeding programmes from isolated data analysis exercises into fully contextualised and predictive decision environments. Tristan Duminil, Head of Agronomy at Doriane SAS, observed that modern plant breeding increasingly depends on understanding how varieties interact dynamically with both environment and management systems rather than genetics alone. He added that the platform was specifically designed to make this complexity operationally actionable for breeding teams. Beyond scientific integration, Doriane has also placed significant emphasis on usability and organisational adoption. The platform has been designed to support stakeholders across the entire breeding ecosystem, including breeders, field technicians, laboratory teams, data scientists and management functions. According to the company, earlier Bloomeo modules currently support more than 550 users within Limagrain, achieving adoption rates of approximately 95 percent — a figure Doriane attributes to its user-centric interface design and implementation methodology. The launch of Bloomeo Breeding follows an investment of nearly €10 million over four years, combining Doriane’s four decades of expertise in plant breeding data systems with advances in software engineering and agricultural analytics. The company stated that it plans to continue investing approximately €2 million annually into platform development, with future priorities focused on envirotyping capabilities, environmental data integration, advanced analytics, workflow optimisation and partnerships with AgTech innovators. For Doriane, the launch represents more than the release of a software platform. It reflects a broader transformation underway within agricultural science — where breeding is increasingly becoming a convergence of biology, environmental intelligence, predictive analytics and digital infrastructure. As global agriculture confronts the dual challenge of producing more resilient crops while accelerating innovation timelines, platforms such as Bloomeo Breeding are emerging as the connective tissue linking scientific discovery with scalable agricultural impact. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3866/essence-group-opens-nigeria-manufacturing-facility-deepening-africa-centric-agricultural-expansion.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3866/essence-group-opens-nigeria-manufacturing-facility-deepening-africa-centric-agricultural-expansion.html Tue, 12 May 2026 16:19:27 +0530 New pesticide formulation plant signals strategic transition from export-led trade to localized production, technology integration and long-term agricultural partnerships across Africa Lagos, Nigeria, May 12, 2026: Against the backdrop of Africa’s rapidly evolving agricultural landscape, Essence Group has formally inaugurated Essence Crop Science Nigeria FZE, its first overseas pesticide manufacturing facility, marking a decisive new chapter in the company’s global expansion journey. Set within the industrial corridor of the Lekki Free Zone, the commissioning of the facility reflects more than a manufacturing milestone. It represents a strategic recalibration of how agricultural companies engage with emerging markets — shifting from distant product supply models toward deeply embedded local ecosystems built around production, technology transfer, and regional agricultural resilience. Constructed in a span of just twelve months after groundbreaking commenced in May 2025, the integrated facility combines formulation manufacturing, warehousing, research support, and quality control infrastructure designed specifically for African agricultural conditions. The project has already drawn attention within Nigeria’s industrial ecosystem for the speed and scale of its execution, emerging as one of the fastest-completed Chinese-backed manufacturing projects within the free zone. At the inauguration ceremony, Zhang Shenwei, Chairman of Essence Group, described the launch as a strategic commitment to Africa’s long-term agricultural transformation rather than merely an operational expansion. He observed that while Chinese agribusiness engagement with Africa has historically revolved around exports, the company now seeks to build an “in Africa, for Africa” operating framework — one rooted in localized manufacturing, regional supply chains, and direct market participation. According to Zhang, the localisation strategy is expected to substantially improve delivery responsiveness and product accessibility for farmers, ensuring that crop protection solutions are available closer to the point of agricultural need. He also underscored the company’s intention to create lasting value beyond commerce through technical collaboration, local capability development, and agricultural productivity enhancement. The facility arrives at a time when African agriculture is undergoing increasing structural transformation driven by food security concerns, population growth, climate volatility, and the rising demand for modern agricultural inputs. In this context, localised formulation capacity is increasingly being viewed as a strategic advantage capable of improving both supply reliability and market adaptability. Senior representatives from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Immigration Service operating within the free zone, and Lekki Worldwide Investment Ltd. attended the commissioning ceremony, acknowledging the project as a visible example of expanding industrial cooperation between Nigeria and China. Dai Shunfa, General Manager of the Lekki Free Zone Development Company, noted that the project would contribute meaningfully to the zone’s growing industrial ecosystem through employment generation, technology integration, and manufacturing diversification. Officials associated with the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority further observed that the facility would strengthen Nigeria’s domestic pesticide formulation capabilities at a time when agricultural self-reliance and input accessibility are becoming increasingly important across the continent. The commissioning ceremony culminated in a formal ribbon-cutting attended by senior dignitaries, followed by stakeholder discussions centred on Sino-African agricultural collaboration, regional market development, and long-term opportunities within Africa’s agribusiness value chains. For Essence Group, the Nigeria facility represents more than a geographic expansion. It reflects a broader strategic shift unfolding across global agribusiness — where proximity to farmers, local manufacturing ecosystems, and regional partnerships are beginning to redefine the future architecture of agricultural growth. In many ways, the factory stands not only as a production site, but as a symbol of a changing agricultural narrative — one where global companies are no longer merely exporting products into Africa, but increasingly embedding themselves within the continent’s evolving food and farming systems. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3856/pepsico-and-fertiberia-working-to-decarbonise-potato-and-corn-farming-across-400000-acres-in-europe.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3856/pepsico-and-fertiberia-working-to-decarbonise-potato-and-corn-farming-across-400000-acres-in-europe.html Mon, 11 May 2026 13:05:00 +0530 Fertiberia will supply its high-tech, green hydrogen-based fertiliser – Impact Zero – across approximately 400,000 acres (~162,000 hectares) of farmland, used to grow ingredients for PepsiCo’s popular brands including Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos and Ruffles PepsiCo and Fertiberia have today announced a long-term collaboration to scale the use of high-tech, green hydrogen-based fertiliser in Europe. As part of the agreement, Fertiberia will progressively provide PepsiCo with up to 150,000 tons of its Impact Zero crop nutrition solutions annually by 2030, enough to cover approximately 400,000 acres (~162,000 hectares) of farmland used to grow key crops such as potatoes, corn, sunflower, sugar beet and rapeseed, which are key ingredients for popular PepsiCo brands like Lay’s, Doritos, Ruffles and Cheetos. The programme will initially launch in France, Romania, Serbia, Greece and Turkey while expanding in Spain and Portugal, with plans to roll-out the initiative to more European countries in the near future. The long-term collaboration follows a successful pilot between PepsiCo and Fertiberia in Spain and Portugal, where switching to Fertiberia’s low-carbon fertiliser reduced potato farming emissions by up to 15 per cent and corn farming emissions by 20 per cent. Fertiberia’s high-tech and low-carbon fertiliser is produced using green hydrogen instead of natural gas, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 63 per cent. Furthermore, it integrates innovative technologies like slow-release formulas and biological inhibitors that enhance agronomic efficiency to boost crop yields, while also reducing emissions and minimising nutrient loss for farmers. When combined with PepsiCo’s existing supplier agreements, the Fertiberia collaboration is expected to bring the share of low‑carbon fertiliser used in PepsiCo’s European supply chain to around 50 per cent by 2030. Globally, fertilisers contribute about 2 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions. With the production and use of fertiliser currently responsible for around half of PepsiCo’s average potato carbon footprint in Europe, fertilisers represent one of the biggest opportunities for PepsiCo to reduce its agricultural emissions. Overall, the collaboration supports PepsiCo’s ambition to implement regenerative, restorative or protective practices across 10 million acres globally by 2030 and will help progress towards PepsiCo’s goal to reduce Scope 3 forest, land and agriculture (FLAG) greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 (against a 2022 baseline). Archana Jagannathan, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, said: “We’re working to lead the way on regenerative agriculture and helping to build a more resilient agricultural supply chain. Switching to low-carbon fertiliser is one of the strongest levers we have to reduce agricultural emissions, and use of digital technology can complement this journey towards food system transformation. We’re excited by the success of our pilot in Spain and Portugal and look forward to scaling this ambitious partnership across Europe.” In addition to providing low-carbon fertiliser, Fertiberia and PepsiCo will support farmers by offering technical guidance and digital tools, including precision agriculture technologies that use data to optimise application and track the implementation of their regenerative agriculture practices. David Herrero, Chief Operating Officer at Fertiberia, added: “Since 2022, we have been developing lower-carbon hydrogen-based fertilisers, powered by cutting-edge technology such as NSAFE, the world’s first bio-inhibitor of nitrification that prevents nitrogen losses and accelerates the transformation of European agriculture. Today, this journey takes on greater meaning thanks to the trust of partners like PepsiCo, with whom we are collaborating to help decarbonise agri-food value chains. This is not just about fertilisers – it’s about demonstrating the importance of collaboration and showing that innovation, when shared, can drive both climate action and food security across Europe.” With the programme now scaling into additional European markets, farmers applying the low-carbon solutions in real field conditions remain central to its success. Herdade da Malhadinha, a farmer using Impact Zero fertiliser in Portugal, noted: “We joined the programme during its pilot in 2024, and in our second year we've fertilised 30 acres of potatoes using Impact Zero both for base and top dressing. It has been a smooth process, as the fertilisation method is technically identical to our usual practice and so doesn’t alter our daily operations. This project with PepsiCo allows us to move towards more sustainable, low-carbon agriculture, redefining how we produce the food of the future.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3840/minama-research-centre-showcases-ai-drones-and-satellite-tech-in-oil-palm-farming.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3840/minama-research-centre-showcases-ai-drones-and-satellite-tech-in-oil-palm-farming.html Thu, 07 May 2026 11:06:54 +0530 Delegation engages with SD Guthrie Seeds to study advanced germplasm development and commercial propagation systems An official delegation from Arunachal Pradesh, led by Agriculture Minister Gabriel D. Wangsu, undertook a structured overseas exposure visit to Pekanbaru in Riau, Indonesia, as part of a broader programme to study global best practices in oil palm cultivation and value chain development. The delegation included senior officials from the departments of agriculture and horticulture, district administrators, agriculture officers, and progressive farmers, with the visit facilitated by the Consulate General of India in Jakarta. During the Indonesia leg of the visit, the team engaged in extensive field-level exposure across oil palm plantations and processing systems, focusing on cultivation techniques, productivity enhancement, harvesting technologies, and downstream value chain management. A key component of the visit included an inspection of advanced research infrastructure at the Minama Research Centre, where delegates observed high-yield planting material development, breeding programmes, and the integration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, drone surveillance, and satellite imaging in plantation management. The delegation also studied integrated agronomic systems, including biocontrol mechanisms, nutrient management frameworks, and pest control strategies that underpin productivity in one of the world’s most advanced oil palm producing regions. Interactions with industry experts and researchers provided deeper insights into policy frameworks, investment models, smallholder integration systems, terracing techniques, and sustainability certification standards, alongside environmental safeguards and community engagement practices designed to ensure long-term sector viability. Officials noted that the exposure provided a comprehensive understanding of the oil palm value chain, with direct relevance to Arunachal Pradesh’s ongoing efforts under the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-Oil Palm). The learnings are expected to support initiatives aimed at expanding cultivation, improving productivity, strengthening processing infrastructure, and enhancing farmer livelihoods through technology adoption and improved agronomic practices. On the sidelines of the visit, the minister also held discussions with select companies to explore potential business collaborations in the oil palm sector, with a focus on investment, technology transfer, and value chain development. Prior to the Indonesia engagement, the delegation visited Malaysia, where they interacted with progressive farmers and agriculture officials to study advanced oil palm cultivation practices. The programme included a visit to SD Guthrie Seeds and Agricultural Services on Carey Island, Selangor, a globally recognised leader in oil palm seed production and supply systems, facilitated by the Deputy High Commission of India. The minister stated that the exposure visits highlighted critical gaps that must be addressed to achieve NMEO-Oil Palm targets in Arunachal Pradesh. He emphasised the need for scaling up oil palm expansion, strengthening farmer-industry linkages, improving productivity, and building robust processing infrastructure to develop a sustainable and commercially viable oil palm ecosystem in the state. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3838/geair-breeding-robot-automates-pollination-inside-high-tech-greenhouses.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3838/geair-breeding-robot-automates-pollination-inside-high-tech-greenhouses.html Thu, 07 May 2026 10:15:21 +0530 Chinese Academy of Sciences deploys AI-driven systems to replace manual hybrid breeding processes with precision robotics China’s agricultural sector is undergoing a rapid structural transformation, with science and technology now contributing more than 64 percent to agricultural output growth, underscoring a decisive shift away from labour-intensive practices toward a modern, innovation-led production system. Improved crop variety coverage has surpassed 96 percent, while the comprehensive mechanisation rate for crop cultivation and harvesting has reached 76.7 percent, reflecting the deepening integration of advanced tools across the farming value chain. In controlled greenhouse environments, automation is already redefining traditional breeding practices. At the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the GEAIR intelligent breeding robot is being deployed to perform precision pollination tasks on tomato plants. Traditionally reliant on manual labour-intensive hybridisation techniques, breeding processes are now being streamlined through the combined application of gene editing and artificial intelligence, enabling crops such as tomatoes and soybeans to express traits that reduce or eliminate the need for manual intervention. Researchers note that this integration of robotics and genetic innovation has materially compressed breeding cycles, reducing tomato development timelines from approximately five years to just one. At the same time, labour costs have been reduced by more than 25 percent, while artificial pollination time for soybeans has been cut by 76.2 percent, signalling a significant productivity leap in agricultural R&D. Parallel advancements are being observed in field-level mechanisation, particularly in geographically challenging regions. In Dingxi city in northwest China’s Gansu Province, farmers are deploying pivot steering tractors specifically engineered for hilly and fragmented terrain. These machines are capable of navigating narrow plots—some less than three metres wide—performing tilling, seeding, and furrowing in a single pass, supported by dedicated navigation systems designed for irregular land patterns. The innovation addresses a long-standing structural constraint in provinces such as Gansu, where approximately 76 percent of farmland is located in hilly or mountainous areas, and over 60 percent of local specialty agriculture is concentrated. Historically, limited farm size, low purchasing power, and high engineering complexity have constrained private-sector investment in agricultural machinery suited to such terrain, creating a persistent technology gap. To address this, Gansu has implemented an integrated pilot initiative involving collaboration between enterprises, farmers, and research institutions to improve the adaptability of agricultural machinery. As a result, mechanisation rates in the province’s hilly and mountainous regions reached 67 percent in 2025, reflecting steady progress in overcoming terrain-linked productivity barriers. In parallel, digital agriculture is gaining ground in central China. In Yongcheng city, Henan Province, large-scale farming operations are increasingly managed through 5G-enabled platforms that integrate soil sensors, environmental monitoring systems, and automated irrigation networks. Farmers now receive real-time alerts via mobile applications, enabling precise control over water and nutrient delivery through underground drip systems. Driverless tractors, autonomous fertiliser drones, and sensor-driven irrigation systems are now part of routine farm operations in these smart agricultural ecosystems. Industry officials note that farming is progressively shifting from manual labour to technical and data-oriented management, with digital platforms optimising input usage and operational efficiency. At the system level, these technologies are delivering measurable environmental and productivity gains. Smart farms report reductions of approximately 30 percent in water usage per mu, while agrochemical consumption has declined by around 25 percent, indicating a dual benefit of cost efficiency and resource conservation. Taken together, these developments reflect a broader reconfiguration of China’s agricultural model—one increasingly defined by precision engineering, digital infrastructure, and biotechnology. The sector is moving toward an integrated framework where AI, robotics, and data analytics are not supplementary tools, but central pillars of agricultural productivity and food system resilience. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3833/uae-presidential-court-commits-1-5-mn-to-adb-agricultural-innovation-fund-to-strengthen-food-security-across-asia-pacific.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3833/uae-presidential-court-commits-1-5-mn-to-adb-agricultural-innovation-fund-to-strengthen-food-security-across-asia-pacific.html Wed, 06 May 2026 15:15:07 +0530 Partnership to accelerate AI-driven and climate-smart farming technologies for farmers across the region The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Presidential Court has committed a $1.5 million grant to an innovative agricultural fund administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), reinforcing global efforts to accelerate technology-driven agricultural transformation and strengthen food security across Asia and the Pacific. The grant, provided through the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court, was formally announced during ADB’s 59th Annual Meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, as part of a broader cofinancing agreement aimed at scaling proven, high-impact agricultural technologies throughout the region. The initiative seeks to embed evidence-based agricultural innovations into national farming programmes, enabling governments and farmers to adopt smarter, more efficient, and climate-resilient agricultural practices. Qingfeng Zhang, Senior Director of ADB’s Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Sector Office, said the partnership comes at a critical time as farmers across the region continue to grapple with rising fertilizer prices and increasing volatility in global agricultural markets. He noted that the investment forms part of ADB’s wider efforts to reduce both fertilizer usage and input costs through precision agriculture technologies capable of identifying where and when agricultural inputs are most effectively needed. The technical assistance under the initiative will be guided by the Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (AIM for Scale), an international platform supported by the UAE and the Gates Foundation. The programme also forms part of Abu Dhabi’s AI Ecosystem for Global Agricultural Development, launched in 2025 to expand access to artificial intelligence-powered farming tools for agricultural communities worldwide. In addition, the initiative benefits from support provided through the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific since 2024. The agricultural innovation fund promotes the adoption of advanced farming solutions across Asia-Pacific, including satellite monitoring systems, AI-powered weather forecasting, and precision agriculture technologies designed to optimise the use of fertilizers and other farm inputs. ADB stated that these innovations will help farmers improve productivity while reducing input costs and enhancing resilience against global market disruptions and climate-related challenges. Alongside technology adoption, ADB continues to support regional food security through emergency financing programmes, coordinated fertilizer procurement initiatives ahead of planting seasons, and expanded access to credit, trade finance, and working capital for farmers and agribusinesses. The institution is also backing policy reforms aimed at reducing export restrictions and strengthening regional food security frameworks such as the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve. Khalfan Al Matrooshi, Advisor at the International Affairs Office of the UAE Presidential Court, said international cooperation remains essential to strengthening global food security and building resilient agricultural systems. He noted that Abu Dhabi’s AI Ecosystem for Global Agricultural Development is designed to convene strategic partners, financing, and expertise to accelerate innovation and deliver sustainable outcomes for farmers globally. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3828/terraclear-launches-ai-powered-giant-ragweed-mapping-service-to-revolutionise-weed-control-for-organic-farmers.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3828/terraclear-launches-ai-powered-giant-ragweed-mapping-service-to-revolutionise-weed-control-for-organic-farmers.html Wed, 06 May 2026 14:09:21 +0530 Precision Drone Imaging and GPS-Based Weed Mapping aim to eliminate the “10,000-Seed Problem” in large-scale organic farming TerraClear, a leader in agricultural technology integration, has announced the launch of its specialised Giant Ragweed Mapping Service, an advanced AI-powered solution designed to help large-scale organic farmers tackle one of the most persistent and economically damaging weed challenges in modern agriculture. Combining high-precision drone imagery with artificial intelligence and GPS-based mapping, the new service is engineered to provide growers with an accurate, field-level view of giant ragweed escapes before they develop into long-term yield threats. For organic producers, giant ragweed represents far more than a seasonal weed problem. A single giant ragweed plant can produce up to 10,000 seeds, creating a multi-year seed bank capable of severely impacting future crop productivity and profitability. Traditionally, farmers have relied on costly blanket scouting operations and manual walking crews to identify and remove late-season weed escapes — an approach that can cost between $20 and $50 per acre while remaining labour-intensive and inefficient. TerraClear’s new mapping service seeks to fundamentally transform that process by enabling growers to adopt what the company describes as a “surgical sniper approach” to weed management. Using exact GPS coordinates to pinpoint individual ragweed plants, the platform allows farm managers and field crews to focus only on affected areas rather than manually scouting entire fields. Don Scibner, Director of Product at TerraClear, said the agricultural labour shortage has made effective late-stage weed scouting increasingly difficult, particularly in dense row-crop systems such as corn. He noted that the company’s technology shifts weed management from broad, time-consuming field searches to a precision-guided operational model where labour can be deployed with greater speed, accuracy, and confidence. According to TerraClear, the service is strategically designed for deployment during the critical late July to early August period — before giant ragweed plants begin dispersing viable seeds into the soil. The company stated that this timing is particularly important for organic growers seeking to prevent the establishment of future weed populations and preserve long-term field productivity. The AI-driven mapping system offers multiple operational advantages, including precise weed location validation, reduced scouting time, and improved harvest integrity by helping farmers identify and eliminate weed patches before combines spread seeds across entire farms during harvest operations. The technology is also applicable in soybean production systems, where growers frequently deploy manual scouting crews to inspect fields acre by acre. TerraClear said the platform enables growers to assess weed pressure in advance, thereby reducing unnecessary labour costs and improving operational planning. Alex Hopkins, an organic grower based in North Central Illinois, described the technology as a significant advancement for progressive farming operations. He stated that when a single weed plant has the potential to create years of future problems, traditional “good enough” scouting methods are no longer sufficient, adding that GPS-based weed mapping allows growers to move from reactive guesswork to proactive management. With the launch of the Giant Ragweed Mapping Service, TerraClear is positioning itself at the forefront of precision agriculture innovation, helping organic farmers improve efficiency, reduce labour dependency, and strengthen long-term weed management strategies through AI-enabled decision-making tools. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3825/corteva-delivers-strong-first-quarter-2026-performance-reaffirms-full-year-outlook-and-separation-timeline.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3825/corteva-delivers-strong-first-quarter-2026-performance-reaffirms-full-year-outlook-and-separation-timeline.html Wed, 06 May 2026 13:45:58 +0530 Seed and Crop Protection businesses drive double-digit revenue growth as company remains on track for planned 4Q 2026 separation Corteva, Inc reported a strong financial performance for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, driven by broad-based growth across its Seed and Crop Protection businesses, continued demand for advanced agricultural technologies, and disciplined operational execution. The company reported first-quarter net sales growth of 11 per cent year-on-year, while organic sales increased 7 per cent during the same period. Seed net sales rose 12 per cent to $3.02 billion compared to $2.71 billion in the corresponding quarter last year. Organic sales in the segment increased 9 per cent, supported by a 3 per cent rise in price and product mix alongside a 6 per cent increase in volume. The company attributed the growth to robust demand for premium technologies, favourable product mix, and continued execution of its value-based pricing strategy. Volume growth in North America and EMEA was aided by seasonal timing shifts and favourable planting conditions. Crop Protection net sales increased 10 per cent to approximately $1.88 billion from $1.71 billion a year earlier, while organic sales grew 4 per cent. Segment volumes improved 6 per cent across all regions, driven by strong demand for new products and differentiated crop protection solutions. However, pricing declined 2 per cent owing to competitive market conditions in Latin America and parts of the Asia-Pacific region. Corteva reported GAAP income from continuing operations of $725 million, with earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations at $1.07. Operating EBITDA stood at $1.44 billion, while Operating EPS reached $1.50 per share. Commenting on the performance, Chuck Magro, Chief Executive Officer of Corteva, said the company delivered a strong start to the year through growth across both business segments and all regions. He noted that disciplined cost management, strong Northern Hemisphere seasonal demand, and continued customer preference for advanced agricultural technologies contributed to earnings growth and margin expansion during the quarter. Magro also highlighted significant progress in Corteva’s planned separation process, including the announcement of executive leadership teams for both future companies, the filing of the initial Form 10 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the unveiling of Vylor as the new name for the future advanced seed and genetics business. The company reiterated that it remains on track to complete the planned separation in the second half of 2026. As part of the separation roadmap, Corteva expects one-time separation costs of approximately $350 million, while net dis-synergies are estimated at around $100 million, with $50 million already incorporated into the company’s full-year 2026 guidance. The company also announced that its Board of Directors approved a discretionary contribution of approximately $1.5 billion on a pre-tax basis to its principal US pension plan, expected to be completed by July 31, 2026. For the full year, Corteva reaffirmed its 2026 guidance and expects Operating EBITDA in the range of $4.0 billion to $4.2 billion, representing growth of 7 per cent at the midpoint. Operating EPS is projected between $3.45 and $3.70 per share, also reflecting 7 per cent growth at the midpoint. The company further stated that it plans to repurchase approximately $500 million worth of shares during the first half of 2026. Looking ahead, Corteva said global agricultural fundamentals remain mixed but constructive, with resilient demand for advanced genetics, technology-enabled seed solutions, and differentiated crop protection products continuing to support growth. The company also noted that reduced export availability from China is gradually tightening global supply-demand dynamics, while improving grain and oilseed markets, supported by evolving geopolitical developments, are creating a more favourable operating environment for the agricultural sector. Corteva added that despite cautious farm-level spending conditions, growers continue to prioritise investments in productivity-enhancing technologies, reinforcing demand across its portfolio. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3819/khanh-hoa-strengthens-export-oriented-agriculture-through-high-tech-farming-expansion.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3819/khanh-hoa-strengthens-export-oriented-agriculture-through-high-tech-farming-expansion.html Tue, 05 May 2026 18:04:17 +0530 Export codes issued for key crops including mango and durian for EU and China markets Khánh Hòa Province is accelerating its transition toward high-tech, climate-resilient agriculture as part of a broader strategy to enhance productivity, improve product quality, and expand export opportunities. Through the adoption of advanced farming systems, digital technologies, and stronger market linkages, the province is steadily reshaping its agricultural landscape into a modern, sustainable sector. Situated in Vietnam’s south-central coastal and Central Highlands regions, Khánh Hòa has long faced challenges due to its dry and hot climate. However, these natural conditions are increasingly being transformed into an advantage through innovation and technology-driven farming practices. Farmers, cooperatives, and agribusinesses across the province are investing in greenhouses, net houses, drip irrigation systems, and sensor-based monitoring technologies to better control temperature and humidity. These advancements are helping optimize growing conditions while improving efficiency and resilience against climate variability. The adoption of VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards is also expanding, supporting higher product quality and enabling greater access to domestic and international markets. Key crops such as grapes, jujubes, asparagus, and honeydew melons have benefited significantly from controlled cultivation systems, resulting in more stable yields and improved commercial value. In several cases, high-tech agricultural models have delivered strong economic returns. Grape cultivation, for instance, generates profits of approximately VNĐ1–1.2 billion ($38,000–45,600) per hectare annually, while jujube farming yields between VNĐ160–267 million ($6,000–10,100) per hectare. Local producer Nguyễn Văn Mọi, owner of the Ba Mọi grape farm in Ninh Phước Commune, highlighted the transformation underway in the sector, noting that his farm now cultivates 13 grape varieties, including both traditional and newly introduced types such as candy grapes and black finger grapes. “Our grapes have entered supermarket systems, helping affirm product quality and build consumer trust in local produce,” he said. The province has also expanded its certified organic farming area to nearly 5,600 hectares under international standards, including USDA Organic, Japanese Agricultural Standards, and EU certification. In addition, 170 growing area codes covering more than 3,540 hectares have been issued, alongside export-approved packing facilities for mango and durian targeting EU and Chinese markets. Beyond production upgrades, Khánh Hòa is strengthening collaboration with research institutes, universities, and enterprises to accelerate technology transfer in crop varieties, post-harvest processing, and sustainable cultivation techniques. Integrated models such as water-saving irrigation, biological pest control, and intercropping systems are increasingly being adopted to enhance soil health and production efficiency. Provincial leaders emphasized that high-tech agriculture plays a central role in both economic development and environmental sustainability. Trịnh Minh Hoàng, Deputy Chairman of the Khánh Hòa Provincial People’s Committee, said the province is prioritizing agricultural restructuring through innovation, digitalization, and value-chain integration. “High-tech agriculture not only brings economic benefits but also supports sustainable production and climate adaptation,” he noted. Looking ahead to the 2026–2030 period, the province plans to expand concentrated farming zones, promote processing-linked production, and develop agricultural tourism to further increase value addition. Digital transformation will remain a core focus, particularly in traceability systems, production planning, and market connectivity. In parallel, Khánh Hòa is actively promoting e-commerce adoption among farmers, particularly in mountainous areas such as Khánh Sơn and Khánh Vĩnh. Agricultural products including rice, dried bamboo shoots, durian, and grapefruits are increasingly being sold through digital platforms such as Facebook and Zalo, improving market access and household incomes. Officials said digital tools are enabling farmers not only to expand sales channels but also to better understand consumer demand, allowing more responsive and market-oriented production decisions. As Khánh Hòa continues to integrate technology, sustainability, and market expansion into its agricultural strategy, the province is positioning itself as a model for modernized, export-driven farming in Vietnam. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3814/kenya-and-japan-deepen-strategic-alliance-across-agriculture-energy-and-digital-innovation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3814/kenya-and-japan-deepen-strategic-alliance-across-agriculture-energy-and-digital-innovation.html Mon, 04 May 2026 17:24:33 +0530 Nairobi and Tokyo expand six-decade partnership through new cooperation frameworks spanning food systems, infrastructure, healthcare, ICT and sustainable industrial growth enya and Japan have moved to deepen their long-standing bilateral partnership through a renewed framework of strategic cooperation spanning agriculture, clean energy, digital technology, healthcare, infrastructure and human capital development, underscoring a shared commitment to sustainable economic transformation and institutional resilience. The expanded engagement was reaffirmed during high-level discussions in Nairobi between Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi and Japan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Motegi Toshimitsu during the latter’s official visit to Kenya . The talks reflected the evolving nature of Kenya–Japan relations, which have matured over more than six decades into one of East Africa’s most enduring and multidimensional development partnerships. Officials from both countries reviewed ongoing collaborations while identifying fresh opportunities for investment, trade facilitation, technology transfer and technical cooperation aligned with Kenya’s long-term economic priorities. Agriculture emerged as a central pillar of the renewed engagement, with both sides exploring avenues to strengthen food systems modernization, agricultural productivity, climate resilience and value-chain development. Japan’s long-standing support in mechanisation, irrigation systems, rural infrastructure and agricultural technology continues to play a significant role in Kenya’s push toward more efficient and commercially integrated farming systems. The discussions also reinforced cooperation in sustainable energy transition, particularly in areas linked to electric mobility, energy infrastructure and low-carbon development pathways. Kenya’s broader efforts to diversify its energy mix and accelerate green industrialisation are increasingly intersecting with Japan’s technological and financing capabilities. Digital transformation and ICT collaboration likewise featured prominently in the bilateral agenda, reflecting Kenya’s ambition to position itself as a regional technology and innovation hub. Both governments emphasized the importance of strengthening institutional and private-sector partnerships capable of driving digital inclusion, smart infrastructure and knowledge-based economic growth. As part of the visit, Kenya and Japan formalized grant assistance for the Human Resource Development Scholarship Programme, an initiative designed to strengthen Kenya’s professional and technical workforce while expanding academic and institutional linkages between the two countries. The bilateral engagements also highlighted growing cooperation in healthcare innovation and biomedical research. Recent collaborations between the two nations have focused on local pharmaceutical manufacturing, technology transfer, medical research capacity and healthcare workforce development. Institutions such as the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Kenya BioVax Institute are increasingly becoming focal points of this cooperation, particularly in emerging fields including mRNA technologies and advanced vaccine development. Beyond sectoral cooperation, the discussions reflected a broader shift toward results-oriented partnerships centered on accountability, implementation efficiency and long-term institutional strengthening. Both sides underscored the importance of ensuring that development financing and joint programmes translate into measurable socio-economic outcomes. Japan’s role as a strategic development partner to Kenya continues to be reinforced through the activities of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which has historically supported major projects in transport infrastructure, energy systems, agriculture, education and public health. The latest engagements also build upon earlier high-level meetings held in April 2026 between Kenyan officials and Japanese representatives focused on concessional financing, transport connectivity and industrial investment opportunities. For Kenya, the deepening relationship with Japan arrives at a pivotal moment as the country seeks to accelerate industrial competitiveness, strengthen food security and modernize critical infrastructure under its broader economic transformation agenda. For Japan, Kenya remains an increasingly important gateway to East Africa and a strategic partner in advancing economic cooperation, regional connectivity and sustainable development across the African continent. From agricultural modernization and clean energy to healthcare innovation and digital infrastructure, the evolving Kenya–Japan partnership reflects a broader convergence of economic priorities — one increasingly shaped not only by aid and diplomacy, but by long-term strategic alignment and shared developmental ambition. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3805/whats-redefining-agri-tech-ai-powered-operational-infrastructure-for-global-risk-intelligence-for-one.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3805/whats-redefining-agri-tech-ai-powered-operational-infrastructure-for-global-risk-intelligence-for-one.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:35:59 +0530 Navneet Ravikar, CMD, LeadsConnect Services Pvt. Ltd. and CEO, BL Agro, positions ICCRI and KEDAR–PARVATI In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Navneet Ravikar, Chairman & Managing Director of LeadsConnect Services Pvt. Ltd. and CEO of BL Agro, positions ICCRI and KEDAR–PARVATI as operational intelligence infrastructure rather than traditional dashboards, integrating satellite, financial, and AI-driven analytics for real-time, parcel-level risk insights. He highlights their role as scalable, geography-agnostic systems capable of transforming agricultural risk pricing, governance, and climate resilience across sectors.  Ravikar underscores the Indo–Brazil agri corridor as a strategic South–South collaboration to co-develop AI tailored to tropical agriculture, offering an alternative to Western-centric models. He adds that platforms like ICCRI are poised to evolve into hybrid public digital infrastructure, supporting national agricultural systems while maintaining strong data sovereignty and farmer-centric governance. You’ve positioned ICCRI and KEDAR–PARVATI as “applied AI at planet scale.” What  differentiates your model from traditional agri-tech dashboards — and how does it  function as critical infrastructure rather than just analytics software? Our Integrated Command Centre for Risk Intelligence (ICCRI)- a live, in-house command centre and  the recently launched KEDAR–PARVATI platform represent far more than visual dashboards — they are operational intelligence architectures designed for actionable insights, live  demonstrations of proprietary intelligence frameworks. Traditional agri-tech dashboards primarily aggregate and display historical indicators. In  contrast, ICCRI, KEDAR–PARVATI and many more products like these, integrate satellite  intelligence, hyperlocal analytics, climate and hazard modelling, crop phenomics, actuarial  analytics, financial risk engines, and AI-driven modelling frameworks into a unified  architecture capable of generating parcel-level insights at massive scale. Importantly, the platform is already harbouring Operational geoportals including dedicated  AgriFinTech products such as AGRANI and Maatri, which enable credit scoring, underwriting  analytics, hotspot detection, portfolio monitoring, and financial risk intelligence for banks and  financial institutions, and other products including PixStack, DEVI–Saptashati, and Kedar–Parvati.  These are not pilot concepts — they are deployed frameworks aligned with ongoing central and  state government engagements and institutional partnerships. What truly differentiates KEDAR–PARVATI KEDAR (Knowledge Engineering & Deviation Analytics for Risk Intelligence) and PARVATI (Phenomics Analytics & Risk Value Assessment for Transferring  Intelligence) together form is that it is geography-agnostic and domain-agnostic by design. The  architecture is built to seamlessly transition across domains — from agriculture to disaster risk,  from crop analytics to actuarial modelling — without dependence on massive retraining datasets.  It is capable of generating over a billion land-parcel level insights in a single continuous rendering  cycle, supported by dynamic calibration frameworks. This makes ICCRI closer to national digital infrastructure than an analytics tool. Governments  can use it for risk governance and climate resilience planning; financial institutions for capital  allocation and exposure mapping; insurers for parametric design; and agribusinesses for value chain optimisation. In essence, we are shifting agriculture from retrospective reporting to predictive, hyperlocal,  intelligence-driven risk mitigation at scale — positioning ICCRI and KEDAR–PARVATI as  foundational infrastructure for resilient agricultural economies. The launch coincided with Brazil’s high-level state visit. How strategic is the Indo-Brazil  agri corridor in your global vision, and can South–South AI collaboration become a  counterweight to Western-dominated agri platforms? The timing of ICCRI and KEDAR–PARVATI’s launch during Brazil’s state visit reflects the deep  strategic alignment between India and Brazil in shaping technology-led agrarian transformation. Both countries share remarkably similar agricultural landscapes — vast tropical agro-ecologies,  climate variability, and a large base of small and medium farmers who require precision yet  affordable solutions. The structural similarities in land systems and farmer demographics make  the Indo–Brazil agri corridor not just symbolic, but operationally logical. This is a strong example of South–South collaboration, where institutions co-develop AI systems  tailored to tropical agriculture and inclusive growth — rather than importing models designed  primarily for large-scale industrial farming in temperate geographies. As rightly highlighted by Hon’ble Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Farming, Brazil, Mr. Paulo Teixeira, during  his visit to our office for the launch, Brazil requires scalable risk intelligence and value-chain  solutions of this nature — and we are committed to building and deploying them jointly. By co-creating these platforms, we are not merely strengthening bilateral ties; we are contributing  to an alternative global model of AI-enabled agricultural resilience rooted in shared realities of  the Global South. Risk intelligence is fast becoming the backbone of agricultural finance. How does real time climate, crop and financial modelling change how banks, insurers, and governments  price agricultural risk? Real-time risk intelligence transforms risk from a reactive cost to a quantifiable variable that can  be actively managed. By integrating climate forecasts, yield projections, market volatility signals,  and credit scoring, underwriting analytics, hotspot detection, portfolio monitoring, and financial  risk intelligence indicators, banks and insurers can price risk with a much higher degree of  precision, underwritten by data rather than broad heuristics. This enables institutions to extend  credit and insurance with better confidence, reduce default rates, and design products that are  equitable for smallholders. Governments can leverage the same analytics for disaster response,  targeted subsidies, and climate adaptation planning. You integrate satellite intelligence, field analytics, financial modeling, and LLM/SLM  modules into one architecture. What governance and validation frameworks ensure that  AI-driven recommendations remain accurate, unbiased, and farmer-centric? Our governance approach is built on transparent model validation, human-in-the-loop  oversight, and continuous field calibration. We have multilayered feedback mechanisms where  field level outcomes feed back into model refinement; AI outputs are benchmarked against  independent ground truth data with strong accuracy; and agricultural experts continuously  review recommendation sets to ensure they are actionable and context relevant. Importantly, we  adhere to strict data governance standards so that actionable insights improve outcomes without  replacing domain expertise or farmer judgment. Agriculture contributes significantly to GDP but remains vulnerable to climate volatility.  Can AI meaningfully de-risk farming at scale—or does it simply make uncertainty more  measurable? AI’s strength is that it reduces uncertainty by quantifying it. By converging climatic data with  crop, soil, and economic variables, AI does not eliminate risk — but it significantly sharpens  visibility into risk patterns at scale. This enables stakeholders to take preventative and adaptive  actions rather than reactive ones. In practice, this leads to earlier drought warnings, optimized  input application, better credit decisions, and more robust supply chain planning — all of which  cumulatively reduce systemic vulnerabilities. Data sovereignty is emerging as a geopolitical issue. As you expand into Brazil and  potentially other regions, who owns the agricultural data generated on your platforms — the farmer, the state, or the enterprise? Data sovereignty is central to our architecture. Farmers and sovereign institutions retain  ownership rights of their data — the enterprise acts as a custodian tasked with secure  processing and analytics. This means: Data collected from farms remains under farmer control. Aggregated and anonymized insights can be used by governments for public planning in various project we partner with. Enterprises can operationalize analytics, but access and sharing are governed by  consent, compliance, and privacy safeguards. This framework aligns ethical stewardship with utility. The corridor begins with the cashew value chain in collaboration with EMBRAPA. Why  start with cashew, and how does value-chain digitization—from plantation science to  structured markets —create a replicable global model? Cashew Pulp (Cashew Apple) offers a compelling entry point because it has high latent value  and complex systemic inefficiencies, especially in fiber utilization — a challenge that  technology can directly address. Both India and Brazil are among the world’s largest cashew  producers, yet nearly 80–85% of the cashew apple pulp produced alongside the nut in India  goes to waste. This represents a massive untapped bio-economic opportunity. We identified this as a critical gap — particularly in India — where there is currently no large scale technological implementation focused on upcycling cashew apple fibre into high value food products. Through our collaboration with EMBRAPA and Amazonika Mundi, we aim  to bring proven Brazilian food-processing technology and plantation science expertise to India,  effectively converting waste into structured value. Our 360° model integrates plantation science, AI-enabled farm advisory, value-chain analytics,  financial services, sustainable processing through patented fibre technology, and structured  market integration. By digitizing and linking every node — from farm to processing to markets — we are building a full-stack, intelligence-driven value chain. What makes this globally relevant is its replicability. Once a traditionally inefficient commodity  ecosystem is digitized and structurally optimized, the same architecture can be extended to other  crops and geographies. Cashew is not just the starting point — it is the proof of concept for a  scalable, waste-to-wealth, AI-enabled agro-industrial model. Looking toward 2047 and beyond, do you see AI-enabled command centers like ICCRI  becoming public digital infrastructure embedded within national agricultural systems — or remaining enterprise-led innovation engines driving private-sector transformation? We envision a hybrid future where AI-enabled command centres like ICCRI are ready to become  part of the national agricultural digital backbone, interoperable with public data ecosystems  and accessible to multiple stakeholders — while enterprise innovation continues to drive speed,  scale, and domain depth. ICCRI is architected to seamlessly align with Government of India initiatives such as Agri Stack  and VISTAAR, which aim to create structured digital public infrastructure for agriculture. Our  platform complements further to these frameworks by adding hyperlocal risk intelligence,  financial analytics, climate modelling, and parcel-level insights that can strengthen public policy  planning, targeted subsidy design, crop insurance frameworks, and credit delivery systems. The objective is not to position enterprise systems outside public infrastructure, but to ensure  interoperability, data sovereignty, and transparent governance, where private innovation  enhances national capability. By 2047 and beyond, we see such command centres functioning as  trusted digital infrastructure — enabling resilient, intelligence-driven agricultural economies at  scale. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3801/tractor-supply-cuts-email-marketing-costs-by-32-through-itg-partnership.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3801/tractor-supply-cuts-email-marketing-costs-by-32-through-itg-partnership.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:10:48 +0530 Retailer adopts AI-powered Storyteq platform to scale content production, improve marketing efficiency, and support expansion across more than 2,400 stores Tractor Supply Co., one of the largest rural lifestyle retailers in the United States, has reported a 32 per cent reduction in email marketing costs following its partnership with marketing technology company Inspired Thinking Group (ITG) and deployment of the AI-powered Storyteq platform. The partnership, initiated in late 2025, is part of Tractor Supply’s broader effort to scale marketing operations and customer engagement as it expands across the U.S. retail market. The retailer operates more than 2,400 stores across 49 states and said growing marketing demands had begun straining internal creative capacity, limiting its ability to support expansion without increasing budgets or workforce size. Under the collaboration, ITG implemented its Storyteq technology as a centralized platform for managing promotional content, workflows, and marketing data. The company said the platform automates repetitive content production tasks, enabling Tractor Supply’s in-house creative teams to focus more on strategic campaigns, branding initiatives, and customer engagement. According to Tractor Supply, the integration has improved workflow efficiency while reducing operational costs associated with email marketing campaigns. The retailer said the technology also supports content delivery across a growing number of customer touchpoints without significantly increasing production complexity. ITG said the scalable structure of the Storyteq platform is expected to generate additional efficiencies over time, particularly in areas such as automated content generation and personalized marketing. The partnership reflects a broader trend among retailers adopting AI-driven marketing infrastructure to improve productivity, reduce costs, and manage increasing content demands across digital channels. Industry analysts say automation and personalization technologies are becoming increasingly important for large retail chains seeking to balance customer engagement with tighter operational budgets. Tractor Supply said the collaboration also includes strategic and creative support from ITG teams, including template development, workflow optimization, and customization guidance. Founded more than 85 years ago, Tractor Supply serves recreational farmers, ranchers, gardeners, pet owners, and rural lifestyle consumers across the United States. The company currently employs more than 52,000 workers and operates additional brands including Petsense by Tractor Supply and online animal pharmacy platform Allivet. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3776/ever-ag-bets-on-agentic-ai-with-everett-launch.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3776/ever-ag-bets-on-agentic-ai-with-everett-launch.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:47:39 +0530 New decision engine transforms data into automated workflows across the agri supply chain Ever.Ag has unveiled Everett, an agentic AI-powered “Ag Decision Engine” designed to transform how agricultural and food processing businesses convert data into real-time decisions across the supply chain. Introduced at the American Dairy Products Institute Annual Conference in Chicago, Everett represents a significant evolution in agricultural technology—moving beyond analytics dashboards to autonomous, workflow-driven decision systems embedded directly within the software platforms companies already use. From Data to Decisions Everett is built to connect fragmented datasets across operations—production, procurement, transportation, processing, and markets—and translate them into actionable decisions. Unlike traditional tools that surface insights, Everett actively orchestrates workflows, enabling agricultural businesses to respond faster to changing conditions across complex supply chains. The platform is the culmination of Ever.Ag’s multi-year investment in AI and data science, including the acquisition of Austin Data Labs in 2023, a team known for pioneering AI applications in global food and agriculture systems. Dairy First, Broader Rollout Ahead The initial rollout targets dairy processors, a segment where Ever.Ag has an established footprint. Everett capabilities are being embedded into key products such as cheese yield optimization, transportation optimization, and sales and operations planning (S&OP), enabling operators to make context-aware, real-time decisions within their existing workflows. By integrating intelligence directly into operational tools, Everett delivers a critical advantage: deep contextual understanding of products, processes, and performance drivers, reducing the gap between insight and execution. A New Layer of Intelligence Across the Supply Chain Everett is designed to operate across the full agricultural value chain, leveraging Ever.Ag’s position as a technology provider spanning production through markets and risk management. The system continuously evolves, improving performance and decision accuracy as it processes more data and user interactions. This “learning system” approach positions Everett not just as a tool, but as an adaptive intelligence layer capable of scaling across diverse agricultural segments. Continuous Deployment Model The launch marks the beginning of an ongoing rollout rather than a one-time release. Ever.Ag plans to expand Everett’s capabilities across additional sectors, including livestock, animal protein, and broader agribusiness operations, with new features expected in the coming months. Redefining Ag-Tech’s Next Phase As agriculture grapples with rising complexity—from volatile markets to operational inefficiencies—the industry is shifting toward decision-centric technologies that can act, not just analyze. Everett signals that transition, embedding AI directly into the operational core of agricultural enterprises. With this launch, Ever.Ag is positioning itself at the forefront of a new wave in ag-tech—where agentic AI systems drive faster, smarter, and more integrated decision-making across the global food supply chain. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3773/kubota-deepens-bet-on-agricultural-automation-with-strategic-investment-in-agtonomy.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3773/kubota-deepens-bet-on-agricultural-automation-with-strategic-investment-in-agtonomy.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:17:34 +0530 Focus on precision automation as labor costs and shortages reshape agriculture Kubota Corporation is sharpening its push into next-generation agricultural technology with a strategic investment in Agtonomy, a U.S.-based innovator focused on automation platforms for precision farming. The move builds on an existing partnership between the two companies, launched in 2024, and signals Kubota’s intent to accelerate the commercialization of AI-driven, autonomous solutions for specialty crops—a segment increasingly under pressure from labor shortages and rising input costs. Scaling Automation in High-Value Agriculture Agtonomy operates at the intersection of physical AI and farm automation, developing systems that enable autonomous operations tailored for specialty crop cultivation, including fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Its technology is already being deployed across key agricultural regions in the western United States, including California, Oregon and Washington—areas that collectively account for some of the highest agricultural output in the country. These regions are facing intensifying structural challenges, from escalating labor costs to workforce shortages, driving demand for data-driven, automated farming systems that can enhance productivity while reducing operational dependency on manual labor. From Collaboration to Commercialization Since initiating joint projects in 2024, Kubota and Agtonomy have focused on integrating autonomous capabilities into agricultural machinery. That collaboration reached a visible milestone at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, where Kubota showcased its autonomous M5 Narrow tractor equipped with Agtonomy’s driving system. The partnership has already moved beyond prototyping. Early commercial deployments of Agtonomy’s platform are underway across the western U.S., supported by Kubota’s established dealer network—marking a transition from experimental innovation to real-world application at scale. A Strategic Push Into Smart Farming For Kubota, the investment reflects a broader strategy to expand its footprint in smart agriculture, leveraging external innovation to complement its core machinery business. By backing Agtonomy, the company is positioning itself to play a central role in the shift toward automated, precision-driven farming ecosystems. Agtonomy, in turn, gains not only capital but also access to Kubota’s global reach, distribution infrastructure, and deep domain expertise—critical enablers as it scales its technology across commercial farming operations. The Bigger Picture As agriculture confronts mounting pressures—from labor constraints to sustainability demands—the integration of AI and automation is rapidly moving from optional to essential. Kubota’s investment underscores a growing industry consensus: the future of farming will be autonomous, data-led, and deeply integrated with intelligent systems. With this partnership, both companies are betting that the transformation of specialty crop farming will be among the first—and most consequential—frontiers in that shift. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3771/vietnams-khanh-hoa-builds-modern-livestock-value-chain.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3771/vietnams-khanh-hoa-builds-modern-livestock-value-chain.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:10:30 +0530 Investment push targets processing, traceability, and export readiness Khanh Hoa province is steadily transforming its livestock sector from fragmented, small-scale operations into a modern, technology-driven value chain, underpinned by biosafety, digitalisation, and strategic investment. The transition reflects a broader effort to enhance productivity, ensure disease resilience, and unlock higher value from livestock production. In recent years, the province has accelerated the adoption of industrial-scale farming models, supported by science-led practices and stringent biosecurity standards. With a network of 368 livestock farms focusing on key segments such as pigs, poultry, and cattle, the shift is marked not only by scale but by the integration of advanced technologies. Automated systems for feeding, climate control, and waste management are increasingly being deployed, enabling greater operational efficiency while reducing environmental impact. Biosafety has emerged as a central pillar of this transformation, particularly in the face of climate variability and recurring disease threats. The province currently has 22 certified disease-free livestock facilities, covering major risks such as avian influenza, African swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease. Authorities are reinforcing this framework through strict input controls, mandatory vaccination protocols, and enhanced surveillance systems to safeguard herd health and production continuity. Digital tools are also gaining traction, enabling real-time tracking of livestock data and improving traceability across the supply chain. This shift toward data-driven management is expected to strengthen transparency and build consumer confidence in livestock products. Despite these advances, a key challenge remains the limited value addition, as a significant share of livestock output is still marketed in raw form. To address this, Khanh Hoa is actively promoting investment in downstream infrastructure, including centralized slaughtering and processing facilities. A proposed policy framework for 2026–2030 offers financial support of up to 60 percent of project costs, alongside state-backed investments in essential infrastructure such as power, water, and transport connectivity. The province has already established effective production linkages with major industry players such as CP Livestock Company Vietnam and CJ Vina Agri Company Limited. These partnerships are fostering integrated farm-to-market ecosystems, where enterprises drive market access and farmers contribute as primary producers. Looking ahead, Khanh Hoa is exploring alignment with international standards, including Halal certification, to expand export opportunities. At the policy level, authorities are addressing structural constraints, particularly land use challenges and the relocation of livestock operations away from residential areas. Guided by evolving regulatory frameworks, the province is working to create designated farming zones that balance economic growth with environmental sustainability. Officials emphasise that future expansion must be market-aligned and integrated into organised value chains to avoid price volatility. Farmers are being encouraged to adopt standards such as VietGAP and leverage technologies like QR-based traceability to enhance product credibility. With a coordinated approach combining policy support, private investment, and technological adoption, Khanh Hoa is positioning its livestock sector as a modern, resilient, and high-value contributor to regional agriculture. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3750/south-korea-vietnam-deepen-agricultural-partnership-push-trade-smart-farming-cooperation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3750/south-korea-vietnam-deepen-agricultural-partnership-push-trade-smart-farming-cooperation.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:46:43 +0530 Talks focus on market access, disease control and ODA-Backed sector development South Korea and Vietnam have moved to deepen their strategic agricultural partnership, with both sides agreeing to expand trade engagement, strengthen development cooperation and explore collaboration in emerging areas such as smart farming and agri-processing. The discussions took place during a bilateral meeting between Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of South Korea, and Trinh Viet Hung, Vietnam’s Minister of Agriculture and Environment, where both leaders emphasised the need to build a more robust and mutually beneficial agri-food trade ecosystem. South Korea sought an extension of the permitted export window for its melons to Vietnam until June, from the current May deadline, citing rising consumer demand. Both sides acknowledged that differing climatic conditions between the two countries create complementary trade opportunities and agreed to continue dialogue to facilitate smoother market access. The ministers also reviewed ongoing cooperation under official development assistance (ODA), with South Korea having supported Vietnam’s agricultural and rural sector since 2011, including initiatives such as the National Centre for Veterinary Diagnostics. Both countries agreed to further strengthen collaboration under ODA frameworks to support sectoral development. Looking ahead, the two sides proposed convening the second meeting of the South Korea–Vietnam Agricultural Cooperation Committee, aimed at broadening bilateral engagement into high-growth areas such as smart agriculture, digital farming technologies and agricultural product processing. Amid rising global concerns over animal health, particularly the spread of African swine fever, both ministers stressed the importance of coordinated efforts in vaccine research and the establishment of joint response mechanisms for transboundary animal diseases. During his visit, Minister Miryung also assessed consumer trends in Vietnam’s retail market, engaging with stakeholders to better understand demand patterns for fresh produce and Korean food products, signalling growing interest in expanding agri-food trade ties. The engagement reflects a broader effort by both countries to strengthen agricultural collaboration, enhance market linkages and build resilient, technology-driven farming systems. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3736/biotalys-reaches-first-rd-milestone-with-syngenta-in-sustainable-insect-control.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3736/biotalys-reaches-first-rd-milestone-with-syngenta-in-sustainable-insect-control.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:08:23 +0530 Partnership progresses to next phase following successful in vitro validation of bioactive ingredients Biotalys, an AgTech company focused on protein-based biocontrol solutions, today announced it has achieved the first research milestone in its ongoing partnership with Syngenta to develop a novel bioinsecticide targeting key crop pests. Initial laboratory testing has delivered encouraging in vitro results, demonstrating the effectiveness of newly developed bioactive compounds created using Biotalys’ proprietary AGROBODY technology. These compounds have shown activity against specific insect molecular targets, supporting the potential of this approach in next-generation pest control. “Biotalys is committed to advancing crop protection solutions that combine the performance of conventional products with the environmental benefits of biologicals,” said Carlo Boutton, Interim CEO of Biotalys. “Collaborating with industry leaders such as Syngenta enables us to accelerate innovation and move promising technologies closer to commercial application. This milestone reinforces the value of our platform in developing new modes of action for insect control.” As growers face increasing challenges from insect resistance and stricter regulatory requirements, demand continues to grow for solutions that deliver sustained efficacy while reducing environmental impact. Biotalys’ protein-based biocontrols represent a new class of crop protection products designed to address resistant pest populations through targeted and sustainable mechanisms. Following this milestone, the collaboration will move into the next phase of research, where the bioactive ingredients will be evaluated in vivo to further validate their performance. In line with the agreement, Syngenta will issue a milestone payment to Biotalys, reflecting continued progress in the joint development program. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3735/rovensa-next-unveils-ai-powered-knowledge-platform-and-training-academy.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3735/rovensa-next-unveils-ai-powered-knowledge-platform-and-training-academy.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:00:12 +0530 Initiative equips teams to deliver more tailored, data-driven biosolutions across global markets Rovensa Next, a global leader in biosolutions for agriculture, today announced the launch of a comprehensive, AI-driven capability-building initiative designed to strengthen support for distribution partners and growers worldwide. The initiative combines an AI-powered knowledge platform with a global Training Academy, reinforcing the company’s commitment to its “Biosolutionize Agriculture” strategy—delivering more practical, connected, and evidence-based biosolutions tailored to local agronomic needs. At the core of the initiative is a proprietary AI platform that consolidates more than 10,000 internal articles and insights from over 4,000 field trials. Organized by crop and geography, the platform enables teams to access verified scientific data more efficiently, helping deliver faster, more consistent, and crop-specific recommendations. “For our teams, the challenge is not a lack of knowledge, but making the right knowledge easier to apply in real-world situations,” said Cathal Daynes, Global Technical Support and Knowledge Manager at Rovensa Next. “This platform transforms technical expertise into practical insights, allowing us to better support partners and growers in the field.” The company is rolling out the platform across 15 countries in 2026 following a phased pilot and scale-up in 2025, with the goal of improving knowledge-sharing, reducing response times, and ensuring consistency across markets. Complementing the AI platform is the Rovensa Next Training Academy, a global program designed to strengthen commercial, technical, and leadership capabilities across teams. Using a blended learning approach that includes AI-supported simulations, the Academy equips teams to deliver more consultative, tailored biosolutions strategies. “As biosolutions decisions become more complex, our teams must be able to deeply understand customer challenges and design relevant, data-driven solutions,” said Olga Maksimova, Director of Global Commercial Excellence at Rovensa Next. The program emphasizes coaching and leadership development, enabling managers to guide teams more effectively and deliver consistent, high-quality support to partners and growers across regions. “The most valuable innovation is the one that drives better decisions and measurable outcomes in the field,” said Adriana Boock, Chief Product Officer at Rovensa Next. “This initiative strengthens our ability to provide integrated, science-backed solutions that improve profitability while supporting sustainable farming practices.” The global rollout is already underway across North America, EMEA, Mexico, Latin America, and Brazil, with the initiative expected to enhance collaboration and consistency across Rovensa Next’s broader ecosystem over time. As part of its broader “Biosolutionize Agriculture” campaign, the company continues to promote integrated approaches that combine biological and natural-based products with advanced technologies and agronomic expertise to reduce synthetic inputs and support sustainable agriculture. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3720/worldfish-unveils-commercial-venture-arm-to-scale-aquatic-food-innovation-globally.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3720/worldfish-unveils-commercial-venture-arm-to-scale-aquatic-food-innovation-globally.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:59:50 +0530 New Platform aims to mobilize private capital, accelerate market adoption, and expand impact across Asia and Africa In a decisive move to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and market-scale impact, WorldFish has launched WorldFish Ventures (WFV), a wholly owned commercial subsidiary designed to accelerate the deployment of cutting-edge solutions in aquatic food systems. Approved by the WorldFish Board of Trustees, the initiative marks a strategic evolution in how the organization translates research into real-world outcomes, leveraging market-based approaches and private sector partnerships to expand reach and sustainability. WorldFish Ventures is positioned as a dedicated platform to mobilize investment, engage industry stakeholders, and scale innovations across priority markets in Asia, Africa, and beyond. By integrating commercial pathways with scientific excellence, the venture seeks to unlock the full potential of decades of research in areas such as genetically improved fish strains, fisheries management systems, digital technologies, and capacity-building models. The platform’s initial portfolio will focus on three core pillars: advanced fish genetics, including globally recognized tilapia and carp breeding programs; next-generation digital platforms and analytics for aquatic food systems; and scalable training and capacity development initiatives, notably through the WorldFish Academy. Beyond internal innovations, the venture is also designed to onboard and commercialize solutions from external partners, including startups, research institutions, and private sector players, fostering a broader innovation ecosystem. WorldFish Ventures will commence operations with a pilot phase aimed at validating scalable business models, strengthening delivery mechanisms, and establishing a foundation for long-term financial sustainability. The initiative is structured to maintain strong governance and stewardship of intellectual assets, ensuring alignment with WorldFish’s mission while enabling the flexibility required to engage effectively with investors and commercial partners. As global demand for nutritious and sustainable aquatic foods continues to rise, the launch of WorldFish Ventures signals a shift toward a more integrated model—where science, capital, and partnerships converge to drive transformation. By harnessing market forces alongside research expertise, WorldFish is positioning itself to accelerate impact at the scale required to meet the food and nutrition challenges of the future. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3716/irri-and-thailands-dcce-forge-strategic-path-to-advance-rice-ghg-accounting.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3716/irri-and-thailands-dcce-forge-strategic-path-to-advance-rice-ghg-accounting.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:36:19 +0530 Collaboration signals push toward next-gen emissions reporting and climate-smart rice systems In a significant step toward strengthening climate accountability in agriculture, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Thailand’s Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE) have initiated a strategic dialogue to enhance the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and reporting systems in the rice sector. The engagement marks a formal introduction between the two institutions and sets the stage for deeper technical collaboration aimed at aligning project-level emissions data with national reporting frameworks. Bridging Project Data with National Climate Reporting At the core of the discussions was the need to harmonize project-based GHG estimation methodologies with Thailand’s national inventory systems, particularly under the Biennial Transparency Report (BTR). The collaboration seeks to ensure consistency, accuracy, and transparency in emissions accounting—critical components as countries intensify efforts to meet global climate commitments. Leveraging Advanced MRV Tools and Technical Expertise IRRI highlighted its extensive experience in GHG mitigation, Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems, and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in rice production. The institute introduced a suite of advanced tools—including RiceMoRe, SECTOR, and MapAWD—designed to quantify emissions, monitor mitigation efforts, and support data-driven decision-making in climate-smart agriculture. Supporting Thailand’s Transition to Advanced Reporting Systems The dialogue also opened avenues for Thailand to transition toward more sophisticated emissions accounting frameworks, moving from Tier 1 to Tier 2 and eventually Tier 3 reporting systems. Such advancements would significantly improve the precision of emissions estimates, particularly in agriculture, where variability in practices and environments presents unique challenges. Addressing Long-Standing Barriers in Climate-Smart Agriculture Both parties acknowledged persistent challenges in scaling sustainable rice practices, including lessons from earlier initiatives such as the Thai Rice NAMA project. IRRI’s technical expertise is expected to play a pivotal role in overcoming these barriers, enabling broader adoption of low-emission farming techniques. Digital Agriculture and Remote Sensing: The Next Frontier Looking ahead, the collaboration recognized the transformative potential of satellite-based remote sensing technologies in monitoring agricultural emissions. While still evolving, these tools could enable real-time, large-scale tracking of GHG emissions, positioning Thailand at the forefront of digital climate monitoring in agriculture. A Strategic Opportunity for Global Leadership With support from national institutions such as the Rice Department and the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), Thailand is uniquely positioned to pioneer the integration of advanced technologies into agricultural emissions reporting. This partnership could establish the country as a global benchmark in climate-smart rice production and transparent GHG accounting. Laying the Foundation for Long-Term Collaboration The engagement underscores a shared commitment between IRRI and DCCE to advance knowledge exchange, refine emissions methodologies, and build robust reporting systems. As climate pressures intensify, such collaborations are set to play a critical role in aligning agricultural productivity with environmental sustainability—charting a path toward resilient, low-emission food systems. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3703/second-wave-of-artificial-intelligence-set-to-be-decisive-for-agribusiness-rodny-a-coronel-regional-manager-elo-digital-office-espana.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3703/second-wave-of-artificial-intelligence-set-to-be-decisive-for-agribusiness-rodny-a-coronel-regional-manager-elo-digital-office-espana.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:58:58 +0530 Artificial intelligence is rapidly shedding its identity as a tool exclusive to the tech industry and emerging as a strategic asset in agribusiness. From document management to the automation of administrative and operational processes, AI is advancing across the entire agri-food value chain. According to Rodny A. Coronel, Regional Manager at ELO Digital Office España, the sector is now entering a critical phase: the “Second Wave” of AI. “Agribusiness can no longer approach AI as an isolated experiment. Competitive advantage will depend on how effectively it is integrated into core business processes,” Coronel said in an interview ahead of ELO Horizons Barcelona 2026.From Digitalization to Operational IntelligenceAcross Europe, AI adoption is accelerating. In Spain, more than 23 per cent of SMEs already use AI technologies, while 21.1 per cent of large enterprises have embedded them into production processes. In the agro-industrial context, this is translating into a quiet yet profound transformation: digitalization of agricultural contracts, automation of purchase orders, document traceability, and predictive analytics applied to management.The most common applications—such as natural language processing (44.7 per cent) and workflow automation (39 per cent)—are directly impacting critical areas of the sector, including compliance, supplier management, certification processes, and quality control.“In agribusiness, information is highly fragmented—from contracts with producers to logistics and regulatory records. AI enables companies to unify and activate that knowledge,” Coronel explained.Brazil Signals the Future of Ibero-American AgribusinessDevelopments in Brazil reinforce this trajectory. With AI adoption at around 40 per cent—a level close to Europe—the country is already seeing tangible results: 95 per cent of companies report revenue growth, and 96 per cent report productivity gains.In agro-industry, these improvements are evident in more efficient administrative management, optimized commercialization processes, and enhanced responsiveness to regulatory and market demands.“Brazilian agribusiness is showing what will happen in Europe in the coming years: AI as the central axis of competitiveness,” Coronel noted.Europe: Progress with Structural GapsDespite steady progress, Europe still faces significant disparities. Northern countries lead adoption rates, while markets such as Portugal lag behind, with an adoption rate of just 11.54 per cent. The primary barrier is not technological but organizational—over 74 per cent of companies cite a lack of internal expertise.For agribusiness, this challenge is particularly acute. AI adoption requires not only investment but also workforce training to integrate these technologies into complex processes that combine production, logistics, regulation, and commercialization.The Second Wave: End-to-End AutomationThe concept of the “Second Wave” marks a fundamental shift. While the first phase focused on isolated tools—such as AI assistants or pilot generative AI projects—the new phase is defined by full business process automation.In agribusiness, this means embedding AI across the entire document chain: from raw material intake to export operations, including certifications, invoicing, logistics, and regulatory compliance.“The key is no longer automating tasks, but orchestrating complete processes,” Coronel summarized.This shift addresses a global challenge: although 88 per cent of companies use AI in some capacity, only a minority achieve significant financial impact. Those that do are organizations that redesign workflows holistically.Intelligent Document Management at the CoreIn this context, platforms like ELO ECM Suite 25 are gaining prominence by positioning document management at the center of digital transformation in agribusiness.The solution enables automated document capture, AI-driven metadata extraction, adaptive workflow management, and natural language search across enterprise information. The result is a dramatic reduction in processing time—tasks that once took days can now be completed in hours, with full traceability.For agro-industrial companies, the implications are direct: Streamlined contract management with producers and distributors; Enhanced control over certifications and international regulationsIntegration with ERP and CRM syste, ms; Optimization of procurement and sales processes; Reduced errors and operational risks Regulation, Infrastructure, and Hybrid ModelsEurope’s regulatory environment adds another layer of complexity. Approximately 42 per cent of AI investment is tied to compliance requirements, driving the adoption of hybrid models that combine cloud infrastructure with on-premise systems.In agribusiness—where traceability and data security are critical—this flexibility is essential. “This is not just a technological decision; it is a risk management strategy,” Coronel emphasized.Barcelona as a Strategic Hub for Digital AgricultureThe choice of Barcelona as the host city for ELO Horizons 2026 is strategic. The city is home to initiatives such as AI Factory, aimed at democratizing access to advanced AI infrastructure and accelerating innovation in key sectors, including agri-food.The event, open to the public and free of charge, will take place on April 29 at Tech Barcelona.With an investment of approximately €198 million, AI Factory is expected to enable companies to develop solutions in areas such as climatology, biotechnology, and data analytics—fields that are critical to the future of agribusiness.A Moment of DecisionThe message is clear: the time for experimentation has passed. “2026 will be the year of real implementation,” Coronel stated.In a sector where margins are tightening and regulatory pressure is increasing, operational efficiency and adaptability will be decisive. For agribusiness, the “Second Wave” of AI is not merely a technological evolution—it represents a redefinition of the business model.Companies that integrate AI into the core of their operations will be able to scale, optimize, and compete in an increasingly demanding global market. Those that do not risk being left behind, constrained by slow, fragmented, and less profitable processes.Agriculture is already changing—and this time, the decisive factor will not be land or climate, but the intelligence with which data is managed. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3697/why-ease-of-doing-business-needs-bolstering.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3697/why-ease-of-doing-business-needs-bolstering.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:27:31 +0530 India’s fertiliser sector is central to food security, farmer livelihoods, fiscal stability, and industrial growth. Yet, despite its strategic importance, it remains one of the most tightly regulated and policy-constrained industries—a paradox in an era where Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) drives economic reform.  While India has advanced digitisation, tax rationalisation, and regulatory simplification, fertilisers remain encumbered by legacy laws, price controls, fragmented licensing, and onerous compliance. The sector thus struggles to balance food security imperatives with outdated regulation. This analysis examines India’s fertiliser ecosystem through the prism of EoDB, identifies structural and regulatory bottlenecks and situates these challenges within the broader tapestry of national EoDB reforms championed by the Government of India. Fertilisers in India are more than industrial commodities—they underpin food security, crop yields, soil health, and farm incomes, shaping rural livelihoods and national stability. Despite national reforms aimed at EoDB, legacy controls persist, straining manufacturers and slowing innovation. Delays in subsidies, inverted taxes, and fragmented licensing increase working capital pressures, making expansion and technological upgrades difficult. In tightly regulated markets, regulatory unpredictability acts as an invisible tax on productivity. Dr Debashis Mandal, Head, Division of Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), frames the challenge sharply: the sector’s EoDB journey is not merely procedural—it is a strategic enabler of soil restoration and nutrient efficiency. “If crops demand nutrients and soils demand carbon, then policy must supply predictability,” he notes. “Timely, science-based approvals and transparent regulatory pathways are essential for translating innovations—such as organo-mineral complexes, slow-release formulations, and advanced nutrient delivery systems—into field-level impact. EoDB does not imply diluted standards; it means creating a facilitative, risk-based framework that accelerates responsible technologies, reduces cultivation costs, improves nutrient use efficiency, and ultimately restores balance between productivity and sustainability.” The urgency of improving nutrient efficiency is stark. In India, nitrogen use efficiency hovers at only 30–40 per cent, meaning up to 70 per cent of applied nitrogen is lost to volatilisation, leaching, or environmental pollution. Fertiliser subsidies total nearly Rs 2 lakh crore annually, with urea alone accounting for Rs 1.35 lakh crore. As Dr Monoranjan Mohanty, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, explains, even a modest 10–15 per cent improvement in efficiency could save thousands of crores while enhancing soil health. Achieving this, he adds, requires biostimulants and biofertilisers to have clear, science-based regulatory pathways, predictable approval timelines, incentivised R&D, and a market where start-ups and MSMEs can operate without excessive compliance burdens, while quality standards encourage innovation rather than stifle it. Innovation should reach farmers’ fields without unnecessary delays. Dr P K Singh, Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, frames it as creating a predictable, science-driven ecosystem where micronutrients, bio-inputs, and balanced fertilisers move swiftly from laboratory to land. “When products reach farmers at the right time and cost, we strengthen soil health, enhance productivity, and build a resilient agricultural economy for a self-reliant India,” he says. Industry observers see a clear business case behind these reforms. Soumyak Biswas, Partner, BDO India Services Pvt Ltd, points out that the post-Budget policy environment signals a potential pivot from incremental tinkering to structural reform. “Regulatory simplification, digitised approvals, and reduced compliance friction can address long-standing industry challenges, lowering time-to-market and operational uncertainty,” he says. According to Biswas, a risk-based, trust-led regulatory framework, coupled with policy predictability and defined approval timelines, could unlock investment in specialty fertilisers, bio-inputs, and sustainable solutions. For smaller firms and start-ups, such clarity is not just a convenience—it is the difference between surviving and scaling in a capital-intensive sector.  Legacy Regulation and Economic Consequences At the heart of India’s fertiliser regulatory framework lies the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO), administered under the Essential Commodities Act of 1955. Designed in an era of scarcity and state-led planning, the FCO aimed to prevent hoarding, enforce quality standards, and ensure equitable distribution. Control, not competition, was its guiding principle. Six decades on, the same framework operates in a vastly different landscape—characterised by global trade, private-sector innovation, digital governance, and competitive manufacturing ecosystems. What was once protective has become a structural bottleneck. Manufacturers navigate multiple layers of licensing, state-wise product registrations, infrastructure stipulations, periodic renewals, and overlapping inspections. The absence of a harmonised “One Nation, One Licence” regime forces duplication across states, inflating costs, slowing time-to-market, and suppressing economies of scale. For start-ups and SMEs, the compliance burden can be prohibitive. Dr Rahul Mirchandani, Chairman & Managing Director, Aries Agro Ltd., underscores the potential of digitisation: “Ease of Doing Business in agri inputs is not about lowering standards — it is about removing duplication, strengthening transparency, and enabling innovation. I propose a transformative reform: the creation of a centralised digital data stack for agri input licensing. ‘One Nation, ‘One License’ will provide harmonised approvals, uniform quality standards, real-time compliance tracking, and seamless operations across states, benefiting start ups, MSMEs, research-driven companies, and ensuring farmers timely access to quality inputs.” Regulatory asymmetry between domestic production and imports exacerbates challenges. Imported fertilisers often face fewer operational frictions than domestically manufactured products, creating an uneven playing field that undermines self-reliance goals. Delayed approvals, evolving compliance interpretations, and working capital pressures constrain investment, slow capacity expansion, and shrink research pipelines for advanced nutrient technologies. As imports fill domestic gaps, exposure to global price volatility, geopolitical risks, and currency fluctuations grows. India allocates one of the world’s largest fertiliser subsidies, yet regulatory inefficiency limits domestic competitiveness. Modernising the FCO through digitised licensing, harmonised standards, and transparent, time-bound approvals is not a mere industry demand—it is central to strengthening domestic manufacturing, reducing import dependence, and ensuring that public subsidy expenditure delivers long-term structural resilience. Taxation, Subsidies and Structural Distortions If regulatory complexity forms one layer of challenge in India’s fertiliser sector, taxation and subsidy design form another—equally consequential, yet less visibly debated. Together, they shape commercial logic, influence nutrient consumption, and determine whether efficiency or distortion dominates the system. A persistent challenge is the inverted GST duty structure. In many cases, raw materials and key intermediates attract higher taxes than finished fertiliser products, locking up working capital in unutilised input tax credits. Refund cycles are slow and cumbersome, creating liquidity stress—particularly for small and mid-sized enterprises that lack the balance sheet strength of larger players. In a sector constrained by regulated margins, blocked capital is more than an accounting inconvenience; it is a growth bottleneck. The problem is compounded by non-uniform GST rates across fertiliser categories and allied inputs. Variations in classification and interpretation generate compliance ambiguities, inflate administrative overheads, and occasionally trigger disputes. Companies confront procedural complexity that dilutes managerial focus and increases transaction costs. EoDB demands simplicity and predictability—qualities only partially realised in the current tax environment. Subsidy architecture introduces a deeper structural distortion. Subsidies are indispensable in a country where farm incomes remain fragile and input affordability is politically sensitive. Yet their design significantly shapes farmer behaviour. Urea, excluded from the Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) framework, is heavily subsidised and priced well below phosphatic and potassic fertilisers. The result: nutrient imbalance. Over-application of nitrogen and under-application of P&K has degraded soil health, lowered nutrient-use efficiency, and created long-term productivity challenges. Short-term affordability carries hidden agronomic and fiscal costs, with excessive nitrogen generating environmental externalities, from groundwater contamination to greenhouse gas emissions. Fiscal consequences are equally stark. Artificially low urea prices stimulate demand beyond agronomic recommendations, inflating subsidised volumes. Public expenditure absorbs the cost, yet efficiency suffers when price signals fail to reflect relative nutrient value. The Union Budget 2026-27 reflects these pressures. Anand Kulkarni, Director at Crisil Ratings, notes: “The Union Budget 2026-27 has allocated Rs 1.71 lakh crore for fertiliser subsidies, with Rs 1.17 lakh crore for urea and Rs 0.54 lakh crore for complex fertilisers. Allocation for complex fertilisers may face a 15–20 per cent shortfall due to sustained higher raw material and import costs, though government support is likely to ensure adequate supply.” S Sankarasubramanian, Chairman, Fertiliser Association of India and MD & CEO, Coromandel International Ltd., adds, “The allocations underline a steady commitment to domestic capability. Support for indigenous urea and P&K, alongside imported fertiliser support, reinforces supply security while maintaining farmer access. Customs duty rationalisation and addressing inverted GST structures help streamline costs, improve cash flows, and create a more predictable operating environment.” Moving Beyond Incrementalism Meaningful EoDB reform in India’s fertiliser sector cannot rely on piecemeal adjustments; it requires structural recalibration. At its core lies the FCO, conceived for scarcity management rather than competitive efficiency. Modernisation demands a shift from blanket administrative controls to risk-based, data-driven quality regulation. Encouraging domestic innovation is central. Jayakumar Jitendrasinh Rawal, Minister of Marketing and Protocol, Maharashtra, underscores the vision: “Food production has always been India’s greatest strength. By advancing progressive policies and ensuring EoDB in agri-inputs, we can build a resilient, globally competitive, and self-reliant agricultural system. The micro-fertiliser and nutrient industry has, over the past four decades, played a pivotal role in improving crop yield, quality, and productivity, positioning India among the world’s leading food producers. With strong support for MSME-driven industries and sustained investment in research, development, and innovation, we are committed to achieving global agricultural leadership by 2047.” Reform in fertilisers is not merely industrial adjustment—it is a strategic investment in India’s agricultural future. Structural recalibration, harmonised regulation, and innovation-led policy are essential to ensure efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness advance hand in hand. ---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3690/new-farm-engine-runs-on-data-not-diesel.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3690/new-farm-engine-runs-on-data-not-diesel.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:42:49 +0530 In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Simon Henry outlines how aerial intelligence is cutting inputs, boosting yields, and driving ESG outcomes Simon Henry, Vice President of Business Development – EMEA / Ireland at ZenaTech, outlines how precision agriculture is rapidly shifting from a niche innovation to a necessity across EMEA, driven by regulatory pressure, rising costs, and climate volatility. He emphasizes that ZenaTech’s Drone-as-a-Service model is breaking down cost and complexity barriers, making advanced aerial intelligence accessible to farms of all sizes. The company is tackling one of the sector’s biggest challenges—turning complex data into actionable insights—by embedding AI-driven analytics that deliver real-time, field-level decisions. Henry highlights how drone-led automation can significantly cut input waste, improve water efficiency, and boost profitability while aligning with sustainability and ESG goals. Looking ahead, he envisions a digitally integrated farming ecosystem powered by AI, predictive analytics, and emerging technologies, positioning drones as a critical support system rather than a replacement for farmers. Precision Agriculture at Scale ZenaTech’s drone solutions enable plant health monitoring, crop mapping, and early stress detection using multispectral imaging. How do you see precision agriculture evolving from a niche technology to a mainstream farming necessity across EMEA markets? In the EMEA region, precision agriculture is already considered a structural necessity, rather than a luxury, in many regions. This has been driven by increasingly rigorous EU mandates, rising input costs, and fluctuating supply markets. The reason this may not be illustrated in practice is because mainstream adoption has been hindered by the high cost of entry and technical complexity required by many solutions currently on the market.  ZenaTech is bridging this gap through our Drone as a Service (DaaS) model. By building precision agriculture as a scalable utility, we enable farmers to meet strict targets and maximise their inputs without the burden of hardware ownership. As climate volatility increases, our real-time multispectral insights will provide the essential resilience needed to transform localized data into a universal standard for sustainable, high-yield farming. Harnessing this resilience will become crucial to safeguarding yields throughout the coming decades, as farms of all sizes and specialisms worldwide grapple with intensifying climate volatility. From Data to Decisions Your platforms generate high-resolution, real-time agricultural data. What are the biggest barriers farmers face in translating this data into actionable decisions, and how is ZenaTech addressing this gap? For most farmers, the primary barrier is the challenge of translating complex multispectral maps into practical field-level actions. Most platforms provide data that requires manual interpretation, creating a technical gap that stalls decision-making and in doing so, lessens impact. ZenaTech is focused on addressing this by integrating AI-powered analytics directly into our ZenaDrone ecosystem. Our software processes raw data into prescription maps that identify specific issues like nitrogen deficiency or pest outbreaks in real-time, cutting out the middleman entirely. By providing actionable insights and ensuring our software platform integrates with existing farm management systems, we turn aerial intelligence into a practical tool for increasing crop yields and operational efficiency. This allows farmers to make better, faster decisions with confidence,  based on our data-based insights. Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) vs Ownership Models ZenaTech’s DaaS model removes the need for upfront drone investment. How disruptive is this model for traditional agri-tech adoption, especially among small and mid-sized farms? DaaS model is cutting-edge in innovating legacy and low-tech processes. Historically, precision agriculture required six-figure investments in hardware, specialized pilot training, and complex regulatory compliance. As a result, the largest industrial farms could avail of this technology. By removing the capital expenditure wall and supporting users with a skilled DaaS consultant who provides in-person setup and ongoing customer support tailored to clients' needs, we have democratized access through our drone technology. Small and mid-sized farmers can now access advanced multispectral imaging and precision spraying through a manageable, predictable operational expense. We also manage the technical overhead, including AI data processing and flight certifications, to ensure farmers are provided with actionable insights without the need for deep technical knowledge on their end. This pay-per-use flexibility ensures that cutting-edge aerial intelligence is no longer a luxury but an accessible tool for increasing profit and enhancing sustainability across the entire agricultural spectrum. AI, Automation & Farm Economics With AI-driven plant counting, disease detection, and yield optimization, how significantly can drone-led automation reduce input costs and improve farm profitability in real terms? Crucially, our drone technology has the capacity to eliminate the need to "blanket spray” fertilizer, which is a traditional approach that wastes a substantial amount of chemical input for the average farmer annually, while also stifling their ability to meet key sustainable targets. Instead, our multispectral drone imaging enables precise, variable-rate application, reducing fertilizer and pesticide costs. By moving operations to the air, we also have the capacity to eliminate soil compaction caused by heavy machinery, which can improve yields significantly. Meanwhile, our disease and pest detection software helps to mitigate unforeseen risks, ensuring farmers can maximise yield from their inputs. Ultimately, Zenatech’s Drone as a Service model replaces high-risk investments with a “pay-per-use” service that slashes labour, input waste, and mitigates profit lost through avoidable risks, ensuring precision agriculture is the most profitable path for any modern farm. Water & Climate Intelligence Given increasing climate stress and water scarcity, how can drone-based 3D mapping and irrigation analytics reshape water-use efficiency in agriculture? We tackle this in a similar way to how we effectively manage fertilizer use; through the insights provided by our drone-based 3D mapping, we replace broad irrigation tactics with 3D-driven precision irrigation. Through our ZenaDrone technology, we create high-resolution topographic maps that reveal exactly how water moves across a field, identifying drainage issues and high-risk drought zones. Complementing this, our multispectral and thermal sensors detect crop water stress in real time, allowing for localized, variable-rate irrigation. By targeting only the areas in need, farmers can significantly reduce water (and energy waste) while maintaining optimal plant hydration. Through our DaaS model, this high-level irrigation intelligence becomes an affordable necessity for every kind of farm navigating the challenges of global water scarcity. Integration with Broader Agri-Tech Ecosystems How does ZenaTech envision integrating drone data with farm management systems, satellite analytics, and IoT platforms to create a unified “digital farm” ecosystem? In ZenaTech’s vision for a unified “digital farm” ecosystem, ZenaDrone serves as the primary engine for real-time intelligence. We integrate aerial data with IoT ground sensors and satellite analytics via our Enterprise SaaS platform, creating a single source of truth for farmers to refer to. By using open APIs, our AI-driven insights flow directly into existing farm management systems and smart machinery, enabling automated, variable-rate applications. This seamless integration (supported by our upcoming quantum-enhanced processing) transforms fragmented data points into a cohesive, predictive toolset, allowing farmers to optimize every acre with unprecedented speed and precision. Regulatory & Airspace Challenges in EMEA Drone deployment in agriculture is often constrained by regulatory frameworks. What are the key policy bottlenecks across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and how can they be streamlined to unlock scale? As with any set of tech-focused regulatory frameworks, this is an ongoing conversation across many jurisdictions. Specifically, governments around the world have placed a focus on developing regulatory frameworks for the new world of drones for a number of years already, with the aim of opening airspace to enable businesses to use this technology. The good news is that ZenaTech’s DaaS model is specifically designed to manage these considerations on behalf of the end-user. Rather than forcing farmers to carry the regulatory burden, we can offer Drone as a Service as an end-to-end solution, controlling all aspects of the drone analytics process from hardware, software, and AI-driven analytics to operational flight services. This gives farmers peace of mind that the regulatory aspect of our operation is compliant within the areas we service. Sustainability & ESG Alignment With increasing focus on carbon footprint and sustainable farming, how can drone-enabled agriculture contribute to measurable ESG outcomes for farmers, agribusinesses, and investors? On the environmental side, our ZenaDrone technology enables a significant reduction in chemical inputs through precision variable-rate spraying, which directly lowers nitrous oxide emissions and prevents nitrogen run-off. By replacing heavy, diesel-burning tractors with autonomous aerial systems, we also eliminate soil compaction, which restores soil health and improves carbon sequestration, while reducing the farm’s overall footprint. From a monitoring and governance perspective, our integrated Enterprise SaaS platform provides an automated, immutable audit trail for every field action. This high-level transparency provides the comprehensive proof required for agribusinesses to validate sustainable practices, comply with the EU Green Deal, and secure green financing from ESG-focused investors. The Future: Autonomous Farming Systems Looking ahead to 2030, do you see agriculture moving toward fully autonomous, drone-led farm management systems? What role will AI, predictive analytics, and possibly quantum computing play in that transition? Our Drone-as-a-Service model is not engineered to realize a fully autonomous, drone-led farm management system but to permanently alleviate the time, environmental, and safety burdens associated with traditional management systems from farmers, while boosting their confidence to make more informed strategic decisions. We recognize the many plates that the modern farmer has to spin, from business strategy to supply chain management to everyday risk management and execution. We want to position ourselves as supporting staff, easing the day-to-day burden for farmers by providing them with detailed, actionable insights, specific to their operation, thereby enhancing their decision-making, without requiring extra elbow work. By 2030, we want to be facilitating as many farmers as possible to leverage the benefits of AI, predictive analytics, and quantum computing in their everyday practice to enhance sustainability, mitigate risk, reduce costs, and increase yield, while lessening their workload. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3686/ai-based-tools-can-help-farmers-and-policymakers-interpret-uncertainty-and-environmental-variability-more-effectively-microsoft.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3686/ai-based-tools-can-help-farmers-and-policymakers-interpret-uncertainty-and-environmental-variability-more-effectively-microsoft.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:25:35 +0530 Human oversight and contextual intelligence key to scaling AI in agriculture In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Maj Sapna Nauhria, Industry Director, Public Sector, Asia, Microsoft, highlights that AI’s real value in agriculture lies in bridging policy intent with field realities by enabling data-driven, context-specific decisions while respecting ecological limits. She emphasises that for initiatives like the Digital Agriculture Mission to succeed, advisories must be localised, transparent, and directly linked to on-ground factors such as water availability and infrastructure. The discussion underscores that AI should complement—not replace—farmer judgment, with trust built through explainable recommendations, human oversight, and integration of local knowledge systems. Looking ahead to 2026, she notes that success will be reflected in behavioural shifts such as condition-based farming, reduced risk, and improved input efficiency, rather than just an increase in digital advisories or policy outputs. Spending vs. Soil Reality India’s agri budgets have expanded significantly, yet agriculture ultimately responds to soil health, water availability, and climate variability. Where can AI genuinely bridge the gap between fiscal intent and biological constraints—and where can it not ? AI as an Enabler Within Ecological Realities India’s expanding agricultural budgets reflect strong fiscal commitment, and agricultural outcomes are dependent on combination of  technological tools and natural factors such as soil health, water availability, and climate variability.  AI‑enabled tools can help support more informed decisions related to timing, targeting, and resource use. By integrating weather forecasts, soil information, and crop growth models, AI based systems may generate indicative insights such as potential input needs, irrigation timing considerations, or early signals of pest or crop stage conditions. AI generated insights may help identify situations where adjusting input use could be beneficial and may help institutions better understand regional variability in climate related risks. In this way, AI can serve as an information layer that helps relate policy objectives to observed field conditions.‑based systems may generate indicative insights such as potential input needs, irrigation timing considerations, or early signals of pest or crop‑stage conditions‑generated insights may help identify situations where adjusting input use could be beneficial and may help institutions better understand regional variability in climate‑related risks. AI based tools can support more frequent monitoring of crop conditions and soil variability. Continuous monitoring of crop response, soil moisture, and variability across regions can help institutions understand which interventions are working and where natural constraints are limiting the progress. These insights may help institutions consider adjustments during the season based on observed patterns.‑based tools can support more frequent monitoring of crop conditions and soil variability Ongoing efforts to enhance soil health and address challenges related to cropping decisions remain essential. AI‑based tools can help farmers and policymakers interpret uncertainty and environmental variability more effectively. The value of AI based tools lies in helping ensure that decisions are informed by local ecological and contextual factors. When used within natural constraints, these tools can help support decision making in ways that align with field realities. ‑based tools lies in helping ensure that decisions are informed by local ecological and contextual factors. When used within natural constraints, these tools can help support decision‑making in ways that align with field realities Digital Agriculture Mission and the Farm Itself The Digital Agriculture Mission promises registries, advisories, and digital execution. From a farmer’s standpoint, what must change on the ground for this to move from dashboards to day-to-day agronomic decisions ? India’s Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) aims to provide digital infrastructure that can help support more informed agronomic decision making. From a farmer standpoint, the expected changes on ground are:‑making. First, consideration is ensuring advisories are timely, locally relevant, and practical for farmers to use.Farmers may benefit from advisories that reflect localized factors—such as indicative sowing windows, potential irrigation considerations based on weather forecasts, or signals related to crop stages. A digital system gains significance only when it is grounded in data relevant to specific farm and a farmer can authenticate and engage with it. Without such contextual detail, digital systems may primarily support administrative processes rather than day‑to‑day agronomic decision‑making. Second, farmer data must translate into tangible benefits: Farmers share information about their land and crops, and ensuring that this information connects to clear and understandable insights may help strengthen the practical value of digital agriculture tools. For digital agriculture to influence decisions, farmers must see practical benefits, such as greater clarity on changing conditions or potential risks. In agriculture, transparency is critical, advisories should be simple, in native language and explain why a recommendation has changed and which risk it aims to mitigate. Trust grows when farmers can connect their data to practical outcomes. Third, Phygital systems grounded in physical realities, especially water. Farmers may benefit from advisories if they are closely linked with the on-ground resources and infrastructure, such as irrigation schedules, canal releases, and electricity supply. Advisories tend to be more relevant when they consider the on ground context—such as water availability or local infrastructure—along with technological inputs.‑ground context—such as water availability or local infrastructure—along with technological inputs. Digital agriculture efforts might be most valuable when information is simple, clear, and tailored to farmers’ local needs. Climate Volatility as an Agronomic ProblemClimate risk is often framed in financial or insurance terms. How can AI help farmers make better in-season agronomic choices—crop selection, planting windows, irrigation, and input timing—under rising climate uncertainty ? Rising climate variability—such as shifts in rainfall, temperature, and pest pressures—can require farmers to make more frequent in season decisions.AI based tools may support this shift by offering data informed insights that complement traditional knowledge and assist with more adaptive planning.‑season decisions.‑based tools may support this shift by offering data‑informed insights that complement traditional knowledge and assist with more adaptive planning. For crop and variety considerations, AI based systems can use weather outlooks, soil information, and historical patterns to present scenarios or options that reflect different levels of potential risk. These scenarios may help farmers weigh different considerations under uncertain seasonal conditions.‑based systems can use weather outlooks, soil information, and historical patterns to present scenarios or options that reflect different levels of potential risk. In planting decisions, AI supported tools may highlight short time windows that align with factors such as soil moisture or forecasted conditions. By considering factors such as soil moisture, temperature, and short term rainfall forecasts, these tools can provide farmers with information relevant to sowing decisions, which are often sensitive to climatic shifts‑supported tools may highlight short time‑windows that align with factors such as soil moisture or forecasted conditions.‑term rainfall forecasts, these tools can provide farmers with information relevant to sowing decisions, which are often sensitive to climatic shifts For irrigation, AI enabled models may help identify conditions associated with potential water stress by using inputs such as weather forecasts and evapotranspiration estimates. These insights may support farmers in considering irrigation timing within their local context and available resources.‑enabled models may In input and crop protection timing, AI based tools may provide information on how evolving conditions could influence timing considerations. These advisories may highlight situations where certain conditions could influence decisions about input timing.‑protection timing‑based tools may provide information on how evolving conditions could influence timing considerations. Crucially, AI does not replace farmer judgment. Its value lies in updating recommendations as conditions shift, communicating risks transparently, and supporting informed human decisions. AI supported tools can serve as one source of information as farmers navigate uncertainty during the season.‑supported tools can serve as one source of information as farmers navigate uncertainty during the season Precision Without ExclusionAdvanced AI performs best where data density is high, yet most Indian farms operate with sparse digital inputs. How can AI systems deliver agronomic precision without marginalising smallholders or rain-fed regions ? If AI tools are designed only for highly instrumented environments, they may be less applicable across diverse agricultural settings. Supporting broader applicability may involve designing AI systems that can work with low signal, high‑signal, highvariability‑variability environments. One approach involves moving from precision dependent on dense datasets toward approaches that use inference. Data sources such as satellite imagery, local weather information, soil reports, and general crop patterns—combined with local ground truthing—can help generate context relevant insights, even where long term sensor datasets are limited.‑truthing—can help generate context‑relevant insights, even where long‑term sensor datasets are limited. Another consideration is the value of presenting ranges of potential outcomes rather than single point predictions. For smallholders managing climate variability, guidance that illustrates relative scenarios may be more relatable in uncertain conditions. Presenting confidence ranges, trade offs, or scenario based options may help farmers understand how advice relates to their own resources and conditions‑point predictions.‑offs, or scenario‑based options may help farmers understand how advice relates to their own resources and conditions Further, Human and community knowledge can serve as valuable complementary inputs alongside digital data. Farmer observations, extension workers’ insights, and local cropping practices may provide useful context signals for AI models, particularly in rainfed or ‑fed or mixed‑cropping systems with diverse patterns. Incorporating lightweight feedback mechanisms may help adjust model outputs to better reflect local conditions. Developing AI systems that account for variability, data gaps, and uncertainty—and that remain adaptable—may help support more inclusive use across diverse farm environments. When AI systems are designed to work with sparse signals and incorporate human context, they may support decision making‑making across both irrigated and rainfed areas‑fed areas. Trust at the Farm GateFarmers remain wary of AI recommendations that are statistically sound but agronomically implausible for their fields. What design principles are essential for AI systems to earn trust in high-stakes decisions like fertiliser application or irrigation scheduling ? Experience in many settings suggests that farmers may take time to adopt new technologies. Adoption may depend on factors such as confidence in the technology and the presence of locally validated examples that feel relevant to farmers. The following considerations may help support farmer confidence in AI based tools:‑based tools Recommendations may be more meaningful when they reflect local agronomic context alongside statistical analysis. AI enabled‑enabled tools may be more useful when they incorporate information such as crop stage, soil conditions, water availability, and micro‑climate patterns. Models that do not align with on ground‑ground realities may be perceived as less relevant by some farmers. Communicating ranges, potential risks, and the reasoning behind recommendations may help farmers interpret the information in context. Explaining the uncertainty behind a recommendation may help farmers better understand the information being provided. Some systems may use approaches such as risk levels, confidence ranges, or trade-offs to illustrate potential scenarios. This type of framing may help farmers interpret recommendations in the context of their own constraints.‑offs to illustrate potential scenarios Human and community insights can serve as valuable contextual inputs for AI supported tools. Extension officers, FPO leaders, and experienced farmers may help interpret local conditions that complement model outputs. Incorporating such feedback into the models may help align model outputs more closely with local context.‑supported tools Transparency about the basis for a recommendation may help support user understanding. Providing a clear rationale—for example, indicating which signals informed a recommendation—may help farmers understand why advice has changed. This reduces the perception of AI as a “black box” and supports better judgment.  AI supported tools can assist with information, but they do not replace farmer judgment or address underlying constraints such as water availability or long-term soil and climate conditions.‑based tools is also important‑supported tools can assist with information, but they do not replace farmer judgment or address underlying constraints such as water availability or long‑term soil and climate conditions. When AI supported tools incorporate transparency, local context, and practical considerations, they may better support informed decision-making. Trust may develop over time when systems provide information that aligns with farmers’ practical realities.‑supported tools incorporate transparency, local context, and practical considerations, they may better support informed decision‑making. Microsoft’s Role in Agricultural InnovationMicrosoft has invested in cloud, AI, satellite analytics, and digital public infrastructure globally. Which Microsoft innovations or architectural approaches are proving most impactful in agriculture today—and what lessons have emerged from deploying them in complex, smallholder-dominated systems like India ? Microsoft works across cloud, AI, satellite analytics, and digital public infrastructure, and this digital foundation can support partners who are developing agriculture focused tools. In smallholder dominated environments, where diversity, data variability, and field level complexity are common, several approaches have been used by ecosystem participants, and a number of learnings have emerged.‑focused tools. In smallholder‑dominated environments, where diversity, data variability, and field‑level complexity are common, several approaches have been used by ecosystem participants, and a number of learnings have emerged Democratising AI through local language, accessible interfaces: Ecosystem partners use Microsoft’s cloud and AI tools to develop solutions that operate in regional languages and through familiar channels—such as mobile phones, messaging based assistants, or simple voice interfaces. These approaches may help make digital tools more accessible for farmers who prefer straightforward, commonly used formats.‑language, accessible interfaces‑based assistants, or simple voice interfaces. These approaches may help make digital tools more accessible for farmers who prefer straightforward, commonly used formats. Lesson: Solutions that align with familiar usage patterns may be easier for farmers to adopt Open, modular AI components that innovators can adapt: Publicly available components—such as models for weather, imagery processing, soil insights, or field level classification—can be adapted by startups, research institutions, and government organizations to address local crop, soil, and climate conditions. This type of modularity may help partners tailor tools to regional needs.‑level classification—can be adapted by startups, research institutions, and government organizations to address local crop, soil, and climate conditions. This type of modularity may help partners tailor tools to regional needs. Lesson: Local datasets and context specific adjustments may be important for AI tools designed for smallholder environments.‑specific adjustments may be important for AI tools designed for smallholder environments. Data platforms that integrate diverse agricultural signals: Agriculture involves multiple sources of information, including imagery, weather, soil data, farm records, markets, and community feedback. Microsoft’s data platforms can help partners integrate these streams, which they may use to build more context aware digital tools. This approach allows innovators to focus more on solution design and less on handling disparate data sources‑aware digital tools. This approach allows innovators to focus more on solution design and less on handling disparate data sources Lesson: Integrated datasets may be more useful for inclusive agritech solutions than simply increasing data volume. Partnerships grounded in local expertise: Solutions can benefit when digital infrastructure is combined with institutions that understand agronomy, local water systems, and community engagement—such as agricultural universities, extension networks, cooperatives, and FPOs. These partnerships may help ensure that digital systems are grounded in practical realities and aligned with local field conditions. Lesson: Human expertise can play an important role in supporting interpretation and credibility for AI‑supported tools. What these deployments have illustrated Across diverse smallholder settings, several observations have emerged: Use of familiar devices may support adoption. Simple, accessible channels can make digital advisories easier for farmers to engage with. Human capacity building remains important. Strengthening the skills of extension officers, FPO leaders, and intermediaries can complement technical development. ‑building remains important. Models may need to reflect local variability. Soil, water, and cropping diversity across India often requires region-specific data inputs ‑specific data inputs Alignment with public programs may support scale. Digital tools that complement existing government or ecosystem programs can reach more users. Feedback loops can help refine tools. Farmer observations and field level exceptions may help partners improve system relevance over time.‑level exceptions may help partners improve system relevance over time. In summary, Microsoft’s contribution to agriculture reflects an ecosystem oriented approach—providing cloud, AI, data, and interoperability foundations that partners, researchers, and institutions can use to create locally grounded solutions. Experience from India suggests that solutions can be more useful when they reflect field complexity, incorporate local knowledge, and remain adaptable to smallholder realities.‑oriented approach—providing cloud, AI, data, and interoperability foundations that partners, researchers, and institutions can use to create locally grounded solutions. Experience from India suggests that solutions can be more useful when they reflect field complexity, incorporate local knowledge, and remain adaptable to smallholder realities. From Advisory to AccountabilityAs AI increasingly informs advisories, subsidies, and even credit eligibility, where should human agronomic judgment remain non-negotiable—and how should accountability be structured when AI-guided decisions fall short ? Human judgment remains indispensable wherever biological variability, local feasibility, or livelihood risk is involved. AI can provide timely insights, highlight risks, and improve efficiency—but must remain a supporting tool, not the decision-maker. Accountability, meanwhile, should rest with the institutions deploying AI, backed by transparent explanations and human review pathways. When these safeguards are in place, AI can enhance trust, fairness, and resilience across India’s smallholder agriculture systems. The 2026 Reality CheckBy 2026, what visible changes at the field level would signal that AI, policy, and capital are finally aligned in Indian agriculture—and what would indicate the system is still optimising for policy optics rather than farm outcomes ? By 2026, alignment between AI, policy, and capital in Indian agriculture should be visible  in everyday field behaviour and reduced farmer risk. What alignment looks like on the ground Farmers move from calendar-based to condition-based decisions: Sowing will align with soil moisture and short-term forecasts, not fixed dates. Irrigation will target crop stress instead of set rotations. Input use, especially fertilisers and chemicals, will be more restrained, with farmers better informed about when and where not to apply them based on clear risk–benefit analyses. Farmers focus on avoiding losses, not just increasing yield: Farmers act early to reduce mid-season losses. In risky areas, they choose more diverse crops and faster-growing varieties, aiming for resilience instead of just higher productivity. Farmers trust advice and know the reason behind it. They understand why a suggestion changed during the season and what risk it helps avoids. When extension workers, cooperatives, and digital tools give the same message, it shows that AI, field teams, and policies are working as one. What misalignment looks like High volumes of advisories with low behavioural change: If advisory frequency rises but water use, input efficiency, or loss patterns look the same as before, the system is likely prioritising digital output rather than agronomic outcomes. Dashboards may appear successful even as farmers quietly revert to traditional instincts because the guidance is not grounded in feasibility. Uniformity where diversity should exist: If cropping recommendations and risk alerts look identical across districts with very different soils, rainfall, and water access, it suggests the system is optimising for administrative convenience—not biological reality. Similarly, if farmer feedback is collected but not reflected in subsequent advisory adjustments, digital participation becomes extractive rather than empowering. Expecting AI to compensate for structural constraints: If technology is positioned as a workaround for depleted aquifers, degraded soils, delayed irrigation releases, or weak extension systems, the gap between digital claims and field realities will widen. When AI is asked to solve challenges that are fundamentally ecological or infrastructural, trust inevitably erodes. To conclude, By 2026, true alignment will be visible when AI quietly enables farmers to make less risky decisions, more often, even in difficult seasons. Success will be measured in avoided losses, adaptive behaviour, and farmer confidence. If those behavioural signals emerge, it means AI, policy, and capital are  reinforcing each other. -- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3644/farming-desert-seas-how-technology-is-rewriting-future-of-aquaculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3644/farming-desert-seas-how-technology-is-rewriting-future-of-aquaculture.html Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:34:19 +0530 In an exclusive interaction with AgroSpectrum, Marcel Verbrugge, Aquaculture engineer, Dahui aquaculture limited outlines how desert aquaculture is emerging as a scalable solution for food security, water efficiency, and climate resilience As climate stress and resource scarcity redefine global food systems, aquaculture is rapidly breaking free from its coastal roots—moving into some of the world’s most extreme environments. Along the edges of the Taklamakan Desert, cutting-edge innovations in water chemistry, microbial engineering, and Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are turning inhospitable terrain into high-efficiency seafood production hubs. This shift is gaining momentum in regions like Saudi Arabia, where food security imperatives and policy backing are accelerating investment in desert-based farming. What was once experimental is now emerging as a scalable, technology-driven blueprint for resilient, localized protein production. Against this backdrop, several companies are pushing the technological frontier—integrating RAS, artificial seawater systems, and climate-controlled infrastructure to unlock new production ecosystems. The model also aligns with broader shifts toward circular resource use, digital monitoring, and precision farming. This interview with Marcel Verbrugge explores how these innovations are converging, what it takes to scale them sustainably, and whether desert aquaculture could redefine the future of global food production in an era of climate stress and resource constraints. Transforming the fringes of the Taklamakan Desert into productive aquaculture farms represents a striking reimagining of landscape and resource use. What technological and ecological breakthroughs made it possible to cultivate fish and shrimp in such an extreme environment? The single most critical challenge—and indeed the defining breakthrough—has been water engineering: the ability to convert chemically hostile saline-alkali groundwater into a stable, biologically productive aquaculture medium. In regions such as the Taklamakan Desert, groundwater is not scarce, but it is inherently unsuitable for aquaculture due to high salinity and extreme alkalinity. The innovation lies in systematically transforming this constraint into a controlled aquatic ecosystem through a multi-stage process often described as “salt-alkali water seawater restoration.” The first stage is baseline utilization. Farmers tap into shallow aquifers—often just two meters below the surface—where naturally saline groundwater can reach salinity levels of up to 8 parts per thousand. While this salinity is lower than seawater, it provides a foundational mineral profile that can be engineered further, reducing the need to build water chemistry from scratch. The second stage involves precise chemical balancing. The native groundwater is typically highly alkaline, with pH levels ranging from 9.5 to as high as 11—far beyond the tolerance range of most aquatic species. Through a combination of desalination and dealkalization techniques—primarily by blending with freshwater and applying buffering agents—the water is carefully adjusted to a pH range of 7.5 to 8.5. This calibrated environment closely mimics marine conditions found in bodies such as the South China Sea, creating a chemically stable foundation for aquaculture. The most sophisticated layer of this transformation is microbial mimicry. Proprietary microbial consortia and beneficial bacterial communities are introduced not merely to purify the water, but to actively regulate and stabilize its biochemical dynamics. These microbes facilitate nutrient cycling, control ammonia and nitrite levels, and gradually establish a living, self-regulating system that behaves like a natural seawater ecosystem. This step is critical in enabling the successful cultivation of marine species such as shrimp and seabass in a completely artificial inland environment. Beyond water chemistry, controlled-environment infrastructure plays a complementary role. In countries like Saudi Arabia, desert aquaculture is increasingly integrated with greenhouse-based systems and hybrid water models that combine saline and freshwater inputs. These enclosed or semi-enclosed systems buffer extreme temperature fluctuations, reduce evaporation losses, and allow year-round production under tightly regulated conditions. Taken together, these breakthroughs—hydrochemical engineering, microbial ecosystem design, and climate-controlled infrastructure—represent a fundamental shift in how aquaculture environments are created. Rather than relying on naturally suitable ecosystems, producers are now able to design and replicate optimal aquatic conditions in some of the harshest landscapes on earth. Desert aquaculture relies on saline groundwater, engineered ponds, and tightly monitored production systems. From a sustainability perspective, how viable is this model over the long term, particularly with regard to water management, soil salinity, and ecosystem balance? Long-term sustainability in desert aquaculture hinges on how effectively operations transition from resource extraction to closed-loop, circular production systems. Given the fragility of arid ecosystems, the model’s viability is being defined by innovations that simultaneously address water efficiency, soil protection, and ecosystem balance. At the core is advanced water stewardship. Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) have fundamentally redefined water use efficiency, enabling up to 99 percent recycling within production units. This dramatically reduces dependence on freshwater inputs—an essential advantage in desert regions where water scarcity is the primary constraint. In parallel, Integrated Aqua-Vegeculture Systems (iAVs) extend this efficiency by channeling nutrient-rich aquaculture effluents into agriculture. Instead of being discharged as waste, this water is repurposed to irrigate salt-tolerant crops such as halophytes or fodder, effectively converting a liability into a productive input stream. Equally important is the management of soil salinity and environmental leakage. The use of lined ponds and engineered containment systems prevents seepage of saline water into surrounding soils, mitigating long-term land degradation risks. Increasingly, farms are adopting zero-discharge systems, where all process water is treated, recirculated, and reused within the facility. This not only minimizes ecological impact but also enhances regulatory compliance and operational predictability. The model is further strengthened through circular economy integration. Organic waste from aquaculture—such as sludge and residual biomass—is being processed through anaerobic digestion systems to generate biogas, which can partially offset the high energy demands of intensive aquaculture. This is particularly relevant in desert environments, where energy-water trade-offs are critical. Complementing this, the integration of solar power is emerging as a natural fit, leveraging abundant sunlight to reduce reliance on conventional energy sources and improve the overall carbon footprint of operations. Technological sophistication is another defining pillar. Modular RAS designs allow for scalable, compartmentalized production with minimal environmental interaction, reducing biosecurity risks and enabling precise control over farming conditions. On top of this, AI- and IoT-enabled monitoring systems are transforming operational management. Real-time data on water quality, temperature, oxygen levels, and feed efficiency allows for predictive interventions, optimizing both productivity and resource use while minimizing waste and system stress. Finally, the strategic use of brackish groundwater—often unsuitable for agriculture or human consumption—adds an important sustainability dimension. By utilizing this otherwise underutilized resource, desert aquaculture avoids competing with critical freshwater needs, reinforcing its role as a complementary, rather than extractive, food production system. Taken together, these innovations position desert aquaculture not merely as viable, but as a highly engineered, resource-efficient model capable of sustaining long-term production in some of the world’s most water-constrained environments. One of the arguments for inland aquaculture in desert regions is logistical efficiency—bringing seafood production closer to major inland markets. How significant are the economic advantages of reduced transport time and supply-chain costs compared with traditional coastal aquaculture? Inland aquaculture, particularly in desert regions, is increasingly being recognized not just as a technological breakthrough but as a structural shift in supply chain economics. By relocating production closer to consumption centers, the model fundamentally redefines how seafood moves from farm to fork, unlocking efficiencies that extend well beyond simple logistics. The most immediate advantage lies in reduced transport time and cost. Traditional seafood supply chains often depend on long-distance movement from coastal farms to inland consumption hubs, requiring cold-chain infrastructure, multiple handling points, and, in many cases, freezing to preserve shelf life. Inland aquaculture eliminates much of this complexity. Producers situated near major population centers can deliver fresh, never-frozen products within hours rather than days, significantly lowering freight costs while also capturing premium pricing in urban markets where freshness is a key differentiator. This compression of the supply chain also translates into a measurable reduction in carbon emissions. Long-haul transportation—whether by refrigerated trucks, air freight, or shipping—carries a substantial environmental footprint. By shortening these routes, inland systems reduce fuel consumption and emissions intensity per unit of output. In a global context where food systems are under increasing scrutiny for their climate impact, this becomes a strategic advantage, particularly for markets with tightening sustainability regulations. Equally important is the resilience dimension. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of globally dispersed food supply chains, where disruptions in logistics, port operations, or trade flows can quickly translate into shortages and price volatility. Inland aquaculture offers a more localized and decentralized production model, insulating regions from external shocks and enhancing food security. This localization also has multiplier effects for regional economies—supporting jobs, stimulating ancillary industries, and reducing dependence on imports. Beyond these core benefits, proximity to markets enables greater demand responsiveness. Producers can better align output with consumption patterns, reduce inventory losses, and adapt more quickly to shifts in consumer preferences. This agility is particularly valuable for high-value, perishable commodities like seafood, where timing and quality directly influence margins. Taken together, inland aquaculture is not merely about geographic relocation—it represents a reconfiguration of the seafood value chain, where efficiency, sustainability, and resilience converge to create a more robust and economically viable production model. China’s desert aquaculture experiments are often framed as a new agricultural frontier. Could this model realistically be replicated in other arid regions of the world, such as the Middle East, Central Asia, or parts of Africa, and what prerequisites would be essential for success? The shift toward desert aquaculture is no longer confined to experimental projects—it is actively expanding across regions, demonstrating that the model is both adaptable and scalable under very different economic and environmental conditions. What is emerging globally is not a single approach, but a spectrum of models ranging from high-tech industrial systems to community-driven solutions, all built on the same core principle: decoupling aquaculture from natural water bodies. In Saudi Arabia, aquaculture is being positioned as a strategic pillar of food security. While coastal net-pen farming continues along the Red Sea, the real acceleration is in land-based systems, particularly Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). These systems allow for controlled, year-round production in desert environments using minimal water. Private players, including startups such as Mustadem, are developing desert-optimized RAS facilities focused on high-value species like sobaity seabream. The objective is clear: reduce import dependence while building a stable, domestic supply of premium seafood tailored to local consumption patterns. The United Arab Emirates is taking a similarly ambitious but more capital-intensive route, emphasizing scale and technological sophistication. Large infrastructure projects—such as a planned 3,000-tonne-per-year RAS facility developed through partnerships between Abu Dhabi-based investment entities and international technology providers—highlight the country’s push toward self-sufficiency. By farming species like rainbow trout in fully controlled desert environments, the UAE is demonstrating how advanced aquaculture can overcome climatic limitations while ensuring consistent quality and output. In contrast, South Africa illustrates a different, equally important pathway. In the Kalahari Desert, initiatives led by INMED South Africa have focused on low-cost, community-based aquaponics systems. These integrated models combine fish farming with vegetable cultivation, dramatically improving resource efficiency—using up to 90 percent less water than traditional agriculture—while delivering tangible social impact. In some cases, vegetable production has increased by 300 percent, with systems becoming a primary source of fresh food for local schools and communities. This underscores that desert aquaculture is not exclusively a high-tech solution; it can also be a tool for grassroots food security and rural development. Bridging these different models are technology providers such as Dahui Aquaculture Limited, which are deploying modular, scalable RAS solutions across regions like Kuwait and the broader GCC. These systems integrate advanced water treatment, climate control, and biosecurity protocols, enabling consistent production even under extreme environmental conditions. Their modular design allows for phased expansion, reducing upfront risk while accelerating adoption in emerging markets. Whether through high-investment, technology-driven systems in the Gulf or community-oriented aquaponics in Africa, the underlying innovation—efficient water use, controlled environments, and system integration—remains constant. This flexibility is precisely what makes desert aquaculture a compelling solution for the future of food production in water-constrained regions. Beyond the novelty of farming seafood in the desert, what broader lessons does this experiment offer about the future of food production—particularly in a world facing climate stress, land degradation, and growing demand for protein? The deeper significance of desert aquaculture lies in its philosophical shift. It challenges the traditional assumption that food production must be tied to naturally fertile environments. Instead, it demonstrates that with the right combination of technology and ecological understanding, production can be decoupled from geography. This model embodies the future of food systems: resilient rather than vulnerable, circular rather than extractive, and precise rather than wasteful. It shows that degraded or extreme landscapes can be repurposed into productive ecosystems, reducing pressure on already stressed natural resources. Perhaps most importantly, it offers a scalable framework for addressing global protein demand without exacerbating deforestation, overfishing, or freshwater depletion. Saudi Arabia’s push toward Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) reflects a strategic response to water scarcity and food security challenges. How transformative is this technology for a desert nation seeking to produce more of its own protein domestically? For a desert nation like Saudi Arabia, the adoption of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) represents not just a technological upgrade, but a fundamental restructuring of how food can be produced under extreme resource constraints. It directly addresses the Kingdom’s two most binding limitations—acute water scarcity and harsh climatic conditions—while aligning closely with the strategic objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to enhance food security and reduce import dependence. Conventional aquaculture is inherently water-intensive and geographically dependent on coastal or freshwater ecosystems. RAS breaks both constraints. By operating as a closed-loop system, it continuously filters, treats, and recirculates water within the production unit, achieving recycling efficiencies of up to 99 percent. This dramatically reduces the need for freshwater withdrawals, making it possible to sustain high-density fish production even in the middle of arid desert landscapes. A critical advantage of RAS in the Saudi context is its ability to utilize non-potable water sources. Systems can be designed to operate on saline or brackish groundwater—resources that are otherwise unsuitable for agriculture or human consumption. This ensures that aquaculture does not compete with already limited freshwater supplies, preserving them for domestic and municipal use while still enabling large-scale protein production. Equally transformative is the level of environmental control these systems provide. Modern RAS facilities are typically housed in climate-controlled, prefab structures equipped with automated heating, cooling, and aeration systems. This allows producers to maintain optimal growth conditions regardless of external temperatures, which can fluctuate dramatically in desert environments. As a result, a wide range of species—from freshwater fish to marine species grown in artificial seawater—can be cultivated with high consistency and predictability. This controlled environment also significantly enhances biosecurity. By isolating production from external ecosystems, RAS minimizes exposure to pathogens, pollutants, and environmental variability. This leads to lower mortality rates, reduced reliance on antibiotics, and more stable production cycles—critical factors for building a reliable domestic aquaculture industry. Beyond production efficiency, the technology enables year-round, location-independent farming, effectively decoupling aquaculture from geography. This opens the door for distributed production models closer to consumption centers, further strengthening supply chains. In essence, RAS transforms aquaculture from a resource-dependent activity into a precision-controlled, infrastructure-driven system. For Saudi Arabia, this is not merely about producing fish—it is about building a resilient, self-sufficient protein ecosystem that can operate sustainably within one of the world’s most water-constrained environments. RAS systems can reduce water use by up to 99 percent compared with conventional aquaculture. From an economic and environmental standpoint, how sustainable is this model at scale, particularly in a region where water and energy costs are critical considerations? While Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are often described as near–closed-loop systems, the operational reality—particularly in desert climates—is more nuanced. Water efficiency remains exceptionally high, but not absolute, and understanding these dynamics is critical to assessing long-term economic and environmental sustainability. In arid regions such as Saudi Arabia, evaporation is the primary source of water loss. High ambient temperatures, combined with aeration and system circulation, typically result in daily water loss of around 5 percent. In addition, a further 2–3 percent of water is discharged through filtration processes—such as mechanical filters, protein skimmers, and sludge removal systems—which are essential to maintaining water quality and system stability. However, what distinguishes advanced RAS operations is how this “lost” water is managed. Rather than being treated as waste, discharge streams are increasingly captured, treated, and repurposed. Nutrient-rich effluent—containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter—can be reused for agricultural applications, including irrigation of date palms, fodder crops, or other desert-adapted agriculture. This creates a linked aquaculture-agriculture system, where outputs from one process become inputs for another, significantly improving overall resource efficiency. From an economic standpoint, these partial losses are offset by the system’s overall efficiency and the broader operating environment. In many Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, energy costs are relatively low compared to Europe, often supported by government subsidies or favorable industrial tariffs. This is particularly important because RAS systems are energy-intensive, requiring continuous pumping, filtration, aeration, and temperature control. Moreover, government support plays a pivotal role in enhancing viability. Subsidies, infrastructure investment, and policy backing under frameworks such as Saudi Vision 2030 reduce capital and operational barriers, accelerating adoption at scale. This supportive ecosystem allows producers to absorb higher energy usage while still maintaining competitive production costs. Importantly, ongoing integration of renewable energy—particularly solar—has the potential to further rebalance the water-energy equation. As these systems evolve, the combination of high water reuse, byproduct utilization, and improving energy efficiency is steadily strengthening the sustainability profile of RAS in desert environments. In essence, while RAS is not entirely lossless, it represents a highly optimized system where even inefficiencies are captured and repurposed, making it one of the most viable models for aquaculture in water-constrained regions. Saudi Vision 2030 places strong emphasis on food security and economic diversification. What role do you see advanced aquaculture playing in strengthening the Kingdom’s domestic food supply chains and reducing reliance on seafood imports? To build a more resilient and diversified food supply chain, Saudi Arabia is moving decisively beyond traditional aquaculture staples toward a broader, higher-value species portfolio. While tilapia continues to anchor domestic production—accounting for roughly a third of output—the strategic focus is now on expanding species diversity to enhance nutritional value, market competitiveness, and consumer preference alignment. A key dimension of this shift is the successful introduction of new, high-value species through advanced technologies like Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). One notable breakthrough has been the cultivation of trout in controlled desert environments—an achievement that would have been unthinkable under conventional aquaculture conditions. This not only expands the domestic availability of premium, omega-3-rich protein but also demonstrates the flexibility of RAS to support species traditionally limited to cooler climates. At the same time, there is a strong emphasis on cultivating native and regionally adapted species. Institutions such as King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) are playing a pivotal role in developing breeding and hatchery programs for species like sobaity seabream, snubnose pompano, and orange-spotted grouper. These species are naturally suited to the Red Sea ecosystem and are highly valued in local markets, making them commercially viable while reducing biological risk. The impact of these efforts is already visible in production data. Saudi Arabia’s aquaculture sector has experienced rapid expansion, with output increasing by more than 55 percent in 2023 to exceed 140,000 tonnes. This growth trajectory is aligned with ambitious national targets to scale production to 600,000 tonnes annually by 2030—a transformation that would significantly rebalance the country’s seafood supply-demand equation. The implications for food security are substantial. By increasing domestic production capacity, the Kingdom can reduce its reliance on seafood imports—currently estimated at around 200,000 tonnes annually—while also stabilizing local markets against global price volatility and supply chain disruptions. This localization of production enhances not only availability but also price predictability and quality control. Crucially, this expansion is not being pursued at the expense of sustainability. The integration of advanced aquaculture technologies, combined with a focus on resource efficiency and environmental management, ensures that growth is aligned with long-term ecological constraints. Under the broader framework of Saudi Vision 2030, aquaculture is evolving from a niche sector into a strategic pillar of national food security and economic diversification. In effect, Saudi Arabia is not just increasing output—it is reengineering its seafood value chain, building a system that is more diverse, technologically advanced, and resilient to external shocks. Looking ahead, could Saudi Arabia emerge as a global leader in desert-based aquaculture innovation? What lessons might other water-scarce regions learn from the Kingdom’s approach to combining sustainability, technology, and food production? Saudi Arabia is already positioning itself as a leader in this space. The combination of strong government backing, access to capital, and a clear strategic imperative has accelerated innovation and deployment at scale. Other water-scarce regions—including Oman, Qatar, and Iraq—are beginning to pivot away from traditional open-pond aquaculture toward recirculating systems, recognizing the limitations imposed by water scarcity. The key lesson is that sustainability and productivity are no longer mutually exclusive. By integrating advanced technology, policy support, and circular resource management, it is possible to build food systems that are both efficient and resilient. Desert aquaculture, once considered improbable, is fast becoming a blueprint for the future of food production in a resource-constrained world. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3639/humanitys-backup-plan-arctic-seed-deposits-safeguard-global-food-and-knowledge.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3639/humanitys-backup-plan-arctic-seed-deposits-safeguard-global-food-and-knowledge.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:59:33 +0530 Dr. Kent Nnadozie, Secretary, FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, calls the Svalbard and Arctic World Archive deposits a historic step for food security and international cooperation The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture marked a historic week with new deposits at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and the Arctic World Archive. For the first time, olive genetic resources were secured in Svalbard, with 5,000 seeds from 59 accessions deposited by the International Olive Council. The nearby Arctic World Archive now houses digital records, legal texts, and knowledge that underpin global stewardship of these resources. Storting representative Geir Pollestad has nominated the Seed Vault and key partners—including NordGen, Crop Trust, CGIAR, and the FAO—for the Nobel Peace Prize, highlighting the link between food security and global peace. The milestones underscore the strategic importance of crop genetic diversity as global infrastructure, while emphasizing the need for long-term funding, equitable access, and cooperation in the face of climate challenges. This exclusive interview with Agrospectrum, explores the recent milestones achieved by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, including the dual deposits at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and the Arctic World Archive. It examines the strategic importance of crop genetic diversity as global infrastructure, the evolving role of commodity organizations in biodiversity governance, and the challenges of financing, cooperation, and digital sequence information in securing the world’s food systems. The discussion also looks ahead to the Treaty’s vision for 2035, focusing on strengthening political, operational, and financial frameworks to ensure resilience, equitable access, and the active use of plant genetic resources in a rapidly changing climate. The Dual Arctic Milestone The International Treaty has now secured both genetic material in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and institutional knowledge in the Arctic World Archive. How do you see this dual protection strategy reshaping the global architecture of food security and multilateral cooperation? This dual milestone reflects a fuller understanding of what resilience requires. Food security does not rest only on conserving seeds. It also depends on preserving the legal frameworks, institutional memory and shared knowledge that allow countries to cooperate in conserving and using those seeds over time. By securing crop diversity in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and preserving key records in the Arctic World Archive, we are protecting both the biological foundation of agriculture and the governance architecture that sustains it. One safeguards the material basis of adaptation. The other safeguards the continuity of cooperation. In an era of accelerating climate risk and geopolitical uncertainty, that matters greatly. It signals that resilience is not only about storing resources, but also about protecting the systems of trust, law and collaboration that make those resources available for the common good. A useful way to put it is this: seeds preserve options for the future, and institutions preserve our ability to act on them together. Crop Diversity as Strategic Infrastructure As climate volatility intensifies, should crop genetic diversity now be considered critical global infrastructure, on par with energy grids or digital networks? What policy shifts are needed to elevate it to that level? Yes, crop genetic diversity should increasingly be treated as strategic infrastructure. It is less visible than roads, power grids or digital cables, but it is just as foundational. Without genetic diversity, there is no durable pathway to crop adaptation, no sustained breeding progress, and no real resilience in food systems. Every time a breeder develops a variety that tolerates heat, drought, salinity or emerging pests, that progress depends on access to diverse genetic material. In that sense, crop diversity is not a peripheral environmental concern. It is core productive infrastructure for humanity. It is truly an existential issue. To elevate it to that level, several policy shifts are needed. First, conservation systems such as genebanks, community seed systems and in situ conservation efforts must be funded as long-term public infrastructure, not as short-cycle projects. Second, plant genetic resources need to be integrated more explicitly into national climate adaptation, food security and development planning. Third, international exchange systems must remain functional, predictable and trusted, because no country is self-sufficient in the diversity it will need. We would never leave an electricity grid to chance. We should not treat the biological infrastructure of food security any less seriously. From Conservation to Utilisation Safeguarding seeds is essential, but ensuring their active use is equally critical. How is the Treaty strengthening the link between conservation, farmer access and innovation pipelines, particularly in climate-vulnerable regions? That is exactly the right framing. Conservation is indispensable, but conservation alone is not enough. Diversity must be conserved in ways that keep it accessible, relevant and usable. The International Plant Treaty helps strengthen that link in several ways. Through the Multilateral System, it facilitates access to plant genetic resources for research, breeding and training. That is essential for moving diversity from storage into practical use. Through the Benefit-sharing Fund, it supports projects that connect farmers, local institutions, researchers and national systems in the conservation and sustainable use of crop diversity, often in regions facing high climatic stress. In climate-vulnerable regions, the key is to close the loop between conservation, selection, breeding and farmer use. We need systems in which local varieties and farmer knowledge inform research agendas, and where improved materials and information flow back to farming communities in forms they can use. Innovation should not be seen as something separate from farmers. Farmers are part of the innovation system. The real measure of conservation is not what sits on a shelf or in cold rooms, but what remains alive in farmers’ fields, gets used in breeding programmes and supports our food systems. The Olive Breakthrough The historic olive accession deposit in collaboration with the International Olive Council signals deeper institutional alignment. What does this milestone reveal about the evolving role of commodity bodies within global biodiversity governance? This is a very significant development. It shows that commodity bodies are not only sectoral actors concerned with production and markets. They can also be important stewards of genetic diversity and strategic partners in the broader governance of agrobiodiversity. The olive deposit demonstrates that commodity-specific institutions and multilateral biodiversity frameworks do not operate in separate universes. On the contrary, they can reinforce one another. Such bodies often bring technical expertise, sectoral legitimacy and close connections to producer communities. When those strengths are aligned with wider international frameworks such as the Treaty, the result can be more coherent and more effective conservation action. It also reflects an important evolution in thinking. Crop diversity is no longer seen only as the domain of genebanks or environmental institutions. It is increasingly recognized as a strategic asset for entire value chains and production systems. That creates new opportunities for collaboration. What this milestone shows is that biodiversity governance becomes stronger when specialized institutions see genetic diversity not as a side issue, but as part of their core mandate. Financing the Future of Diversity The Benefit-sharing Fund has supported smallholder-driven conservation in the Sahel, Guatemala and beyond. Is the current global financing model sufficient to sustain long-term crop diversity protection, or is a new funding paradigm required? The honest answer is that while current financing remains important, but it is not yet sufficient. There is no question that the Benefit-sharing Fund has demonstrated real value. It has supported practical, locally grounded work that strengthens conservation, supports farmers and reinforces resilience in vulnerable settings. But the scale of the challenge is growing faster than the scale of available finance. Crop diversity underpins global food security, climate adaptation and agricultural innovation. Yet financing for its conservation and sustainable use remains fragmented, often short-term and still below what is required. A stronger and more durable funding paradigm is needed, one that treats plant genetic resources as a global strategic asset worthy of sustained public and collective investment. That means broadening the funding base, increasing predictability, and making a stronger case to climate, biodiversity and development finance communities that crop diversity is not a niche concern. It is an enabling condition for long-term resilience. Geopolitics and Seed Sovereignty In an era of rising geopolitical fragmentation, how resilient is the Treaty’s Multilateral System? Are nations strengthening cooperation around plant genetic resources, or becoming more protective? Both dynamics are present, and that is precisely why the Multilateral System matters. There is clearly a stronger language of sovereignty in many policy arenas, including around genetic resources and data. Countries want assurance that their resources will not simply flow outward without fairness, recognition or benefit-sharing. That concern is understandable. At the same time, the reality is that no country can secure its food future in isolation. Agriculture everywhere depends on crops and traits that have travelled across borders over centuries. Climate change is making that interdependence even more pronounced. So while there may be greater caution and greater political sensitivity, there is also a growing recognition that cooperation is not optional. The resilience of the Multilateral System lies in the fact that it offers a rules-based way to manage this interdependence. It does not erase sovereignty. It operationalizes cooperation within an agreed framework. The challenge now is to ensure that the system remains credible, balanced and sufficiently responsive to contemporary expectations of fairness. Seed sovereignty and international cooperation should not be framed as opposites. In practice, durable sovereignty increasingly depends on effective cooperation. Digital Sequence Information (DSI) The debate around digital genetic data is intensifying globally. How is the Treaty positioning itself to ensure equitable access and benefit-sharing in a world where crop genomes can be transmitted digitally across borders? This is one of the most important governance questions now facing the international system. Scientific and technological change has made it possible to derive value from genetic resources through digital information flows that do not always involve physical transfer of material in the traditional sense. That creates clear opportunities for research and innovation, but it also raises legitimate concerns about equity, benefit-sharing and the future integrity of existing multilateral arrangements. The Treaty has to engage this issue with seriousness and pragmatism. The objective should not be to impede science. It should be to ensure that scientific progress remains anchored in fairness, trust and international cooperation. If the governance system does not adapt, there is a risk that confidence in multilateral exchange arrangements will erode. Positioning the Treaty well in this area means contributing constructively to international discussions, clarifying how digital developments affect access and benefit-sharing, and exploring approaches that preserve both openness in research and equity in outcomes. The central principle must remain that the benefits arising from the use of plant genetic resources, whether physical or digital, should support the collective system that makes innovation possible in the first place. The question is not whether science will move into the digital domain. It already has. The question is whether governance will evolve quickly enough to keep cooperation fair and credible. The Next Decade: A Strategic Vision Looking ahead to 2035, what structural reforms or innovations must occur within the International Treaty framework to ensure it remains fit for purpose in a hotter, more uncertain world? By 2035, the Treaty will need to be stronger in three respects: politically, operationally and financially. Politically, it will need to maintain broad confidence that multilateral cooperation on plant genetic resources remains fair, relevant and responsive to present-day realities, including new technologies and heightened concern about equity. Operationally, it will need stronger links between conservation, use, farmer engagement, data systems and innovation pathways, so that the system is not only preserving diversity but actively mobilizing it for resilience. Financially, it will need a more robust and predictable support base for benefit-sharing, capacity development and long-term conservation. There is also a deeper strategic shift required. Crop diversity can no longer be treated as a specialized issue sitting at the margins of agriculture policy. It has to be recognized as central to climate adaptation, food security, nutrition, resilience and peace. The Treaty is well placed to help make that case, but it must continue to evolve institutionally and programmatically to match the scale of the challenge. The Treaty must remain not only a guardian of inherited diversity, but a platform for future resilience. That is the task for the coming decade. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3638/only-35-of-worlds-land-has-documented-ownership-growing-global-concern.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3638/only-35-of-worlds-land-has-documented-ownership-growing-global-concern.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:18:02 +0530 Dr Ward Anseeuw, Senior Land Tenure Officer, FAO shares insights with AgroSpectrum on land tenure insecurity, inequality in land distribution, and the need for stronger governance reforms. A new global report on land tenure and governance has highlighted slow progress in securing land rights worldwide, revealing that only about 35 percent of the world’s land has formally documented ownership. The findings underscore growing concerns over land tenure insecurity, with nearly 1.1 billion people fearing they could lose their land or housing within the next five years, posing risks to food security, livelihoods, and climate resilience. In this context, AgroSpectrum conducted an exclusive interview with Dr Ward Anseeuw, Senior Land Tenure Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In the interview, Dr Anseeuw discusses the key findings of the report, including stark inequalities in land ownership, the challenges surrounding customary land rights, and the implications for sustainable agriculture and rural development. He also outlines the urgent need for stronger political commitment, inclusive land governance frameworks, and improved documentation systems to enhance tenure security globally. The Big Picture Only 35 percent of the world’s land is formally documented. After two decades of global policy frameworks, why has progress on tenure security remained so structurally slow? Progress on strengthening tenure security has remained structurally slow since many legal systems still fail to recognize the legitimacy of existing practices, particularly the ownership and management rights of customary and Indigenous communities who, in reality, govern large territories. Where formalization is possible, the high cost and complexity of surveying, registration, and documentation create significant barriers, especially since most systems were never designed to accommodate overlapping or collective rights at scale. At the same time, limited baseline data and incomplete records generate overlapping claims, such as customary use versus statutory ownership or unclear boundaries, which in turn fuel disputes and make it even harder to build reliable, trusted land information systems. Rising InsecurityThe report finds that 1.1 billion people fear losing their land within five years — a figure that is rising. What structural forces are driving this acceleration of land insecurity now? The report finds that roughly 1.1 billion adults, around one in four, fear they could lose rights to some or all of their land or housing within five years, a share that has risen in since 2020. This acceleration is driven by a convergence of structural pressures on land, particularly where rights remain undocumented or legally ambiguous. Intensifying competition from mainstream development, including rapid urban expansion, as well as large-scale industrial agriculture and extractive industries, generate heightened conflict risks and displacement. An additional layer of pressure comes in recent years from the paradoxical “green squeeze,” where climate‑oriented initiatives such as renewable energy installations, biofuel production, conservation programs, and carbon offset project can end up harming areas with existing tenure practices that lack formal protections. All of this unfolds in the broader context of weak tenure documentation globally: with only 35 percent of global land formally recorded and many customary systems remaining in legal limbo, communities face heightened vulnerability precisely when land values and external demand are surging. Climate & Carbon StakesWith Indigenous and customary lands holding an estimated 45 gigatons of irrecoverable carbon, how does insecure tenure undermine global climate commitments, including net-zero pledges? Mapped customary territories hold an estimated 45 gigatons of irrecoverable carbon, which is approximately 37 percent of the global total, and insecure tenure within these communities places these critical carbon reserves at heightened risk. Without recognized and enforceable rights, communities are more vulnerable to pressures that drive deforestation and ecosystem conversion, threatening carbon stocks that cannot be restored on climate‑relevant timescales. The report highlights that Indigenous Peoples, and other customary rights‑holders, occupy roughly 42 percent of the world’s land area but have legally recognized ownership over only about 8 percent, leaving vast high‑carbon landscapes in a state of legal uncertainty. This weakens long‑term stewardship and exposes forests to degradation, undermining the durability required for credible climate action. It also compromises the integrity of net‑zero strategies: land‑based mitigation, offsets, and carbon removal initiatives depend on secure, stable tenure. Without that, the risks of reversals, project failure, and conflict rise, directly jeopardizing the credibility and permanence of national and corporate climate commitments. Inequality & ConcentrationThe top 10 percent of landholders operate 89 percent of agricultural land. Does this concentration represent a productivity reality — or a governance failure? Land concentration can be an outcome of structural transformation in countries where productivity growth led by technological modernization displaces less efficient farms and increases farm sizes while non-farm employment generation absorbs agricultural labor surplus. However, the report notes that “ Evidence shows that having sufficient and equitable access to agricultural land is one of the determinants in achieving poverty reduction and food and nutrition security. Furthermore, equitable agrarian structures support the capital accumulation needed for inclusive growth and structural transformation, particularly at low levels of development and in the long term”. It notes that “Current patterns of structural change show the growth of low-income and informal jobs in the service sector, alongside deindustrialization or insufficient industrialization. The persistence of rural poverty at the lower end of the farm size distribution, when combined with the patterns above, calls  attention to the role of expanded access to land. In countries with both private and public land availability, a range of policy measures, including redistributive approaches where contextually appropriate, remain possible options to reduce rural poverty, enhance food security, mitigate social and political tensions and revitalize rural economies. Where redistribution is not on the agenda due to land scarcity or political sensitivities, other policies, including rent and tenancy control, as well as regulations against land concentration, can be deployed. Customary Systems vs. State ControlIn regions like sub-Saharan Africa, most land is under customary tenure but remains legally undocumented. What political and institutional barriers prevent formal recognition? In sub‑Saharan Africa, while roughly 73 percent of land is held under customary tenure, only about 1 percent is formally recognized and documented, leaving most customary areas with more limited designated use rights, often with documentation, or simply unrecognized by governments and classified as state land. This structural imbalance reflects deep political and institutional barriers. Not all countries legally recognize the longstanding and widely prevalent customary tenure practices, leading to a complete incongruence between customary and statutory systems that does not recognize the reality on the ground. Even where policy commitments exist, translation into practice remains slow, constrained by weak implementation capacity, fragmented institutional mandates, and limited incentives for coordination. These challenges are compounded by the rising economic and political stakes of land, driven by infrastructure expansion, agribusiness, extractive projects, and emerging climate‑related investments, which may make institutions reluctant to pursue reforms that reduce control over valuable land assets. Gender & Generational GapsThe gender gap in land rights exceeds 20 percentage points in nearly half of reporting countries. What policy levers have proven effective in closing this divide — and why are they not scaling faster? The report reveals that in nearly all 49 countries with data on SDG 5.a.1, men are more likely than women to own or hold secure rights to agricultural land, with gender gaps of more than 20 percentage points in almost half of reporting countries. Evidence from long‑standing tenure governance practice points to a set of effective policy levers: joint titling and spousal co‑ownership defaults, strengthened inheritance laws and enforcement, gender‑responsive land administration systems that ensure women’s names appear on documents, low‑cost registration and legal aid, as well as quotas that guarantee women’s representation in local land governance and dispute resolution bodies. Robust gender‑disaggregated data and monitoring also create political incentives for action. Yet despite their demonstrated effectiveness, these approaches remain underutilized. In practice, such reforms can challenge entrenched household and institutional power structures, while many land administration systems remain ill‑equipped to deliver accessible, gender‑responsive services at scale. A significant factor behind weak legal protection is that women’s land rights are deeply interconnected with longstanding religious beliefs, cultural practices, and social norms. Changing such beliefs, practices, and norms is difficult. Together with gender, these intersectional factors shape how land tenure insecurity is experienced. In particular, young women, women from Indigenous Peoples, and other groups living in conditions of marginalization, often face overlapping and mutually reinforcing barriers. However, data on these intersections remain sparse, highlighting a critical area for future research and policy attention. Climate Finance & Land RushThe report suggests that net-zero strategies could require up to 1.2 billion hectares for land-based carbon removal. How do we prevent climate finance from triggering a new wave of land dispossession? The report warns that achieving global net‑zero targets could require land‑based carbon removals on nearly 1.2 billion hectares, raising serious risks of large‑scale land capture. It also notes that environmental and climate concerns are already driving new land acquisitions, including those backed by institutional investors such as pension funds. Preventing dispossession under expanding climate finance requires safeguards commensurate with these risks. First,  climate‑related investments should not proceed without rigorous tenure due diligence showing that rights, especially customary and collective rights, are legally recognized, documented, and supported by accessible grievance mechanisms. Second, more broadly at country level, legal recognition of customary lands must be prioritized before scaling offsets or carbon‑removal projects, since pressures intensify precisely where rights lack formal protection. Finally, climate strategies should favor interventions that do not require dispossession or consolidation of land, such as restoring degraded areas under community stewardship, and ensure that any project with a land footprint is grounded in benefit‑sharing, free, prior and informed consent, and inclusive governance. Accountability & SDGsOnly 12 countries report comprehensively on land-related SDG indicators. Should land tenure security become a more enforceable metric within global development financing frameworks? Given that secure tenure is intrinsically linked with food security, climate action, and biodiversity protection, a strong case can be made that tenure security should be treated as a more enforceable performance condition in development financing, especially where finance is directly land-linked (agriculture transformation, nature-based climate, conservation, infrastructure).  We already do see more emphasis on tenure security in other global frameworks such as the UNCCD and CBD, and aspects of secure tenure rights, such as Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) being embedded in the standards for projects financed by the GEF and GCF. In FAO projects, environmental and social safeguards increasingly require tenure-risk screening a necessity, so progress is being made on that front, although more enforceable requirements in the future could further facilitate accountability. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3634/korea-launches-national-agricultural-ax-platform-to-accelerate-ai-transformation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3634/korea-launches-national-agricultural-ax-platform-to-accelerate-ai-transformation.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:23:58 +0530 Estimated USD 215 million to be unvested in Public-Private Partnership (SPC) projects The South Korean government is set to fully accelerate the transformation of agriculture into an AI-leading industry by establishing the "National Agricultural AX (AI Transformation) Platform," which integrates cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics. At the Meeting of Ministers on Economic Affairs presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yun-cheol, the government discussed the plan to promote this national platform. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) announced that it will enhance agricultural competitiveness through this platform, which combines AI and data-based farming solutions with next-generation smart farm models. The goal is to move beyond the limits of existing hardware-centric smart farming and create an "Intelligent Agricultural Ecosystem" that increases productivity and is easily accessible even to elderly or novice farmers. Key highlights of the project include:- Public-Private Partnership (SPC): The project will be driven by a joint SPC. The total project cost is estimated at over KRW 290 billion (approx. USD 215 million), with the government contributing up to KRW 140 billion.- Private-Led Operation: The government plans to minimize intervention to ensure public interest while allowing the platform to be operated primarily by the private sector to maximize professional expertise.- Advanced Technology: The platform will build specialized AI models for cultivation and livestock, providing customized services such as early pest diagnosis, growth management, and remote precision control.- Infrastructure: Construction of high-efficiency, low-cost smart greenhouses and livestock barns capable of intelligent remote control. MAFRA aims to reduce labor burdens and boost productivity while fostering AI agricultural technology as a new export industry. The Ministry plans to launch a consortium call and hold business briefings this month, aiming to establish the SPC within the year. To ensure stability, the government will provide administrative support for land acquisition and financial support through policy funds like the National Growth Fund. "We expect to increase agricultural profitability and reduce labor burdens through innovation in the farming environment," a MAFRA official stated. "We will secure global competitiveness by pioneering high-value-added markets through our AI agricultural models." ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3623/new-global-standard-for-farm-data-inside-faos-wca-2030-programme.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3623/new-global-standard-for-farm-data-inside-faos-wca-2030-programme.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:15:25 +0530 In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Jairo Castano of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations explains how the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2030 will modernize agricultural censuses, strengthen data-driven policymaking, and support progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Jairo Castano, Senior Statistician and Leader of the Agricultural Censuses Team at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), discusses the global significance of the newly endorsed World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2030 (WCA 2030) guidelines. Endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission, the programme establishes a new international statistical standard aimed at strengthening agricultural data governance and supporting evidence-based policymaking worldwide. Castano highlights how emerging technologies such as geospatial tools, online data systems, and artificial intelligence will transform the way agricultural census data is collected, validated, and used. He also explains how FAO is supporting countries—particularly developing economies—in building capacity to implement the programme while ensuring data quality and global comparability. Looking ahead, Castano emphasizes that WCA 2030 will play a crucial role in tracking agricultural transformation and monitoring progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The WCA 2030 guidelines have now been endorsed as an international statistical standard. What strategic shift does this represent for global agricultural data governance and policymaking over the next decade? The UNSC’s endorsement of the WCA 2030 guidelines as an international statistical standard marks a strategic shift from agriculture being treated as a sectoral data domain to being governed as a core component of the global statistical system, with agreed norms on concepts, methods, and comparability. It signals a move toward integrated, policy‑driven data governance in which agricultural censuses are embedded within national statistical systems, and explicitly linked to benchmarking, accountability, and evidence‑based policymaking. Over the next decade (2026–2035), this positions structural agricultural data as a global public good, strengthening FAO’s stewardship role and enabling more coherent national and international decisions on food security, rural development, and agricultural transformation. The new programme emphasizes innovative technologies such as geospatial tools, online data collection, and artificial intelligence. How will these technologies transform the way agricultural census data is collected, validated, and utilized? By promoting the use of geospatial tools, online data collection, and artificial intelligence, WCA 2030 shifts agricultural censuses from slow, paper‑based operations to more timely, spatially explicit, and data‑integrated systems. Georeferencing and Earth observation improve coverage and consistency checks, online and mobile tools accelerate data capture and reduce respondent burden, and AI‑supported processes strengthen training, data validation, editing, and linkage with administrative and survey data. Together, these technologies enable faster production of higher‑quality, interoperable census data that can be more easily reused for policy analysis, monitoring, and targeting, rather than remaining static decennial snapshots. Many developing countries face capacity and infrastructure constraints when conducting large-scale agricultural censuses. How is FAO supporting Member countries to implement WCA 2030 effectively while ensuring data quality and comparability? FAO is supporting Member countries to implement WCA 2030 by combining normative guidance with hands‑on capacity development, tailored to different national contexts. This includes disseminating harmonized methodological guidelines, providing country‑level technical assistance for census planning and implementation, and organizing regional and national training workshops to strengthen skills in modern census methods, quality assurance, and the use of innovative technologies. By anchoring support in internationally agreed standards while allowing flexible adaptation to country capacities, FAO helps reduce implementation costs, improve data quality, and ensure that census results remain internationally comparable and policy‑relevant. The guidelines highlight the growing role of women farmers, aquaculture activities, and diversified farming systems. How will WCA 2030 help governments better capture these emerging dynamics in agriculture? WCA 2030 helps governments capture these emerging agricultural dynamics by updating concepts, definitions, and census content to better reflect the realities of modern farming systems. The guidelines strengthen the measurement of women’s roles by reinforcing the identification of agricultural holders and managers, enable the systematic inclusion or combination of aquaculture and forestry activities with agricultural censuses, and recognize increasingly diversified and mixed production systems within a single holding. By embedding these elements within internationally agreed standards and modular census designs, WCA 2030 allows countries to produce more nuanced, comparable structural data that reveal who farms, what activities are combined, and how agriculture is evolving beyond traditional crop‑based models. Agricultural census data increasingly underpins national strategies on food security, climate adaptation, and rural development. How can WCA 2030 strengthen evidence-based policymaking in these areas? WCA 2030 strengthens evidence‑based policymaking by providing high‑quality, internationally comparable structural data that serve as a stable foundation for food security, climate adaptation, and rural development strategies. By standardizing information on farm structures, land use, production systems, and labour, and by integrating agricultural censuses within national statistical systems, WCA 2030 enables governments to better target vulnerable areas and populations, design climate‑resilient interventions, and monitor structural change over time. The use of census data as a frame for follow‑up surveys further allows countries to link long‑term structural trends with faster‑changing policy variables, improving the coherence and credibility of policy decisions. With the introduction of anonymized microdata and interactive data dissemination tools, how does FAO envision expanding access to agricultural data for researchers, agribusinesses, and investors? Under WCA 2030, FAO envisages expanding access to agricultural data by promoting safe access to anonymized census microdata alongside modern, interactive dissemination tools that go beyond traditional tabulations. By encouraging countries to release anonymized microdata and by disseminating standardized structural census data through platforms such as FAOSTAT and microdata catalogues, FAO enables researchers, agribusinesses, and investors to conduct deeper, customized analyses while safeguarding confidentiality. Interactive web‑based tables, maps, and visualization tools further lower access barriers, allowing a wider range of users to explore agricultural structures, identify investment opportunities, and support innovation‑driven decision‑making based on official, high‑quality data. The WCA 2030 outlines 27 essential data items for all countries. How were these core indicators selected, and how do they reflect the evolving priorities of modern agriculture and food systems? The 27 essential data items in WCA 2030 were selected through extensive review of country experiences, expert consultations, and global user needs to define a minimum, universally relevant core dataset that all countries can collect through complete enumeration. These indicators focus on the fundamental structural characteristics of agricultural holdings—such as land, production activities, labour, and management—ensuring international comparability while remaining operationally feasible. At the same time, their composition reflects evolving priorities of modern agriculture by strengthening attention to gender roles, diversified production systems, and the integration of agriculture with forestry and aquaculture, positioning the census as a foundation for understanding structural transformation in contemporary food systems. Looking ahead to 2030 and beyond, what role do you see agricultural census data playing in tracking progress toward global commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals and climate targets? Looking ahead to 2030 and beyond, agricultural census data under WCA 2030 will serve as a structural backbone for tracking progress toward the SDGs and climate commitments by providing consistent, comparable baselines on farm structures, land use, labour, and production systems. The census of agriculture supports the statistical system that monitors agricultural-related SDGs and provides the sampling frame for the agricultural survey programme and a benchmark for the national agricultural statistical system. Altogether allow countries to identify who is at risk of being left behind, monitor long‑term structural change relevant to food security and rural livelihoods, and anchor climate‑related indicators—such as exposure, adaptive capacity, and land management—within national statistical systems. By linking decennial census benchmarks with inter‑censal surveys and other data sources, WCA 2030 enables more credible monitoring of transformation pathways rather than one‑off reporting against global targets. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3622/digitizing-farm-balance-sheet-rwas-and-future-of-agri-finance.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3622/digitizing-farm-balance-sheet-rwas-and-future-of-agri-finance.html Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:18:57 +0530 In an exclusive conversation with AgroSpectrum, Dimitra Founder & CEO Jon Trask explains why tokenized real-world assets, blockchain-backed MRV and carbon markets could reshape global agricultural finance Jon Trask discusses how tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) are transitioning from speculative blockchain experiments into institutional-grade financial infrastructure for agriculture. Drawing from Dimitra’s work across emerging markets and its collaboration with MANTRA, Trask highlights how verified farm data, MRV frameworks, and blockchain technology can convert agricultural production, carbon credits, and supply-chain outputs into investable digital assets. He explains that tokenization can address agriculture’s historic paradox of being asset-rich but liquidity-poor, enabling farmers and cooperatives to access new capital pools while improving transparency for investors. The interview also explores the operational realities of scaling agricultural RWAs—from satellite monitoring and IoT-driven data validation to governance structures required for institutional compliance. Looking ahead, Trask argues that tokenized agriculture will likely become part of the core financial infrastructure of global food systems, enabling climate-aligned capital and more efficient, data-driven agricultural markets. At Consensus Hong Kong, industry heavyweights signaled that tokenized real-world assets have crossed from speculation into structural utility. From your vantage point in agriculture, what evidence convinces you that RWAs are entering a long-term institutional cycle rather than a hype-driven one?  The clearest signal we see is the replacement of speculative interest with structural pressure, but in agriculture that pressure is now tied to a very specific outcome: turning physical production into an investable, financeable digital asset. Traceability and MRV can exist without an RWA, but an RWA becomes the bridge between “proof” and “capital” by packaging verified production, performance, and delivery rights into a standardized instrument that institutions can underwrite. Tokenized agricultural RWAs backed by verifiable data help in three concrete ways. First, they make financing underwritable: when the asset is linked to auditable farm and supply-chain records, investors can price risk and deploy capital against real collateral or forward flows (inventory, receivables, offtake agreements), rather than relying on informal guarantees. Second, they improve enforceability and transparency: the same data that supports traceability becomes the evidence layer for covenants, performance triggers, and monitoring, reducing fraud risk and transaction costs for lenders and development finance. Third, they broaden access: producers and cooperatives can use standardized, data-backed RWAs to reach new pools of capital like institutions, development banks, and corporates seeking measurable climate and supply-chain outcomes, without requiring each financier to rebuild due diligence from scratch. Conversations in this space have also shifted. Now, instead of focusing solely on token mechanics, investors want to know about MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) standards, risk frameworks, legal enforceability, and alignment with emerging carbon and sustainability regulations, because those are the prerequisites for financing at scale. This shift tells us the market is maturing: less about short-term trading incentives, and more about building the infrastructure that converts verified agricultural activity into long-term institutional-grade investment products. Agriculture has always been asset-rich but liquidity-poor. How does bringing farmland, inputs, harvests, and carbon credits on-chain fundamentally alter capital formation for producers—especially in emerging markets?  Agriculture has historically been asset-rich but liquidity-poor because the real economic value of land, inputs, outputs, and ecosystem services is difficult to quantify, verify, and transact, especially for smallholder farmers operating under strained and unpredictable conditions. By bringing agricultural assets on-chain, we can capture, verify, and mobilize that value in ways traditional systems have struggled to do, particularly for farmers. When farmland, inputs, harvests, and carbon credits are recorded on-chain, they become trusted and verifiable digital assets that can be tokenized, used as collateral, traded, or tied to performance-based financing. This on-chain asset representation enables farmers to monetize not only what they grow, but how they grow it, unlocking new pathways to climate finance and scalable capital formation. This is particularly true in emerging markets, where producers often lack formal credit histories.  It also moves agriculture beyond a financing model tied only to yield and land value. For instance, carbon credits become liquid climate assets. This, in itself, allows producers to diversify their financing. So, while investors are presented with the opportunity to fund climate-positive agriculture, producers are rewarded for adopting sustainable practices that generate verified, tradeable value. Your partnership with MANTRA aimed to verify carbon credits and tokenize agricultural assets across South America. What did that initiative reveal about institutional appetite for on-chain agricultural RWAs—and the operational hurdles of executing at regional scale?  The partnership with MANTRA revealed that institutional appetite for on-chain agricultural RWAs is real, but highly conditional—and it is becoming more real as projects move from pilots into execution. Investors engage when assets are backed by verifiable data, clear governance, and measurable outcomes, particularly around carbon integrity and sustainability metrics. The conversation is no longer about tokenization as a concept; it is about whether the underlying infrastructure and the legal/financial structure are credible enough to support real-world adoption at scale. It also made clear that, beyond technology, we must offer an opportunity where investors are willing to assume the risk in a way that fits their mandate. In practice, that means structuring investable products with clear risk allocation, enforceable rights, and monitoring-based controls, often combining traceability, MRV, and real cash-flow or collateral mechanisms. This takes time, and institutions typically require iteration on the structure, documentation, and governance as the project advances, and adjustments are often needed along the process as field realities, regulatory requirements, and data maturity become clearer. Executing at regional scale highlighted how operationally complex agriculture still is. Across South America, producers operate under different regulatory environments, data standards, and levels of digital maturity. Verifying carbon credits or tokenizing agricultural assets requires strong MRV frameworks, consistent data collection methodologies, and ground-level partnerships. Technology is only one part of the equation; alignment between farmers, cooperatives, regulators, and other stakeholders, plus the patience to refine the structure over time, is what turns on-chain RWAs into scalable, institutional-grade deployments. Tokenization promises transparency and efficiency—but agriculture is fragmented and analog. What infrastructure layers (data validation, satellite monitoring, IoT, local governance) are essential before RWAs in farming can meet institutional compliance standards?  The crucial piece of this puzzle precedes tokenization. Before real-world agricultural assets can meet institutional compliance standards, the underlying data infrastructure must be robust, verifiable, and transparent. Without reliable ground-truth data, on-chain representation can not withstand institutional scrutiny. The next critical layer is multi-source validation. Satellite monitoring provides independent verification of land use, crop health, and deforestation risk. IoT devices and mobile agronomic tools contribute real-time insights into inputs, yields, and environmental performance. These data streams must be cross-referenced and time-stamped to create an auditable trail. Institutions require defensible MRV frameworks, meaning data must be consistent, tamper-evident, and aligned with emerging regulatory standards for carbon, sustainability, and supply chain traceability.  Finally, local governance and regulatory compliance are essential. Institutional adoption depends not only on technical integrity but also on legal certainty and local stakeholder alignment. With these three factors in place, agricultural RWAs become credible digital representations of real-world activity that can meet compliance expectations and operate at scale. Carbon markets have faced credibility challenges. How does blockchain-based verification improve integrity, and can tokenized agricultural carbon credits realistically meet the scrutiny of global regulators and institutional buyers?  Blockchain-based verification improves integrity by ensuring that once key events and evidence are recorded, they cannot be altered retroactively. That immutability is essential, but on its own it does not solve the credibility problem. The real integrity comes from robust MRV made up of sound methodologies, high-quality field data, third-party auditability, and consistent monitoring. In that context, blockchain is the final credibility layer: it anchors MRV evidence, custody, and credit lifecycle events in a tamper-resistant record, reducing disputes and making reviews faster and more defensible. At Dimitra, we build on that foundation by combining blockchain with AI, IoT, and satellite-based MRV systems so data is captured and validated as close to the source as possible and then permanently attested on-chain. This creates field-level traceability and a practical verification trail that allows institutional buyers and regulators to interrogate the methodology, monitoring outputs, audit logs, issuance, transfers, and retirement records without relying on opaque, manually curated files.  Tokenized agricultural carbon credits can meet global scrutiny, but only when they are issued under recognized standards, backed by rigorous MRV and governance, and structured to support independent auditing and regulatory reporting. In other words, blockchain is not the goal. It is the mechanism that makes strong MRV harder to tamper with and easier to trust at scale. Institutional investors are now seeking yield tied to real economic activity. How does agricultural RWA tokenization compare—on risk, volatility, and return profile—to traditional agri-finance instruments?  For investors, agriculture has always offered yield anchored in productive, real-world activity. However, traditional agri-finance instruments have historically relied on fragmented reporting, periodic audits, and opaque risk assessment. In comparison, Tokenized RWAs, when built on verified field data, satellite monitoring, and blockchain technology, allow risk to be measured continuously. While this doesn’t mitigate the risks inherent to agricultural output (i.e., weather, disease, geopolitical tension), it facilitates greater transparency, which can reduce fraud risk and enable more dynamic risk pricing. Especially in emerging markets, where perceived risk is often inflated due to limited data, structured digital verification can narrow the risk premium and create more accurate return expectations. Ultimately, tokenization connects stakeholders more directly to real agricultural performance, improving visibility into how value is created and how risk is mitigated over time. Smallholder inclusion remains a central narrative. How do you ensure that tokenization empowers farmers with cheaper capital and better market access—rather than concentrating value among platforms and global investors?  Smallholder inclusion is not a narrative at Dimitra; it’s fundamental to our architecture, and one of the hardest parts is simply reaching farmers and sustaining participation at scale. That’s why we don’t try to “onboard farmers” in isolation. We structure projects through cooperatives, NGOs, and local organizations that farmers already trust and interact with, because those partners are essential for field operations, adoption, training, and ongoing data quality. Our approach is designed to make the value farmers already create visible, verifiable, and measurable. It starts with farmer-owned data captured at the field level and transparent value attribution, so any tokenized asset, whether tied to harvests, receivables, or carbon outcomes, originates from and is traceable to the producer, with clear rules on how value is shared. Tokenization only makes sense if it is linked to real benefits, like cheaper capital through underwritable evidence and risk reduction, and better market access by enabling compliance and buyer-ready traceability. By creating verifiable digital records at the farm level, we give farmers a structured way to document how they operate and what they produce, which lowers due diligence costs for lenders and buyers and reduces the information asymmetry that drives high financing costs. We also design governance and distribution so value doesn’t concentrate at the platform level through transparent fee structures, farmer-level attribution, and mechanisms that scale farmer upside as participation grows. The goal is a system where capital and market premiums flow back to farmers because their data and outcomes make the asset investable, not a system where tokenization becomes an extractive layer on top of their work. Regulatory clarity around digital assets is still evolving. What jurisdictions are best positioned to lead in agricultural RWAs, and how critical is harmonized global policy for scaling cross-border tokenized commodity markets?  In order to achieve impactful adoption and scale effectively, we believe in evaluating each jurisdiction on an individual basis. This means taking the social, legal, political, geographical, and cultural context of each individual jurisdiction into careful, specific consideration, as opposed to broadly cross-comparing landscapes.  While we also appreciate that full global harmonization of policy would accelerate adoption, we are not naive to the fact that the probability of this in the short term is low and will probably take many years to achieve. In the interim, we must accept the current reality with patience and work within the confines of each country’s legislative and regulatory boundaries. Looking ahead five to ten years, do you see tokenized agriculture becoming core infrastructure for global food systems finance —or a parallel alternative market serving climate-aligned capital pools?   I believe that tokenized agriculture will become part of the core infrastructure rather than a parallel alternative market. Agricultural systems are already moving towards greater transparency, traceability, and data-driven compliance. Tokenization is a practical way to make those systems more interoperable and verifiable. It won’t replace existing markets overnight, but it will increasingly sit alongside them as a digital layer that improves how agricultural activity is recorded, verified, and exchanged across global supply chains. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3621/safety-science-behind-cultivated-meat.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3621/safety-science-behind-cultivated-meat.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:44:03 +0530 Dr. William Chen discusses NAMs, AI, and the future of risk assessment for cell-based foods With cultivated meat emerging as one of the most promising innovations in alternative proteins, regulators and scientists worldwide are working to establish robust safety frameworks for these novel foods. Unlike conventional meat, cultivated meat is produced through cell culture and advanced bioprocessing technologies, raising new questions around safety assessment, regulatory oversight, and long-term consumer exposure. In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Dr. William Chen, Michael Fam Endowed Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, explains that existing regulatory systems largely focus on hazard identification within production processes, but may not fully capture the complexities of cell-based foods. He advocates for the adoption of food-relevant New Approach Methodologies (NAMs)—combined with AI-driven predictive toxicology and systems biology—to enable more comprehensive risk assessment while supporting innovation and global regulatory harmonization. Cultivated meat challenges decades of conventional food safety doctrine. Are existing risk assessment frameworks fundamentally fit for purpose—or do they require a regulatory reset built specifically for cell-based systems? The main challenge for cultivated meat industry is to scale up. The scale up is not just about producing more animal cells (these are not muscle cells like in the meat) in the bioreactor, but to produce large amount of differentiated muscle cells that function like meat. Current application dossier for regulatory approval generally focuses more on the production system (bioreactor), including contaminations in culture medium from the environment (microbes) or new components from replacement of animal serum by various substances. My sense is that this is important but it remains as providing a list of potential hazards without any proper risk assessment (importantly: Hazard May Not Be Risk). The listing of the potential hazards is currently followed by searching what has been known about their risk profile from the existing publications, rather than assessing their risk by proper technology (see NAMs in the later part of my comments). More attention should be placed in the safety assessment of differentiated muscle cells, starting with the emerging New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). This is an animal-free in vitro testing system developed for risk assessment of cosmetics and environment pollutants. New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) are gaining traction in pharmaceuticals and toxicology. How can NAMs—such as in vitro assays, computational modeling, and omics-based profiling—be credibly adapted for cultivated meat safety validation? Many are trying to simply apply such NAMs (including in vitro assays, computational modeling, and omics-based profiling) to food safety risk assessment. However, there are two fundamental differences between food and cosmetics/environment pollutants: mixture (foods seldom exist as one ingredient) and digestion (enzymes in the digestive system break down food through hydrolysis which change the potential toxicity and allergenicity in foods). For reference, risk assessment of cosmetics and environment pollutants usually deals with single molecules which do not go through our digestive system. These two differences need to be reflected in the food-relevant NAMs for the data interpretation of food safety risk assessment to be useful and meaningful. The production process is the product. In cultivated meat, where bioprocessing conditions shape final composition, how should regulators evaluate variability across cell lines, growth media, and scaffold materials? Proper application of food-relevant NAMs should generate differential risk assessment data based on the conditions of cultivated meat product (cell lines, growth media, and scaffold materials). Again, most of current literature and published papers on cultivated meat stays at the stage of Hazard Identification, which is the first step of flow risk assessment. NAMs application is moving the needle as we are now talking about Hazard Characterization. There are 2 other important components involving consumers for the proper food safety assessment: Exposure Assessment and Risk Characterization. But food-relevant NAMs represents an important step forward to cultivated meat safety risk assessment. Transparency versus proprietary protection remains a tension. How can companies safeguard intellectual property while providing regulators with sufficient data for rigorous, science-based risk assessment? Companies may provide cultivated meat product for NAMs analysis through a neutral party (for example, Singapore Future-Ready Food Safety Hub – FRESH). Regulatory approval would now shift to analysing the risk assessment data generated from the NAMs, rather then scrutinizing the list of components in the respective cultivated meat production, as such list is still the hazard identification but means little to the safety risk assessment. This shift would then help company protect their IP to a large extent.   Global regulatory divergence is emerging. With Singapore among the first movers in approving cultivated meat, what lessons can other jurisdictions draw from its science-driven framework—and where are harmonization gaps widening? Working with global organizations (FAO, WHO among others) would help us bridge the gap in global regulatory divergence. One example is the Joint Action Plan between WHO and NTU Singapore on NAMs application in novel foods. Through the joint action  plan, there would be greater communications on work done in Singapore and provide greater transparency for discussion and collaboration among regulatory agencies. This would then contribute to the harmonization of the food safety risk assessment  across different countries. Public trust is as critical as scientific validation. What role should independent academic labs and open-data consortia play in stress-testing safety claims and avoiding regulatory capture? Having a neutral and trusted party such as FRESH involved in the food safety risk assessment, trusted with its technology innovations and partnerships with stakeholders in both public and private sectors, would enhance public trust. Long-term exposure data for novel proteins is inherently limited. How can predictive toxicology, AI-driven modeling, and systems biology reduce uncertainty without delaying innovation? While food-relevant NAMs is a huge step forward to food safety risk assessment, it is not the holy grail for the novel food safety assurance. What NAMs does is more or less like a first round of fast and cost-effective profiling of potential risks in an in vitro setting.  As it is animal-free, exposure studies in consumers are needed to validate the NAMs data but much less in sample size. Once in the consumer setting, variability in consumer profile (genetic makeup, composition of gut microbiome) and the resulting data would increase dramatically. Here machine learning tools combined with systems biology approach would be extremely important for the predictive toxicology. Looking a decade ahead, do you foresee cultivated meat safety assessments becoming more dynamic and real-time—embedded within digital bioprocess monitoring systems—rather than relying solely on static pre-market approvals? Certainly. Current pre-market approval process are also evolving with the advances in technology. Through the ongoing collaboration between the Singapore Food Agency and FRESH, I see a huge potential in moving the cultivated meat safety risk assessment from the current way of hazard identification (list of potential hazards and evaluate their potential risk based on what others have done in a different context, e.g. most likely environmental pollutants) to food-relevant characterization (NAMs) to exposure assessment. More importantly, proper risk assessment of cultivated meat product should be expanded in hybrid food products where cultivated meat is an ingredient. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agropsectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3616/ai-at-root-zone-netafims-bold-leap-with-dosing-5g.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3616/ai-at-root-zone-netafims-bold-leap-with-dosing-5g.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 11:56:00 +0530 In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Abed Masarwa, VP Products at Netafim, Israel, says the new platform marks a shift from programmable dosing to self-learning nutrient management. Abed Masarwa, describes Dosing 5G as both a major technology leap and a strategic pivot toward AI-driven autonomous fertigation, moving beyond predefined recipes to real-time adaptive nutrient management. Launched by Orbia Advance Corporation, S.A.B. de C.V.’s Precision Agriculture business, the new range—FertiKit 5G, FertiOne 5G, NetaJet 5G and NetaFlex 5G—combines advanced EC/pH sensing, auto-adaptive injection, and integration with the GrowSphere digital operating system to create a closed-loop, self-learning system. Building on six decades of agronomic expertise, Dosing 5G is designed to help farmers address rising input costs, resource scarcity, and climate volatility by maximizing yields while reducing fertilizer waste, labor, and environmental impact. Masarwa emphasizes that the long-term vision is a connected, data-driven fertigation infrastructure that balances profitability and sustainability, positioning Netafim not just as an equipment provider but as an intelligent irrigation ecosystem partner. Strategic Differentiation Netafim has led precision agriculture for decades. With Dosing 5G, what is materially different this time — is this a product upgrade, or a strategic shift toward AI-driven autonomous fertigation?Dosing 5G represents both a material technological leap and a strategic shift in how Netafim approaches autonomous fertigation. Materially, the system is built on an upgraded architecture: A next-generation controller – GrowSphere MAX – which is an intuitive and simple-to-use controller, designed to speak the grower’s language. The GrowSphere MAX also manages local and remote devices such as pumps, main valves, field valves, and other hydraulic components. A new operating system and digital workspace under GrowSphere. A new EC/pH measurement technology with faster stabilization and improved accuracy. A new auto adaptive fertilizer injection mechanism that continuously adjusts dosing based on real-time feedback. These upgrades change the way the system measures, reacts, and stabilizes nutrient delivery. Strategically, Dosing 5G flagship products mark the transition from programmable fertigation to adaptive self-learning nutrient management. While previous generations executed predefined recipes,  Dosing 5G analyzes system behavior dynamically — hydraulic performance, EC/pH response, crop stage, and environmental conditions — and adjusts in real time with minimal human intervention. AI Credibility & Data Advantage Many ag-tech firms claim AI capabilities. What proprietary data, agronomic models, or field validation give Dosing 5G a defensible advantage over competitors in automated dosing? Dosing 5G intelligence is grounded in proprietary agronomic and hydraulic data, robust crop models, and field-validated performance. At its core,  Dosing 5G’s AI capability is the combination of real-time hydraulic intelligence and continuous operational behavior learning. Dosing 5G does not rely solely on agronomic assumptions. It continuously analyzes how the irrigation and fertigation system is actually performing — pressure behavior, flow stability, injection response time, EC/pH dynamics, and valve activity. This real-time hydraulic data creates a live performance map of the system. This operational learning enables the system to adapt dosing logic dynamically, rather than simply executing pre-programmed recipes. Stabilization becomes faster, drift is reduced, and correction cycles become more precise. The result is a “closed loop” system that not only monitors performance in real time but continuously improves its response accuracy. In addition, using GrowSphere workspace enables farmers with agronomic crop modeling based ondeep agronomic expertise, real climate and soil data, and historical performance and real field feedback. These models run daily to update recommendations based on current conditions, effectively tailoring dosing to each crop’s growth stage and environment. ROI in a Cost-Pressured Market Farmers are facing rising input costs and tightening margins. What measurable return on investment can growers expect from Dosing 5G, and over what time horizon? Dosing 5G delivers ROI in 4 measurable areas: Input cost reduction Precision fertigation enables accurate, stabilized nutrient delivery directly to the root zone. By preventing over- or under-dosing and continuously optimizing application rates, growers can typically reduce fertilizer use to the desired amount. Yield & quality optimization By maintaining stable nutrient availability throughout each growth stage, Dosing 5G supports: Higher yield consistency. Improved crop uniformity. Better market-grade quality. Reduced leaching & losses Minimizing nutrient leaching and runoff means growers are not paying for fertilizer that never reaches the plant. Avoiding groundwater contamination also reduces regulatory exposure and potential compliance costs — an increasingly relevant factor in Europe and North America. Labor & Maintenance Efficiency Automation and remote control reduce manual calibration, monitoring, and troubleshooting. This lowers dependency on skilled labor and decreases system downtime. Sustainability vs. Profitability Dosing 5G promises reduced nutrient leaching and groundwater pollution. How do you quantify the environmental impact — and can sustainability gains translate into direct financial incentives for growers? As mentioned above, reduced nutrient leaching — through more direct fertilizer delivery — provides financial incentives as growers save money on fertilizer costs with lower dosage requirements. And, with reduced groundwater pollution, growers face lower regulatory exposure and compliance costs. Integration with Digital Farming How critical is integration with GrowSphere to the Dosing 5G value proposition? Is this primarily a hardware innovation, or is the long-term play software, data services, and recurring revenue? Integration with the full GrowSphere Operating System is fundamental to the Dosing 5G value proposition — it is not an optional add-on. While Dosing 5G hardware delivers precision injection and stabilization, connecting the hardware to the GrowSphere OS transforms it into a fully integrated irrigation and fertigation ecosystem that connects hydraulic control, agronomic intelligence, operational management, and data analytics in one environment The GrowSphere OS provides: A unified workspace for irrigation and fertigation planning, execution, and validation. Real-time monitoring of soil, crop, climate, and hydraulic performance. Agronomic recommendations through embedded crop models. Alerting, traceability, and season-over-season reporting. Remote access and multi-site farm management. Dosing 5G introduces new controller technology, advanced EC/pH measurement, and injection technology with the GrowSphere OS. Together, this enables: Continuous optimization based on real-time data. Cross-system learning across seasons and sites. Software-enabled service layers. Scalable digital offerings beyond hardware sales. The broader strategy is clearly platform-driven. The operating system allows Netafim to move froman equipment provider to an intelligent irrigation ecosystem partner, where data, software, and agronomic services become increasingly central to long-term value creation. Scalability Across Markets From open fields in emerging markets to high-tech greenhouses in Europe and North America, how adaptable is the Dosing 5G range across vastly different regulatory, climate, and infrastructure conditions? Dosing 5G was intentionally designed as a modular, scalable portfolio. The portfolio structure enables scalability by configuration: FertiOne 5G – A simple, cost-effective single-channel solution for bulk fertigation in open fields, pivots, and orchards. FertiKit 5G – A flexible, multi-channel open-field system (up to 6 channels) that can be tailored to farm size and complexity. NetaJet 5G – High-precision EC/pH stabilization (up to 8 channels), ideal for sensitive crops and short irrigation cycles in soil and soilless greenhouses. NetaFlex 5G – Advanced, highly uniform greenhouse mixing technology (up to 6 channels) for operations requiring very high precision. Scalability is also achieved through configuration and modularity flexibility for each product.  Also in the pipeline is The GrowSphere Flex — a FertiOne 5G soulution with a specifically designed controller tailor-made for small farmers and their real needs. Climate Volatility & Risk Management With unpredictable weather patterns intensifying, how does AI-automated dosing help farmers mitigate risk in real time — and does the system learn differently across crop types and geographies? Dosing 5G, when integrated with the GrowSphere OS and its embedded Crop Advisor capabilities, enables reactions to climate volatility. What’s more, the GrowSphere Crop Advisor leverages advanced crop models built on decades of Netafim agronomic expertise and global field validation. It combines real-time weather data, soil moisture information, hydraulic system performance, and crop growth stage modeling which allow the system to generate daily, crop-specific irrigation, and fertigation recommendations based on actual and forecasted conditions. In periods of climate stress, this translates into: Anticipating heat-driven evapotranspiration spikes and adjusting irrigation and nutrient concentration accordingly. Preventing water stress during irregular irrigation windows. Adjusting irrigation and fertigation strategies based on crop stage sensitivity. Adjusting irrigation during extreme weather events. The Competitive Landscape & Future Vision Where do you see precision fertigation heading over the next five years? Will we move toward fully autonomous nutrient management systems, and how central is Dosing 5G to Orbia Netafim’s broader AI roadmap? In the coming years, the evolution will be driven as much by software as by hardware. The continued development of the GrowSphere Workspace will expand its role from a monitoring and control interface into a comprehensive operational environment. Planning, execution, validation, reporting, and agronomic recommendations will increasingly operate in a unified digital layer. The system will not only execute fertigation strategies but support growers in designing, benchmarking, and continuously improving them. At the same time, innovation will not be limited to large high-tech operations. A major part of Netafim’s future vision is to extend advanced automated fertigation capabilities to small and medium-sized farms. By modularizing system architecture and maintaining configuration flexibility, Dosing 5G can scale in both directions — offering high and low-injection flows and high-precision greenhouse solutions while also delivering accessible, cost-effective configurations for open-field growers. The goal is to democratize intelligent fertigation rather than restrict it to premium segments. From a technical standpoint, future development will focus on increasing injection flow capacities to support larger irrigation blocks and expanding the number of dosing elements that can operate simultaneously. As farms grow in scale and nutrient programs become more sophisticated, systems must handle higher volumes and more complex fertilizer combinations without compromising stabilization speed or accuracy. The long-term vision is clear: a connected, high-capacity, data-driven fertigation infrastructure that continuously balances productivity, cost efficiency, and environmental responsibility across farm sizes and geographies. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3612/ai-enabled-agronomy-can-further-accelerate-impact-to-optimise-irrigation-and-risk-management-dr-mo-segad-2025-world-food-prize-top-agri-food-pioneer.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3612/ai-enabled-agronomy-can-further-accelerate-impact-to-optimise-irrigation-and-risk-management-dr-mo-segad-2025-world-food-prize-top-agri-food-pioneer.html Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:46:48 +0530 2025 World Food Prize – Top Agri-Food pioneer calls for nature-based, AI-enabled transformation of drylands Dr Mo Segad, a Swedish and American soil scientist and inventor, was officially recognised by the World Food Prize Foundation as one of the 39 recipients in the 2025 Top Agri-Food Pioneers (TAP) cohort. He is a distinguished professor, UNCCD-accredited expert, and globally recognised inventor whose work is redefining climate-smart and resilient desert agriculture. As founder of 3N BioTech, Pure Green AI, and a UN-accredited forestry organisation, and as a distinguished council member of the World Agriculture Forum, Dr Segad integrates AI, soil science, and regenerative practices to deliver scalable, verifiable solutions aligned with COP outcomes, NDCs, UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality, and FAO food security mandates. In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Dr Mo Segad highlights how pioneering nano/bio soil technologies and nature-based innovations are transforming arid and degraded lands into productive, climate-resilient farms that boost food security while reducing water use, agrochemicals, and carbon emissions and use of technology such as AI in maintaining soil health. As a 2025 World Food Prize – Top Agri-Food Pioneer, how does your innovative work directly support agricultural and sustainable practices to boost national and global food security? Standing on the World Food Prize stage was a profound honor, yet a clear reminder that awards are not the measure of our work; impact is. My mission is to treat nature with nature so farmers, local communities, and Indigenous peoples can grow more organic food with less water and no agrochemicals, while restoring drylands/soils and reducing carbon emissions. From first-generation, custom-made Liquid Clays to next-generation, custom-formulated 3N BioTech, I have focused on innovative eco-engineering that delivers cost-effective, scalable, nature-based technologies to transform arid and semi-arid lands, combat water scarcity, and tackle soil salinisation in a time of climate crisis. By transforming sandy and degraded soils into living, productive lands, we can increase yields while cutting irrigation and fertiliser use, reverse desertification, and enhance soil carbon. This enables countries to expand climate-resilient organic farming without encroaching on high-biodiversity or high-emissions frontiers.  Recognition such as “Innovator of the Future” further encourages me to continue promoting credible innovation that aligns directly with COP outcomes and national commitments, advancing NDCs (emissions reductions via soil carbon and input efficiency), NAPs (adaptation through drought-resilient agriculture), UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality, and the SDGs / CGIAR / ICARDA priorities. In short, innovation and science-led soil solutions are not an adjunct to food security; they are its foundation. How can climate-resilient desert agriculture be promoted and scaled further? We must reposition innovative desert agriculture as core adaptation, not a niche. The fastest path to scale is to treat nature with nature by deploying innovative, cost-effective, custom-made, nature-based soil and water technologies with verifiable outcomes. When arid and semi-arid lands become productive without depleting freshwater or aquifers and without expanding emissions, adaptation and food security advance together. To get there, countries should embed desert agriculture in national adaptation plans and food security strategies with clear targets to implement and deploy innovation, so that millions of hectares can be restored, water saved, salinity reduced, and farmer incomes stabilised. After decades of heavy mechanisation and agrochemical intensity, it is time to pivot to innovative, custom-formulated desert Ag solutions paired with outcome-based incentives. AI-enabled agronomy can further accelerate impact i.e. integrating AI with nature-based technologies to optimise irrigation and risk management for both smallholders and large estates. In sum: innovative nature-based AgTech, policy alignment, local production, outcome incentives, AI-enabled advisory, and catalytic finance—this is how we make desert agriculture and drylands a pillar of adaptation at national and continental scale. What is a climate solution that isn’t getting the attention or funding it deserves? Salinity reversal in drylands, along with sand-to-productive-farm transformation, is an underfunded powerhouse. Salinisation silently removes millions of hectares from production. This is why I have invented and developed custom-formulated, nature-based Ag-solutions to enhance soil structure, improve water-holding capacity, and restore biological function, addressing salinity and barren lands at their roots.  Integrated with regenerative practices (no-tillage, ground cover, and salt-tolerant rotations), these solutions rapidly restore farm productivity, save water, reduce agrochemical dependency, and unlock resilient yields—while reversing desertification and increasing soil carbon. Because these benefits cut across adaptation, mitigation, livelihoods, and water security, salinity reversal and sand-to-soil solutions deserve a central place in UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality portfolios and climate-finance windows. How do you see integrating soil nano / biotechnology and water-retention strategies into national food security programmes while reducing dependency on unsustainable irrigation systems? Adopt and accelerate science-backed innovations and proven emerging technologies that scale what works by setting national performance standards for minimum water savings, salinity reduction, and soil organic carbon gains while keeping technology pathways open to spur innovation. Prioritise arid and semi-arid regions and saline soils, where returns on water and soil interventions are highest, and integrate custom-made nano- and bio-AgTech with drip and sensor-guided irrigation to reduce demand and stabilise yields. Practice aquifer stewardship by linking on-farm water savings to basin-level caps, recharge programmes, and equitable allocation frameworks so that efficiency gains translate into aquifer recovery rather than rebound extraction. This approach embeds high-integrity soil and water outcomes into national food security strategies, reduces dependence on unsustainable irrigation, and builds resilience where it is needed most. At recent COP and FAO forums, fertiliser sustainability has emerged as both a climate and geopolitical issue. How do nano-based and bio-enabled fertiliser systems contribute to reducing emissions, improving efficiency, and strengthening fertiliser security for importing nations? Recently, I was globally recognised by the World Food Prize Foundation for two decades of pioneering work in soil nanotechnology. Treating nature with nature is central to our transition pathway. Nano- and bio-enabled systems deliver nutrients more precisely and rebuild soil function—while reducing costs and risk.  Importantly, nano-fertilisers and nano-formulations synchronise nutrient release with plant demand and root uptake, cutting runoff, leaching, and GHG emissions from over-application. Demand is rising for organic nano-fertilisers compatible with regenerative agriculture, and for bio-enabled inputs (microbial consortia, biostimulants) that offer soil-health co-benefits while reducing embedded emissions from production and long-haul transport. Bottom line: this is more than “greener fertiliser.” It is a resilience strategy that aligns food security, climate targets, farm profitability, and national sovereignty over critical inputs, accelerating the transition to climate-smart, soil-healthy, and supply-secure agriculture.As soil carbon sequestration gains traction in voluntary and compliance markets, what safeguards, measurement standards, and governance are needed to ensure integrity, prevent greenwashing, and protect smallholders—and what financing mechanisms can rapidly scale land restoration and climate-smart agriculture?My approach is simple: innovation, foresight, transparency, and accountability ... or nothing. That’s why we’re launching Pure Green AI: a human-in-the-loop, blockchain-powered foresight, peer-review, and validation platform that predicts environmental risks, verifies soil and ecosystem outcomes, and eliminates greenwashing by anchoring projects to globally recognised standards.  Pure Green AI combines predictive, standardised AI tools with immutable audit trails to guide science-backed interventions across soil carbon, climate-smart farming, mangrove, forestry, and biodiversity projects. With tokenised, results-based finance, we unlock funding only after verified impact, scaling innovative, nature-based solutions with integrity; transforming degraded soils into fertile farmland; accelerating transparent eco-restoration; and building resilient landscapes and smart cities. In short: Blended and green finance should fund scale-up, de-risking early adoption, expanding local production capacity, and financing tree-planting and eco-restoration projects that recharge water cycles and build climate resilience. Pure Green AI is a credible end-to-end operating system and smart oracle for measurable, financeable, and fraud-resistant eco-restoration—where projects, people, and nature thrive together. ---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3591/cargill-upgrades-its-global-manufacturing-operations-in-order-to-enhance-automation-robotics-and-digital-manufacturing.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3591/cargill-upgrades-its-global-manufacturing-operations-in-order-to-enhance-automation-robotics-and-digital-manufacturing.html Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:28:03 +0530 Industry 4.0 digital innovation accelerated through NTT DATA’s Private 5G Network secure, scalable connectivity Cargill, the global food, agricultural and industrial leader, is transforming operations across its manufacturing and processing facilities through the successful deployment of NTT DATA’s Private 5G network across 50 sites globally. The initiative is enabling a connected workplace strategy and supports the deployment of robotics, with additional sites planned for completion in 2026. Operating across large-scale agricultural processing plants, food manufacturing facilities and industrial sites, Cargill requires secure, scalable connectivity that can be rapidly deployed where traditional network infrastructure is impractical. NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, uses its Private 5G network to provide high-speed, consistent connectivity that enables a connected workforce and the increasing use of automation, robotics and digital operations in industrial settings. This is in contrast to traditional WiFi or wired networks. As Cargill rolls out SAP ERP across its facilities, NTT DATA’s Private 5G network supports a connected workforce by delivering reliable, low latency access to enterprise applications and operational data on smartphones and ruggedized tablets. This connectivity improves real-time visibility into production processes, enhances collaboration between frontline and operations teams and supports faster, data-driven decision-making. While the majority of deployments are in the United States, Cargill is also live with NTT DATA’s Private 5G deployments in Europe, with additional regions under consideration. Private 5G is also enabling advanced robotics and physical AI deployments in operational environments. For example, Cargill has deployed Spot the Dog at its Amsterdam facility to enhance safety and operational efficiency. The AI-powered robot supports use cases such as automating visual inspections, monitoring for hazards such as equipment overheating and improving worker safety in hazardous or hard to reach areas. "Our work with NTT DATA is a true partnership, allowing us to confidently advance our global digital transformation strategy,” said Robert Greiner, Director Platform Engineering for Customer, Commercial & Business Operations Digital Technology at Cargill. “Private 5G gives us a secure, scalable foundation to support connected workers, robotics and edge AI use cases across our operations.” “As manufacturing organizations expand the use of physical AI and intelligent automation, reliable and secure connectivity becomes foundational to digital transformation,” said Shahid Ahmed, Global Head of Edge Services, NTT DATA, Inc. “Cargill is demonstrating how Private 5G can bring technology and operations together in environments where traditional networks fall short, while improving safety, agility and performance." ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3578/india-should-move-toward-productivity-linked-livestock-insurance-but-only-through-phased-data-anchored-evolution-ritesh-chauhan-secretary-of-animal-husbandry-govt-of-himachal-pradesh.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3578/india-should-move-toward-productivity-linked-livestock-insurance-but-only-through-phased-data-anchored-evolution-ritesh-chauhan-secretary-of-animal-husbandry-govt-of-himachal-pradesh.html Mon, 16 Feb 2026 13:14:35 +0530 Why India must move from ad-hoc compensation to a technology-enabled, trust-driven livestock protection framework that stabilises incomes and safeguards productive assets As livestock becomes an increasingly critical pillar of rural incomes amid climate and market uncertainties, the lack of effective risk protection remains a major gap in India’s agricultural policy landscape. In this exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Ritesh Chauhan, Secretary of Animal Husbandry, Government of Himachal Pradesh, explains why advances in digital identification, veterinary networks, cooperatives, and fintech now make a scalable livestock insurance framework both viable and essential. Drawing from Himachal Pradesh’s on-ground experience, he shares practical insights on building trust, improving claim settlement, and strengthening insurer participation. Edited excerpts: Why is this the right moment for India to scale up a National Livestock Insurance Scheme? India’s agricultural economy is undergoing a quiet but consequential shift—and livestock sits at the centre of this transition. As crop agriculture faces yield volatility, land fragmentation, and climate stress, livestock has emerged as the most stable and fastest-growing contributor to agri-GVA. Today, dairying, poultry, and small ruminants together account for nearly one-third of agricultural value added, growing faster than cereals or horticulture. This is not accidental: livestock offers daily cash flow, higher labour absorption, and risk diversification for smallholders in ways that seasonal cropping cannot. Yet this very backbone of rural resilience remains dangerously under-insured. Climate stress is reshaping livestock risk profiles - Heat stress is reducing milk yields, fertility, and animal longevity. Erratic monsoons and droughts are tightening fodder availability, pushing up feed costs and forcing distress sales of animals. Floods and cyclones increasingly wipe out entire herds in coastal and riverine regions. Unlike crops, livestock losses are not confined to one season; they permanently erode household productive assets and future income streams. Disease outbreaks are becoming systemic economic shocks - The spread of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) across multiple states since 2022 has exposed how vulnerable India’s livestock economy is to transboundary and climate-linked diseases. For households owning one or two cattle—the majority of India’s livestock keepers—the death or productivity loss of even a single animal can mean the collapse of daily income, nutrition security, and repayment capacity for micro-loans. Yet compensation remains uneven, delayed, and fiscally reactive, varying widely by state and fiscal headroom.   The success of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in crops and Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), in health shows that large-scale, publicly backed, technology-enabled risk pooling is feasible—even in a country with fragmented landholdings and informal livelihoods.  Digital animal identification, Aadhaar-linked beneficiary databases, mobile veterinary records, satellite fodder mapping, and AI-based disease surveillance are finally converging. This makes it possible to design livestock protection systems that are actuarially sound, fraud-resistant, and low-touch for farmers. Waiting longer only raises fiscal exposure, as climate and disease risks compound. Moving now enables a paradigm shift—from relief to resilience - Without structured livestock risk protection, governments will continue to rely on ad-hoc compensation after disasters and outbreaks—often delayed, politically negotiated, and fiscally inefficient. A national or federated livestock insurance and protection framework would instead stabilise rural incomes, protect productive assets, and crowd in private insurers, agri-fintech and veterinary networks. At this inflection point, livestock is no longer a peripheral subsector—it is core economic infrastructure. If India is serious about building climate-resilient agriculture and doubling real farm incomes, integrating livestock into its formal risk-management architecture is not optional. It is the logical next step in the evolution of India’s welfare and productivity state. How can a formal insurance architecture strengthen rural financial resilience? In the absence of formal risk protection, livestock-owning households fall back on informal coping mechanisms—moneylenders, distress sale of animals, or emergency borrowing through SHGs. These options are slow, costly, and often value-destructive. High interest rates, delayed access to funds, and forced liquidation of productive animals turn a temporary shock into a long-term income loss. Once an animal is sold or dies without compensation, rebuilding the herd can take years, pushing families deeper into debt and vulnerability. Formal livestock insurance fundamentally alters this equation. By protecting the household balance sheet, it enables faster replacement of lost animals and prevents irreversible erosion of productive assets. Timely payouts ensure continuity of milk production, which for millions of families functions as daily cashflow—covering food, school expenses, and loan repayments. This income stability is critical in cushioning households against climate and disease shocks. Equally important, insured livestock becomes bankable collateral. When animals are formally insured and tagged, banks and MFIs are more willing to extend working capital and productivity loans, crowding in institutional credit and reducing dependence on informal lenders. In this way, livestock insurance is not merely a safety net—it is an enabler of rural financial inclusion, resilience, and growth. Which success elements should be adapted for livestock? Three design elements from India’s existing risk-protection programmes are clearly transferable to livestock—provided they are adapted to biological and market realities rather than copied mechanically. First, cluster-based tendering enables better risk pooling and pricing. Instead of fragmented, district-by-district coverage, clustering animals by agro-climatic zones, disease risk profiles, and production systems allows insurers to diversify exposure and price risk more accurately. Larger, well-defined pools reduce adverse selection, lower premiums, and make participation commercially viable for insurers while keeping subsidies fiscally efficient for governments. Second, a unified national digital platform is essential. A single backbone integrating animal identification, owner KYC, enrolment, premium subsidy flow, veterinary records, and claims processing can dramatically reduce friction and fraud. Mobile-based reporting, geo-tagged mortality verification, and integration with state animal husbandry databases would enable faster, more transparent settlements—critical for households dependent on daily milk income. Third, enforceable service-level agreements create trust and accountability. Clear timelines for enrolment, disease reporting, claim verification, and payout—backed by penalties for non-performance—are non-negotiable. Without strong SLAs, insurance degenerates into delayed relief. With them, livestock protection becomes a predictable, farmer-centric instrument. Together, these elements form a scalable blueprint—one that respects livestock’s unique risks while leveraging India’s hard-won institutional learning. How ready is India for RFID, biometrics, or muzzle‑printing? India is no longer starting from scratch on livestock identification. Ear-tagging and RFID are already deployed at scale under national and state programmes, while pilots on advanced biometrics—such as muzzle-printing and image-based identification—are steadily improving accuracy and field viability. The immediate priority is not inventing new technology, but establishing a tamper-resistant, unique animal ID that can serve as the backbone of the livestock ecosystem. This ID must be seamlessly integrated with AgriStack, the National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM), vaccination and disease surveillance databases, and formal credit systems. When an animal’s identity, health history, ownership, and insurance status sit on a common digital rail, risk assessment, claims verification, and credit underwriting become faster, cheaper, and more credible. Equally critical is the human interface. Para-veterinarians, cooperative staff, and extension workers are the system’s frontline. They need simple, offline-capable, field-friendly tools to record vaccinations, disease events, mortality, and distress sales—triggering claims or alerts in real time without paperwork or discretion. In this context, technology is an enabler, not the solution. The real challenge is ecosystem design: aligning incentives across farmers, vets, insurers, banks, and states so that data capture is trusted, participation is rewarded, and protection becomes automatic rather than exceptional. How can digital workflows transform credibility? Rebuilding trust in livestock protection hinges less on promises and more on verifiable system behaviour. Four operational levers are critical. First, geo-tagged, time-stamped enrolment and event capture. Photographic proof at enrolment—linked to animal ID, owner KYC, and location—creates a clear baseline and sharply reduces disputes. Similar capture at vaccination, illness, or mortality ensures objective evidence from the field, not post-fact claims. Second, rule-based and transparent claim algorithms. Claims must be processed through clearly defined, publicly disclosed logic—triggered by verified events, disease status, and coverage rules. Removing discretion shortens settlement cycles and eliminates perceptions of bias or arbitrariness. Third, visible and time-bound processing stages. Every step—intimation, verification, approval, and payout—should be trackable by farmers through SMS or WhatsApp in local languages, with automatic escalation if timelines are breached. Visibility is as important as speed. Fourth, independent audits and public dashboards. Regular third-party audits and anonymised dashboards showing claim ratios, settlement times, and district-level performance create accountability for insurers and implementing agencies alike. When farmers’ lived experience consistently matches system timelines, trust shifts from rhetoric to reality—and participation follows. What innovations can serve as national templates? Himachal Pradesh offers a practical, ground-tested template for how livestock risk protection can be operationalised at scale. The state’s cooperative-led outreach model, anchored in milk unions and village-level institutions, allows insurance and animal health services to piggyback on trusted, everyday touchpoints rather than stand-alone enrolment drives. This significantly lowers awareness gaps and improves uptake. Equally important is Himachal’s dense para-veterinary and extension network, which functions as the first responder for disease reporting, vaccinations, and mortality verification. When para-vets are digitally enabled and institutionally aligned, claims move faster and data quality improves—reducing both farmer frustration and insurer leakage. The state’s ongoing digitalisation of animal health records, breeding, and service delivery creates continuity across the animal lifecycle, enabling risk assessment and policy servicing without repetitive paperwork. This integrated data flow is critical for actuarial credibility and faster settlements. Two financing innovations stand out. Bundling insurance with milk procurement channels sharply reduces customer acquisition costs and premium collection friction, as deductions can be seamlessly aligned with milk payments. Additionally, the use of Milk Cess as a co-funding mechanism for premiums demonstrates how sectoral levies can be recycled to de-risk producers themselves. Together, these elements show how institutional design—not subsidies alone—can make livestock insurance viable, trusted, and scalable. Should India introduce productivity‑linked insurance? India should move toward productivity-linked livestock insurance—but only through a phased, data-anchored evolution, not a leap. Mortality coverage must remain the foundation. It addresses the most catastrophic risk, is easiest to verify, and builds early trust among farmers, insurers, and states. Without a robust mortality layer, more complex covers will lack credibility and fiscal discipline. That said, productivity losses are economically larger and more frequent than deaths. Heat stress–induced milk yield dips, infertility, disease-related work-loss, and prolonged recovery periods quietly erode household incomes, often without triggering any formal support. Ignoring these losses limits the real stabilisation potential of livestock insurance. The constraint is not concept, but measurement. Productivity-linked insurance requires reliable baseline data at the animal or herd level, regular digital milk recording, and credible attribution mechanisms to distinguish normal variability from insurable shocks. Parametric or index-based triggers—such as temperature-humidity indices, disease outbreak thresholds, or verified yield deviation bands—offer a practical pathway, but only once data density improves. India should therefore evolve stepwise: begin with universal mortality cover, pilot productivity-linked add-ons in organised milk sheds and cooperatives, refine triggers and payout logic, and scale gradually. Done right, this progression can transform livestock insurance from a safety net into a true income-stabilisation instrument. What would a unified livestock digital ecosystem look like? By 2030, India’s livestock sector should be anchored in a unified digital ecosystem built around a single, tamper-resistant animal ID linked to a verified farmer ID. This core identity layer would serve as the common reference point across institutions, eliminating today’s silos between animal husbandry, insurance, banking, and markets. On this foundation would sit multiple interoperable layers. The health and disease layer would record vaccinations, treatments, outbreak exposure, and biosecurity status in real time through para-vets and veterinary networks. The insurance and risk layer would track coverage, claims history, and risk scores, enabling faster payouts and actuarially sound pricing. A breeding and productivity layer would capture genetics, fertility, lactation cycles, and yield trends—starting with organised milk sheds and expanding over time. Above this, a financial services layer would allow banks and MFIs to treat insured, traceable livestock as bankable assets—unlocking credit, working capital, and embedded insurance. Finally, an advisory and market access layer would deliver personalised alerts on nutrition, heat stress, disease risk, and price signals, while linking farmers seamlessly to milk procurement, input suppliers, and buyers. For the farmer, this complexity must be invisible. The system should feel like one trusted interface—one that protects assets, stabilises income, rewards good practices, and connects livestock keepers to markets and finance with dignity and predictability. ---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3572/irrigation-is-no-longer-about-yield-alone-frank-yan-country-manager-china-komet-irrigation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3572/irrigation-is-no-longer-about-yield-alone-frank-yan-country-manager-china-komet-irrigation.html Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:43:48 +0530 Komet positions its low-pressure sprinklers to support water-saving KPIs, data verification, and climate-resilient farming In an exclusive Agrospectrum interview, Frank Yan, Country Manager China at Komet Irrigation, says Asia—particularly China and India—is central to Komet’s 2026 growth strategy because it sits at the intersection of acute water stress, food security pressure, and large-scale irrigation potential. China remains the most urgent market commercially and environmentally, where government-led water-saving policies, performance-based subsidies, and a mature pivot OEM ecosystem create strong demand for Komet’s low-pressure, high-uniformity sprinklers, while India is viewed as a longer-term scale test case constrained by infrastructure, farm size, and farmer financing. Yan emphasizes that the biggest gap today is not technology but market proof—calling for field demonstrations and data-driven evidence to clearly show farmers how efficient irrigation stabilizes yields, reduces energy costs, and manages climate risk. By 2026, Komet’s success in Asia will be defined less by short-term sales and more by brand leadership—measured by widespread OEM adoption, farmer trust, and its systems becoming the default choice for water-efficient mechanized irrigation. Asia’s Water Stress Moment Asia is entering a critical decade for water security, with agriculture at the center of the challenge. How does Komet view Asia’s role in its global growth strategy for 2026, and which markets are most urgent—both commercially and from a water-stress perspective? Asia has more than half the world’s population but less freshwater per capita than almost any other continent. Water stress is driven by population growth, urbanization, climate change, and poor governance — not just natural scarcity. China's water problem is worse than most of the other Asian countries simply because of the high population pressure and extremely uneven distribution of the water recourses in the country. India is another country that has a huge pressure from the point of view of water crisis and the need for agricultural production. Komet's products are almost exclusively serving the pivot irrigation market, which requires many conditions be sufficient to support the market growth. Pivot irrigation can only be used when the farm size is big enough; the right infrastructure exists (water source, power supply) and enough money for the initial investment. China has all of these essential elements for pivot irrigation except for the farm size which is relatively small for pivot irrigation. However, the Chinese government spent billions of dollars during the 2010's in promoting the pivot irrigation in the northern part of the country resulting in over 100 thousand pivots installed in less than a decade. There were over 100 pivot companies in China during the peak time of Water Saving irrigation Campaign from 2012-2018. The focus has shifted to drip irrigation in recent years because they found out that drip irrigation saves even more water. The number of pivot manufacturers has dropped from over 100 to merely 11 today. With the fast development of the supply chain in almost all the industrial sectors in China, the pivot manufacturing has been greatly improved, the quality and functionality of the pivot products are at par with the western companies like Valmont and Lindsay. Their focus has been selling into the international markets in the last ten years due to their large production capacity and the decreasing demand in the domestic market . India as a Scale Test Case India represents one of the world’s largest irrigation markets, yet adoption remains uneven across regions and farm sizes. What structural barriers—economic, behavioral, or policy-related—does Komet see as the biggest constraints to scaling efficient irrigation in India? India has a great potential from the population and food security points of view, but the pivot market won't have substantial growth until the basic infrastructure such as water and power supply has been developed in the major agricultural area. The other limiting factor in Indian is the farm size. Pivot irrigation is more efficient when the size of the field reaches over 30 hectares while 86 per cent of the farms in India are smaller than 2 Ha. Hose reel market in India has a great potential for growth because it covers smaller field and its relatively easier to setup and initial investment is low. Komet's big gun products should fit the hose reel market in India well. However, the biggest constraint in this market is the investment. It has to come from the government at the beginning since the farmers have no money to invest. China's experiences shows that only government can start the irrigation market development in developing countries.  From Subsidies to Sustainability Public subsidies have historically shaped irrigation adoption across Asia. How is Komet positioning its solutions in a policy environment that is gradually shifting from input subsidies toward water-use efficiency, climate resilience, and outcomes-based agriculture? Since the early 2010s, China’s central and provincial governments have included sprinkler irrigation machines (including center pivots and hose reels) in the national agricultural machinery purchase subsidy program. By 2023–2025, subsidies covered 30–50 per cent of equipment costs, with some regions offering additional local top-ups. In key grain-producing provinces like Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and Inner Mongolia, thousands of pivots and hose-reel units were deployed under subsidized programs. Infrastructure Integration Investments went beyond equipment to include water source development (wells, reservoirs), pressurized pipe networks, and smart control systems, enabling efficient operation of mechanized irrigation. Since 2011, China has prioritized “high-standard farmland” construction, targeting 1 billion mu (~67 million hectares) by 2030. This includes installing modern irrigation systems like center pivots and hose reels, especially in arid regions (e.g., Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang). China launched the “Red Line” water policy, capping national water use at 670 billion m³/year by 2030. Provinces must meet water-use efficiency KPIs, driving adoption of precision irrigation. Starting around 2020–2022, China began transitioning from pure input-based subsidies (e.g., “buy a machine, get cash”) toward performance- or output-based incentives: Linking subsidies to water savings, crop yield improvements, or fertilizer reduction (part of the national “fertilizer and pesticide zero-growth” and “water-saving agriculture” strategies). Promoting water rights trading pilots and quota-based allocation in arid regions (e.g., Northwest China). Since 2019, provinces like Gansu and Ningxia have piloted “water-saving performance payments”, where farmers receive bonuses based on verified water savings or yield per unit of water, not just equipment ownership. National projects integrate IoT sensors, remote control, and water metering with pivot/hose-reel systems to enable data-driven water allocation and subsidy verification. As an upstream supplier of high-efficiency sprinklers products for pivots and hose reels, Komet can contribute to China’s policy evolution in the following ways: Enable Precision Water Application: Komet’s low-pressure, uniform distribution sprinklers reduce evaporation and runoff, directly improving crop per drop metrics required under China’s water caps. Support Verification of Water Savings: By integrating Komet sprinklers with flow meters and telemetry (common in Chinese smart irrigation projects), actual water use can be monitored—enabling performance-based subsidies rather than mere equipment purchase rewards. Align with China’s “Green Agriculture” Standards: Komet’s CE-certified, energy-efficient designs help Chinese integrators qualify for green procurement lists and provincial eco-subsidies tied to ISO 14046 (water footprint). Smallholders vs. Commercial Farms Asia’s irrigation demand spans smallholder farmers, plantation crops, and large commercial operations. In 2026, how is Komet balancing product design and go-to-market strategies across these vastly different customer segments without diluting impact or margins?  Komet's product lines are limited and so are the focus of the company's efforts in marketing and sales. Small holders in any market are unlikely to be using pivot irrigation therefore not in client group for Komet. Big guns and sprinklers are the main focus of Komet's business; the focus of the company should be on marketing its unique design around low pressure/energy requirement and its superior uniformity of its products. Technology vs. Adoption Gap Efficient irrigation technology is increasingly available, yet on-ground adoption lags potential. From Komet’s experience, is the bigger gap today technological capability, affordability, farmer trust, or last-mile execution—and how is your Asia strategy addressing that gap? The technology is available and Komet's advantage has been proven, however, that advantage has not been shown clearly to the customers. I believe that demonstration of Komet's product advantage needs to be conducted in the market. Climate Variability and System Design With rainfall patterns becoming more erratic, irrigation is no longer just about yield but risk management. How is climate volatility reshaping demand for Komet’s solutions in Asia, and what changes are you making to system design, data use, or service models in response? Irrigation in its core should be about ensuring agricultural production rather than simply water-saving. However, that message has not been clearly and completely crossed to the farmers. Helping farmers understand the core value of efficient irrigation and the key role of best designed sprinkler systems is the key. We need to let the data and fact tell the true story Localization and Partnerships Water management is deeply local—driven by soil, crops, aquifers, and regulation. How important are local partnerships, manufacturing, and service networks to Komet’s Asia and India expansion, and where do you draw the line between global standardization and local customization? With today's manufacturing capability and the nature of the Komet's products (smaller size and bigger value), localization of manufacturing is not necessary. Marketing and selling Komets products, however, requires well developed dealer network and mutually beneficial partnerships with our OEMS and distributors. For China, the existing pivot OEMs are working very aggressively in developing international markets especially in areas that irrigation market is fast developing. We need to work very closely with them in building Komet's product and technology into their overall value system. The fact that most of the developing markets are underdeveloped in terms of water and power supply demands superior products like KPT sprinklers where low pressure/energy is needed to operate. We should focus on marketing this distinguished technological advantage; the lower energy means more profits for the farmers.  Defining Success Beyond Sales By the end of 2026, what would success look like for Komet in Asia and India—not just in terms of revenue or hectares irrigated, but in measurable outcomes such as water savings, farmer income stability, or climate resilience? The best success for Komet would be an improved brand image. It would be a great success in the China market if 8 out of 10 pivot customers use Komet products and all OEMs use more Komet products than last year!  --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3566/fao-on-balancing-climate-urgency-and-food-safety-in-emerging-agrifood-technologies.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3566/fao-on-balancing-climate-urgency-and-food-safety-in-emerging-agrifood-technologies.html Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:17:22 +0530 FAO outlines a pragmatic, trust-first pathway for deploying environmental inhibitors at scale In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Vittorio Fattori, Food Safety Officer at the FAO, explains how governments can urgently deploy environmental inhibitors to reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions while upholding rigorous food safety standards. He emphasizes a stepwise, proportionate risk assessment approach, allowing rapid scale-up when residues are not detectable, and targeted human risk assessment when they are plausible—ensuring climate action does not undermine consumer trust. Fattori highlights the importance of harmonized Codex standards to reduce regulatory fragmentation, prevent trade disruptions, and provide predictability for innovators and producers globally. Addressing equity, he underscores FAO’s focus on feasible pathways for low- and middle-income countries, including reliance on international scientific evaluations and proportionate controls aligned with national capacities. Framing environmental inhibitors as part of a broader mitigation toolbox—sometimes transitional, sometimes structural—he stresses that transparent communication and continuous reassessment are essential to sustaining public confidence while advancing lower-emission agrifood systems. Balancing Climate Urgency and Food Safety Rigor Given the urgency to reduce agricultural methane and nitrous oxide emissions, how does FAO recommend balancing accelerated deployment of environmental inhibitors with the inherently cautious timelines of food safety risk assessment, without undermining public trust? While recognizing the urgency to cut methane and nitrous oxide emissions from agrifood systems, we also emphasize that ensuring food safety is essential when introducing new practices and technologies. The urgency to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions together with the need to maintain food safety, are some the multiple factors (including also for example animal health and welfare, environmental benefits and more) that decision makers will need to balance in their decision-making process. We believe that by considering food safety at the outset, we can ensure that efforts to reduce environmental impacts are effective, trusted, and well understood. In the case of environmental inhibitors, if no residues are detectable in foods with sensitive methods under proposed use conditions, risk concerns are minimal and scale‑up can proceed with routine verification. If residues are plausible, a proportionate human risk assessment (hazard + exposure) should be completed before widespread use. This staged approach allows mitigation benefits to begin promptly while ensuring consumer protection remains at the core of any proposed intervention. Evidence Thresholds and Precaution What level and type of residue evidence does FAO consider sufficient to move from experimental or pilot use of environmental inhibitors to widespread commercial adoption, especially in contexts where long-term dietary exposure data may be limited? The minimum evidence threshold is to determine whether residues of the parent compound and/or relevant metabolites are present in foods of animal or plant origin under realistic use (i.e. following good agricultural/animal husbandry practice). When robust residue studies show no detectable residues, further studies may be unnecessary. If residues are found, it will be important to follow these steps: Hazard characterization (toxicology of parent + metabolites, using established FAO/WHO principles) to derive health-based guidance values where needed Dietary Exposure assessment Risk characterization that can support risk management measures such as Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) When data are limited and there is scientific uncertainty, it could be considered to conduct  human exposure assessment(s) according to the Codex Alimentarius “Guidelines for rapid risk analysis following instances of detection of contaminants in food where there is no regulatory level”, possibly followed by a full risk assessment specific to human health if the residues in question meet the exclusion criteria of the guidelines. In this regard it is important to recognize that substances already regulated as pesticides or veterinary drugs typically follow their full premarket pathways. Regulatory Fragmentation and Global Trade With environmental inhibitors classified differently across jurisdictions—as veterinary drugs, feed additives, or soil amendments—how does FAO see harmonized Codex standards reducing the risk of trade disruptions and regulatory arbitrage? Today, environmental inhibitors (EIs) can be classified according to national regulations as either as veterinary drugs, feed additives, fertilizer components, or pesticides, which can lead to different data packages and approval routes across markets; this can create a risk of trade friction when residues are handled inconsistently. FAO supports harmonization via Codex. In this context, FAO/WHO expert bodies - e.g. the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) - provide independent scientific advice to underpin Codex standards, including Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) where appropriate. Converging on common data requirements, residue definitions, and risk assessment principles reduces regulatory arbitrage, improves predictability for innovators and producers, and protects consumers while facilitating trade. Cumulative and Systemic Risk Assessment How does FAO propose assessing cumulative food safety risks when environmental inhibitors are used alongside other inputs such as pesticides, veterinary drugs, and feed additives, particularly in intensive production systems? It is important to begin with the foundational EIs assessment (residues → hazard→ exposure) and, where residues are expected, considering aggregate dietary exposure from food and water consistent with existing pesticide/veterinary drug paradigms. When an EI shares toxicological endpoints with other regulated inputs (e.g., similar modes of action or common target organs), assessors would consider cumulative risk assessment considerations aligned with established Codex/Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)/Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) practices. Practically, this means define the residue of concern (parent/metabolites), ensure analytical methods across relevant matrices, and evaluate whether use patterns in intensive systems plausibly raise combined exposure near health-based guidance values. Equity and Adoption in Low- and Middle-Income Countries What considerations is FAO giving to the food safety assessment and regulatory capacity challenges faced by low- and middle-income countries, where monitoring EI residues in food may be technically or financially constrained? We are attentive to capacity constraints in  Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) — notably the cost and technical demands of residue methods, surveillance, and regulatory review. Our guidance therefore stresses stepwise, feasible pathways: begin with plausibility screening of residue transfer, leverage validated methods and internationally available scientific opinions (e.g. from the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)/Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) practices), and apply proportionate controls (label conditions, use restrictions) that match national laboratory capacities. Through the Food Safety work, FAO provides tools, training, and normative guidance that Member countries can adapt, helping them adopt mitigation technologies without compromising consumer protection or market access. Managing Uncertainty in Novel Agrifood Technologies In cases where scientific uncertainty remains—especially regarding chronic exposure or indirect food chain transfer—how does FAO advise policymakers to apply the precautionary principle without stalling climate mitigation innovations? When uncertainty remains — especially about chronic exposure or indirect transfer along the food chain — it can be important to use conservative exposure assumptions and interim risk management measures (e.g., restricted use conditions, defined withdrawal intervals, targeted monitoring) while additional data are generated. As mentioned, existing guidelines like Codex Guidelines for rapid risk analysis following instances of detection of contaminants in food where there is no regulatory level (CXG 92-2019), can prove to be useful in specific circumstances without substituting for full premarket evaluation required for pesticides or veterinary drugs. This approach protects consumers without stalling climate mitigation innovation when that shows clear efficacy and a low likelihood of significant human dietary exposure. Public Perception and Consumer Confidence How important is transparent communication about food safety risk assessments for environmental inhibitors in maintaining consumer confidence, and what role should FAO play in shaping that global narrative? Transparent communication is essential. With this work we wanted to bring some clarity on what environmental inhibitors are, why they are used, and how food safety is assessed. We also wanted to explain in accessible terms what residue testing shows and how standards are set internationally. Our new report and technical brief were designed to explain the science and outline a clear, stepwise safety pathway. In this respect, we support our members by generate and sharing timely, actionable insights on food safety, as well as by providing proactive and strategic guidance on emerging food safety issues. Long-Term Agrifood System Transformation Do you see environmental inhibitors as a transitional solution toward lower-emission agrifood systems, or as a long-term structural component—and how does that distinction influence FAO’s approach to food safety foresight and regulatory guidance? Environmental inhibitors are some of the tools available within a portfolio of measures to lower agrifood systems’ emissions. In some production contexts, EIs may be transitional — bridging to system redesigns (e.g., breeding, feed system changes, nitrogen management). In others, certain inhibitors could become more structural components, provided they consistently demonstrate safety, efficacy, and practicality. This framing shapes the notion of establishing durable, harmonized safety frameworks (including, where needed, Codex MRLs), maintaining surveillance and periodic reassessment as science evolves, and considering the integration of EIs into broader mitigation strategies rather than viewing them in isolation. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3558/inside-cloovers-plan-to-become-shopify-of-energy.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3558/inside-cloovers-plan-to-become-shopify-of-energy.html Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:17:49 +0530 Jodok Betschart on why execution, ecosystems and capital will define the next decade of clean power In an exclusive Agrospectrum interview, Jodok Betschart, Co-Founder & CEO of Cloover GmbH, explains why Europe has reached a critical inflection point for decentralized energy as AI-driven demand, electrification and grid instability converge. He outlines how Cloover is positioning itself as the operating system for energy independence by solving the sector’s biggest bottleneck—financing—through embedded, asset-first credit and AI-led risk assessment. Betschart also highlights the significance of Cloover’s $1.2 billion institutional financing commitment as validation of distributed energy as a new infrastructure asset class. Looking ahead, he details the company’s installer-centric ecosystem strategy and its ambition to become the global backbone for decentralized energy over the next decade. The Infrastructure Moment You describe Cloover as building the operating system for energy independence. Why is this moment—marked by AI-driven demand growth, grid instability, and electrification—the inflection point for such a platform? The current moment represents a critical inflection point for the European energy sector. Several converging megatrends are creating this “infrastructure moment”: Rising Energy Demand and Grid Instability: The European energy landscape is entering a “defining decade”. Demand is surging, driven by increasing electrification and new, energy-intensive technologies like AI data centers. Simultaneously, centralized power grids are struggling to keep pace, leading to instability and uncertainty Accelerated Electrification: The rapid adoption of electric mobility is exposing deep structural weaknesses in the existing infrastructure. Households and businesses are seeking ways to secure their energy supply and control costs, driving exponential interest in decentralized solutions like solar, batteries, and heat pumps The “Missing Link”: While demand is exploding, the scalable infrastructure to deploy these technologies efficiently is absent . Cloover is this “missing link”—an operating system that connects all stakeholders on a single platform . It is built on the core principles of being asset-first and using automation to replace manual processes, creating a financial and procedural infrastructure that enables the transition to a resilient, independent energy grid. Financing as the Bottleneck Your thesis is that financing, not technology adoption, is the biggest constraint in residential energy. What structural failures in traditional banking does Cloover’s embedded finance model address? The thesis that financing is the primary bottleneck is based on the insight that technology adoption is hindered by structural weaknesses in the traditional financial system. Our model addresses these shortcomings: Fragmentation and Lack of Specialization: Unlike mature markets like automotive, the decentralized energy asset class has few specialized lenders. Traditional banks are often ill-equipped to underwrite loans at the required speed and granularity High Upfront Costs: The significant initial investment for solar, heat pumps, or batteries is a major hurdle for many households, with long payback periods deterring adoption Outdated Credit Metrics: Banks rely on traditional credit scores. Our model, in contrast, is asset-first, focusing on the project’s future energy savings as a key evaluation factor, which allows us to serve customers who might not otherwise qualify Installer Cash Flow Constraints: Small and medium-sized installers suffer from severe cash flow problems, having to purchase expensive equipment upfront. Our principle of embedded financing solves this by integrating working capital and financing directly into their workflow, transforming it from a hurdle into a seamless feature. AI in Credit and Risk Assessment Cloover uses AI-powered underwriting focused on long-term energy savings rather than traditional credit metrics. How do you balance innovation in credit models with risk management and regulatory expectations? Balancing innovation with robust risk management is at the core of our strategy. Our philosophy is that AI’s role is to reduce friction, not to replace human judgment. This balance is achieved through a multi-layered approach: Augmented, Not Automated, Judgment: We use AI to structure complex data, automate repetitive tasks, and provide data-driven recommendations. This augments the expertise of our team, allowing for faster, better-informed decisions while maintaining human oversight. For example, our AI-powered underwriting supplements, rather than replaces, traditional credit metrics Streamlining Point-of-Sale Processes: AI automates standard checks during the application process. This allows installers to manage higher demand and provide immediate, reliable feedback to customers at the point of sale, a critical step in reducing friction Data-Driven Risk Analysis: Our platform continuously collects and analyzes real-time performance data from installed assets. This allows for dynamic risk monitoring and proactive management, enabling us to detect and address potential issues early Asset-Backed Security: The financed energy assets are real, tangible assets, providing an additional layer of security beyond the borrower’s credit profile. This positions them as a transparent, “impact-aligned infrastructure asset class” for investors Partnerships with Regulated Institutions: Our model is validated and backed by a $1.2 billion debt facility from a major European bank and a guarantee from the European Investment Fund (EIF), ensuring adherence to the highest regulatory and risk management standards. The $1.2 Billion Commitment The scale of this financing commitment is unusual for a company at this stage. What does this signal about institutional appetite for distributed energy as an infrastructure asset class? The financing commitment of over $1.2 billion is exceptional and sends several powerful signals: Validation of Distributed Energy as an Asset Class: It confirms that institutional capital now views distributed energy systems not as a niche product, but as a scalable, stable, and attractive infrastructure asset class. Confidence in the Platform Model: Investors are backing the “operating system” that makes this asset class legible and investable. Our platform provides the transparency, performance data, and risk management needed to deploy capital at scale into thousands of decentralized projects. Shift to Infrastructure Capital: The deal structure, combining venture equity with a massive debt facility, is typical of mature infrastructure companies. It signals that Cloover has successfully bridged the gap between the tech world and the capital-intensive world of infrastructure finance. A Precedent for the Industry: This deal sets a new benchmark for the industry, proving that it is possible to mobilize the capital required to meet Europe’s ambitious climate goals. The Installer-Centric Growth Model Cloover positions itself as an enabler—not a competitor—to installers. How critical is this alignment to scaling decentralized energy, and what lessons have you learned from working with thousands of SMEs? Aligning with installers as an enabler is the single most critical factor for scaling decentralized energy. The energy transition rests on the shoulders of tens of thousands of small and medium-sized installation businesses. A model that empowers them leverages the industry’s greatest resource. The crucial lesson is that scaling is an ecosystem problem. Success depends on equipping these key players with the right tools. Our platform was designed to solve their core frustrations: fragmented software, manual processes, and crippling financing bottlenecks. By providing workflow automation, embedded financing, and working capital, we become an indispensable growth engine for them. This creates a powerful win-win situation: installers grow their revenue by an average of 30 per cent, and Cloover grows with every project enabled on the platform. This symbiotic relationship, built on trust, is the engine for scalable growth. From Software to Ecosystem You’ve compared Cloover to the “Shopify of Energy.” What does ecosystem leadership mean in energy—and how do you ensure interoperability across manufacturers, installers, investors, and households? The “Shopify of Energy” comparison means that Cloover provides the core infrastructure for others to operate on. We do not own the value chain; we enable it. Ecosystem leadership is defined by the distinct roles each participant plays on this shared infrastructure. Interoperability is ensured through our API-first and modular architecture, which allows all players to connect and collaborate efficiently: Installers use the platform to sell and manage their projects Manufacturers connect their hardware and associated data streams Investors access standardized project and asset information for the deployment of capital End Customers receive simple, financed access to clean energy Cloover is the shared, interoperable layer that aligns these diverse players, ensuring they can collaborate to deliver decentralized energy at scale. Economics for End Users Homeowners reportedly see 20–30 per cent energy cost savings, while installers generate 30 per cent incremental revenue. How do you sustain these economics as you scale across markets with different subsidy and regulatory regimes? Sustaining these economics relies on a dynamic, software-driven platform, not static subsidies. The core principle is ensuring the monthly savings for a homeowner exceed the financing costs . We achieve this through: Adaptable Software: Our platform is designed to flexibly integrate different regulatory frameworks and subsidy programs. Our ability to pre-finance public subsidies is a key advantage, reducing complexity and improving the offer for the customer. Economies of Scale: As we grow, we negotiate better procurement terms, passing those savings on to installers and homeowners. AI-Powered Optimization: Post-installation, our Energy Management Systems (EMS) use AI to optimize energy generation, storage, and consumption, maximizing savings for the household over the system’s lifetime. Portfolio Diversification: Expanding across multiple European markets reduces our dependence on any single regulatory environment and diversifies risk . Global Ambition and the Road Ahead With expansion planned across Europe and ambitions beyond, what must Cloover get right over the next 24 months to become the global backbone for decentralized energy ? To set the course for global leadership, we must focus on three core areas: Excellent Execution in Geographic Scaling: This requires meticulously managing our expansion into new markets like France, Italy, and the UK . We must prove our platform can adapt to local regulations and needs while maintaining core efficiency. A “one-size-fits-all” approach will not work. Strategic Deepening of the Platform: We must continue to advance our core AI capabilities in underwriting, risk management, and energy optimization. The “AI Finance Co-Pilot” must become an indispensable tool for every installer . Furthermore, expanding post-installation services like EMS and VPP integration is crucial for maximizing long-term value. Aggressive Expansion of the Ecosystem: This involves deepening partnerships with manufacturers, broadening our base of institutional investors, and relentlessly strengthening the network effects that create a powerful moat against competitors. As our investor from MMC Ventures noted, our success has been defined by “execution” . Maintaining that focus on execution across these three areas will be the key to establishing Cloover as the global backbone for decentralized energy. ---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3557/agri-tech-innovations-shielding-harvests-from-climate-shocks-evelyn-long.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3557/agri-tech-innovations-shielding-harvests-from-climate-shocks-evelyn-long.html Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:14:42 +0530 Evelyn Long is an experienced agriculture writer with a focus on sustainability, climate resilience, and boosting farm efficiency. Her expertise is featured in Morning Ag Clips and Acreage Life, where she unpacks the evolving challenges and innovations in agriculture. As editor in chief of Renovated Magazine, Evelyn advocates for smarter, more resilient farming practices. Climate change is reshaping how India and the world's agricultural sectors provide food. Unpredictable monsoons, temperature extremes and shorter growing windows disrupt traditional planting schedules, while population expansion demands bigger yields. In response, farmers are increasingly relying on technology to serve growing markets. Understanding Climate Change Indian agriculture operates close to the edge of weather variability. Shifting monsoon patterns, prolonged dry spells and sudden heat waves have made seasonal planning far less reliable than it once was. Crops such as rice and wheat — which depend heavily on stable water availability — are especially exposed. Even brief disruptions can reduce output or force costly mid-season adjustments. For small and midsized growers, the stakes are higher. A single extreme event can undo months of labor and investment. These realities are pushing the sector away from reactive recovery and toward technologies that help anticipate stress, preserve inputs and reduce losses before they compound. Farming With Data and Precision Agriculture Precision agriculture relies on real-time data to guide field-level decisions. Drones and satellite imagery help producers identify plant stress from drought, flooding or pest pressure before symptoms spread. These tools help pinpoint where irrigation or nutrients are necessary, reducing waste during periods of scarcity. Soil moisture sensors and on-farm weather stations add another layer of protection. Farmers track soil moisture and microclimate conditions with remote sensors. Precise data plots enable them to accurately determine when and how to use resources such as water to optimize growth and prevent crop failures. AI databases track soil salinity and overall quality, helping farmers determine fertilizer requirements for optimal production. Innovating Biotechnology for Climate-Resilient Crops Crop science remains one of the most effective long-term defenses against heat stress. Plant breeders increasingly focus on inbreeding traits such as heat tolerance, drought resistance and disease resilience. These new cultivars are productive even when temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift. A slight increase — as little as 1.5°C — can affect crop productivity, especially during the plants' reproductive stage. Varieties with higher climate variability and heat tolerance produce bigger harvests even when the weather turns. Efforts to optimize millet production include crop management, since millet is ready for harvest in 65 days, and innovative methods for harvesting and threshing the seeds to produce a more palatable grain alternative. Solving Drought With Smarter Water Management Water management sits at the center of climate adaptation. Drip irrigation and precision sprinklers only water the plant roots, reducing evaporation during hot spells. Automated sprinkler systems driven by sensor data further refine this approach by adjusting delivery in response to real-time field conditions. Research shows 70 per cent water savings and 30 per cent crop yield gains when using automated watering systems with IoT connectivity. These systems can optimize the time of day for watering, track ground moisture levels with remote sensors and stabilize production cycles. Pilot projects fordrip irrigation are already underway in Gujarat, India. Adapting With Land Preparation and Soil Management Climate change alters the physical landscape and the ways farmers interact with it. Droughts, floods and pest outbreaks can leave trees and perennial plants damaged and unproductive. While no-till farming is leading the storm in climate-sensitive agriculture, removing tree trunks and root systems is essential to modern planting methods. While excavation was necessary in the past to remove a large tree trunk, stump grinders offer a mechanical advantage with less soil disturbance, thanks to the large tracks that replace wheels for stability. The latest stump grinders are maneuverable enough to fit into any field and help clear organic obstructions such as stumps and fallen branches. Protecting the Soil With Modern Mulching Techniques Soil protection plays a quieter but equally critical role in climate resilience. Mulching reduces evaporation, moderates soil temperature and limits erosion during heavy rains. While organic mulches have been used since farming began and have provided soil nutrition, water retention and plant protection, modern plastic mulches and biodegradable films increase yields further. Studies show a 28.7 per cent increase in crop yield and a 48.9 per cent increase in moisture retention in commercial-scale farming. Mulches — whether organic or biodegradable film — protect the root system from temperature fluctuations. The Future of Farming: Integrated Agri-Tech Solutions Climate resilience increasingly depends on an integrated approach rather than isolated tools. Precision monitoring, resilient plant genetics, efficient water systems and practical land management work best when deployed together. As temperature shock becomes a more likely threat, these innovations improve food stability and security. The focus has shifted from post-disaster recovery to continual preparedness so farmers and agribusinesses can act proactively and keep harvests thriving despite changing environmental conditions. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3554/fourth-industrial-revolution-at-sea-why-technology-adoption-is-real-test-for-sustainable-fisheries.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3554/fourth-industrial-revolution-at-sea-why-technology-adoption-is-real-test-for-sustainable-fisheries.html Thu, 29 Jan 2026 09:29:27 +0530 SAFET Executive Director Inga Wise explains how proven ocean technologies, if adopted at scale and tailored to local contexts, could mark a tipping point for sustainable ocean management under the UN Ocean Decade At the midpoint of the UN Ocean Decade, progress toward sustainable fisheries remains uneven—not because of a single missing piece, but due to the need for context-specific combinations of technologies, adoption pathways, and incentives, a challenge SAFET addresses through its SEA-TECH-IN-MOTION mapping tool. In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Inga Wise, Executive Director of SAFET, describes the current moment as a “Fourth Industrial Revolution at Sea,” marked by the availability of proven technologies and a critical shift from pilots to real-world adoption. Inga notes that tools such as satellite surveillance, AI-driven behavioral analysis, and in-situ sensors are already demonstrating impact against IUU fishing, though broader deployment is still constrained by structural, economic, and governance barriers. Ultimately, she emphasizes that SAFET’s role is not to dictate priorities or metrics, but to enable informed decision-making by showing how technology can support measurable progress toward established global frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14. At the midpoint of the UN Ocean Decade, progress appears uneven. From SAFET’s vantage point, where is the gap largest today—technology availability, adoption by industry, regulatory alignment, or political will—and what evidence most clearly supports that assessment? From SAFET’s perspective, there is no single gap that, if overcome, will unblock progress. Every context is different, and each situation requires a different solution or combination of technologies to be successful. This is why SAFET’s SEA-TECH-IN-MOTION map exists, to highlight as broad a cross section of solutions in different contexts as possible to enable implementers to find the most relevant parallels to their situation to learn from.  Your report frames this moment as a “Fourth Industrial Revolution at Sea.” What differentiates this technological wave from earlier digitization efforts in fisheries, and why should decision-makers believe this time will deliver systemic change rather than incremental improvements? Whilst the Fourth Industrial Revolution at sea has been building for some time with technologies being developed and tested in various situations, we are now approaching a critical point where there are sufficient proven technologies available and the focus now needs to shift to support regarding adoption. By highlighting where technologies have been most successfully used, SAFET aims to enable faster adoption and reduce the need to reinvent the wheel. Giving potential adopters of solutions examples that relate to their challenges and pathways that relate to their goals enables informed choices that are right for their requirement. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing remains stubbornly pervasive. Which technologies highlighted in the report have demonstrated the strongest real-world impact against IUU fishing, and what structural barriers still prevent their wider deployment? There are a wide range of technologies now in use that have been proven effective against IUU fishing, including satellite surveillance, AI behavioural analysis, in-situ sensors, and many more. To date, many deployments have been of a pilot nature. We are now seeing a more widespread adoption, which in turn will reduce opportunities for IUU catch to enter the supply chain.  SEA-TECH-IN-MOTION emphasizes real-world case studies over theoretical promise. In reviewing deployments globally, what patterns separate successful implementations from those that underperform or stall—and what lessons should governments and industry leaders draw before investing? One of the main lessons we have seen is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.  Each context and challenge area is different and what worked for a technology deployment in one situation may not work in another. Hence, with our new tool, SEA-TECH-IN-MOTION, we provide filters where the viewer can choose desired outcome, species, geographic location, and more to find projects that relate to their needs.  Consumer trust and traceability are central themes, yet mislabeling rates remain high. Is the challenge primarily technological, economic, or cultural within supply chains—and how realistic is full transparency at scale by 2030? The factors contributing to mislabelling vary across seafood supply chains, which are often complex and fragmented. As a result, the challenge is not confined to a single dimension, but reflects an interaction between technological, economic, and cultural elements.Technology can significantly improve traceability by reducing manual data entry, improving data accuracy, and enabling better data sharing across supply chain segments, but it is not sufficient on its own. Its impact depends on consistent use, data quality, and alignment across diverse actors. At the same time, economic and cultural factors — such as incentives, governance, and standardised data sharing practices — shape how effectively technology is integrated into daily operations. Looking to 2030, full transparency at scale represents an ambitious objective, with progress likely to depend on continued alignment across technological, economic, and cultural factors. Sustainability goals often collide with short-term commercial pressures. How can SAFET’s work help align economic incentives for fishers and seafood companies with long-term ecosystem health, particularly in developing coastal economies? We approach this primarily as an independent, information-sharing role rather than as an implementer. Our work focuses on raising awareness of solutions that contribute to broader sustainability goals and on improving understanding of what tools and approaches are available, how they can be adopted, and where they may be most relevant. By bringing together this information in one place, we aim to make it easier for fisheries, seafood companies, and other industry stakeholders to explore options that align operational needs with sustainability concerns. In many cases, it is already clear that some kind of technology solution is required, but it can be difficult to navigate the various options and understand how a given solution relates to the outcomes required. Our work aims to help clarify those options and outcomes, so those seeking solutions can make informed decisions that fit their local context and commercial realities.   The report highlights more than 10 enabling technologies. If forced to prioritize, which two or three technologies should receive immediate global focus—and which widely discussed solutions do you believe are currently overhyped? As an independent organisation, SAFET’s goal is not to prioritise but to provide the information about where and when these technologies have been successfully deployed to support sustainability initiatives. Given that every situation is different, it is more important that implementers have access to the information we gather to find technologies relevant to their own initiatives and make decisions accordingly.  Looking ahead to 2030 and beyond, success will be judged by outcomes, not intent. What specific, measurable changes would convince you that the seafood and fisheries sector has truly crossed a tipping point toward sustainable ocean management? This is a good question, but we would be cautious about defining specific metrics ourselves. Progress toward sustainable ocean management is already framed through established, measurable indicators, particularly those set out under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 14.  The role of SAFET is not to define success, but to highlight how different technologies can contribute to demonstrable progress against these shared frameworks as more implementation examples emerge.  ---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3544/agriculture-isnt-just-load-its-grid-infrastructure.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3544/agriculture-isnt-just-load-its-grid-infrastructure.html Fri, 23 Jan 2026 09:21:31 +0530 How agricultural load flexibility can compete with peaker plants, batteries, and grid upgrades—at a fraction of the cost Agricultural flexibility isn’t a temporary workaround—it’s a permanent pillar of the future grid. As renewables increase and variability becomes the norm, the grid needs distributed, dispatchable flexibility everywhere, and farms are uniquely positioned to provide it. Yield’s roadmap expands beyond irrigation into a broader portfolio of farm DERs, orchestrated like a virtual power plant. In an exclusive Agrospectrum interview, Tyler Nuss, CEO of Yield Energy, explains why farmers aren’t just energy users—they’re infrastructure partners in the energy transition. Agriculture as Grid Infrastructure You describe agriculture as a new class of grid resource. What would need to change in utility planning, market rules, or regulatory frameworks for agricultural load flexibility to be treated on par with traditional infrastructure like peaker plants or batteries? Utilities need to formally recognize flexible load as capacity—not just generation. That means valuing demand-side resources based on performance, predictability, and response speed rather than asset type. Agriculture already represents large, concentrated loads—irrigation alone accounts for roughly 1 per cent of U.S. electricity use. With the right market rules, those loads can deliver grid services faster and at far lower cost than building new infrastructure. What’s changing now is visibility and control. Platforms like Yield Edge DERMS make agricultural flexibility measurable, dispatchable, and verifiable, allowing it to be planned and relied on just like peaker plants or batteries. Reliability vs. Variability Risk Farming operations are inherently seasonal and weather-dependent. How do you ensure the reliability and predictability of agricultural load as a grid resource, particularly during extreme weather events when the grid is most stressed? Reliability comes from program design and automation that respect farm operations. Farmers only enroll in programs that work for their crop, season, and geography, and participation is automated through equipment they already use. The results speak for themselves: across thousands of enrolled devices, Yield has delivered an average of 100 per cent performance in demand response dispatches and demonstrated 67 per cent load-shift potential during peak hours. Extreme weather is exactly when flexible load is most valuable. Our platform coordinates assets so utilities get predictable response, while growers retain full control of which programs they opt-in to. Scalability Beyond California California has unique regulatory incentives and grid conditions. What barriers—technical, regulatory, or economic—do you anticipate when scaling this model nationally or internationally, and how central is policy alignment to your growth strategy? California is a leading market, but the underlying drivers—load growth, electrification, and the need for fast, cost-effective capacity—are global. The biggest barriers are regulatory recognition and program availability, not technology. Yield Edge is hardware-agnostic and built to integrate with existing farm automation systems, which allows us to scale quickly wherever utilities are ready to engage agriculture. Policy alignment accelerates adoption, but our strategy is focused on proving performance. When utilities see consistent results, programs follow. Comparative Economics of Flexibility You position agricultural load flexibility as cheaper and faster than new storage or grid upgrades. How do the economics compare on a per-megawatt basis over time, especially once transaction, integration, and farmer participation costs are fully accounted for? Agricultural flexibility avoids the largest cost drivers of traditional infrastructure: long development timelines and capital-intensive buildouts. Because Yield integrates with equipment farmers already own, deployment costs are low and timelines are measured in months, not years. Utilities gain capacity at a fraction of the cost of new generation or transmission, while growers earn $20–30k annually through demand response or save 10–20 per cent on energy bills through dynamic rates. That combination—low cost, fast deployment, and dual-sided value—is what makes agricultural flexibility economically compelling over time. Farmer Incentives and Risk Allocation How are operational and financial risks shared between Yield Energy, utilities, and growers—particularly if grid dispatch conflicts with critical farm activities or if utility programs change over time? Growers are always in control. Participation is voluntary, program-based, and aligned with operational realities. We don’t enroll farmers in programs that could disrupt their operations. Yield handles program design, enrollment, and performance management, while utilities pay for flexible capacity via our DERMS platform. If a grower needs to opt out due to operational constraints, they can do so. This structure ensures risk is shared appropriately and that growers benefit financially without taking on undue operational risk. Data, Control, and Cybersecurity As you aggregate and control thousands of on-farm devices, how do you address concerns around data ownership, cybersecurity, and operational control—especially for growers wary of external interference in farm systems? We’re very deliberate about this: growers own their data, we don’t sell it, and only the minimum required information is shared for program participation and verification. The platform is built with strong cybersecurity controls, secure integrations with trusted AgTech partners, and continuous monitoring. Most importantly, growers define the operating guardrails and always retain override control—if anything is uncertain, the system defaults back to normal farm operations. Market Design and Equity Do you see a risk that flexibility markets disproportionately reward large, capital-intensive farms while leaving smaller growers behind, and how does Yield Energy design its platform to ensure broad participation across farm sizes? Agriculture’s strength lies in aggregation. Yield enables farms of all sizes to participate by pooling flexible load into unified resources that meet utility thresholds. Because participation leverages existing equipment, smaller growers can access the same programs without new capital investment. Our goal is to make flexibility revenue and savings accessible across the agricultural spectrum—not just to the largest operations. Long-Term Grid Transition Is agricultural flexibility a transitional solution to bridge current grid constraints, or do you see it as a permanent pillar of a decarbonized grid—and how does that vision influence your product roadmap and partnerships? Agricultural flexibility isn’t a stopgap—it’s a permanent pillar of the future grid. As renewables grow and electrification accelerates, the grid needs fast, distributed, dispatchable flexibility everywhere, and agriculture is one of the largest and most controllable load categories that can provide it through VPP-style orchestration without disrupting operations. That belief drives our roadmap to expand beyond irrigation into a broader farm DER portfolio (cold storage, charging, solar, batteries, generation) and to deepen hardware-agnostic partnerships with AgTech automation platforms so growers can participate seamlessly at scale. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3532/sap-and-syngenta-announce-partnership-to-scale-ai-assisted-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3532/sap-and-syngenta-announce-partnership-to-scale-ai-assisted-agriculture.html Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:24:05 +0530 By deploying AI-assisted tools enterprise-wide, this partnership positions Syngenta to meet the challenge of feeding a projected 10 billion people by 2050 SAP SE  and Syngenta, a global leader in agricultural innovation, announced a multi-year strategic technology partnership to accelerate AI-assisted innovation across Syngenta’s global operations. The partnership will embed artificial intelligence at the core of Syngenta’s enterprise, modernizing operations and enabling accelerated innovation through advanced data analytics across the business — from manufacturing and supply chain to grower-facing products and services. Agriculture continues to navigate challenges driven by climate variability, supply chain complexity, and global uncertainty. By deploying AI-assisted tools enterprise-wide, this partnership positions Syngenta to meet the challenge of feeding a projected 10 billion people by 2050, while unlocking faster innovation, stronger operational resilience, and scalable impact across the business. “AI is the catalyst for agricultural transformation and has quickly become a core competitive edge for Syngenta,” said Feroz Sheikh, Chief Information and Digital Officer, Syngenta Group. “Our partnership with SAP is transforming how we run the enterprise, modernizing core operations and unlocking new ways to work — a testament to our commitment to becoming an agriculture company with AI at its core.” “Syngenta’s transformation sets a benchmark for digital innovation in agriculture,” said Philipp Herzig, Chief Technology Officer at SAP SE. “Together, we’re demonstrating how cloud and AI technologies can drive sustainable growth and efficiency in one of the world’s most critical industries. This partnership will help Syngenta future-proof its operations to feed the world responsibly." Scaling an AI-First Operating Model for Agriculture Syngenta’s transformation will begin with SAP Cloud ERP Private solutions, modernizing core operations across the value-chain to deliver agility, resilience, and scalability. The company’s ambition is clear: unlock innovation faster, strengthen its leadership in agriculture, and future-proof operations against volatility. Through SAP Business Data Cloud, Syngenta will create a unified, more secure, and scalable data foundation essential for real-time decision-making and AI integration. Combined with SAP Business AI and AI-assisted tools such as the Joule copilot, this will help the company explore smarter, faster decisions that drive operational efficiency and accelerate innovation. Additionally, Syngenta will be able to deliver better products and services to growers worldwide while enabling them to retain control and privacy over their proprietary information. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3508/koreas-se-company-expands-ai-driven-agritech-platform-into-vietnam-advancing-data-led-agricultural-trading.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3508/koreas-se-company-expands-ai-driven-agritech-platform-into-vietnam-advancing-data-led-agricultural-trading.html Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:54:54 +0530 Focusing on data-driven solutions that enable more predictable, transparent, and efficient trading S&E Company, a South Korea–based agritech innovator, announced that it is accelerating the global expansion of its AI-driven agricultural data analytics and B2B pre-trading platform, B•good, with Vietnam positioned as a key market in its Southeast Asia strategy. As climate volatility and market uncertainty continue to challenge agricultural supply chains, S&E Company is focusing on data-driven solutions that enable more predictable, transparent, and efficient trading. Through B•good, the company integrates artificial intelligence–based price and yield forecasting with a digital marketplace that connects producers and institutional buyers before harvest. B•good's pre-trading model allows farmers to secure sales channels and target prices in advance, while food companies, retailers, and distributors can optimize procurement planning, reduce inventory risks, and minimize food waste. The platform also offers a structured trading mechanism for imperfect or non-standard produce, unlocking new value from agricultural products that are often discarded or heavily discounted in traditional markets. At the core of B•good is S&E Company's proprietary analytics engine, which aggregates and analyzes large volumes of data from production sites, wholesale markets, and distribution channels. These insights are delivered through decision-support tools that enable contract farming, collaborative purchasing, and data-driven marketing strategies for farmers, local governments, and corporate partners. Internationally, S&E Company is placing particular emphasis on Vietnam, where agricultural production plays a central role in the economy and where demand for digital transformation is rapidly growing. The company is collaborating with local partners to digitize production data for major fruits and vegetables and to apply AI-based forecasting models tailored to local growing conditions. These initiatives are designed to support smarter production planning, reduce market risk, and improve income stability for producers. "Vietnam is an important agricultural hub in Southeast Asia, but producers face increasing uncertainty from climate change and price volatility," said SeHun Chang, CEO of S&E Company. "By applying AI-driven forecasting and pre-trading models to local production data, we aim to help Vietnamese farmers and agribusinesses make more informed decisions and build a more resilient agricultural ecosystem." S&E Company's Vietnam initiatives also form the foundation for a scalable, cross-border agricultural data platform that can support regional trade and supply chain optimization across Southeast Asia. S&E Company's global expansion is supported by an overseas expansion assistance program operated by Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency. Through this program, S&E Company is strengthening its international partnerships and accelerating the global deployment of its data-driven agrifood solutions. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3504/union-budget-2026-expectations.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3504/union-budget-2026-expectations.html Wed, 07 Jan 2026 13:40:55 +0530 Resilience, efficiency & prosperity As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveils Budget 2026, the nation demands more than routine allocations. Indian agriculture is at a historic inflection point. This Budget is expected to operationalise the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, aiming to transform farming from a low-margin, input-heavy, staple-focused sector into a high-productivity, high-value, globally competitive engine. Economists, industry leaders, and multilateral agencies concur: Incremental tweaks have run out of runway, and structural reforms are imperative to bridge productivity gaps, restore soil and water health, and secure farmers’ livelihoods. “Budget 2026 must signal a decisive move from blanket input subsidies to outcome-linked support that rewards water-use efficiency, balanced fertilisation, and low-emission practices at the farm level,” asserts Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog.  Dr Ashok Gulati, Infosys Chair Professor for Agriculture at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)and former Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), echoes the call for digitally verifiable, efficiency-led support: “Linking direct benefit transfers with soil health cards, precision nutrient management, and diversified cropping will reduce fiscal stress while lifting total factor productivity across both rainfed and irrigated systems.” The imperative is clear: Budget 2026 must transition from fragmented schemes to a coherent, science-led, productivity-centric agricultural strategy — a structural foundation for a globally competitive, climate-smart, and high-income Indian agriculture. The Foundation of 2025: From Intent to Implementation Budget 2025 laid important groundwork, signaling a shift from stop-gap support toward structural measures aimed at productivity and resilience. The launch of the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, targeting 100 low-productivity districts, marked the start of district-level agricultural renewal. Coupled with a six-year protein security initiative under the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, it created stable procurement for tur, urad, and masoor, reducing India’s import dependence in key pulses. “Budget 2026 must accelerate India’s shift to a climate-resilient, value-enhanced agri-economy by scaling biologicals and unlocking the waste-to-wealth opportunity. Targeted fiscal support for biosolutions, soil health and circularity can boost productivity while reducing chemical dependence. ’’ — Krishna Mohan Puvvada, Regional President, (Middle East, India and Africa), Novonesis Experts argue the next step must embed climate intelligence into farm-level decisions. “Budget 2026 must fund monsoon-contingent nutrition advisories at scale — using rainfall analytics and soil data to dynamically adjust fertiliser recommendations — so farmers can shift from fixed schedules to climate-responsive feeding of crops,” says Dr Manish Singh, AVP–Technical & Marketing, Transworld Furtichem Limited. He proposes a unified Nutrient Efficiency Index (NEI), integrating soil-test data, cropping patterns, water use efficiency, and fertiliser balance. “Budgets and subsidies should be allocated based on NEI improvement, not fertiliser consumption. This drives balanced nutrition and scientific fertiliser use rather than volume-driven demand,” he added. “Budget 2026 must signal a decisive move from blanket input subsidies to outcome-linked support that rewards water use efficiency, balanced fertilisation and low-emission practices at the farm level.”​ — Dr Ramesh Chand, Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog Budget 2026 also sought to ease liquidity bottlenecks by raising Kisan Credit Card limits from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, supporting smallholders, dairy farmers, fishers, and allied producers. Sectoral reforms — from the National Mission on High-Yielding Seeds and a five-year cotton revitalisation plan to institutions like Bihar’s Makhana Board — aimed to modernise production, while allocations for storage, logistics, and market infrastructure addressed post-harvest losses. “Budget 2026 must prioritise digital infrastructure, credit linkages, and rural capacity building to scale precision agriculture. Agri-drones, IoT and data analytics can boost yields, conserve resources and strengthen climate resilience. Targeted subsidies, public–private partnerships and R&D incentives will accelerate adoption, integrate technology with national agricultural databases, and shift India from subsidy dependence to self-reliant, innovation-led farming.”  – Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace Yet, experts insist these gains must now converge into a coherent resilience architecture. “The next Budget should consolidate irrigation, watershed, soil health, and climate missions into a single ‘National Resilient Farms Mission’ with district-level targets for water productivity and soil organic carbon,” says Dr V. K. Singh, Director, ICAR–Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA).  “Linking direct benefit transfers with soil health cards, precision nutrient management and diversified cropping will reduce fiscal stress while lifting total factor productivity across rainfed and irrigated systems.”​ — Dr. Ashok Gulati, Infosys Chair Professor for Agriculture at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and former Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), adds, “Every rupee for irrigation must be co-anchored with micro-irrigation, fertigation-ready soils, and climate-resilient varieties so public investment translates into real resilience on farmers’ fields.” Budget 2026 will ultimately be judged on whether it can convert these incremental foundations into a mission-driven, 2047-ready agricultural architecture that delivers genuine resilience, competitiveness, and prosperity for India’s farmers. Fixing the Foundations: The Budget That Must Rewire Subsidies, Markets and Science As Budget 2026 approaches, it is evident that Indian agriculture stands at a pivotal crossroads. The long-standing promise of doubling farmers’ incomes, once a political mantra, now demands a sober re-examination. Structural pressures—from climate volatility and shrinking margins to global competitiveness and rising nutritional expectations—have made incrementalism insufficient.  “The allocation of the budget should be done across three horizons: the immediate year, the next five years, and the long-term vision through 2047,” asserts Sandeepa Kanitkar, Chairman of BASAI and Managing Director of Kan Biosys, highlighting that India’s agricultural budget—barely 2 per cent of total expenditure—is glaringly inadequate for a sector that contributes 17 per cent of GDP, sustains 55 per cent of the population, and underpins the nutrition of 140 crore citizens. “The next Budget should consolidate irrigation, watershed, soil health and climate missions into a single ‘National Resilient Farms Mission’ with clear district targets for water productivity and soil organic carbon.”​ — Dr V. K. Singh, Director, ICAR–CRIDA The inefficiencies of current spending are stark when viewed through the prism of subsidies. India invests roughly Rs 1.75 – 2 lakh crore annually on fertilisers, electricity, MSP procurement, crop insurance, and other input-linked supports, yet the returns in productivity, soil health, water security, and farmer incomes remain worryingly low.  “Subsidies have historically encouraged consumption rather than efficiency,” Sandeepa notes. Cheap urea drives over-application, subsidised electricity has accelerated groundwater depletion, irrigation grants rarely incentivise precision water use, and MSP procurement entrenches cropping patterns that undermine soil regeneration. For sectoral leaders, Budget 2026 must mark a decisive philosophical pivot—from input-heavy, subsidy-driven policies to a science-led, technology-driven, and outcome-oriented framework.  Every rupee for irrigation must be co-anchored with micro-irrigation, fertigation-ready soils and climate-resilient varieties so that public investment translates into real resilience on farmers’ fields.”​ — Dr Himanshu Pathak, Ex- Director General, ICAR & Secretary, DARE S. Soundararadjane, CEO of HyFarm, points to the potato sector as a model: “India could build the world’s most advanced, predictable, and globally competitive potato ecosystem through a National Potato Innovation Mission. CRISPR-edited varieties, AI-powered breeding, drone-led phenotyping, and mass deployment of True Potato Seeds can transform production while reducing costs and disease risks. Region-specific varieties are not optional anymore—they are strategic imperatives.” “Budget 2026 must reform subsidies by shifting from consumption-based support to science-led, Package of Practice–linked incentives tied to production outcomes. Performance-based support will improve soil health, enhance resource efficiency, and raise farmer incomes. Mechanisation assistance should be delivered via DBT and limited to FMTTI/BIS-approved equipment to ensure quality, effectiveness, and measurable impact on the ground.”  - Ravindra Agrawal, Chairman, KisanKraft Ltd Sandeepa further advocates restructuring through Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT). “Subsidies must be given through DBT to farmers and allow them to use this money as per their wish. This has started with Kisan Samman Nidhi but must be extrapolated by diverting subsidies given for insurance, fertilisers, electricity, and water to DBT,” she explains. Such a shift would correct long-standing distortions, empower decision-making, sharply reduce leakages, and create the fiscal headroom necessary to invest in science, innovation, and climate resilience. “To truly raise farm incomes, storage, grading, logistics and digital marketplaces must be treated as core agricultural infrastructure, not peripheral add-ons.”​ — Sanjiv Puri, Managing Director, ITC Ltd “A key priority must be efficiency-driven subsidy reform. We need to shift from consumption-based subsidies to scientifically designed, Package of Practice (PoP)–linked incentives tied directly to production outcomes. Performance-based support improves soil health, enhances resource efficiency, and strengthens farmer incomes. Mechanisation support should be delivered through DBT and restricted strictly to FMTTI/BIS-approved equipment to ensure quality and impact in the field,” says Ravindra Agrawal, Chairman, KisanKraft Ltd, emphasizing that combining DBT with outcome-linked incentives can amplify impact across mechanisation, inputs, and farm management practices. “India’s next big leap will come from shifting towards processed, residue-compliant, traceable and climate-smart agri-exports rather than relying mainly on bulk commodity shipments.”​ — Abhishek Dev, Chairman, APEDA Markets, too, are evolving in ways that demand more sophisticated production systems. The rising domestic and global appetite for residue-free food is already accelerating India’s biopesticide segment. Sandeepa emphasises that a formal residue-free label—jointly administered by the Ministries of Health and Agriculture—could unlock higher farmer incomes through premium market categories. “Blanket reduction on CIB-registered biopesticides must be done at the earliest to 5 per cent,” she cautions, noting that inconsistent GST categorisation is harming both growers and industry participants seeking safer input adoption. “Targeted support for FPOs, agri-startups and interoperable e-market platforms can cut post-harvest losses, stabilise prices and make climate risk more manageable for smallholders.”​ — Dr. Ashok Dalwai, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC); Chairman, Karnataka Agriculture The export ecosystem is entering a decisive phase. “India must position itself as a trusted global supplier,” says Kuchibhotla Srinivas, Partner, Deloitte. Strategic export corridors, residue-free clusters, bilateral agreements, and harmonisation with global standards, he argues, can convert India’s scale into global influence.  “If India wants to lead in exports, supply chains must embed traceability, quality assurance, and sustainable input use,” adds Ankur Aggarwal, Executive Chairman, Crystal Crop Protection. The global opportunity is clear. “India’s next big leap will come from shifting towards processed, residue-compliant, traceable, and climate-smart agri-exports rather than relying mainly on bulk commodity shipments,” says Abhishek Dev, Chairman of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). “The agri sector needs a unified national framework, science-based standards, and simplified licensing to enable innovation in high-value micronutrients and specialty fertilisers. Streamlined regulation will accelerate advanced nutrition technologies, strengthen soil health, and unlock productivity and profitability gains essential for truly transformative agricultural reform.”  — Dr. Rahul Mirchandani, President, IMMA  Value addition must become central to India’s strategy, particularly in crops like sugarcane. “Exports of sugar quota have to be restricted to further increase production of alcohol for oil substitution. Value addition is the key. Targets of 20 per cent plus substitution have to be the new target for easing some oil dollars. The money thus freed up can be used to improve irrigation, research, and perfecting models which are customised for Indian agriculture,” adds Sandeepa. Circularity, too, must become integral. Krishna Mohan Puvvada, Regional President, (Middle East, India and Africa), Novonesis stresses, “Adequate support must be provided for harnessing the waste-to-wealth potential in agriculture, including robust logistics for storage and transportation of agricultural waste feedstocks that can be transformed into fertilizers and bioenergy.” “A direct benefit transfer model for fertilisers—sold at full cost with farmers claiming subsidy via POS authentication—can be a game-changer. It ensures manufacturers receive full value, the government gains full GST, markets maintain adequate supply, leakages and black-marketing are curbed, and subsidy outlay reflects actual use. Budget 2026 should prioritise this transparent, efficient reform.” – Vinod Goyal, CEO, Agricare Corporation Domestic market architecture requires equal attention. Dr Ashok Dalwai, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) and Chairman, Karnataka Agriculture Price Commission, notes, “Targeted support for FPOs, agri-startups, and interoperable e-market platforms can cut post-harvest losses, stabilise prices, and make climate risk more manageable for smallholders.” Institutional strengthening, he stresses, is vital for farmers to remain competitive amid market volatility. Budget 2026, therefore, must reimagine subsidies, shifting from input-centric to outcome-centric frameworks. “Water, soil and climate must be planned as one ecosystem. Budget 2026 should institutionalise watershed-scale irrigation planning, incentivise soil regeneration, and embed climate-risk analytics into district planning. This is not sustainability for compliance; it is sustainability for survival,” says Srinivas.  “Budget 2026 can back a flagship ‘Sulphur- and Potash-Secure India’ initiative that promotes sulphate-based potash and balanced secondary nutrients, improving taste, colour, shelf-life and exportability of fruits, vegetables and plantation crops while reducing import vulnerability.”--Dr. Manish Singh, AVP-Technical & Marketing, Transworld Furtichem Limited “For a water-starved nation like India, drip should be made compulsory. This would conserve soils along with improving the area of irrigation. The river-joining project must have allocation for short, medium, and long term. Bonds must be raised to mobilise domestic and World Bank funds,” adds Sandeepa. Structural gaps in specialised inputs also demand urgent attention. Dr Rahul Mirchandani, President, Indian Micro-Fertilizers Manufacturers Association (IMMA) observes, “India’s agricultural ecosystem is at an inflection point, yet not structurally prepared for large-scale reforms. One major gap lies in the micronutrients and specialty fertilizer industry, which remains outside mainstream policy despite its direct link to soil health, crop quality, and farmer income. Fragmented licensing under FCO, uneven state compliance frameworks, and the absence of a unified national policy slow innovation, restrict ease of doing business, and prevent rapid scale-up of advanced nutrition technologies like chelates, water-soluble fertilizers, and fortified micronutrient blends.”  “Budget 2026 must anchor a long-term Viksit Bharat Kheti Vision 2047 by reforming fertiliser use. Mandating a 25:15:5 co-pack of chemical, organic and biofertilisers—and supporting OF/BF manufacturing through PLI—can strengthen soil health, raise nutrient-use efficiency, expand acreage coverage and build climate-resilient productivity. It is time subsidies drive transformation, not perpetuate inefficiency ” --- Sandeepa Kanitkar, Chairman of BASAI and Managing Director of Kan Biosys Dr Singh underscores the strategic imperative: “Budget 2026 can back a flagship ‘Sulphur- and Potash-Secure India’ initiative that promotes sulphate-based potash and balanced secondary nutrients, improving taste, colour, shelf-life, and exportability of fruits, vegetables, and plantation crops while reducing import vulnerability.” Complementing this, Vinod Goyal, CEO, Agricare Corporation advocates a pragmatic DBT-based reform: “Fertilizers shall be sold on full cost price at dealer shops—farmers register purchases on a Point of Sale (POS) machine at the time of pick-up, and subsidies are directly transferred to their bank accounts.”  “Budget 2026 must treat water, soil and climate as one ecosystem by institutionalizing watershed-scale irrigation, incentivising soil regeneration and embedding climate-risk analytics in district planning. Equally critical is a legally robust Digital Land Ledger, interoperable with crop and credit data, to unlock formal finance, insurance and market access for millions of farmers still excluded from the system ” — Kuchibhotla Srinivas, Partner, Deloitte Sandeepa adds, “Chemical fertilizers should be bundled with organic and biofertilisers—25 kg of CF, 15 kg of OF, and 5 kg of BF per bag. This allows fertilizer to cover 30 per cent more land with improved use efficiency. Organic and biofertilizer industries can be supported through PLI schemes to attract private investment, improve soils, and build climate resilience.” As multiple industry leaders emphasise, this reform will determine whether Indian agriculture can truly align with the aspirations of Viksit Bharat 2047, delivering prosperity, sustainability, and global competitiveness for generations to come. Tech, Traceability, and Transformation: Budget 2026’s Agri-Vision Budget 2026 is not merely a fiscal exercise—it represents a strategic inflection point for Indian agriculture, an opportunity to pivot from incremental measures to transformative, technology-driven reforms.  “Agri-drones are no longer a novelty; they are an important part of the agritech landscape. Subsidies, public-private partnership models, and targeted R&D incentives can accelerate manufacturing and deployment, creating rural employment while increasing productivity. We must also potentially look at integrating drone data with national agricultural databases to enable smarter crop planning, soil monitoring, and weather resilience strategies,” says Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace. “ Fertiliser purchases must be linked to a unified Digital Farm ID, which allows tracking of nutrient use efficiency, preventing over-application and enabling customised advisory. It builds India’s first data-driven nutrient intelligence system’’ --- Yogesh Chandra, VP-Sales & Marketing, Transworld Furtichem Limited Echoing this vision, Soundararadjane, stresses that Budget 2026 should introduce a Digital Farming Acceleration Subsidy—shifting support from traditional inputs to IoT and automation tools such as soil moisture sensors, disease-warning IoT nodes, digital soil intelligence kits, smart irrigation systems, automated grading and sorting units, and low-cost climate stations for cold stores. “A 40–60 per cent capital subsidy will democratise access and unlock predictive, precision farming at scale,” he asserts. Equally critical is the foundation of clear land rights and reliable credit. “When a farmer has clear land ownership and predictable finance, they can finally shift from reactive decisions to planned, technology-led farming,” observes Ankur.  “Budget 2026 must accelerate digital land records and frictionless credit so farmers can plan, invest and adopt modern crop protection responsibly. To compete in global markets, India’s supply chains need embedded traceability, quality assurance and sustainable input use. Strategic public–private collaboration can fast-track safe pesticide practices, surveillance systems and next-generation, environmentally responsible formulations ” — Ankur Aggarwal, Executive Chairman, Crystal Crop Protection Srinivas adds, “The Budget should focus on the two biggest unlocks for farmer prosperity: clean digital land records and frictionless credit. A legally robust Digital Land Ledger, interoperable with crop data and credit scoring, can unlock formal finance, insurance, and market contracts for millions of farmers currently outside the system.” The systemic importance of logistics and digital marketplaces is reinforced by Sanjiv Puri, Managing Director, ITC Ltd: “To truly raise farm incomes, storage, grading, logistics, and digital marketplaces must be treated as core agricultural infrastructure, not peripheral add-ons.”  “Budget 2026 should launch a National Potato Innovation Mission to transform India into a globally competitive processing potato hub. A strong public–private R&D partnership must fast-track CRISPR-based climate-resilient varieties, AI-driven breeding, drone phenotyping, automated trials and True Potato Seeds. This science-led upgrade is essential for predictable supply, higher productivity and world-class processing quality.” – S. Soundararadjane, CEO of HyFarm Nutrient management, too, must be integrated. Yogesh Chandra, VP-Sales & Marketing, Transworld Furtichem Limited, explains, “Fertiliser purchases must be linked to a unified Digital Farm ID, allowing tracking of nutrient use efficiency, preventing over-application and enabling customised advisory. It builds India’s first data-driven nutrient intelligence system.” Budget 2026 must therefore deliver measurable, integrated reforms—embedding science, finance, technology, and policy into a unified, farmer-centric framework. It is the launchpad for the Viksit Bharat Kheti Vision 2047, enabling high-productivity, high-value, climate-smart agriculture and positioning India as a globally competitive agri-economy. ----- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3492/asia-agriculture-2025-climate-technology-and-resilience.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3492/asia-agriculture-2025-climate-technology-and-resilience.html Tue, 23 Dec 2025 17:25:37 +0530 2025 marked a pivotal year for agriculture across Asia. Headlines captured extreme weather events, AI-driven agritech deployments, and climate-smart policy initiatives, yet beneath the surface, the region’s agricultural landscape quietly evolved. The sector is moving from reactive interventions to embedding resilience across systems, blending technology, policy innovation, and climate-smart practices to withstand unprecedented uncertainty. Across Asia, nearly half of agricultural production remains exposed to climate hazards. Cyclones, floods, and prolonged droughts disrupted key farming regions, from the rice belts of Southeast Asia to rainfed areas in South Asia. Cyclone Ditwah, for example, struck Sri Lanka in late 2025, devastating hundreds of thousands of hectares, displacing millions, and creating ripple effects in food prices, supply chains, and rural incomes. Such events are increasingly expected variables, forcing governments, firms, and farmers to rethink risk, finance, and resilience. Beyond immediate shocks, persistent weather volatility erodes predictability, undermines smallholder decision-making, and increases financial exposure. Against this backdrop, Asia’s agriculture is quietly pivoting toward anticipatory, climate-smart strategies that combine technology, finance, and policy to reduce vulnerability and enhance food security. Policy Evolution: From Concept to Action In 2025, several APAC countries moved beyond conceptual climate adaptation policies to operational programs. South Asia launched national climate adaptation atlases linking meteorological projections with agronomic and socioeconomic data, enabling governments to prioritize interventions based on localized risk profiles. Regional cooperation progressed notably. The ASEAN Climate Resilience Network implemented joint projects in climate-smart agriculture, including shared weather data platforms and cross-border pilot programs in precision irrigation and soil management. Southeast Asia also witnessed the scaling of climate-smart agriculture frameworks, integrating resilience measures into national planning and budget cycles. Governments increasingly tie climate adaptation to economic competitiveness. Countries implementing predictive, data-driven approaches are better positioned to access global markets, attract international finance, and partner in technology deployment. This marks a structural shift in agricultural governance, where climate adaptation is embedded as a core economic priority rather than a supplementary policy. Technology at the Core: AI, Data, and Agritech Ecosystems Technology transitioned from experimental pilot programs to operational infrastructure in 2025. Artificial intelligence, satellite imagery, and remote sensing became integral to decision-making at farm, regional, and national levels. Singapore-based and regional startups scaled AI-powered platforms to optimize irrigation, forecast yields, monitor pests, and provide real-time weather intelligence. Farmers now have predictive tools that were previously accessible only to large-scale operations. In India, AI-driven platforms enabled precise nutrient management, automated irrigation scheduling, and early pest detection, reducing losses and improving input efficiency. Innovation ecosystems matured across APAC. Accelerators in Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia connected startups, research institutions, and financial services providers, nurturing ventures in sustainable inputs, precision agriculture, and supply-chain traceability. By embedding technology into governance and finance frameworks, Asia is laying the foundation for scalable climate-smart agriculture that benefits both smallholders and commercial producers. Climate and Food Safety: Emerging Challenges Climate variability increasingly affects food safety. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and water scarcity alter microbial dynamics, increase mycotoxin risk, and disrupt post-harvest storage conditions. Regulatory adaptation became central to maintaining food security. As Sarah Cahill, Codex Secretary, and Markus Lipp, Senior Food Safety Officer, FAO explains: "Changing climate is also impacting food safety and this is also impacting the standard setting work of Codex. For example, the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) elaborated and CAC47 adopted the Code of practice for the prevention or reduction of ciguatera poisoning, in response to the evolving nature of this issue, which is related to climate factors. The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene developed and CAC46 adopted Guidelines for the safe use and reuse of water in food production and processing in response to Members concerns about the need to ensure that in the context of water resource challenges, the safety of food was not negatively impacted. There is a continued emphasis, particularly within CCCF, on the issue of mycotoxins, the threat of which is evolving and possibly expanding as climate factors change." Countries across Asia integrated climate intelligence into inspection systems and food safety protocols to mitigate risk, ensuring that resilience does not compromise quality or trade compliance. Climate and Food Security: Hydroponics and Controlled Environments Controlled environment agriculture, including hydroponics and vertical farming, scaled rapidly across India and Southeast Asia in 2025, mitigating risks from erratic rainfall, droughts, and extreme weather. Pravin Patel, Founder of Brio Hydroponics, highlights the potential: "India’s agricultural sector faces unprecedented challenges from climate volatility, with erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather disrupting traditional farming cycles. Over half of Indian farmers depend entirely on rain-fed agriculture, making them highly vulnerable. Controlled Environment Agriculture systems like Unnati’s hydroponics offer a solution, creating fully controlled growing environments that eliminate weather dependency and enable consistent, year-round production." These systems stabilize production, optimize resource use, and reduce climate risk. While current adoption is concentrated on high-value crops, pilot programs are extending controlled environment cultivation to staples, demonstrating the potential to enhance broader food security. Seafood and Fisheries: Data-Driven Management and Trade Competitiveness The fisheries sector witnessed headline-making reforms in 2025. India completed the MFC 2025 fisheries census, providing the first comprehensive assessment of fleet health, fishing capacity, and ecosystem impact. George Kurian, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, emphasizes: "International markets like the EU, US, and Japan demand proof of sustainability and traceability. The MFC 2025 provides the foundation for meeting these expectations. This Census is the foundational layer for a sustainable ecosystem-based fisheries management plan. It gives us a complete, scientifically-consolidated assessment of our fleet’s health and capacity." The initiative strengthens ecosystem-based management and aligns seafood production with global sustainability standards, enhancing export competitiveness. Rice Resilience: Lessons for Rainfed Systems Rainfed rice areas remain among the most climate-exposed agricultural systems. Climate shocks disproportionately affect yields, particularly in lowlands. Dr. Ismail Abdelbagi, Principal Scientist and Regional Representative for Africa at IRRI, notes: "Climate shocks are hitting rice hardest in rainfed lowlands, where 80 per cent of Africa’s farmers operate. How close are we to a breakthrough in drought- and heat-resilient varieties that can stabilize yields without costly irrigation infrastructure? Rainfed rice areas in Africa have not been given sufficient attention, and farmers still use traditional tools and technologies. This is contrary to progress in Asia, where rainfed areas have been transformed into productive lands with high and stable yields. The transformation became feasible after introducing varieties tolerant to drought, floods, and salt stress, coupled with modern production technologies, water management, fertilizer use, mechanized farming, and other suitable practices, increasing productivity and incomes for smallholders." This highlights the importance of combining genetic improvements, production technology, and agronomic practices to transform vulnerable systems into resilient landscapes. Carbon, Regeneration, and Climate Finance Regenerative and carbon-focused interventions expanded significantly in 2025. Biochar projects, combining carbon sequestration with soil fertility improvements, emerged as high-value initiatives. Dr. Nripanka Das, Subject Matter Expert in Carbon Projects (UAE), explains: "Unlike forestry or renewable projects, biochar delivers a dual benefit: carbon sequestration and soil regeneration. This creates 'stacked benefits'—carbon credits, improved yields, reduced fertilizer use, enhanced water retention, and often waste management solutions. Financially, a well-designed biochar project can generate over $1,000 per hectare annually when combining carbon and agricultural returns, while diversifying revenue and reducing risk—making it highly attractive for institutional investors." Blue carbon initiatives also gained traction. Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda, CEO & Co-Founder of Restorae, observes: "Voluntary carbon markets in Japan are already ready for kelp-based credits. J-Blue Credits, generated from kelp restoration, have been transacting for years at prices exceeding $400 per ton—more than ten times the price of traditional voluntary carbon credits globally." These approaches demonstrate how climate-smart practices can generate measurable environmental and financial returns while enhancing resilience. Financing Resilience: Opportunities and Bottlenecks Access to climate finance remains critical for scaling adaptation. Platforms supporting banks, microfinance institutions, and insurers expanded in 2025 to offer bundled climate-smart products combining credit, insurance, and solar-powered irrigation. Dr. Godefroy Grosjean, Co-lead of CGIAR’s Hub for Sustainable Finance (ImpactSF) and Ena Derenoncourt, Senior Officer at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and ACT-H Project Lead highlight: "ImpactSF helps financial institutions design climate-smart, bankable products that reduce risk and deliver real impact for farmers. By combining capacity building, tools, and pipeline strengthening, it supports banks, MFIs, and insurers to create bundled credit, insurance, and solar-powered irrigation solutions. Using data from the ImpactSF Analyzer and a value-chain approach, it scales finance in priority sectors like horticulture and livestock while ensuring measurable outcomes in resilience, productivity, and gender inclusion." Data-driven climate finance is increasingly linking risk mitigation, sustainability, and measurable impact, expanding opportunities for smallholders. Trade and Market Resilience Regional trade is a critical lever for resilience. Fragmented intra-Asian trade and regulatory differences limit local food system equity. Dr. Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Director for Adaptive and Equitable Food Systems at the Gates Foundation, observes: "Today, South Asia primarily exports staple crops and processed products globally, missing opportunities to build resilient local ecosystems through regional collaboration. Variations in regulations and logistics limit progress, keeping intraregional trade fragmented. Harmonizing trade can reduce food prices, buffer against climate shocks, stimulate crop diversification, and support unified responses to climate-driven pest spread." In 2025, several countries advanced harmonization, streamlining certifications, improving logistics, and adopting risk-mitigating frameworks for climate-sensitive commodities, stabilizing prices and supporting crop diversification. Technology Goes Mainstream In 2025, digital agriculture in Asia crossed a point of no return. Artificial intelligence and climate-tech tools stopped being framed as pilots or “future-ready” concepts and instead became part of the operating backbone of agricultural systems across multiple countries. What distinguished the year was not innovation itself, but scale, speed, and institutional adoption. In India, AI-powered climate advisory systems reached operational maturity. Large-scale deployments began delivering hyper-local, real-time advisories to farmers across rainfed and irrigated regions, combining weather forecasts, soil moisture data, crop-stage intelligence, and pest-risk alerts. These advisories increasingly influenced sowing decisions, irrigation scheduling, and input use at the village level, reducing crop losses during erratic monsoon phases and prolonged dry spells. Importantly, these systems were not standalone apps; they were integrated with public extension networks, crop insurance triggers, and digital soil health programs—signaling a shift from fragmented pilots to systemic use. China accelerated the use of drones, sensors, and satellite-linked AI platforms across its rice belts and horticulture clusters. In several provinces, drone-assisted monitoring of crop health, nutrient stress, and water use became routine rather than exceptional. AI models processed high-frequency imagery to guide precision spraying, optimize irrigation intervals, and flag early pest outbreaks. The emphasis was not just productivity, but climate efficiency—reducing water use, lowering chemical runoff, and stabilizing yields amid heat stress events that have become more frequent across eastern China. Across Southeast Asia, climate intelligence became a national priority rather than a sectoral experiment. Vietnam and Thailand deployed machine-learning models to simulate flood scenarios in delta regions, helping authorities adjust planting calendars, pre-position inputs, and manage water releases. These systems informed both farmers and policymakers, aligning field-level decisions with basin-level water management. In Indonesia, AI-based drought prediction tools were linked to food logistics planning, enabling early interventions in vulnerable provinces before shortages escalated into price shocks. The Philippines took a different but equally significant route, integrating digital tools into climate-risk governance. AI-driven early warning systems for typhoons and floods were connected directly to agricultural insurance payouts and emergency credit lines. When climate thresholds were breached, farmers gained faster access to relief and recovery finance, reducing the lag between disaster and response that has historically deepened rural distress. Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea focused on high-precision digital agriculture aligned with climate adaptation and labor constraints. Robotics, AI-driven greenhouse management, and sensor-based water control systems were scaled to stabilize production under heat stress and demographic pressure. These technologies also fed into traceability and sustainability reporting systems, strengthening market access and compliance in export-oriented supply chains. Underlying these country-level deployments was the rapid expansion of climate-focused agri-tech incubators and accelerators across APAC. In 2025, these platforms prioritized startups that could deliver precision farming, advanced water-use efficiency, and climate-resilient supply chains at scale. The shift was clear: solutions were evaluated not on novelty, but on their ability to operate under stress—poor connectivity, extreme weather, fragmented landholdings, and tight margins. The cumulative effect of these developments is structural. Technology in Asian agriculture is no longer an add-on or productivity enhancer; it has become a risk-management infrastructure. AI systems now sit alongside insurance, credit, and public policy as essential tools for coping with climate volatility. By the end of 2025, climate intelligence was no longer aspirational—it was operational, embedded, and increasingly indispensable to how Asia grows its food. A Sector Quietly Transforming 2025 was not merely a year of crises or headline-grabbing innovations; it marked the quiet transformation of Asia’s agricultural landscape. Technology, policy, finance, and on-farm practices converged to create systems capable of anticipating, absorbing, and adapting to climate shocks. Across the region, several developments underscored this shift. India completed the MFC 2025 fisheries Census, providing critical data for ecosystem-based management and ensuring traceability in seafood exports. In Japan, blue carbon and kelp restoration initiatives expanded significantly, creating measurable environmental benefits while generating high-value carbon credits. China deployed drone-assisted climate-smart agriculture across its rice belts, integrating real-time monitoring of soil, water, and pest conditions to optimize yields and resilience. Meanwhile, Indonesia and Vietnam piloted regenerative aquaculture and rice-straw-to-energy programs, linking circular economy principles with climate-smart food production. In the Philippines, community-managed solar-powered irrigation systems strengthened local resilience and reduced reliance on grid electricity, while Thailand and Malaysia launched AI-enabled early warning systems that connect flood and drought forecasts directly to insurance and credit mechanisms, helping farmers manage climate risk proactively. These initiatives, coupled with broader adoption of hydroponics, climate-resilient crops, biochar, and regional trade integration, illustrate how adaptation, market competitiveness, and systemic resilience are increasingly intertwined. The focus is not merely on technology deployment or policy announcements; it is on integrating solutions across the farm, market, and financial ecosystem to create durable, scalable outcomes. While challenges remain in ensuring equitable access to technology, finance, and infrastructure, the foundations for a smarter, adaptive, and climate-resilient agricultural sector are firmly established. The structural and technological shifts achieved in 2025 will have far-reaching consequences for food security, rural livelihoods, and economic stability across Asia for decades. In an era defined by climate uncertainty, the region’s agriculture demonstrates that meaningful transformation is possible not through headline-grabbing innovations alone, but through sustained, coordinated, and system-wide innovation. ---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3442/sacha-hoffmann-santelices-reveals-engineering-behind-komets-irrigation-edge.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3442/sacha-hoffmann-santelices-reveals-engineering-behind-komets-irrigation-edge.html Mon, 01 Dec 2025 12:22:47 +0530 In this exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Sacha Hoffmann Santelices, Managing Director, Komet Irrigation, explains how the company rebuilt its manufacturing philosophy by benchmarking against automotive plants rather than agricultural peers. He outlines how precision engineering, tighter tolerances, and operator-led quality have become strategic differentiators that translate directly into field performance and farmer trust. Sacha highlights Komet’s tightly integrated feedback loops across continents, which allow rapid redesigns and testing updates based on real-world agronomic challenges. He also details how lean culture, digitalized flow systems, and carefully balanced automation help the company maintain industry-leading delivery despite global volatility. Looking ahead to Irrigation 2030, Hoffmann describes investments in advanced materials, digital twins, and cutting-edge laboratories that will anchor the next decade of hydraulic innovation. Raising the Bar: From Irrigation to Industry Leading Manufacturing Komet’s Lienz facility has been compared to automotive plants. What cultural, process, and technology shifts have allowed you to build a factory that outperforms the typical agricultural benchmark ? We began with a cultural reset. Instead of comparing ourselves to other agricultural manufacturers, we benchmarked against the best automotive plants. This changed how we design processes, how we hire, and how we use technology. We invested heavily in process engineering, standardization, and eliminating root causes, not symptoms. Today, repeatability, traceability, and defect-prevention are built into every workflow. That is why our factory performs far above typical agri-equipment standards. Precision as Strategy, Not Just Manufacturing Discipline Your components have tolerances much tighter than industry norms. How has precision become a strategic advantage in the field ? Precision is not just a technical choice; it is a strategic differentiator. Tighter tolerances deliver more consistent water distribution, less variability across environments, and better agronomic reliability. Farmers see this immediately in uniformity and yield. Precision becomes trust, and trust becomes market share. By designing every part to tighter tolerances than the industry expects, we turn manufacturing accuracy into better field performance. Quality at the Source: Redesigning the Role of Operators You say quality must be “produced,” not “controlled.” How do you ensure operators act as problem-solvers rather than machine operators waiting for inspection ? We shifted the operator’s role from a “machine runner” to a “process owner,” anchored on three reinforcing pillars. First, our systems are designed to make errors almost impossible—through poka-yoke mechanisms, real-time SPC dashboards, and standardized work that makes any deviation immediately visible. Second, we hire for problem-solving ability and cross-functional flexibility rather than narrow machine skills, ensuring operators can manage multiple tasks and think beyond their stations. Third, our incentives reward quality and ownership instead of sheer output volume, recognizing those who take responsibility and actively contribute to improvements. This transformation is sustained through continuous training: once operators truly understand that they produce quality rather than merely inspect it, the entire quality curve shifts upstream. Closing the Loop: Farmer Feedback Driving Factory Decisions How does feedback from growers in very different regions influence product design or manufacturing ? We have structured feedback channels across Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the US. This information is reviewed weekly and directly informs our design and production decisions. For example, when farmers in drought-prone areas report behaviour at extremely low pressure, we adjust our testing protocols and may even redesign geometry or materials. The loop from field to factory is short, and agility is one of our biggest strengths. Agility Under Volatility: Supply Chain and Flow Redesign How do you maintain leading on-time delivery despite volatile demand, raw-material swings, and logistics disruptions ? We moved from a “batch and push” model to a flow-driven, demand-synchronized system. We also built dual sourcing for critical components to reduce risk. On the shop floor, we redesigned lines into flexible U-Lines, like Toyota’s approach, so teams can scale up or down quickly while keeping flow stable. At the same time, we accelerated production digitalization, giving us real-time visibility of lead times and faster decision-making. These structural changes allow us to keep industry-leading delivery performance even in unstable market conditions. Lean as a Cultural Engine, not a Toolkit What has been the hardest lean discipline to embed, and how do you maintain weekly improvement momentum ? The hardest discipline is consistency, following standards every day, on every shift. Tools are simple; culture is not. We built a strong shop-floor management system with daily and weekly routines at all leadership levels. Meetings follow a clear, standard format so communication is aligned and transparent. Problems are solved quickly, directly at the source. Our Komet Lean House provides a long-term roadmap with principles, behaviour, and five-year milestones. It keeps our transformation structured and focused. Lean is not a toolkit for us; it is how we think and operate. Innovating Without Over-Automating How do you balance automation with human craftsmanship when small errors can have large field consequences ? We automate where it adds robustness, not where it replaces craftsmanship. For irrigation components, a sub-millimeter misalignment can change the entire hydraulic profile, so we focus on automation that eliminates variability but keep human expertise where judgment is critical. At the same time, automation plays an important ergonomic role: it removes repetitive, physically demanding tasks and allows our people to work in safer, more sustainable conditions. The balance is intentional, automation for stability and ergonomics, skilled people for precision and sensitivity. Preparing for Irrigation 2030: The Next Capability Leap What new competencies are you developing to stay ahead of future irrigation needs ? We are building capabilities far beyond traditional manufacturing: advanced materials science, integrated testing environments, digital twins, and a workforce with stronger analytical and polyvalent skills. A major step is our new laboratory building in Brazil, one of the most advanced in the irrigation industry. It allows high-resolution testing, simulation of extreme conditions, and faster development cycles. Insights from the lab flow directly into product design, material choices, and manufacturing. This keeps us ahead of agronomic and hydraulic challenges and prepares us for the needs of 2030 and beyond. Our goal is clear: build today the capabilities that will define the next decade of irrigation performance. ---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3428/can-africa-grow-what-it-eats-irris-dr-ismail-maps-new-blueprint-for-rice-self-sufficiency.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3428/can-africa-grow-what-it-eats-irris-dr-ismail-maps-new-blueprint-for-rice-self-sufficiency.html Thu, 27 Nov 2025 18:04:57 +0530 In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Dr. Ismail Abdelbagi, Principal Scientist and Regional Representative for Africa at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) lays out a candid assessment of why Africa still imports $8–9 billion of rice annually despite holding the world’s largest reserve of untapped arable land. He argues that the continent’s core bottlenecks—underfunded seed systems, broken value chains, low government investment, and dominance of rainfed, low-productivity systems—must be fixed before any talk of self-sufficiency becomes realistic. Breakthroughs in drought, flood, salinity, and heat-tolerant varieties are finally progressing, but require African-specific breeding pipelines, stronger national programs, and serious funding to reach scale. With consumers shifting toward higher-quality, fortified and convenience rice, Dr. Ismail points to milling modernization, youth-led mechanisation services, and private-sector seed systems as Africa’s next billion-dollar opportunities. Looking ahead to 2035, he says Africa can be food-sovereign and even a net exporter—but only if political stability, modernized policies, and investment-ready ecosystems align to unlock the continent’s true rice potential. Africa’s rice imports have crossed $8–9 billion annually, despite strong policy rhetoric on self-sufficiency. Which structural weaknesses—seed systems, milling capacity, land productivity, or trade dependence—are most urgent to fix, and what would be the fastest win ? Africa has the potential to feed itself and even contribute substantially to global food production and security. The continent holds about 60 to 65 per cent of the global arable lands that has not yet been exploited, with diverse climates suitable for various crops. These vastly underutilized resources position the continent as a future safety valve for global food security. Several general issues are contributing to the inadequate use of these resources such as limited investment in infrastructure including irrigation, modern production and postharvest technologies and marketing platforms.   Several challenges need to be addressed to unlock this potential for the continent to effectively contribute to local and global food security. Governments’ investment in agriculture is still low compared with countries in Asia, mostly less than 1 per cent of their respective GDPs. This is despite the commitment to allocate at least 10 per cent of national GDP to agriculture and rural development, based on Maputo Declaration endorsed by all states in July 2003. Committing to invest in agriculture, including production, postharvest and marketing infrastructure, enabling policy frameworks, providing training and capacity building, and minimizing risks especially for smallholder communities will boost productivity and address food, nutrition and income security, and ensure food sovereignty to avoid dependence on imports in the increasingly becoming less reliable international food market trade. Rice lands and water resources are abundant in Africa, with an estimate of over 300 million ha suitable for rice production, with only about 12 per cent of it currently in use, with low productivity averaging less than half of the world mean production. This is because of dominance of traditional farming approaches, especially in rainfed farming systems that constitutes about 80 per cent of the current rice production areas. Implementing proper policy frameworks that support rapid growth of the rice sector, including adoption of new varieties and modern production practices such as mechanization, effective seed production and delivery systems, access to markets for smallholder farmers (SHFs) to vend their produce at prices that ensures sufficient profits and sustained income, and access to agrochemicals including fertilizers at affordable prices and in time. For this to be realized, rice-based value chains need considerable amendments to reduce intermediaries and provide access of farmers to competitive markets for better choices of prices and to motivate them to produce more. Consolidation of SHF into large fields managed through farmers’ cooperatives and communities will also facilitate implementation of efficient, scale-appropriate technologies to replace the current mostly manual and inefficient production methods being used by smallholders.    Engaging the private sector and other investors is critical for the success of rice-based systems in Africa for effective commercialization of new varieties, development of sustained seed systems and for market access. Intergovernmental arrangements and guidelines are mostly in place but largely not implemented, these agreements can help reduce dependence on import through regional and continental food security and sovereignty. Africa also deserve stronger and binding trade agreements independent of global food and trade instability, although this trade dependence is in part, a result of low production and poor quality of the produce, to meet local requirements. This is further aggravated by political instability and security leading to conflicting investment priorities. Climate shocks are hitting rice hardest in rainfed lowlands, where 80 per cent of Africa’s farmers operate. How close are we to a breakthrough in drought- and heat-resilient varieties that can stabilize yields without costly irrigation infrastructure ? Rainfed rice areas in Africa has not been given sufficient attention for rice production, and farmers still use traditional tools and technologies. This is contrary to the progress made in Asia, where most rainfed areas has been transformed into productive lands, with high and mostly stable yields. The transformation in Asia became feasible after the introduction of varieties that tolerate drought, floods and salt stress, both in coastal and inland areas. This is also coupled with modern production technologies, including water management, proper use of fertilizers, mechanized farming and other suitable cultural practices, with considerable success in increasing and sustaining productivity and income of SHFs in affected areas. Sub-Saharan Africa benefitted little from the stress tolerant varieties developed for South and Southeast Asia, and obviously more efforts need to be devoted to developing and delivering such varieties for Africa to help cope with the vastly worsening climate change adversities. This is only possible through dedicated and well-funded projects to ensure faster progress and impact, especially with the recent scientific developments and use of modern breeding strategies, including molecular tools for genotyping coupled with efficient phenotyping approaches using speed breeding facilities. IRRI started using these technologies in its centralized breeding facilities in Philippines and India, with the products targeting African environment being tested locally in African countries. We are expecting some good progress in the coming few years if resources permit.    IRRI’s Sub1 and salinity-tolerant varieties changed the game in Asia. What are the next frontier traits that Africa needs—especially along the Sahelian dry corridor and coastal deltas facing salinization from sea-level rise? Rice farmers in Africa are facing numerous challenges, including the same issues in Asia – drought, floods and excess salts in soil and water. Besides, other abiotic stresses like iron toxicity in lowlands and nutrient deficiencies due to soil conditions, like phosphorus and zinc deficiencies in uplands, are also serious in some areas. The soils are degraded and deficient in minerals and organic carbon due to continued mining with little replacement. Moreover, the unusual variation in temperatures being experienced, is also leading to considerable reduction in yields, with higher temperatures in some lowland areas and chilling temperatures in highlands. The dominant stains of common rice diseases are sometimes different from those dominating in Asia, making breeding stress tolerant varieties even more challenging.  For these reasons, the stress tolerant varieties released in Asia that made considerable contributions in increasing and sustaining productivity in some countries, like drought, flood and salt tolerant varieties, mostly do not work in Africa, due to variation in other factors, especially diseases and pests and soil conditions. This necessitates transfer of tolerance traits and genes into genetic backgrounds suitable for Africa, and significant efforts and resources need to be devoted to developing such varieties. Due to these and other factors, particularly lack of resources and breeding infrastructure for national breeding programs, our work on developing stress tolerant varieties for Africa has been slow.  The genetic factors responsible for tolerance of drought, floods, salinity and their combinations need to be transferred into varieties suitable for African climate conditions while meeting the consumer and local market requirements and preferences, before they can successfully be commercialized and adopted. This work has been ongoing with some success in releasing few flood-tolerant varieties (with SUB1 gene) in Nigeria and Madagascar, and salt tolerant varieties in Kenya and Tanzania. Some varieties with partial tolerance to drought were released in several countries across SSA. Work is also ongoing to develop varieties that tolerate temperature extremes, where heat waves are becoming common during the season in lowlands and low temperatures in highlands. Ideally, future varieties for Africa should combine tolerance of major abiotic stresses dominating in a particular target region, together with resistance to common diseases. Today’s African consumer is shifting from low-cost staples to quality, fortified, and convenience-driven rice. What innovations in processing, branding, and nutrition could unlock the next billion-dollar opportunity for domestic producers ? Rice is becoming the cereal food of choice in SSA, over the traditional coarse grains like sorghum, millets and teff, because of its palatability, ease of preparation and storage. This shift is driven by several demographic changes, including rapid population growth, with currently over 60 per cent of the population being young, below 25 yrs of age, with shifts in food preferences and conveniences. There is also an exodus of youth to urban areas, seeking better living conditions and opportunities, leaving older generations to deal with farming. This situation can be effectively reversed by providing attractive entrepreneurships through rice farming, such as service provision, especially mechanization, transport and storage, use of IT tools and Apps, seed production and marketing, etc., to make farming more attractive for younger generations. Enabling and supporting such enterprises for young men and women will significantly help in improving productivity and reducing cost of production, while providing employment opportunities for younger generations to stay on farms, reducing pressure on already struggling cities. Similarly, this is opening opportunities for investors and private sector to engage in support provision and even commercial production and marketing. Apparently, all steps along the value chain provide an investment opportunity in most countries. Rice produced locally is not yet competitive with imported rice in most countries, and that is because of many factors, including use of old varieties, poor seed systems to deliver new, improved and high-quality products, poor post-harvest and storage management. Modernizing rice production, including use of quality seeds and sufficient agrochemicals, as well as upgrading the whole value chain, especially postharvest (drying, cleaning, milling, packaging, storage, transport and marketing) will go a long way to make locally produced rice comparable with imported rice, which consumers prefer, especially in urban areas. Subsequently, this will provide good opportunities for investments in Africa. India, for example, could play major roles through bilateral engagements like the existing lines of credit for some countries and through South-South Cooperation and trade agreements. SSA countries can learn a lot from India, through its impressively short journey from being a net importer of rice to the largest exporter in the world within couple of decades. This also provide lots of opportunities for private sector to invest in these value chains, particularly commercial seed production, mechanization and all aspects of post-harvest management. SSA also need to build abilities and investments to adopt climate friendly operations with the expansion of rice industry, and to avoid the issues being experienced in major rice producing countries. The most obvious is the straw and husks burning under intensive rice production systems, involving 2-3 seasons per year, leaving little time to deal with solid wastes. Value addition and processing of these solid wastes can generate more income, e.g. biochar to enrich soil carbon, use in cement industry, mushroom farming, and processed fodder for livestock. Industries involving various products and value addition using rice can also help generate opportunities for commerce and for income. Fragmented national markets raise cost across the value chain. With AfCFTA slowly accelerating, which cross-border rice corridors (e.g., Senegal–Mali, Nigeria–Niger) could emerge as competitive agro-industrial hubs by 2035 ? Most of the intraregional trade in rice and other food commodities in SSA are informal and not well organized to reach their conceivable targets, leading to such fragmented and broken value chains and markets. However, if well-structured and regulated, can play major roles in reducing transaction costs, especially the cost of transport, and could help in resolving issues associated with other non-tariff barriers to encourage and support investments. Several countries in SSA succeeded in substantially increasing their annual rice production and some of them started trading with their neighboring countries. These countries include Tanzania, Madagascar, Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast. These countries are also exporting rice to their neighboring countries through mostly informal means. Countries that already achieved self-sufficiency, like Tanzania will likely contribute substantially to its neighbors like Kenya and Uganda. If AI-based advisories, digital extension, and climate risk insurance can reduce production uncertainty, what would it take to mainstream data-led farming among smallholders—technology subsidies, telco partnerships, or new farmer-business models ? AI-based advisories, extension apps and climate risk insurance models are important tools that can help speed generation of relevant information, reaching to extension personnel and farmers and minimizing farmers risks by providing insurance against disastrous incidents. AI proved to be transformative in making difficult technologies accessible and convenient and is becoming increasingly useful in agriculture and environment research. Yet its fast and predictive power raises concerns over the likely risks of its use to benefit SHFs, despite its power to speed generating scientific knowledge for the public.   AI already proved its effectiveness in managing commercial farms in developed countries, and similarly could be adapted to farmers needs in SSA, to support decision making based on legacy data, which will considerably reduce investments and time to come up with bundles of interventions fitting specific local contexts, including forecast of catastrophic incidences, like droughts and floods, disease and pests outbreaks that are becoming more frequent with climate change progression. Climate risk insurance is also being accessed by farmers in Asia. Both AI and climate insurance has not been implemented to any scale in SSA to benefit SHFs, providing good business opportunities and new models for farming and food production. However, digital tools in the form of Apps provided through smart phones are being used by extension personnel and even farmers for training and access to information, including input and output market intelligence, nutrient and water management and for managing and forecasting yields, disease incidences etc.; and are likely to be mainstreamed faster than other digital farming technologies in SSA. The use of these tools, however, need to be carefully assessed and regulated to avoid any risks to farmers due to lack of awareness and capacity or due to risks associated with the technology. This is mainly because SHFs have very little resources to avert any incurred risks caused by erroneous or biased data used to generate such models. There are several ethical risks associated with these data-led tools, especially with AI, which has not been rigorously tested and regulated in Africa, including risks associated with data accuracy, availability and privacy, potential loss of jobs and displacement, biased access to information leading to unequal benefits, “digital divide” based on accessibility, etc. Strict ethical frameworks and transparency need to be in place to protect SHFs and reduce their vulnerability. Similarly, crop insurance requires strict guidelines and assessment to ensure accuracy of information and credibility of claims, which in most cases will be outside SHF‘s capacity. Government-led programs equipped with proper monitoring and data collection is necessary for the success of these advisory and support tools, for them to be successfully deployed in Africa, to mainstream data-led farming.  Africa also lacks an effective geospatial system for instantaneous generation of information on potential climate-related disasters, an area that will require infrastructure investment and training. This is critical to provide both farmers and governments with early warnings and to guide decisions that help mitigate any negative consequences. Successful use of these ventures will also require substantial investments in infrastructure and support services, which opens considerable opportunities for investors. Looking ahead to 2035: what does a climate-secure and investment-ready African rice ecosystem look like—and what is the single hardest political or economic barrier standing in its way ? Provided resources and stability within the coming ten years, I expect several countries in Africa to accomplish food self-sufficiency, and some become net exporters of various food staples, including rice. This will likely lead to continental food sovereignty and less dependence on the currently fragile international trade markets, especially exposure to price shocks that become inevitably frequent due to several triggers such as weather calamities, conflicts and political unrests, leading to panic hoarding in some cases. I believe reaching self-sufficiency will depend on how fast countries and regions make progress in critical areas that are currently holding them back, including the following: Significant and consistent government’s investment in food production and related infrastructure for processing, storage and transport. This should include provision of insurance and subsidy options to derisk and protect smallholder farmers, and to provide minimum farmgate prices to sustain farmers’ income and profit and keep them in the market. Fixing and strengthening rice value chains: Currently SHFs in Africa are getting less than half of the proceeds their counterparts are getting in Asia. This is mainly because the existing value chains are broken, mostly unregulated and dominated by intermediaries. Political stability is critical for sound progress and development of the rice agri-food systems. Fortunately, most countries are moving in that direction. This will encourage investors to take critical roles in financing to revolutionize the food value chains, including rice where relatively little is available in international trade market, and with increasing global demands.   Adjusting policies and guidelines to match those in other successful countries like India, to streamline the development and deployment of innovations faster. Current policies in most countries are outdated and are hindering progress, especially those related to release and scaling of new varieties, delivery systems for quality inputs and outputs, and for engaging private sector and investors to provide needed capital and capacity. This is probably the hardest political and economic barrier standing in the way of SSA to be investment ready and to assume its proper role as global food provider. Some countries are already making strides in this direction. Implementation of national and regional strategies that support growth of the rice sector: All major rice producing countries and few regional economic communities in SSA developed their national and regional rice development strategies that detailed the way to achieve their intended targets by 2030, these strategies are yet to be effectively implemented. The regional Economic Communities (RECs: EAC, ECOWAS, IGAD, COMESA, SADC) and the Associated Regional Agricultural Research Networks (e.g. CORAF, ASARECA, CCARDESA) also developed policies that assure and regulate collaboration across borders of neighboring countries, within regions and at the continental scales to allow free adoption of varieties released in a particular country, free cross-border movement of seeds, grains, agrochemicals and knowledge, with no non-tariff barriers. Engaging with countries in Asia through South-South Collaboration (SSC) is also being discussed to enhance learning and exchange, and to facilitate investments for faster growth. An example in this direction is the “Seed Without Borders (SWB) agreement facilitated by IRRI. Most countries in Africa already set policies and guidelines that encourages investments in agriculture and food production, others are on the way. There are dire needs for these investments, especially in upgrading infrastructure, facilitating aggregation of SHFs into commercial entities, provision of modern technologies particularly machinery, agrochemicals and marketing platforms --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3426/future-of-agri-finance-runs-on-mapmycrop-swapnil-jadhav-on-maas-revolution.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3426/future-of-agri-finance-runs-on-mapmycrop-swapnil-jadhav-on-maas-revolution.html Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:03:09 +0530 In this exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Swapnil Jadhav, Founder & CEO of MapMyCrop, outlines how Monitoring-as-a-Service (MaaS) is redefining agricultural intelligence by shifting the sector from software-based tools to verified, outcome-driven visibility. He explains how MapMyCrop’s 6.2-million farmer validation network, multi-country crop intelligence, and proprietary AI models are solving agriculture’s long-standing “last-mile truth” problem at scale. Jadhav highlights how the company is emerging as the infrastructure backbone for data-driven agri-credit, parametric insurance, and climate-risk modelling as global finance moves toward intelligence-based lending. Swapnil also details how MaaS is becoming central to India’s state-level policy decisions—optimising water, subsidies, and climate governance—while delivering dramatic on-ground impact, such as 60 per cent input savings and 50 per cent quality gains for orange growers. Looking ahead, he positions MapMyCrop as the regulated verification layer of the future, enabling every farm to be visible, every risk quantifiable, and every sustainability claim credible by 2030. MaaS as a Market Redefinition You call MapMyCrop the world’s first Monitoring-as-a-Service platform. What makes MaaS a true category-creation model rather than a rebranded form of agri-tech SaaS ? Monitoring as a service isn't a rebrand—it's a fundamental shift in how agricultural intelligence is delivered. Traditional agri-tech SaaS used to provide software licenses but we at MapMyCrop provide verified, actionable insights as an on-demand service. What makes this category-defining is our Model-as-a-Service architecture: we deploy satellite imagery, weather analytics, and AI-driven crop models continuously across geographies, delivering real-time monitoring without requiring farmers or enterprises to own infrastructure, manage platforms, or interpret raw data. The customers utilize MapMyCrop’s platform for outcomes—verified crop health, yield forecasts, risk alerts—not for software they need to operationalize themselves. That's the core differentiator, we've industrialized agricultural visibility. The Economics of Visibility Satellite intelligence, IoT, and field-level verification are capital intensive. What is the core lever that makes MaaS financially scalable—data monetisation, automation, or enterprise partnerships? Our financial scalability relies on automation and our farmer validation network—not IoT or ground sensors, which are prohibitively expensive at scale. We leverage freely available satellite data and open weather sources, then apply our proprietary AI models to generate insights. The critical lever is our 6.2 million farmer network, which provides ground-truth validation at near-zero marginal cost. This creates a self-reinforcing loop, with more farmers means better model accuracy and then it leads to higher enterprise value which gives us more revenue per insight delivered. We're not just monetizing data but monetizing validated intelligence. Enterprise partnerships with insurers, banks, FMCGs, and governments—provide recurring revenue because they're buying risk reduction and decision confidence, not dashboards. Cracking the Ground-Truthing Barrier Agriculture’s biggest bottleneck is not data scarcity but data validation. How does Map My Crop solve the “last-mile truth” problem that has historically limited insurers, banks, and food companies from making accurate, real-time decisions? You've identified agriculture's Achilles heel. Satellite data is abundant; trust is scarce. MapMyCrop solves the "last-mile truth" problem through our distributed farmer validation network spanning 6.2 million farmers across diverse geographies and partner ecosystems. These farmers act as our ground sensors validating crop stages, stress events, actual yields feeding real-world observations back into our AI models. This isn't crowdsourcing; it's structured validation infrastructure. Combined with our multi-country deployment, we've built longitudinal datasets that capture how crops actually behave across microclimates, soil types, and farming practices, not how models predict they should behave.For insurers, banks, and food companies, this means they can finally underwrite, lend, and procure based on verified field reality, not proxy indicators or farmer declarations. That's the paradigm shift. Transforming Agri-Credit and Insurance As agri-finance shifts from collateral-based lending to data-based underwriting, how is Map My Crop positioning itself as the infrastructure layer for credit scoring, parametric insurance, and climate-risk modelling ? We're positioning MapMyCrop as the rails for data-driven agri-finance, the infrastructure layer that enables lenders and insurers to move from collateral-based to intelligence-based decision-making. Our platform delivers:Our platform supplies granular credit-scoring inputs by analysing farm-level crop health trajectories, input application patterns, and yield-probability curves. It also strengthens parametric insurance design through verified stress-event data—such as drought, excess rainfall, or pest pressure—captured with precise timestamps and geo-tagged evidence. In addition, we deliver forward-looking climate-risk modeling that integrates evolving weather patterns, soil-moisture trends, and crop-vulnerability indices to help institutions anticipate and manage future exposure.Financial institutions don't need to become agronomy experts; they plug into our MaaS layer and receive decision-ready intelligence. As agriculture financing scales to meet the $500B+ credit gap globally, verified monitoring infrastructure isn't optional—it's foundational. Climate, Carbon, and Compliance With Scope 3 emissions reporting and regenerative agriculture commitments rising globally, how central is carbon MRV and climate monitoring to your product roadmap? Do you foresee MaaS becoming mandatory for global agricultural supply chains? Carbon MRV and climate monitoring are central to our roadmap—not as a feature, but as a core product vertical. With Scope 3 reporting mandates tightening and regenerative agriculture commitments accelerating, food companies and agri-processors need verifiable evidence of on-farm carbon sequestration, sustainable practices, and emissions reductions. Our satellite + AI + farmer validation architecture is purpose-built for this: we can monitor practice adoption, quantify biomass changes, and validate interventions at scale without deploying expensive IoT infrastructure. Do I foresee MaaS becoming mandatory? Yes. Within 5 years, major agricultural supply chains will require continuous monitoring and third-party verification of sustainability claims. MapMyCrop is building that verification backbone today. The companies that don't adopt this infrastructure will face compliance risk, supply chain opacity, and premium loss in ESG-conscious markets. Defensibility in a Crowded Tech Landscape With satellite analytics, crop models, and AI becoming increasingly commoditized, what is Map My Crop’s enduring moat—proprietary datasets, longitudinal crop intelligence, integrated advisory, or ecosystem lock-in ? Our moat is longitudinal, validated crop intelligence across diverse agroecologies—and the farmer + partner ecosystem that continuously strengthens it. Satellite access is commoditized. AI models can be replicated. What cannot be easily replicated is: We bring over six years of ground-validated crop performance data spanning multiple crops, geographies, and climate conditions, backed by a 6.2-million-farmer validation network that provides continuous real-time ground truth. This is reinforced by multi-country operational experience—whether it’s understanding how sugarcane behaves differently in Tamil Nadu compared to Uttar Pradesh, or how the economics of orange cultivation diverge between Nagpur and Madhya Pradesh. Added to this is a network of embedded partnerships with state governments, input companies, and financial institutions, creating strong switching costs and making our ecosystem uniquely resilient and hard to replicate. Our defensibility isn't technological—it's systemic. We've built agricultural intelligence infrastructure that gets smarter with every season and every farmer interaction. Competitors can launch satellite analytics; they can't replicate the depth and breadth of our validated knowledge graph. Incorporating the India Success Stories Roorkee Pilot: From Weather Validation to Policy IntelligenceYour Roorkee deployment helped the Uttarakhand government validate weather data and evaluate evapotranspiration and irrigation models. How do you convert such state-level pilots into long-term, scalable policy intelligence platforms across India? The Uttarakhand government engagement demonstrated that accurate, localized intelligence changes policy decisions. By validating weather data and evaluating ET/irrigation models, we helped them move from assumptions to evidence-based resource planning. Converting pilots into long-term platforms requires demonstrating fiscal and governance impact: water savings, subsidy optimization, crop insurance loss reduction. We're now positioned to scale this across Indian states by: We are focused on standardizing our policy intelligence modules—spanning water management, crop diversification, and input subsidy targeting—so they can be seamlessly deployed across diverse agro-climatic contexts. At the same time, we are integrating these modules with the existing workflows of state agricultural departments to ensure smooth adoption and minimal bureaucratic friction. Ultimately, the goal is to demonstrate clear return on investment through pilot results, showcasing improved policy outcomes, reduced wastage, and measurable gains in farmer welfare. State governments are increasingly data-hungry. We're building the agricultural monitoring infrastructure they need for 21st-century governance. Nagpur & MP Oranges: 60 per cent Input Savings, 50 per cent Quality Gains You helped orange growers reduce input costs by 60 per cent and improve fruit quality by 50 per cent.What exactly were the agronomic interventions and digital workflows behind this transformation—and can this model be replicated across India’s horticulture belts at scale? We used satellite and AI-based monitoring to detect crop stress—whether from water, nutrient, or pest issues—well before any visible symptoms appeared. Based on these early signals, we delivered timely and highly specific advisories through our farmer network and partners, prescribing exactly what intervention was needed, when to apply it, and where. This was reinforced by continuous feedback loops on ground performance, allowing us to validate what worked and refine our recommendations on a weekly basis. The result: farmers stopped blanket-spraying and over-fertilizing. They applied inputs precisely when crops needed them, reducing waste dramatically while improving fruit size, color, and brix levels.This model is scalable and replicable because it's not dependent on expensive infrastructure—it's driven by intelligence delivery. We're now deploying similar approaches across pomegranate belts in Maharashtra, mango regions in AP, and banana clusters in Tamil Nadu. India's horticulture sector is $80B+; precision agronomy at MaaS scale can transform its economics. Sugarcane Across Baramati, UP, MP & Tamil Nadu: AI Across Agro-Climates Sugarcane is grown in dramatically different soil, water, and climatic conditions across these states.What did your AI-powered agronomy engine learn from deploying across such diversity, and how does that knowledge strengthen your national and global product strategy? Deploying across such diverse sugarcane regions taught our AI engine something invaluable: crop performance is hyperlocal, but patterns are learnable. We discovered: Water stress manifests very differently across India’s agro-ecologies—Tamil Nadu’s red soils, for instance, face rapid moisture loss and demand tighter irrigation cycles, whereas Uttar Pradesh’s deep alluvial plains retain water longer but are prone to seasonal saturation. Pest pressure, too, follows distinct regional rhythms, with infestation cycles often varying by four to six weeks between zones due to shifts in temperature, humidity, and cropping intensity. Even harvesting windows are no longer dictated by crop age alone; they are increasingly shaped by hyper-local microclimatic cues that determine sugar accumulation, moisture levels, and overall crop quality.This agroecological diversity strengthened our models exponentially. Our AI doesn't just predict sugarcane yields; it understands which interventions work where and why. This cross-geography learning is now our strategic asset—when we enter new crops or new countries, we're not starting from scratch. We're applying battle-tested intelligence frameworks that adapt to local conditions quickly. The 2030 Bet If you had to define Map My Crop in a single sentence in 2030, what would it be? And what bold strategic bet are you making today that the industry still misunderstands or undervalues? If I had to define Map My Crop in 2030 in one sentence: "Map My Crop is the global infrastructure for verified agricultural intelligence—the layer that makes every farm visible, every risk quantifiable, and every sustainability claim credible." The bold bet we're making today that the industry undervalues: That agricultural monitoring will become regulated infrastructure, like financial audits or food safety inspections. Governments, financial institutions, and supply chains will mandate continuous, third-party-verified crop and land-use monitoring within this decade. We're not building a product; we're building the rails that the future agricultural economy will run on. The industry still thinks this is a "nice-to-have" analytics tool. We know it's tomorrow's compliance requirement and competitive necessity. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3410/digitizing-sugar-guillermo-medina-llarena-on-new-economics-of-agrobiodiversity-and-trade.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3410/digitizing-sugar-guillermo-medina-llarena-on-new-economics-of-agrobiodiversity-and-trade.html Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:54:42 +0530 Agrospectrum presents an exclusive interview with Guillermo José Medina Llarena, Chief Digital & Analytics Officer at Pantaleon (PSH) and Lead at Stomata Labs, a division of Findability Sciences. In this wide-ranging conversation, he explains how Pantaleon is navigating tightening U.S. tariff-rate quotas by doubling down on customer relationships and quality-driven value addition rather than reactive market shifts. Medina outlines why proximity to the U.S. premium market remains an advantage even as the company expands strategically into Africa and the Middle East, aiming for 20 per cent export share in emerging demand centers by 2030. He delves into Pantaleon’s transformation into a tech-powered sugar major—moving beyond commodity pricing through AI-enabled diversification, green chemistry, and precision fermentation—while strengthening digital traceability and logistics intelligence amid Panama Canal constraints and freight volatility. Looking ahead to 2030, he envisions Pantaleon as a resilient, low-cost regional champion that leverages sugarcane’s carbon-capture efficiency and deep data insights to thrive in a future of declining sugar consumption but rising trade and climate complexity. A. Trade Strategy & Geopolitical Balancing From a portfolio perspective, how is Pantaleon re-optimizing market exposure as the U.S. tightens tariff-rate quotas and renegotiates regional preferences? From a portfolio perspective, Pantaleon views sugar as a foundational commodity where clear, equitable trade rules are essential for all participants. Rather than reactive re-optimization amid U.S. tariff-rate quota tightenings — we emphasize enduring strategies like deepening customer relationships and enhancing product quality through value-added offerings. This ensures resilience without necessitating major shifts, allowing us to sustain exposure while exploring complementary markets. Does the industry need to hedge against structural over-dependence on the United States — or is proximity to a premium market still a net advantage? The sugar industry operates at the intersection of local efficiencies and global dynamics, where hedging against over-dependence on any single market, including the United States, must be weighed against its advantages. Proximity to this premium market—yielding prices around $500+ per ton versus the global average of $400—remains a net positive for swift delivery and higher margins. Our strategy focuses on low-cost production, superior quality, and composure during periods of turbulence, avoiding drastic directional changes that could disrupt established efficiencies. Which emerging demand centers — Asia, the Middle East, Africa — are realistic diversification targets for Central American supply chains? Emerging demand centers in Africa and the Middle East represent viable diversification targets for Central American supply chains, driven by above-average consumption growth and a preference for high-quality products. These regions, with urbanization fueling demand at 4-5 per cent annually, align well with our capabilities; Pantaleon is already active there and plans measured expansion to capture 20 per cent of our export share by 2030, leveraging reliable logistics and certifications to build long-term partnerships. B. Competitive Edge & Supply Chain Intelligence Pantaleon operates one of the most advanced export supply chains in the region. Is digital traceability now a cost of compliance — or a market differentiator capable of commanding premiums? Digital traceability is transitioning from a mere compliance requirement to an industry norm, potentially evolving toward on-chain transactions for enhanced security and collaborative efficiency. While it may not yield sustained premiums or act as a long-term differentiator, we plan to integrate it seamlessly at minimal cost to support operational smoothness, ensuring it complements rather than burdens our processes. How do port infrastructure risks, Panama Canal constraints, and rising freight volatility reshape your contracting strategy ? Port infrastructure risks, Panama Canal constraints (e.g., transits reduced to 33 per day in 2025 due to droughts), and freight volatility (up 20 per cent year-over-year) underscore the need for data-driven agility in contracting. Greater visibility into logistics variables enables superior competitiveness; our approach prioritizes optimizing known factors over predicting unpredictable geopolitical or climatic events, fostering consistent, assertive decisions with a long-term mindset to outperform peers. C. Market Power & Pricing Architecture The global sugar trade is still largely commodity-priced. What is Pantaleon’s strategy to escape the commodity trap through segmentation — such as low-carbon sugar, specialty sweeteners, or identity-preserved lots? To escape the commodity trap, we recognize sugarcane's potential as an efficient energy crop and are advancing diversification through AI-enabled innovations, green chemicals, materials & supplies, and precision fermentation. This positions us to command premiums for segmented products, transforming traditional trade into value-driven opportunities. With volatility accelerating, do you foresee greater mill-consolidation and regional champions emerging to counterbalance Brazil’s dominance? Accelerating volatility is likely to spur greater mill consolidation, as seen in past agricultural trends, while emerging technologies could balance this with tokenization for broader investor alignment. Regional champions may emerge to counterbalance Brazil's 44 million ton dominance, fostering more inclusive and scalable structures in the industry. D. Digital Transformation as Trade Armor Where does AI-driven risk management make the strongest business case today — crop yields, mill efficiency, or market intelligence? AI-driven risk management delivers the strongest business case through holistic value chain optimization—from enhancing crop yields and mill efficiency to securing margins—ensuring comprehensive risk mitigation in volatile environments. E. Security of Supply & Climate Risk The Gulf of Mexico and Central American corridor is increasingly disaster-prone. Could water scarcity force a regional pivot in planting zones — shifting the competitive map of cane production by 2035? In disaster-prone regions like the Gulf of Mexico and Central America, water scarcity (projected to rise by 2050) could necessitate pivots in planting zones by 2035. Enhanced anticipation capabilities will reveal optimal decisions, determining sustained competitiveness in a shifting production landscape. Climate is a non-controllable aspect of farming; thus we focus more in making the best optimization decisions with the given climatic conditions. Closing Vision What does Pantaleon 2030 look like in a world where sugar consumption is falling but trade complexity and technology intensity are rising? Pantaleon in 2030 envisions a resilient leader preserving core competencies in cane production, harvesting, sugar recovery, and logistics while embracing technology-driven diversification into AI, new chemistry, materials, and food innovations. In a world of declining sugar consumption but rising trade complexity, sugarcane's inherent carbon-capture efficiency will remain a planetary advantage, enabling harmony and efficacy in sustainable operations. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3384/agrofresh-extends-parnership-for-ai-imaging-and-orchard-analysis-with-aerobotics-and-neolithics.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3384/agrofresh-extends-parnership-for-ai-imaging-and-orchard-analysis-with-aerobotics-and-neolithics.html Mon, 10 Nov 2025 13:57:31 +0530 Integration reinforces FreshCloud as the industry's most connected, high-quality digital ecosystem - AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. , a global leader in post-harvest freshness solutions, continues to expand its FreshCloud ™ digital ecosystem through two strategic global partnerships. Collaborations with Aerobotics , a leader in orchard and packing plant analytics, and Neolithics ™, a pioneer in AI-powered quality inspection, position FreshCloud as the most comprehensive digital platform for quality management of fresh produce and the supply chain in the fruit and vegetable industry. By aggregating real-time data from multiple sources, FreshCloud offers more options at every stage of the fresh produce supply chain for digitally integrated quality measurements. Leveraging its existing partnerships with sensor innovators Rubens Technologies , Strella , and Escavox , AgroFresh continues to expand its connected sensor platform for post-harvest management. This expanding ecosystem empowers growers, packers, and retailers to make faster, data-driven decisions to reduce waste, improve quality, and increase profit potential. "AgroFresh is committed to building the most holistic and connected digital platform for fresh produce," said Bradford Warner, Head of Digital Solutions at AgroFresh. "With the integration of partners like Aerobotics and Neolithics, FreshCloud now connects orchard intelligence to the packing center like never before." Accurate productivity data with TrueFruit® from Aerobotics. AgroFresh's partnership with Aerobotics integrates several TrueFruit® modules into FreshCloud™, providing orchard and packing center intelligence powered by AI. Using computer vision and AI-powered analysis of images captured by smartphones, Aerobotics enables growers to: To accurately and objectively measure the size, color, and quality of fruits. Improve harvest planning with accurate size predictions, imperfection detection, and color-based sorting models. Monitor quality with standardized measurements, from the orchard to the packing plant. Visualize productivity data in one place for informed decisions that increase packaged volumes by an average of 1-5%, delivering more than 10 times the return on investment for commercial customers. “Aerobotics has always focused on empowering growers and packers with highly accurate yield data,” said James Paterson, CEO of Aerobotics. “We are excited to partner with AgroFresh, a key leader in our industry, to offer TrueFruit® to more customers and combine the power of our technology with FreshCloud™. Together, these solutions seamlessly extend orchard insights to the post-harvest stage, providing data continuity and improving decisions across the entire value chain.” State-of-the-art quality control with Neolithics With Neolithics integrated into AgroFresh's FreshCloud, packers have access to technology that offers quality assurance compatible with the speed and scale of the modern packing plant, transforming inspection into a source of trust rather than risk. Image with Neolithics AI technology: It offers high-performance inspection, from one kilogram per minute for berries to more than six tons per hour for avocados, scanning each unit for internal and external quality. It measures essential parameters such as Brix, acidity, and dry matter, while detecting hidden internal and surface defects. It completes this process without destroying a single piece of fruit, with over 90% accuracy. "We want to empower customers to protect their products through large-scale, non-destructive quality inspections, reducing waste and creating greater transparency from field to shelf," said Kate Murray, CEO of Neolithics. "We are excited to integrate with AgroFresh and its FreshCloud ecosystem to realize our shared vision of a more sustainable and transparent food chain." ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3377/2030-vision-arya-ag-aims-for-worlds-most-climate-resilient-grain-network.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3377/2030-vision-arya-ag-aims-for-worlds-most-climate-resilient-grain-network.html Fri, 07 Nov 2025 12:58:40 +0530 In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Shenoy Mathew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Arya.ag, highlights how its SmartAG Award 2025 is more than recognition—it is validation of a climate-resilient grain commerce model already operating at national scale. By embedding sustainability into everyday storage, finance, and trading systems, the company is delivering measurable climate gains and income stability to over 800,000 smallholder farmers across 425+ districts. Women-led Smart Farm Centres and technologies like the AryaQ AI grain quality device are transforming trust, transparency, and decision-making in rural markets. With patient, impact-aligned capital and global adaptation potential, Arya.ag is positioning itself at the nexus of profitability and planetary resilience. Looking ahead to 2030, the company envisions climate risk management and data-backed empowerment as built-in features of every grain transaction—setting a new benchmark for post-harvest systems globally. From Recognition to Scale: Arya.ag has been recognised with the SmartAG Award 2025 for embedding climate resilience into India’s grain commerce. Awards are accolades—but how does this recognition translate into real-world acceleration for farmers, investors, and the broader agri-value chain? The recognition affirms that climate resilience can be built into agricultural systems that already function at scale, without requiring parallel structures or new layers of complexity. What it brings is not just visibility, but validation of a model that integrates profitability, inclusion, and environmental responsibility into the everyday mechanics of post-harvest grain management. Arya.ag has focused on embedding sustainability into existing systems, ensuring that storage, finance, and market access deliver environmental returns as naturally as they deliver economic ones. Over the past year alone, our decentralised network helped avoid post-harvest loss of more than 210,320 metric tonnes of foodgrain. Preserving this grain prevented an estimated 233,603 tonnes of carbon emissions, conserved 91.4 billion litres of water, and eliminated the need for 16,826 tonnes of fertiliser. These outcomes are not incidental, they are a direct result of improving storage and market access for farmers across more than 425 districts. For farmers, this translates into fewer distress sales and greater flexibility in timing their transactions. For investors, it signals a scalable, data-driven model that aligns impact and return. And for the broader agri-value chain, it shows that climate responsiveness does not have to rely on specialised interventions, it can emerge through operational efficiency and deeper participation from the smallest actors in the system. The Smallholder Lens: India’s agricultural backbone remains smallholder farmers, many of them climate-vulnerable. How do Smart Farm Centres bridge the gap between hyperlocal realities—erratic rainfall, fragmented landholdings—and advanced technologies like AI, drones, and real-time weather advisories? Smallholder farming operates within constraints that are both structural and climatic. The Smart Farm Centres were designed to respond to these conditions by creating access to technology and information where they are needed most. Each centre serves as a rural hub that connects farmers to services such as soil testing, drone spraying, and hyperlocal weather forecasting. These services are not standalone activities; they function together to improve decision-making at every stage of the cropping cycle. For Instance In Bundelkhand, farmers have used weather data from these centres to plan their harvest windows and reduce exposure to untimely rainfall. In Sitapur, drone spraying has improved the precision of pesticide application, lowering costs and minimising environmental exposure. In districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, soil testing has helped farmers calibrate their fertiliser use more efficiently. The centres are operated by women from the same communities who are trained to deliver these services, which ensures trust, reliability, and continuity. This model allows climate-relevant tools to become part of everyday practice rather than occasional interventions. Tech as a Trust Builder: AryaQ’s AI-powered grain quality device brings radical transparency to procurement and pricing. In a market often plagued by mistrust and middlemen, how is technology reshaping the farmer–buyer relationship, and do you see this model becoming a new standard across emerging markets? Trust in agricultural markets has historically depended on physical inspection and subjective assessment. AryaQ introduces a data-driven approach to measuring grain quality that makes the process faster, more reliable, and easier to replicate across locations. The device uses computer vision to assess factors such as grain size, breakage, and the presence of fungal elements. The results are available instantly, even in areas without continuous connectivity, which makes it suitable for remote markets. As both sides have access to identical data, there is greater transparency in pricing and fewer disputes. This change strengthens relationships and encourages repeat transactions. Given its adaptability, AryaQ can be calibrated for a range of commodities and geographies, which makes it relevant beyond India’s borders. The Women-led Edge: The Smart Farm Centres are run by women Community Value Chain Resource Persons. Beyond inclusion, what structural advantages does a women-led model bring to grain commerce, and can this approach be scaled without diluting impact? The presence of women as operational leaders within Smart Farm Centres has added a layer of trust and continuity that is essential in rural systems. These women are drawn from the same localities they serve, which gives them a strong understanding of the agricultural calendar, the challenges of smallholder farming, and the patterns of local trade. Their involvement has led to greater participation from farmers and has improved the adoption of services related to quality assessment, sorting, and storage. In Maharashtra, women-led sourcing units have reduced produce rejection rates by almost 30 percent at the collection stage. This improvement directly affects farmer incomes and reduces post-harvest losses. To ensure that the model grows responsibly, Arya.ag invests in training and performance monitoring, with a focus on building long-term professional capacity. As the network expands, the objective is not only to increase numbers but also to preserve the quality and reliability that make this structure effective. Climate and Capital: You’ve positioned Arya.ag at the intersection of climate resilience and economic resilience. What kind of capital—impact, venture, institutional—is best aligned with scaling this model, and how do you balance profitability with sustainability when most agri-tech startups struggle to break even? Capital that understands the cycles and risks of agriculture is most suitable for models such as ours. Arya.ag’s operations are built on commercially viable services that reduce inefficiencies rather than depend on temporary funding. We manage close to seven million tonnes of agricultural produce through our decentralised network across more than 425 districts, which provides both reach and depth in understanding rural markets. The capital that aligns with this vision is patient and impact-oriented but also disciplined about financial performance. Investors such as responsAbility and the US International Development Finance Corporation have supported Arya.ag because they recognise that environmental benefits and economic efficiency emerge together when systems are designed well. The balance between sustainability and profitability is achieved by ensuring that each intervention, whether in storage, finance, or quality assessment creates measurable value for every participant in the value chain. Global Relevance: With 11,000 digitised warehouses and a network spanning 800,000 farmers, Arya.ag is already India’s largest integrated grain commerce platform. How transferable is your Smart Farm Centre model to Africa, Southeast Asia, or Latin America, where climate shocks and smallholder fragmentation mirror India’s challenges? The fundamental issues faced by smallholders in India are similar to those observed in several other parts of the world. Limited storage near farms, inconsistent quality standards, and poor access to working capital are common constraints. The Smart Farm Centre model is structured to be modular so that it can adapt to different agricultural and climatic contexts. Each component such as soil testing, digital quality assessment, or credit linkage can be introduced independently and scaled based on demand and infrastructure. In collaboration with partners in East Africa, we are exploring ways to adapt this model to local crops and climatic conditions. The ability to train community-based facilitators and the flexibility of tools like AryaQ make replication feasible. However, success depends on tailoring delivery mechanisms to local institutions and farmer networks, rather than exporting the Indian experience directly. The aim is to share knowledge and process design while allowing each geography to build its own form of resilience. The Long View: If we fast-forward to 2030, what does success look like for Arya.ag? Is it about doubling farmer incomes, embedding climate risk management into every transaction, or becoming a blueprint for grain systems transformation globally? By 2030, success for Arya.ag would be defined by the strength and stability of the systems that smallholders rely on after harvest. It would mean that every farmer using our platform can store their produce safely, understand its quality, access credit based on that stored value, and sell it when conditions are favourable. These capabilities lead to income stability and reduced exposure to climate and market shocks. At present, Arya.ag serves more than 800,000 farmers through a network of 11,000 digitised warehouses and over 1,600 Farmer Producer Organisations. Over the next five years, our focus is on deepening these relationships and embedding data-backed transparency across every transaction. The goal is not to create a blueprint for others to copy but to demonstrate that a balanced system, one that values both livelihoods and resources can endure and grow in the face of climate uncertainty. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3374/role-of-mancozeb-in-safeguarding-grapes-global-food-security.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3374/role-of-mancozeb-in-safeguarding-grapes-global-food-security.html Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:33:57 +0530 The agriculture sector, known for its high-value fruits and significant export potential, is facing a convergence of agronomic, economic, and regulatory pressures. On October 13, a distinguished panel of scientists, industry leaders, and regulatory experts convened virtually to discuss the multifaceted role of Mancozeb in sustainable agriculture, in Agrospectrum webinar titled - The Future of Mancozeb: Science, Stewardship, and Global Food Security. The webinar examined the fungicide’s scientific attributes, its integration into disease management programs, regulatory trends, and its broader implications for farm profitability and food security.  The virtually held discussions underscored that fungicide stewardship is no longer merely a technical matter; it is intricately linked to growers’ livelihoods, market access, and global food stability.  Economic Lessons from Disease Modeling The session commenced with a presentation by Dr Kaushik Banerjee, FRSC, FNAAS, Director of ICAR-NRC for Grapes and Honorary Professor at Queen's University Belfast and the University of Laval, Canada. Dr Banerjee framed the discussion by highlighting the economic and systemic impacts of grape disease outbreaks. Using advanced agronomic modeling, he demonstrated that fungal infections, particularly under high-pressure disease scenarios, can trigger cascading effects on farm profitability, regional supply chains, and even international markets. His analysis emphasised that targeted fungicide programs, including those employing Mancozeb, are not merely preventive measures at the field level but essential tools for stabilising grower income and maintaining global food security. "Every outbreak of grape disease is not just a threat to individual farms—it sends shockwaves through regional supply chains, export markets, and farmer livelihoods. Strategic fungicide programs, including judicious use of Mancozeb, are critical investments. Timely, science-driven interventions safeguard yields, stabilize income, and ensure that agriculture continues to feed both people and economies sustainably." – Dr Kaushik Banerjee, FRSC, FNAAS, Director of ICAR-NRC for Grapes and Honorary Professor at Queen's University Belfast and the University of Laval, Canada Dr Banerjee illustrated that under certain high-incidence conditions, the absence of an effective fungicide program could result in yield losses exceeding 30 to 40 percent, with downstream effects on pricing, processing capacity, and export viability. He stressed that investments in fungicide programs, though an upfront cost, are economically justified when considering the potential revenue losses avoided and the risk mitigation achieved.  Ensuring Safe Access to Mancozeb Worldwide Following Dr Banerjee’s presentation, the discussion shifted to regulatory science and risk assessment. Richard Mills, Global Director of Trade and Government Affairs at UPL, provided a comprehensive overview of the evolving global regulatory landscape for fungicides. Mills articulated the distinction between risk-based and hazard-based regulatory frameworks, emphasising that risk-based assessments evaluate the probability and impact of exposure under realistic use conditions, whereas hazard-based approaches may restrict chemicals based solely on intrinsic properties without contextual application data. He further elaborated on the importance of personal protective equipment compliance, residue monitoring, and data-driven stewardship programs to maintain both domestic and international access to Mancozeb. "Regulatory frameworks are only as effective as the practices behind them. Risk-based assessments let us evaluate real-world exposure, while hazard-based approaches can be overly restrictive. By combining compliance, PPE, residue monitoring, and proactive stewardship, we ensure safe, responsible use of Mancozeb, protecting both public health and growers’ market access across diverse international jurisdictions." –Richard Mills, Global Director of Trade and Government Affairs at UPL Mills highlighted that harmonizing regulatory compliance across countries is essential for exporters, as maximum residue limits (MRLs) vary widely across jurisdictions. He stressed that proactive engagement with regulators, transparent record-keeping, and adherence to recommended application practices are vital to safeguarding market access while ensuring public safety.  How Tech is Revolutionising Disease Control Building upon the regulatory perspective, Sandeep Jagtap, Senior Business Development Manager at Ross LifeScience, addressed the integration of Mancozeb into Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies and the role of digital agriculture. Jagtap elaborated on how precision tools, including digital disease forecasting models, remote monitoring platforms, and app-based advisory services, allow growers to optimise fungicide use, ensuring applications are timely and necessary, thereby minimizing both economic and environmental costs. He underscored that combining chemical interventions with cultural practices such as canopy management, crop rotation, and resistant varieties enhances the sustainability and effectiveness of disease control programs. "Integrating Mancozeb into IPM isn’t just about spraying—it’s about precision, timing, and sustainability. Digital tools like disease forecasting and remote monitoring help growers apply fungicides only when necessary, reducing costs and environmental impact. When combined with cultural practices like canopy management and resistant varieties, these strategies optimize yield, protect the ecosystem, and make viticulture smarter for every scale of farming." – Sandeep Jagtap, Senior Business Development Manager at Ross LifeScience By demonstrating case studies where digital tools helped reduce fungicide usage without compromising yield, Jagtap highlighted that technology adoption in viticulture can be scaled to support both large commercial growers and smaller farmers, providing actionable insights that translate into improved farm profitability and environmental stewardship.   Collaborative Approaches to Fungicide Stewardship Concluding the speaker presentations, Amiya Kumar Bartia, Strategic Marketing Head at Indofil, shared the industry’s perspective on stewardship and sustainable crop protection strategies. Bartia emphasized that ensuring responsible access to Mancozeb requires multi-level collaboration among growers, industry stakeholders, and regulators. He described initiatives such as educational outreach programs, grower training sessions, and digital monitoring tools that reinforce proper application practices and adherence to safety protocols. "Responsible access to Mancozeb demands collaboration across growers, industry, and regulators. Stewardship isn’t just compliance—it’s a strategic imperative. Through training, outreach, and digital monitoring, we ensure safe, effective application while safeguarding market continuity. By building trust and engagement, we balance crop protection, environmental responsibility, and social accountability, promoting sustainable practices in high-value horticulture." –Amiya Kumar Bartia, Strategic Marketing Head at Indofil Bartia noted that stewardship programs are not merely regulatory obligations but strategic imperatives that secure long-term market continuity and support sustainable agricultural systems. By fostering trust and engagement between stakeholders, the industry aims to balance crop protection needs with environmental and social responsibility, illustrating a pragmatic approach to chemical management in high-value horticulture. Following the formal presentations, the webinar hosted a dynamic Q&A session, providing participants an opportunity to engage directly with the expert panel. Key questions centered on practical challenges, including managing resistance to single-site fungicides, navigating divergent international MRLs, adopting digital forecasting tools, and understanding the cost-benefit dynamics of fungicide programs. In addressing resistance concerns, Dr Banerjee recommended adherence to rotation strategies and integration of multi-site fungicides like Mancozeb into IPM programs. Richard Mills responded to regulatory queries, emphasizing the necessity of maintaining meticulous residue records and proactively engaging with trade authorities to navigate changing international standards. When participants inquired about digital adoption among smallholder farmers, Sandeep Jagtap highlighted the scalability of mobile-based platforms and cloud-supported advisory services that enable data-driven decision-making even for resource-constrained growers. Dr Banerjee quantified the economic benefits of preventive fungicide programs, showing that costs incurred are substantially offset by avoided yield losses, revenue stabilization, and mitigation of downstream market risks. Finally, Bartia discussed the components of effective stewardship, including transparent application practices, grower partnerships, and continuous monitoring, which collectively ensure responsible fungicide use while safeguarding the environment. Several overarching themes emerged from the discussion. First, Mancozeb remains an indispensable tool in grape disease management, particularly in regions facing high disease pressure. Its multi-site activity not only provides immediate disease control but also preserves the efficacy of other fungicides, underpinning the sustainability of crop protection programs. Second, agronomic and economic modeling validates the cost-effectiveness of fungicide interventions, highlighting that upfront expenditure on well-planned programs mitigates larger financial risks from yield losses, quality deterioration, and compromised market access. Third, regulatory vigilance and proactive stewardship are crucial to ensuring safe, compliant access to fungicides in a rapidly evolving global trade environment. Fourth, the integration of digital agriculture and IPM enhances both efficacy and sustainability, enabling precision application, reducing environmental impact, and supporting data-driven farm management. Finally, collaborative industry frameworks, which align growers, regulatory bodies, and companies, are essential for maintaining market continuity, promoting responsible chemical use, and reinforcing sustainable agricultural practices. The webinar also underscored the broader implications of fungicide management beyond the vineyard. By mitigating disease losses and supporting yield stability, effective fungicide programs contribute to food security, particularly in regions dependent on horticultural exports for economic and nutritional resilience. In addition, the discussions highlighted that responsible fungicide stewardship intersects with environmental goals, including reduction of chemical overuse, protection of soil and water quality, and mitigation of pesticide resistance. As the agricultural sector navigates the dual pressures of climate variability and intensifying disease outbreaks, the integrated strategies discussed in this webinar offer a blueprint for sustainable crop protection. Participants and speakers alike noted that the convergence of scientific knowledge, regulatory compliance, economic modeling, and digital innovation is reshaping the landscape of viticulture. Mancozeb’s role, while sometimes viewed through the lens of regulatory scrutiny, remains pivotal in maintaining both productivity and market viability. The insights shared during the webinar demonstrate that strategic, data-driven approaches to fungicide use can yield multifaceted benefits, reinforcing economic resilience for growers, sustaining export markets, and protecting public health and the environment. The dialogue also highlighted the importance of ongoing education, capacity building, and collaboration among all stakeholders, as sustainable crop protection requires continuous adaptation to evolving challenges and opportunities. In conclusion, the Mancozeb stewardship webinar successfully illuminated the complex, interconnected dimensions of modern grape cultivation. The expert panel provided a comprehensive analysis of agronomic strategies, regulatory frameworks, digital innovations, and stewardship initiatives, offering actionable insights for growers, industry participants, and policymakers. The integration of scientific rigor, economic modeling, and regulatory understanding demonstrated that sustainable crop protection is achievable when multi-disciplinary approaches are applied thoughtfully and collaboratively. By emphasizing responsible fungicide use, digital integration, and stakeholder engagement, the webinar charted a pragmatic path forward for safeguarding grape yields, ensuring market access, and contributing to global food security. The discussions reaffirmed that effective disease management is not merely a technical endeavor but a critical component of resilient agricultural systems capable of meeting both economic and nutritional demands in a rapidly changing world. ---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3348/malaysias-agroz-unveils-ai-driven-food-infrastructure-strategy-to-upgrade-vertical-farm-systems.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3348/malaysias-agroz-unveils-ai-driven-food-infrastructure-strategy-to-upgrade-vertical-farm-systems.html Mon, 27 Oct 2025 11:17:24 +0530 Agroz OS, Built on Microsoft Azure's AI Stack, Integrates Patented Vertical Farm Systems to Create a Scalable "Food Infrastructure" Platform Agroz Inc. announced a new phase of growth that redefines agriculture as a high-performing, technology-enabled asset class. Built on Microsoft Azure's AI infrastructure, Agroz combines automation, artificial intelligence, and sustainable design through its proprietary Agroz OS platform to create scalable, data-driven food production systems that deliver environmental impact and investment value. Agroz is advancing a new category of agriculture in which food production functions as distributed infrastructure: modular, measurable, and investable. Its first commercial offering, co-developed with Harvest Today, LLC, the developer of the patented Harvest Wall™ technology, demonstrates how vertical, AI-orchestrated environments can deliver pesticide-free produce closer to consumption hubs while reducing resource intensity. This approach aligns agriculture with the principles of infrastructure investment, offering predictable yields, ESG value, and long-term scalability for institutional partners seeking exposure to sustainable assets. "We are building agriculture into the next great infrastructure class. With strong government incentives and the rapid adoption of agri-tech, this is the right time to show how technology, sustainability, and capital can work together to generate lasting economic and environmental returns," Gerard Lim, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Agroz. Technology Platform: Building the Future of AI-Enabled Agri-Tech The Agroz OS platform integrates automation, data analytics, and energy optimization across all Agroz installations. It will also power future AI-enabled products currently in development, including Agroz Copilot, an intelligent assistant that provides real-time recommendations and predictive analytics to optimize operations. Together, these technologies form the foundation of Agroz's vision to build an expanding portfolio of AI-driven agricultural systems designed to increase productivity, lower costs, and accelerate sustainable food access. Agroz's growth momentum reflects the scalability of its vertically integrated business model, which spans Design & Build, Operations & Management, Technology (Agroz OS), and Product Commercialization divisions. The Company's sustainability strategy aligns with 10 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has earned recognition from UNDP Malaysia's SDG Investor Map, ESG Malaysia, and national awards, including the Best Agrotechnology Award (2024) and Emerging Brand Legend Award (2024). Further strengthening this trajectory, Malaysia's Budget 2026 introduces a 10-year income tax exemption for new agricultural ventures, underscoring strong government support for innovation and sustainable infrastructure. This policy, combined with Agroz's proprietary technology and ESG alignment, reinforces agriculture's position as a resilient and high-value asset class for institutional and long-term investors. What's Next: Scaling Agriculture as an Asset Class Infrastructure Expansion: Deploying modular, AI-integrated systems across Malaysia and key Asia-Pacific markets. AI Innovation: Launching next-generation analytics and automation tools built on Agroz OS. Investor Engagement: Leveraging policy incentives to attract ESG-aligned and institutional investors seeking sustainable, technology-based growth. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3335/americas-next-frontier-unlocking-africas-3-4t-agribusiness-market.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3335/americas-next-frontier-unlocking-africas-3-4t-agribusiness-market.html Thu, 16 Oct 2025 15:31:04 +0530 In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Brent Boydston, Founder, Ag Center Solutions outlined how U.S. agribusiness can seize Africa’s $3.4 trillion AfCFTA opportunity. Feed grains, soy, and DDGS are prime entry points, but success hinges on relationship-driven partnerships, not just transactions. He stressed the need for investments in smallholder modernization, mechanization, and digital agtech to boost productivity and resilience. Boydston also called for next-generation trade frameworks that combine IP protection, technology transfer, and carbon-credit access. Africa’s low-input, biodiversity-aligned farming models, he noted, offer critical lessons for sustainable growth. Strategic collaboration, he concluded, can transform Africa into a hub for high-value food production and U.S.–Africa agricultural synergy. I. Market Potential & Geopolitics Africa’s Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents a $3.4 trillion market. From your perspective, what segments of agribusiness—inputs, processing, logistics, retail—are most attractive for U.S. companies to enter first? From my perspective, feed grains such as corn, sorghum, DDGS from ethanol production, soybeans, and soybean meal represent the most attractive first entry points into African markets. Feed demand for the continent’s expanding poultry and livestock industries continues to rise, and population growth will only intensify the need for affordable protein. Market entry will not be without challenges, differing regulatory requirements across the continent will need to be navigated, but these can be addressed through engagement and partnership. The U.S. is late to Africa compared to China, Brazil, and increasingly India. What does America need to do differently to avoid being boxed out of Africa’s agricultural future ? U.S. businesses need to recognize and seize the opportunities emerging in Africa. Companies must understand that African nations and their people want to partner with American firms, but success requires relationship building rather than transactional thinking. Business in Africa is fundamentally relationship-based. U.S. firms must invest in learning the cultures of the countries where they operate, which is entirely achievable with the right guidance. They should also collaborate with established U.S. government entities active in Africa such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) and with cooperators like the U.S. Grains and Bioproducts Council and the United Soybean Export Council. Both have strong local networks across the continent and can play a key role in facilitating market entry and building lasting partnerships. II. Investment & Capital Flows African agriculture still receives less than 5 per cent of total FDI inflows. Where can U.S. venture capital and private equity make the most immediate impact—financing smallholder resilience, scaling agtech, or building midstream infrastructure? Smallholder resilience, agtech scale-up, and midstream infrastructure are all vital investment avenues, but one area often overlooked is agricultural education paired with modernization. Farming practices in many African regions lag for several reasons, limited access to capital, weak risk-management tools, insufficient training in modern methods, and regulatory systems that are sometimes influenced by outside pressures rather than science. Take genetically modified organisms (GMOs), for example. Since their adoption in the U.S. in the mid-1990s, GMO crops have helped drive a transition from heavy tillage to minimum- or no-till systems, conserving soil and reducing input use. Yet in several African nations, bans on GMO seed cultivation or import prevent farmers from accessing these technologies and the benefits they bring in pest resistance, yield improvement, and soil protection. Investment that supports education, modernization, and science-based regulation would have immediate and lasting impact. III. Supply Chains & Infrastructure Africa faces a paradox: it holds 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land but imports $75 billion in food annually. Where can U.S. companies intervene most effectively—fertiliser supply, mechanisation, grain storage, cold chain? U.S. companies can make an immediate difference by strengthening fertilizer supply chains, investing in farm mechanization services, and developing modern grain-storage and cold-chain infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses. These interventions not only increase productivity but also improve food security and the profitability of local producers. With the U.S. pushing for “friend-shoring” and resilient supply chains, can Africa realistically become a hub for U.S. agri-commodity processing and re-export into global markets? Africa is uniquely positioned to become an exporter of food and processed agricultural products. Large-scale production for the EU already makes Europe one of Africa’s top export destinations, while trade ties with India and other Asian markets continue to deepen. With a growing egg and broiler industry, African nations have the opportunity to expand value-added food production while importing feed grains from the United States. When paired with education and technology transfer, currently uncultivated lands could be brought into sustainable production allowing Africa to export higher-value commodities to its key markets. IV. Technology & Innovation Digital platforms in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa are redefining input distribution and farmer credit. Where can U.S. tech giants and agri-startups collaborate to leapfrog Africa into next-generation farming ecosystems? Technology and innovation go hand in hand, and Africa is poised to lead in digital agriculture. Internet access has expanded rapidly, a 115 per cent increase in Sub-Saharan Africa between 2016 and 2022, and this connectivity creates opportunities for improved efficiency and integration with global market. U.S. agri-tech startups should look to Africa not only as a market but as a collaborative partner for developing scalable digital solutions. Whether in AI-driven crop consulting, digital finance platforms, or precision-farming applications, the continent’s young, tech-savvy population offers fertile ground for next-generation agricultural innovation. V. Policy & Trade Architecture AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) is set to expire in 2025. What kind of next-generation U.S.–Africa trade framework would best unlock agribusiness potential? While it remains uncertain whether the U.S. Congress or Administration will renew or replace AGOA, that uncertainty will likely drive some African nations to pursue bilateral trade agreements with the United States or to pivot toward other markets. Fortunately, a foundation already exists: the U.S. has a full free-trade agreement (FTA) with Morocco; a Trade & Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the East African Community (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan); and multiple other TIFAs and Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) across the continent. These frameworks provide blueprints for deeper engagement between African nations and the United States. They can also help offset the loss of AGOA by encouraging commercial linkages between countries that already have agreements with the U.S. and those that do not. Are tariff concessions and export incentives enough—or do we need more holistic agreements covering knowledge transfer, IP, and carbon credits for regenerative farming? More comprehensive agreements are needed beyond tariff concessions or export incentives. Global integration requires frameworks that protect intellectual property and facilitate technology exchange while ensuring fair access to emerging markets like carbon credits. For example, to receive carbon credits, farmers must conduct soil sampling and meet strict verification requirements, activities that generate valuable data. That data should remain the property of the farmers who create it, reflecting their knowledge and stewardship. At the same time, they need access to improved tools, such as corn seed varieties designed for maximum carbon sequestration. Protecting the intellectual property behind those seeds and precision-agriculture systems is vital. Formal trade agreements can safeguard both farmers’ rights and corporate innovation, maximizing benefits for all parties. VI. Sustainability & Climate Diplomacy What lessons can Africa teach the U.S. about low-input, biodiversity-aligned farming models—and how can that shape bilateral partnerships? Though the U.S. and African farm sectors differ in scale and technology, they share a common goal: producing food sustainably for a growing population. Increasingly, African nations are turning to the United States for guidance on boosting production while conserving natural resources. A good example is the U.S.-based consulting company Sustainable Agricultural Solutions for Africa, which has worked in Ghana, Rwanda, and Kenya to transfer U.S. know-how on sustainable practices. These collaborations demonstrate a strong mutual interest in sharing best practices and are critical to shaping future bilateral partnerships. They provide tangible proof that sustainability can be achieved through cooperation and knowledge exchange on both sides of the Atlantic. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3333/ai-in-agriculture-sustainable-path-to-climate-resilient-farming.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3333/ai-in-agriculture-sustainable-path-to-climate-resilient-farming.html Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:47:50 +0530 In this thought-provoking piece, Guillermo Medina, Chief Digital Officer at Pantaleon Sugar Holdings and Lead at Stomata Labs, envisions a world where farms evolve from sustaining humanity to actively healing the planet. He explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming agriculture—from integrating fragmented data to delivering prescriptive, real-time insights that boost efficiency and yields. The article highlights AI’s synergy with regenerative practices such as biochar application and microbial soil enrichment, revealing how data-driven strategies can enhance carbon sequestration and soil health. Medina argues that AI empowers farmers to make smarter, evidence-based decisions, turning uncertainty into resilience amid climate volatility. Ultimately, he calls for a shift from extraction to regeneration, where technology and nature co-create a sustainable, abundant agricultural future. Imagine a world where farms not only sustain billions but also heal the planet. As climate change increases—bringing weather volatility, droughts, and floods—agriculture faces important challenges. Yet, amid these challenges lies a powerful ally: artificial intelligence (AI). Far from a futuristic gimmick, AI is already transforming farming into a resilient, sustainable force. But how does it work? And why should those in the agri space embrace this digital shift? Let's explore the journey, sparking that inner curiosity to rethink traditional practices. AI's role in agriculture isn't a sudden leap; it's a natural evolution. It starts with unifying scattered data—from satellite & sensors to weather reports—into coherent insights. Descriptive statistics follow, describing a picture of what's happening on the ground. Then comes the "why"—analytics uncovering patterns in crop growth or yield dips. Prediction takes it further, forecasting outcomes like weed & pest outbreaks. Ultimately, AI reaches prescriptive levels, advising "what to do" for optimal results. This progression mirrors how humans learn: observe, understand, predict, act. In practice, AI-driven precision agriculture uses tools like GPS and automation to boost efficiency, reducing waste and enhancing productivity. Studies show AI can increase crop yields by up to 25 per cent by optimizing inputs like water and fertilizers. The market reflects this momentum, projected to grow from $1.7 billion in 2023 to $4.7 billion by 2028. Isn't it intriguing how data, once unified, becomes a roadmap to smarter farming? At the center of this transformation is agriculture's symbiotic dance with nature. Plants, through photosynthesis, capture atmospheric carbon dioxide, converting it into biomass while releasing oxygen—essential for human life. This interdependence calls for wiser collaboration: prioritizing healthy soils teeming with fungi and bacteria. We've seen promising explorations with biochar—a charcoal-like substance from biomass pyrolysis—combined with bioengineering. Biochar enhances soil fertility, nutrient retention, and water-holding capacity, fostering microbial habitats that boost plant growth. As a bonus, it sequesters carbon long-term, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Healthy soils can store two to three times more organic carbon than the atmosphere, with potential to sequester over a billion additional tons annually through sustainable practices. Regenerative farming, aided by these methods, could lock away up to 5 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year until 2050. This naturally cuts reliance on petroleum-based fertilizers, as microbial activity recycles nutrients more efficiently. Ongoing data collection and AI verification at Stomata Labs are refining these combinations, turning trial-and-error into evidence-based strategies. Plants in vibrant soils grow faster, capturing more carbon while building biomass—essentially carbon rearranged into life-sustaining structures. Nature's elegance is evident here: higher growth rates mean greater carbon drawdown, with global croplands holding potential for 29 to 65 petagrams of additional soil carbon storage. But why stop at growth? This biomass opens doors to innovative transformations—biofuels for clean energy, green chemicals & supplies for eco-friendly industries. Picture turning crop residues into sustainable alternatives, harmonizing agribusiness with planetary health. The opportunities we envision are abundant. It's a shift from extraction to regeneration, where farming becomes a natural climate solution. AI amplifies this by driving operational excellence. It's about delivering the right data at the right time, empowering people to make informed choices. Digital assistants will guide attention where needed, saving time. Meanwhile, digital guardians monitor processes, questioning actions to optimize outcomes—from seed selection to harvest. AI recommends precise water and fertilizer amounts and timing, minimizing waste and ensuring robust crop development. This isn't a one-off fix; it's a journey, evolving with each season's lessons. In agronomy, where climate volatility wreaks havoc, AI assists in placing "educated bets." It analyzes data to guide replanting, weed and pest control, and fertilization—critical decisions that can make or break yields and companies. By adopting regenerative practices like nutrient management, AI helps mitigate risks, turning uncertainty into opportunity. Success hinges on curiosity and discipline: building robust data models, then verifying them against real-world agricultural processes. Failure? It's part of the growth, teaching resilience and refinement. This mindset fosters innovation, blending technology with nature's wisdom. As we face a changing world, AI offers agriculture a path to resilience—not just surviving but thriving in harmony with the planet. It sparks awareness of our interdependence with soils and plants, inspiring a digital transformation that feels both urgent and achievable. What if your farm could capture more carbon, yield more, and innovate endlessly? The journey starts with curiosity—exploring tools, data, and partnerships that turn possibilities into reality. In this evolving landscape, the ag community has the power to lead, leaving a legacy of abundance for generations. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3313/appier-and-vitadairy-forge-strategic-partnership-to-accelerate-ai-driven-digital-growth.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3313/appier-and-vitadairy-forge-strategic-partnership-to-accelerate-ai-driven-digital-growth.html Fri, 10 Oct 2025 10:58:00 +0530 Vietnam's dairy market was valued at USD 5.71 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 13.37 billion by 2033, with a CAGR of 9.5% from 2025 to 2033. Appier, an AI-native SaaS company specializing in advanced AdTech and MarTech solutions, announced a strategic partnership with VitaDairy, Vietnam's leading immunity-focused dairy brand. The collaboration was launched with a project kick-off ceremony, marking the start of a joint journey to harness Appier's AI innovation in accelerating VitaDairy's digital growth and enhancing customer engagement across its diversified channels. According to IMARC Group, Vietnam's dairy market was valued at USD 5.71 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 13.37 billion by 2033, with a CAGR of 9.5% from 2025 to 2033. Growth is fueled by rising health awareness, increasing disposable incomes, and stronger demand for nutritious products. Meanwhile, a 2024 report by MMA and Decision Lab found that 89% of Vietnamese businesses have adopted AI into their marketing strategies, with 78% reporting medium to high levels of integration. Key applications include chatbots, creative optimization and personalized recommendations, underscoring that AI-driven marketing is rapidly becoming standard practice in Vietnam. "VitaDairy's AI transformation marks a pivotal step in reinforcing our leadership in the health-driven, premium dairy sector. By unifying data and leveraging AI-driven insights to automate customer engagement, we are enhancing personalization while deepening consumer trust. Combined with our pioneering colostrum science, VitaDairy is uniquely positioned to capture the rising demand for functional, premium nutrition as the market continues to evolve and premiumize," said Phan Ngoc My, Chief Marketing Officer, VitaDairy. Vita Dairy's AI transformation: Unified data to empower seamless journeys VitaDairy is embarking on an ambitious AI transformation to elevate every aspect of customer engagement. By unifying data across multiple sources, the company is building a holistic view of its customers, laying a strong foundation for smarter and more strategic decision-making. Automating business intelligence will enable real-time insights, empowering teams to act with speed and precision. At the same time, integrating online and offline touchpoints will create a seamless customer journey, while AI agents will enhance service and sales with timely interactions and support. Complementing these initiatives, VitaDairy's Nutrition Advisor is set to evolve into a trusted digital companion, offering personalized guidance and enriching the way consumers access nutritional knowledge. Appier is supporting VitaDairy's transformation with a full-funnel Agentic AI marketing ecosystem that unifies touchpoints and empowers personalization at scale. Together, Agentic AI solutions empower VitaDairy to close the data loop and accelerate growth in Vietnam's premium dairy market. This partnership marks more than a technology adoption—it signals a shared vision to redefine how AI can shape the future of customer experience in Vietnam's dairy industry. By combining VitaDairy's pioneering nutritional expertise with Appier's AI-native innovations, both companies are poised to deliver not only business growth but also greater value to consumers, setting a new benchmark for intelligent, health-driven engagement in the region. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3312/spotify-for-kitchens-daniel-baven-on-future-of-digital-food-hubs.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3312/spotify-for-kitchens-daniel-baven-on-future-of-digital-food-hubs.html Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:08:23 +0530 In an exclusive AgroSpectrum and NUFFOODS Spectrum Asia interview, Daniel Baven, CEO and Co-founder of Noahs, unveils how his company is turning everyday convenience stores into digital food hubs — the new crossroads of food, tech, and community. With its plug-and-play platform, Noahs lets retailers “stream” culinary brands like Spotify streams music, giving chefs global reach and consumers fresh, data-driven dining experiences on demand. The results speak volumes — Q8 stations powered by Noahs saw food sales surge 374 per cent and basket sizes climb 228 per cent. Unlike ghost kitchens or delivery aggregators, Noahs taps into existing retail kitchens, transforming them into profitable, AI-ready food networks overnight. Baven predicts that by 2030, food will replace fuel as the heartbeat of convenience retail — Noahs will be the invisible engine powering that revolution. Section I: Vision & Market Disruption Reimagining C-Stores: What inspired you to launch Noahs, and why is now the inflection point for reinventing convenience retail? The spark for Noahs came from watching how every major content industry—music, film, travel—has gone through its streaming revolution. Food hasn’t. Yet we have millions of kitchens sitting in prime retail locations, underutilized and disconnected from the digital economy. We saw an opportunity to turn those kitchens into digital food hubs. The real inflection point is convergence: consumers expect convenience, platforms demand supply, and retailers need new revenue streams to replace declining categories like tobacco and fuel. Convenience stores are sitting on the infrastructure of the future—they just need the operating system. That’s what Noahs provides. Digital-First Food Revolution: With the C-store market set to surpass $1T by 2029, how do you see technology reshaping the future of food retail? We’re standing on the edge of a complete reset. In five years, most people won’t cook at home the way they do today. It will simply make more sense to tap into a network of nearby retailers streaming great food, made fresh, faster, and cheaper than a home kitchen could ever compete with. Convenience stores and supermarkets are sitting on the most valuable real estate of the future — the crossroads of local communities. When those spaces go digital, they’ll stop being “shops” and start becoming marketplace hubs for food, experiences, and daily life. Technology is the enabler, but the change is cultural. It’s about food creators having a new stage, communities having new choices, and retailers becoming the backbone of the next food economy. Noahs was built exactly for that — to power this transformation and give retailers the tools to move from analogue to intelligent, from transactional to experiential. What’s coming is bigger than food tech. It’s a reinvention of how food exists in society. Section II: The Noahs Model – Technology + Brand + Kitchen Plug-and-Play Platform: Your tech platform can digitize a store with just a Wi-Fi connection. What makes this solution scalable across global chains with different IT maturity levels? The secret is simplicity. Most retailers are trapped in heavy legacy systems that make every new integration a nightmare. We flipped that logic. Noahs runs as a layer on top of existing infrastructure, connecting to what’s already there instead of trying to replace it. That means a store can go live in hours — not months — with zero capex and no new labor. The system plugs into delivery aggregators, POS systems, kitchen screens, and loyalty tools. The moment it connects to Wi-Fi, the store becomes part of a digital network that can sell, operate, and analyze in real time. It’s built for diversity. Whether it’s a gas station in Denmark, a supermarket in Belgium, or a convenience store in the Philippines, the platform automatically adapts to local tech setups and market conditions. That’s why it scales — because it doesn’t force uniformity, it enables it. Noahs is not just a tool; it’s a translator between the analogue world and the digital food economy. It’s what the retailers has been looking for, but it didn’t exist until now. Spotify for Kitchens: You’ve called Noahs’ Brand Platform a “Spotify for Kitchens,” letting retailers stream proven brands and menus directly into their stores. How do you curate the catalogue, and what data drives menu updates? We’re building a world where food moves like music. In the same way streaming opened a global stage for artists, we believe culinary creators will soon reach audiences anywhere — not through physical expansion, but through digital distribution. A chef in Copenhagen could see their tacos sold in Dubai the same week. That’s the future we’re shaping with Noahs. Our brand platform is the foundation for that future. It lets retailers activate proven food concepts directly into their stores, adapting to local tastes and neighborhoods instead of being locked into a single global brand deal. That flexibility is what the industry has been missing — agility, creativity, and cultural relevance. This shift also enables a complete rework of the food supply chain — simplifying how ingredients, inventory, and production flow through the system. It creates a feedback loop between real-time demand and supply, throttling production, reducing waste, and preparing the industry to fully harness AI. We’re still early in this journey, but the vision is clear: menus that evolve like playlists, brands that scale without borders, and a supply chain that finally moves as intelligently as the data behind it. For culinary entrepreneurs, it’s a new way to monetize creativity. For retailers, it’s the chance to become curators of food culture — not just sellers of products. That’s what “Spotify for Kitchens” really means: a living, breathing ecosystem where food, data, and creativity stream together. Modular Smart Kitchens: Your kitchens range from 1 to 20 m². How do you ensure operational efficiency, quality control, and food safety across distributed sites? The next decade will blur the line between retail and hospitality. We believe the world’s biggest food operators won’t be restaurant chains — they’ll be retailers. To make that leap, retailers will recruit from the culinary world, bringing in chefs, kitchen managers, and operational talent who can run hospitality at scale. What used to be a store will evolve into a network of kitchens, each designed for efficiency, consistency, and speed — powered by technology, not tradition. Noahs is the platform that enables this transformation. We don’t operate the kitchens — we power them. Our system acts as the operating layer that keeps every recipe, process, and temperature consistent across hundreds of locations. Retailers become the operators; Noahs becomes their digital backbone. On the hardware side, we’ve developed a full suite of modular kitchens — from compact 1 m² single-brand setups to 20 m² multi-brand environments for service stations, food courts, and supermarket delis. These units are engineered for throughput, safety, and profitability, with built-in monitoring and data loops that ensure every kitchen runs to the same standard. We also anticipate a wave of cross-company innovation in this space — robotics, automated production, drone delivery, and robotaxis changing the future states of the hardware component. Restaurant kitchens, as we know them today, simply can’t compete with that model. A Noahs-powered multi-brand kitchen can serve multiple food concepts with a fraction of the space, labor, and cost — while maintaining higher quality and consistency. That’s the future we see unfolding. Section III: Business Impact & Results Q8 Case Study: The Q8 transformation saw food sales jump 374 per cent and basket size rise 228 per cent. Which parts of the Noahs model (tech, brands, kitchens) drove the biggest lift? Those numbers from Q8 aren’t isolated results — they’re a preview of what happens when retail locations evolve through Noahs’ three-layer model. Every site that connects our technology platform, brand platform, and modular kitchens can experience a similar transformation. The tech layer creates instant digital access and operational visibility. The brand layer adds proven food concepts that attract new customers and expand sales channels. And the kitchen layer converts that demand into consistent, scalable output with an engine fit for the purpose. In the quoted Q8 case, all three layers came together at once — which is why the impact was so dramatic. But in most rollouts, we see a natural progression: first digitalize existing shop catalogues, then layer in easy-to-operate brands suited to the current store format, and finally scale through modular smart-kitchens and more advanced brand concepts. Each layer amplifies the next. What Q8 showed is that this isn’t theory — it’s the future playbook for every retailer. Service stations, supermarkets, and convenience stores can all become high-performing food hubs simply by activating the system step by step. The model works anywhere, because it’s built for the way people live now — connected, on-demand, and expecting quality food wherever they are. ROI & Adoption Curve: How quickly can retailers expect payback when adopting Noahs, and how do you help de-risk the investment decision? The short answer: fast. Because Noahs requires no upfront investment in new labor or capex, most retailers see positive returns within the first few months of activation. The payback curve depends on the depth of adoption — tech alone delivers immediate efficiency and access to new revenue channels, while layering in brands and kitchens compounds the effect. But beyond ROI, what really de-risks adoption is our model itself. We don’t ask retailers to change who they are — we enhance what’s already there. Noahs plugs into existing infrastructure and workflows, building value on top of current systems instead of replacing them. We also start small. A single pilot location can validate the impact before scaling to dozens or hundreds. The data from those first sites creates a clear business case — not projections, but proof. Retailers everywhere are under pressure to reinvent fast, but the risk tolerance is low. Our approach makes innovation incremental, measurable, and cash-positive from day one. That’s why Noahs scales — it rewards courage without demanding blind faith. Section IV: Competitive Landscape & Future of Food-Tech Standing Out in a Crowded Space: How does Noahs differentiate from ghost kitchens, Q-commerce players, and aggregator-led solutions? Ghost kitchens and Q-commerce were great experiments — but they’re built on isolated infrastructure. Each new location means new costs, new staff, and new risk. Aggregators, on the other hand, built digital demand but not digital supply — they own the customers, not the kitchens. Noahs connects the dots. We’re not building more kitchens; we’re activating the millions that already exist inside retailers. Instead of competing with delivery platforms, we empower retailers to integrate directly with them — turning stores into digital food hubs that can sell across every channel instantly. Where ghost kitchens chase scale through real estate, Noahs achieves it through connectivity. Where Q-commerce promises speed, we deliver sustainability — a model that actually works economically for both retailers and creators. Most importantly, we’re not just solving delivery — we’re reinventing food infrastructure. We give retailers the OS, brands, and hardware they need to own their role in the digital food economy. The future of food won’t belong to aggregators or ghost kitchens — it’ll belong to the platforms that make everyone else scalable. That’s where Noahs sits. 2025 Trends: What’s next for food-tech—robotic kitchens, AI menu personalization, functional food boom? Which of these will most affect the C-store ecosystem? The short answer? Noahs. Beyond that, it’s too early to expect any real leapfrogs in robotics. The robotics we see today are impressive, but they’re trapped between eras — built for a world that’s already shifting beneath them. The real step change will come when humanoid robots, like the ones Tesla and Figure are developing, can integrate naturally into existing operations. That’s a 2030 story, not 2025. The real 2025 trend in food will be the convergence of retailers into food — moving away from being simple convenience hubs to becoming food operators in their own right. That shift will ignite the most dramatic transformation the industry has seen in decades. AI will play a major role, but not yet in the way most imagine. Everyone’s talking about AI, but its real power depends on something far more fundamental: digitization. That’s what Noahs is building — the digital foundation that makes the intelligent food economy possible. Section V: Scaling & Strategy Geographic Expansion: Which regions outside Denmark and Thailand are next on your radar—and what makes a market “Noahs-ready”? Officially, we’re now expanding in 4 countries - Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Ireland. Within 2026, we expect to announce at least ten more countries across three continents joining the Noahs platform. We are currently preparing the best we can to meet the increasing demand for our solution. A market becomes “Noahs-ready” when retailers recognize that the old model no longer works — when rising costs, labor shortages, and changing customer behavior force a rethink of what retail really is. Europe is leading that shift. High operational costs and rapid transformation are pushing retailers to act faster than ever, and we’re positioned to help them do it in a scalable, low-risk way. Being Noahs-ready isn’t only about geography and necessity — it’s also about mindset. The retailers who will win this decade are the ones willing to reimagine themselves as food operators. That’s where our platform fits in: as the bridge between today’s analogue retail world and tomorrow’s fast paced food economy. Capital & Investors: Are you seeking growth capital, and if so, what kind of investors (VC, strategic, corporate) best align with your vision? We are currently finalizing our latest seed round and are well-capitalized for the current growth phase. Our next major raise — a Series A — is planned for 2026, and preparations are already underway. Right now, our focus is execution and scale. That said, we’re always open to conversations with investors who see what we see — those who understand that the future of food isn’t about building more restaurants, but about enabling the platforms that connect them. The best fit for us are partners who bring more than capital — those who share the vision of redefining food infrastructure globally and can accelerate that journey through strategic reach, technology, or market access. Vision 2030: Paint us a picture: what does a Noahs-enabled convenience store look like in 2030, and what share of its revenue will come from food vs. fuel? By 2030, the traditional service station will be unrecognizable. The era of fuel as the defining anchor is ending — what comes next will be built around food, experiences, and premium retail. We’re already seeing early signs of that leapfrog. Elon Musk’s new Tesla Diner is a perfect example — a glimpse of how technology, design, and hospitality can fuse into something people actually want to visit. That’s what excites me: not a finished blueprint, but the open canvas ahead. I prefer not to lock in a final vision. The real innovation will come from collaboration — from working with retailers, chefs, designers, and local communities to build places that fit their rhythm. Some will focus on food and digital ordering, others on community spaces or hybrid retail experiences. The beauty is that the platform allows for all of it. What I do know is that the transformation is imminent, and food will be the catalyst that starts it. Once retailers take that step, everything else follows — design, operations, social experiences, even how we define “convenience.” Over time, Noahs will simply become part of that ecosystem — the invisible layer powering whatever comes next. The real story won’t be about us. It’ll be about how retailers use this opportunity to reinvent what it means to serve their communities. ---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3311/unnati-unleashed-brio-hydroponics-charts-indias-climate-smart-farming-future.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3311/unnati-unleashed-brio-hydroponics-charts-indias-climate-smart-farming-future.html Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:22 +0530 In this exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Pravin Patel, Founder of Brio Hydroponics, shares how the Unnati project—a 100-acre hydroponics park in Gujarat—is poised to transform Indian agriculture from niche experimentation to mainstream, climate-smart farming. Patel discusses how Brio’s pioneering Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) system combines global technology with local adaptation to deliver year-round, resource-efficient, high-quality produce. He highlights how Unnati not only boosts profitability for investors and farmers but also serves as a training and technology hub, enabling knowledge transfer across the country. The conversation underscores hydroponics’ potential to address climate volatility, water scarcity, and food security while creating scalable, modular solutions for smallholder farmers. Brio’s vision, Patel notes, is to position India as a global leader in sustainable agriculture by 2035, setting new benchmarks for innovation, exports, and farmer-first growth. Redefining Indian Agriculture: From Niche to Mainstream Hydroponics in India is still seen as niche compared to traditional farming. With the launch of Unnati, a 100-acre park, how do you see this project shifting perceptions—and what does it mean for the mainstreaming of soil-less farming in India? Hydroponics in India has traditionally been viewed as an expensive, niche technology primarily suited for urban enthusiasts and high-end commercial ventures. This perception stems from several factors: limited awareness among farmers, high initial capital requirements, and the dominance of traditional soil-based farming practices that have sustained Indian agriculture for millennia. However, this narrative is rapidly changing as water scarcity, climate volatility, and declining soil health create urgent demands for innovative agricultural solutions. Unnati as a Catalyst for Change The launch of Unnati, Brio Hydroponics' 100-acre park in Talod, Sabarkantha district, represents a strategic inflection point in shifting perceptions around soil-less farming. By demonstrating hydroponics at commercial scale rather than experimental plots, Unnati addresses the primary skepticism around scalability and economic viability. The project's scale brings multiple advantages: economies of production, market dominance in premium fresh produce categories, and the ability to showcase consistent, high-quality output regardless of seasonal variations. Pravin Patel, Founder of Brio Hydroponics, emphasizes that "Unnati is not just a park; it's a movement towards climate-smart agriculture. By integrating our CEA system with global best practices, we aim to liberate farmers from weather uncertainties". This positioning transforms hydroponics from a technology solution to a comprehensive agricultural philosophy that prioritizes sustainability, predictability, and profitability. Structural Changes Driving Adoption Several structural factors are accelerating the mainstream adoption of hydroponics in India. First, the increasing urbanization and growing middle-class demand for pesticide-free, fresh produce creates robust market pull. Second, government policy support through initiatives like the National Horticulture Mission and subsidies covering up to 50 per cent of hydroponic capital costs lower entry barriers. Third, the integration of digital technologies—IoT sensors, automated nutrient delivery, and AI-driven monitoring—makes hydroponic systems more accessible to farmers who previously lacked technical expertise. The Indian hydroponics market is projected to grow from $ 263.1 million in 2024 to $ 2,227 million by 2035, reflecting a robust CAGR of 21.43 per cent. This explosive growth trajectory indicates that hydroponics is transitioning from experimental technology to mainstream agricultural practice, driven by both necessity and opportunity. Indian Hydroponics Market Growth Projection (2024-2035) showing explosive growth from $ 263.1 million to $ 2,227 million with 21.43 per cent CAGR From Innovation to Scale: Deploying Breakthrough CEA Technology Brio pioneered the world’s first Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) system. How does Unnati deploy this breakthrough differently, and what scale efficiencies can it unlock for India’s agriculture economy? Brio Hydroponics has pioneered the world's first Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) system, which represents a fundamental breakthrough in precision farming technology. Unlike conventional hydroponics that focuses primarily on soil-less cultivation, Brio's CEA system integrates multiple environmental variables—temperature, humidity, CO₂ concentration, light spectrum, airflow, and nutrient delivery—into a unified, automated platform that optimizes plant growth at every stage. The CEA system deployed at Unnati differs significantly from traditional greenhouse operations. It incorporates global technologies sourced from France, Israel, and New Zealand, specifically adapted for Indian climatic conditions. These technologies include advanced automated irrigation systems, sophisticated climate control mechanisms, and precision nutrient delivery systems that work in harmony to maintain optimal growing conditions throughout the year, irrespective of external weather fluctuations. Scale Efficiencies and Economic Impact Unnati's 100-acre scale unlocks multiple efficiency advantages that smaller hydroponic operations cannot achieve. The infrastructure supports 100 individual hydroponic structures of one acre each, creating an industrial-grade production ecosystem. This scale enables bulk procurement of inputs, standardized operational procedures, and centralized processing and distribution systems that dramatically reduce per-unit production costs. The economic benefits extend beyond cost reduction to revenue optimization. Unnati's strategic tie-ups with retailers, e-commerce platforms, and export channels ensure that produce reaches premium markets quickly and at optimal pricing. The park's integrated business model projects Internal Rate of Return (IRR) between 18-24 per cent annually, making it attractive for both institutional and retail investors. Scale efficiencies also manifest in technology deployment and maintenance. Centralized monitoring systems can oversee multiple growing units simultaneously, reducing labor requirements while improving precision. Automated systems for irrigation, nutrient dosing, and climate control operate more efficiently when managing larger volumes, creating economies of scale that make the technology economically viable for broader adoption. Technology Transfer and Knowledge Creation Beyond immediate production benefits, Unnati serves as a technology transfer hub that demonstrates how advanced CEA systems can be replicated across different regions and scales. The project's success in its initial 30 acres under cultivation provides concrete evidence of technology viability, yield improvements, and economic returns that can be communicated to potential adopters. Brio's Center of Excellence in Gandhinagar has already trained over 500 agripreneurs, significantly enhancing agricultural skills and creating a knowledge ecosystem around hydroponic farming. This knowledge creation function becomes even more critical at Unnati's scale, where the park can serve as a demonstration site for farmers, investors, and policymakers to observe commercial-scale hydroponic operations. Hydroponics vs Traditional Farming: Key Performance Metrics Comparison showing revolutionary improvements in resource efficiency Investor Confidence in Agri-Tech: Making Hydroponics Profitable and Attractive Your early investors highlight transparency, trust, and strong returns as key drivers. How do you make hydroponics, traditionally a capital-intensive venture, both profitable and attractive for institutional and retail investors in India? Hydroponics has traditionally been perceived as a capital-intensive venture with uncertain returns, creating significant barriers for both institutional and retail investors. Brio Hydroponics addresses this challenge through multiple innovative approaches that transform the investment proposition from high-risk speculation to predictable, asset-backed returns. The company's fintech investment platform, launched in 2024, represents India's first digital fixed-return investment platform specifically tailored for the Controlled Environment Agriculture sector. This platform offers investors fixed, assured returns of up to 18 per cent per annum, exemplified by an investment of Rs 10 lakhs yielding Rs 1.8 lakhs annually. The platform has rapidly gained traction, attracting over 125 investors and demonstrating robust confidence in sustainable agricultural practices. Transparency and Trust Mechanisms Investor confidence in Brio Hydroponics stems from the company's commitment to transparency, professional execution, and proven track record. Rajesh Mehta, an Unnati investor, states: "What I value most is trust and assurance. Brio Hydroponics has consistently delivered both with professionalism, transparency, and a proven track record that gave me complete confidence". This trust is built through several mechanisms: Performance Reporting: Regular performance reports and transparent financial disclosures provide investors with real-time insights into their investments. A dedicated investor dashboard offers continuous visibility into farm operations, yield data, and financial performance, fostering trust and ongoing engagement. Agri-Partnership Model: The alignment of investor returns with farm performance ensures that both parties are motivated to achieve excellence in agricultural productivity. This partnership approach transforms investors from passive capital providers to active stakeholders in agricultural success. Proven Track Record: Brio's successful hydroponics projects for major corporate clients including Welspun Group and Adani Group demonstrate the company's capability to execute large-scale, complex agricultural projects. Risk Mitigation and Return Optimization The Unnati model incorporates several risk mitigation strategies that make hydroponics attractive for institutional and retail investors. The cluster-based farming system managed by seasoned professionals at Brio Hydroponics reduces operational risks while ensuring consistent quality and output. Climate-controlled environments eliminate weather-related crop losses, while integrated pest management systems minimize disease and pest risks. Market risk is addressed through diversified crop portfolios focusing on premium categories such as leafy greens, herbs, and exotic vegetables that command higher prices and have growing demand in urban markets. Strategic partnerships with retailers and export channels provide assured market access and pricing stability. The company's ambitious target to raise Rs 100 crores through its investment platform within the first year demonstrates significant investor appetite for structured agri-tech investments. This capital will support the development of additional hi-tech farming projects across India, creating a scalable model for sustainable agriculture investment. Climate and Food Security: Addressing India's Dual Challenge Climate and Food Security: You’ve often spoken about freeing farmers from weather uncertainty. How can hydroponics-based systems like Unnati address India’s dual challenge of climate volatility and food security—and is there a risk of this becoming a solution only for high-value crops rather than staples? India's agricultural sector faces unprecedented challenges from climate volatility, with erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather events becoming increasingly common. Traditional farming methods, dependent on monsoon cycles and seasonal patterns, leave farmers highly vulnerable to weather uncertainties that can devastate entire crop cycles and rural livelihoods. Research indicates that approximately 52-55 per cent of Indian farmers have no access to irrigation and depend entirely on rain-fed agriculture. This dependency becomes increasingly problematic as climate change intensifies rainfall variability, with longer dry spells followed by intense flooding periods that disrupt crop growth cycles. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) study found that 87 per cent of tehsils across India experienced decreased Southwest Monsoon rainfall during crucial Kharif crop sowing months from 1982 to 2022. Hydroponics as Climate Resilience Solution Controlled Environment Agriculture systems like those deployed at Unnati offer a compelling solution to climate-related agricultural risks. By creating fully controlled growing environments, hydroponic systems eliminate dependency on external weather conditions, enabling consistent, year-round production regardless of climatic variability. The technology's water efficiency is particularly crucial for India's water-stressed regions. Hydroponic systems use up to 90 per cent less water compared to traditional farming methods, making them especially valuable in drought-prone areas where water scarcity limits agricultural productivity. This efficiency is achieved through closed-loop systems that recycle nutrient solutions and eliminate water loss through soil percolation and evaporation. Climate-controlled environments also enable precise management of temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels, optimizing plant growth conditions that would be impossible to achieve in open-field agriculture. This precision allows farmers to maintain consistent crop quality and yields even during extreme weather events that would devastate traditional farms. Food Security Implications and Staple Crop Considerations While hydroponic systems excel in producing high-value crops like leafy greens, herbs, and specialty vegetables, questions remain about their applicability to staple crops that form the foundation of Indian food security. Currently, most hydroponic operations focus on premium produce that commands higher market prices and provides better economic returns for the capital invested. However, this limitation may not necessarily represent a systemic failure. Hydroponics can contribute to food security through multiple pathways: Nutritional Enhancement: Premium crops grown hydroponically often have superior nutritional profiles and longer shelf lives, improving overall dietary quality. Market Segmentation: By serving premium market segments, hydroponics frees up traditional agricultural land for staple crop production, potentially improving overall resource allocation. Technology Evolution: As hydroponic technologies mature and costs decrease, applications to staple crops may become economically viable, particularly for crops requiring precise nutrient management. The integration of hydroponics with traditional farming systems creates complementary approaches rather than replacement scenarios. Farmers can use hydroponic systems for high-value cash crops while maintaining traditional cultivation for staple grains, diversifying their income sources and reducing overall risk exposure. Scaling Climate-Smart Solutions Brio's partnerships with institutions like Anand Agricultural University and IFFCO position the company to scale climate-smart agriculture solutions across diverse agricultural contexts. These partnerships enable research and development of hydroponic systems specifically adapted to Indian conditions, crop preferences, and farmer economics. The Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) framework emphasizes three key objectives: increasing agricultural productivity, building resilience to climate change, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Hydroponic systems align with all three objectives by delivering higher yields per unit area, eliminating weather-related risks, and reducing the need for chemical inputs that contribute to environmental degradation. Global Technologies, Local Impact: Adapting International Solutions Unnati is deploying agri-technologies from France, Israel, and New Zealand. How do you ensure these global systems adapt to India’s local conditions—water availability, smallholder economics, and diverse crop demand? Unnati's deployment of agri-technologies from France, Israel, and New Zealand represents a sophisticated approach to technology transfer that balances global innovation with local adaptation. Rather than implementing foreign technologies wholesale, Brio Hydroponics has developed a localization strategy that adapts these systems to India's specific conditions, including water availability, climate variability, smallholder economics, and diverse crop demands. The partnership with Israeli firm Pic-Plant Ltd exemplifies this approach, introducing patented technologies such as rain protection systems, wire rope configurations, and triple-layer net houses that enable high-yield, superior-quality produce across all seasons. These technologies were specifically modified to address Indian climatic challenges, including high humidity, intense heat, and monsoon conditions that differ significantly from Mediterranean growing environments. French precision agriculture technologies contribute advanced nutrient delivery systems and automated climate control mechanisms that ensure optimal growing conditions. New Zealand's expertise in post-harvest processing, traceability systems, and export quality standards helps establish supply chain excellence that meets international market requirements. Addressing Local Conditions and Constraints India's water scarcity challenges require hydroponic systems to be exceptionally efficient in water usage. The technologies deployed at Unnati incorporate closed-loop water recycling systems that minimize waste and maximize efficiency. Advanced sensors monitor soil moisture, nutrient concentrations, and pH levels in real-time, enabling precise water and nutrient delivery that eliminates overwatering and nutrient runoff. The systems are designed to operate effectively with varying water quality conditions common in Indian agricultural regions. Water treatment and purification systems ensure that even brackish or mineral-heavy water sources can be used effectively, expanding the geographic areas where hydroponic systems can be deployed successfully. Smallholder Economics and Scalability Recognizing that over 86 per cent of Indian farmers operate plots smaller than two hectares, Brio's technology adaptation focuses on scalable solutions that can be economically viable at different scales. The modular design of hydroponic structures allows farmers to start with smaller installations and expand gradually as they gain experience and capital. The company's training programs and technical support systems address the skill requirements that often prevent smallholder farmers from adopting advanced technologies. By providing comprehensive training modules, ongoing technical assistance, and standardized operating procedures, Brio reduces the knowledge barriers that traditionally limit technology adoption among resource-constrained farmers. Diverse Crop Demand and Market Integration India's diverse culinary traditions and regional crop preferences require hydroponic systems to be adaptable to multiple crop types beyond the leafy greens and herbs commonly grown in other countries. Unnati's systems are configured to grow 28 different kinds of leafy greens and various vine crops including colored capsicums, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and French beans. This crop diversity requires sophisticated nutrient management systems that can adjust growing conditions for different plant families and growth stages. The integration of AI-driven monitoring and automated nutrient delivery enables precise management of these diverse crop requirements within the same facility. Technology Integration and Digital Infrastructure The adaptation of global technologies to Indian conditions involves significant integration with digital infrastructure and IoT systems. Unnati incorporates sensors for monitoring electrical conductivity, pH levels, temperature, and humidity, with wireless sensor nodes transmitting data to central control units for real-time monitoring and adjustments. This digital integration aligns with India's Digital Agriculture Mission and AgriStack infrastructure, creating synergies between private sector innovation and public sector digital platforms. The integration enables farmers to access satellite-based weather advisories, market information, and technical support through unified digital interfaces. Blockchain technology is being explored for supply chain transparency and traceability, enabling Unnati's produce to meet international export standards and command premium prices in global markets. This technological sophistication transforms Indian hydroponic produce from local agricultural products to globally competitive commodities. Partnerships as Growth Drivers: Scaling Through Collaboration With alliances like Anand Agricultural University and IFFCO, you’re building strong institutional linkages. What role do you see public–private partnerships playing in scaling hydroponics nationwide, and how do you plan to integrate smallholder farmers into this high-tech ecosystem? Brio Hydroponics' partnerships with Anand Agricultural University, IFFCO, and other institutions represent a strategic approach to scaling hydroponics technology across India's agricultural landscape. These partnerships provide multiple benefits: research and development capabilities, institutional credibility, access to farmer networks, and policy influence that facilitates technology adoption at scale. The collaboration with Anand Agricultural University, located in Gujarat's agricultural heartland, provides research expertise in crop sciences, soil health, and agricultural engineering. This partnership enables the development of region-specific hydroponic solutions that address local crop preferences, growing conditions, and farmer requirements. University research facilities support ongoing innovation in nutrient formulations, crop varieties, and system optimization. IFFCO's involvement brings significant advantages in terms of farmer outreach, input supply chains, and cooperative structure expertise. As one of India's largest fertilizer cooperatives, IFFCO has extensive networks reaching millions of farmers across the country. This partnership enables Brio to leverage existing distribution channels, farmer relationships, and cooperative structures to introduce hydroponic technologies at grassroots levels. Public-Private Partnership Model The public-private partnership approach adopted by Brio creates synergies between government policy objectives and private sector innovation capabilities. Government initiatives like the National Horticulture Mission, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, and subsidies for controlled environment agriculture provide policy support and financial incentives that reduce adoption barriers. These partnerships enable Brio to participate in government programs that provide technical assistance, financial subsidies, and market linkages to farmers adopting advanced agricultural technologies. The alignment with national agricultural policies ensures that Brio's expansion strategy supports broader government objectives of agricultural modernization, water conservation, and climate resilience. The integration with India's Digital Agriculture Mission creates opportunities for Brio's technologies to be incorporated into national digital infrastructure for agriculture. This integration can provide farmers with access to hydroponic technologies through existing government platforms, reducing the complexity and cost of technology adoption. Smallholder Integration Strategy Integrating smallholder farmers into high-tech hydroponic ecosystems requires careful attention to economic constraints, technical capabilities, and risk management preferences. Brio's approach involves multiple strategies designed to make advanced technologies accessible to resource-constrained farmers: Modular Technology Design: Hydroponic systems are designed in modular units that allow farmers to start with small installations and expand gradually. This approach reduces initial capital requirements while enabling farmers to gain experience and build confidence with the technology. Training and Capacity Building: Comprehensive training programs provide farmers with technical skills required for hydroponic operations. Brio's Training & Placement Assistance program offers two-week intensive training followed by ongoing technical support, ensuring farmers have the knowledge needed for successful operations. Financial Support and Risk Sharing: The fintech investment platform and agri-partnership models provide alternative financing mechanisms that reduce financial risks for smallholder farmers. Investors can provide capital while farmers contribute land and labor, sharing both risks and returns. Cooperative Integration: Working with existing farmer producer organizations (FPOs) and cooperative structures enables smallholder farmers to access hydroponic technologies collectively, sharing costs and risks while maintaining individual farming operations. Technology Transfer and Knowledge Dissemination Brio's partnership strategy includes significant emphasis on knowledge transfer and skill development. The Center of Excellence in Gandhinagar has trained over 500 agripreneurs, creating a network of skilled practitioners who can support technology diffusion across agricultural communities. This knowledge dissemination approach creates multiplier effects, where trained farmers become technology advocates and informal advisors for their communities. The demonstration effect of successful hydroponic operations encourages broader adoption while providing peer-to-peer learning opportunities that are often more effective than formal training programs. The partnerships also facilitate technology standardization and quality assurance, ensuring that hydroponic systems deployed across different regions maintain consistent performance standards. This standardization is crucial for scaling technology adoption while maintaining quality and economic viability. Beyond Gujarat: National and Global Expansion Strategy With Unnati now underway, what’s your national and global expansion strategy? Do you envision replicating this park model across states—or building smaller modular units that could integrate into farmer clusters? Brio Hydroponics' expansion strategy beyond Gujarat involves both replicating the large-scale park model and developing smaller, modular units that can integrate into existing farmer clusters. The success of Unnati's initial 30 acres under cultivation provides a proven template that can be adapted to different geographic and economic contexts across India. The company has already acquired land for expansion projects, including 36 acres near Mumbai with potential scaling to 60 acres, demonstrating commitment to geographic diversification. This expansion strategy focuses on proximity to major urban centers where demand for premium, pesticide-free produce is highest and supply chain logistics can be optimized. The expansion approach recognizes that different regions have varying requirements based on climate conditions, water availability, crop preferences, and market dynamics. Rather than implementing identical systems, Brio adapts its core CEA technology platform to local conditions while maintaining standardized operational procedures and quality standards. Modular Integration Strategy Beyond large-scale parks, Brio is developing smaller modular units designed to integrate into existing farmer clusters and cooperative structures. This approach addresses the reality that most Indian farmers operate small plots and may not have the capital or inclination to participate in large-scale commercial operations. Modular systems can be deployed at village levels, serving clusters of 10-20 farmers who collectively invest in hydroponic infrastructure while maintaining individual farming operations. This approach leverages existing social structures and cooperative traditions while introducing advanced agricultural technologies. The modular approach also enables faster deployment and lower per-unit capital requirements, making hydroponic technology accessible to a broader range of farmers and geographic locations. Standardized modules can be manufactured centrally and assembled locally, reducing costs and complexity while maintaining quality standards. International Expansion and Export Focus Brio's international expansion strategy includes both technology export and produce export components. The company has already established operations in the Maldives and is finalizing projects in Mauritius and the Caribbean islands. This international expansion leverages India's growing reputation in agricultural technology and Brio's proven expertise in tropical and subtropical growing conditions. The export strategy focuses on regions where water scarcity, limited arable land, or challenging growing conditions make hydroponic systems particularly valuable. Small island nations, desert regions, and urban areas in developing countries represent priority markets where Brio's technologies can address critical food security challenges. International expansion also creates opportunities for technology transfer partnerships with foreign governments and development organizations. Brio's experience in adapting global technologies to local conditions positions the company as a valuable partner for agricultural development projects in emerging markets. Digital Platform and Franchise Model The expansion strategy includes development of digital platforms that enable remote monitoring, technical support, and market linkages for distributed hydroponic operations. These platforms can support franchise-style expansion where local entrepreneurs operate hydroponic systems under Brio's technical guidance and quality standards. Digital platforms enable centralized monitoring of multiple sites, standardized operating procedures, and quality assurance systems that maintain brand consistency across geographic locations. Remote monitoring capabilities reduce the need for physical presence while ensuring optimal system performance. The franchise model creates opportunities for local entrepreneurship while maintaining technical standards and market access. Local operators benefit from Brio's proven systems, training programs, and market linkages while adapting operations to local conditions and preferences. The 2035 Vision: India's Model for Climate-Smart Agriculture If we project a decade ahead, what does success for Brio Hydroponics look like? Is it thousands of acres of soil-less farming, a farmer-first export powerhouse, or becoming India’s model for climate-smart agriculture? By 2035, Brio Hydroponics envisions a transformational impact on India's agricultural landscape that extends far beyond the current scale of operations. The company's vision encompasses three interconnected dimensions: massive scaling of soil-less farming infrastructure, establishment of India as a farmer-first export powerhouse, and creation of a replicable model for climate-smart agriculture that can be deployed globally. The scaling vision projects thousands of acres under hydroponic cultivation across multiple states, supported by a network of technology centers, training facilities, and processing hubs. This infrastructure would serve both commercial operations and smallholder farmers, creating an integrated ecosystem that supports diverse scales and types of agricultural operations. Market projections support this ambitious vision, with India's hydroponics market expected to reach $ 2,227 million by 2035, representing a 21.43 per cent compound annual growth rate. This explosive growth trajectory indicates that hydroponics will transition from niche technology to mainstream agricultural practice, driven by water scarcity, climate change, and increasing demand for premium produce. Farmer-First Export Powerhouse Model The 2035 vision positions India as a global leader in hydroponic produce exports, with farmer prosperity at the center of the value chain. This farmer-first approach ensures that technology advancement translates into improved livelihoods for agricultural communities rather than simply benefiting large corporate operations. The export powerhouse model leverages India's competitive advantages in agricultural innovation, skilled technical workforce, and growing expertise in controlled environment agriculture. By 2035, Brio envisions Indian hydroponic produces competing successfully in premium international markets, commanding prices that reflect superior quality, traceability, and sustainable production methods. This export focus requires significant investment in post-harvest infrastructure, cold chain logistics, and quality certification systems. The integration of blockchain technology for supply chain transparency and adherence to international organic and sustainability standards will enable Indian hydroponic produce to access the highest-value global markets. Climate-Smart Agriculture Leadership The broader vision positions India as a global model for climate-smart agriculture that other developing countries can emulate. This leadership role involves several components: technology innovation, policy framework development, institutional capacity building, and international cooperation. India's experience in adapting global hydroponic technologies to local conditions, integrating smallholder farmers into high-tech systems, and scaling sustainable agriculture practices provides valuable lessons for other developing countries facing similar challenges. The knowledge and systems developed through projects like Unnati can be transferred to other regions through technical cooperation programs and development partnerships. The climate-smart agriculture model emphasizes three key outcomes: Productivity Enhancement: Hydroponic systems consistently deliver higher yields per unit area while using fewer resources, contributing to food security without expanding agricultural land use. Climate Resilience: Controlled environment agriculture systems eliminate weather-related risks and enable consistent production despite increasing climate variability. Environmental Sustainability: Reduced water usage, elimination of soil degradation, and minimized chemical inputs create agricultural systems that support rather than degrade environmental health. Technology Integration and Digital Agriculture The 2035 vision includes comprehensive integration of hydroponic systems with India's digital agriculture infrastructure, creating seamless connectivity between controlled environment agriculture and broader agricultural support systems. This integration enables farmers to access weather advisories, market information, technical support, and financial services through unified digital platforms. Artificial intelligence and machine learning systems will optimize hydroponic operations by analyzing vast datasets on plant growth, environmental conditions, and market demand to make real-time adjustments that maximize productivity and profitability. These systems will enable predictive management that anticipates and prevents problems before they impact crop production. The digital integration also enables new forms of agricultural finance and insurance that are specifically designed for controlled environment agriculture. Satellite monitoring, IoT sensors, and blockchain verification can provide the data transparency needed for innovative financial products that reduce risks for both farmers and lenders. Institutional and Policy Framework Achieving the 2035 vision requires supportive institutional and policy frameworks that encourage innovation, facilitate technology adoption, and ensure that benefits reach smallholder farmers. Brio's partnerships with agricultural universities, government agencies, and international organizations create a foundation for policy advocacy and institutional development. The vision includes establishment of specialized training institutions, research centers, and extension services focused on controlled environment agriculture. These institutions would provide the technical expertise, research capabilities, and farmer support services needed to sustain rapid expansion of hydroponic systems across India. Policy frameworks need to address regulatory standards for hydroponic produce, quality certification systems, and trade policies that facilitate exports. The integration of hydroponics into existing agricultural support programs, including subsidies, insurance, and market linkages, will ensure that the technology remains accessible to farmers of all scales. A New Era of Agricultural Innovation Brio Hydroponics' Unnati project represents more than an agricultural venture; it embodies a comprehensive transformation of how India approaches food production, climate resilience, and rural prosperity. Through the strategic deployment of controlled environment agriculture at unprecedented scale, Brio is creating a replicable model that addresses India's most pressing agricultural challenges while establishing pathways for global leadership in sustainable farming technologies. The answers to these critical questions reveal that hydroponics in India is transitioning from experimental technology to mainstream agricultural practice, driven by necessity, opportunity, and visionary leadership. The success of Unnati and similar projects will determine whether India can achieve its vision of climate-smart, sustainable agriculture that serves both farmers and consumers while protecting environmental resources for future generations. The convergence of technological innovation, strategic partnerships, supportive policies, and market demand creates unprecedented opportunities for transforming Indian agriculture. Brio Hydroponics' leadership in this transformation positions the company—and India—at the forefront of a global agricultural revolution that promises to redefine how the world produces food in an era of climate change and resource scarcity. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3278/syngenta-vegetable-seeds-and-heritable-agriculture-enter-collaboration-to-optimize-commercial-crop-portfolios-using-ai.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3278/syngenta-vegetable-seeds-and-heritable-agriculture-enter-collaboration-to-optimize-commercial-crop-portfolios-using-ai.html Wed, 24 Sep 2025 07:09:58 +0530 AI-Powered insights to identify the best vegetable varieties for growers worldwide; Heritable, a spinoff from Google parent Alphabet’s innovation lab, will use AI-tools to help accelerate data-driven decisions for the best placement of vegetable varieties to offer growers Vegetable seed companies with hundreds or even thousands of varieties are often faced with the difficult job of identifying the best placement of varieties for growers in diverse markets. It’s not just about yield – growers need varieties that are best suited for their unique growing conditions and climate patterns. Traditionally, seed companies spend countless hours evaluating data, trialing different varieties and sourcing feedback from growers and the value chain. While these inputs are still important, technology now offers a way to accelerate these decisions. Syngenta Vegetable Seeds and Heritable Agriculture announced today the signing of a collaboration to harness artificial intelligence (AI) technology to determine the best vegetable varieties to offer growers. Leveraging historical data on geographical conditions and crop trialing, Heritable will use AI-tools with Syngenta’s global product portfolio, with the goal of better predicting the best-performing commercial varieties in different regions to ensure growers have the best possible product offering from Syngenta. “Planting the right seed is critical to a grower’s success. New technologies such as AI can help us bring the best innovation to the field or greenhouse,” said Matthew Johnston, Global Head of Vegetable Seeds and Flowers at Syngenta. “We’re thrilled to partner with a leader in AI and decision science in the agricultural space, which will provide an exciting opportunity to explore how to better leverage our portfolio for the benefit of growers.” Heritable was founded at Google X, Alphabet's Moonshot Factory, and is focused on bringing the best of AI to agriculture. For Syngenta, the Heritable team is dissecting the interaction between genetics and environment, weather conditions, soil variables, and additional proprietary data. If successful, they will be able to predict scalable vegetable seed performance for a grower anywhere in the world, up to a 10-meter resolution. “We are excited to work with Syngenta to help bring cutting-edge AI tools to help them place products more efficiently,” shared Brad Zamft, CEO of Heritable Agriculture. “This collaboration with their vegetable seeds team is a great example of the kinds of markets and applications that can be embraced when targeting the latest in AI towards all portions of the agricultural industry.” Syngenta has been at the forefront of the agricultural industry in its adoption of AI in all parts of its business, from crop inputs to bio-stimulants to digital platforms, including recently adding a specialist AI chatbot into the Cropwise digital platform – Cropwise AI. This collaboration is another step in exploring how technology can better support food security and ensure reliable and affordable produce supply in the face of constantly changing climate conditions. Syngenta has a strong heritage of breeding vegetable varieties dating back more than 150 years ago, and today is the most global organization in the industry with Vegetable Seeds teams operating in more than 60 countries and shipping seeds to 124 countries. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3263/billion-dollar-microbe-market-transforming-global-vegetable-supply-chains.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3263/billion-dollar-microbe-market-transforming-global-vegetable-supply-chains.html Wed, 17 Sep 2025 11:27:31 +0530 For over fifty years, synthetic fertilisers powered global food production but caused soil degradation, water contamination, and greenhouse-gas emissions, prompting a shift toward sustainable alternatives. Biofertilisers—live microbial products—are emerging as a mainstream solution, improving nutrient uptake, plant resilience, and produce quality while integrating with precision agriculture systems. Policy support, particularly in India, the EU, and Denmark, is accelerating adoption through subsidies, regulatory compliance, and carbon-credit incentives. Regional case studies demonstrate that microbial inputs, when combined with sensor-guided fertigation and AI-driven management, can reduce synthetic nitrogen use by 15–35 per cent , boost yields, and enhance market value. The global takeaway: biofertilisers are not just environmentally necessary but a strategic enabler of profitable, precision-driven vegetable farming. For decades, synthetic nitrogen and phosphate fertilisers were the workhorses of the Green Revolution — turbocharging yields, slashing food prices, and feeding billions. But that victory came with a steep bill: degraded soils, polluted water, rising greenhouse gases, and dependence on inputs whose prices swing with global markets. The rules of fertilisation are now being rewritten. In high-value vegetable farming, the shift is unmistakable. Sustainability mandates, precision agtech, and microbial breakthroughs are pushing growers toward a new playbook. Biofertilisers — living microbes that boost nutrient uptake, soil health, and crop resilience — are stepping out of the margins and into the heart of production. They don’t just cut the fertiliser bill; they raise produce quality, strengthen plants against stress, and slot neatly into sensor-driven, fertigation-ready systems from India to Denmark. The question is no longer if they work — but how fast they can scale and reshape the economics of vegetable farming. From Idea to Instrument: The Biofertiliser Opportunity The science behind biofertilisers is solid. Symbiotic bacteria like Rhizobium, phosphate-solubilising microbes, and mycorrhizal fungi unlock bound nutrients, fix atmospheric nitrogen, and boost water-use efficiency. Meta-analyses show that, under proper management, biofertilisers can replace 20–30 per cent of synthetic N/P in vegetables without sacrificing yield — while improving firmness, vitamin levels, and shelf life. The market is catching up fast. IMARC Group projects the global biofertiliser sector to hit $2.5 billion in 2024, growing at over 11 per cent CAGR through 2030 — faster than most ag inputs. In high-value vegetable farming, where residue limits and sustainability standards are strict, adoption already tops 20 per cent. But scaling isn’t frictionless. Microbes are living products — they need cold chains, soil-specific tailoring, and precise timing. Farmers used to the consistency of synthetics can face uneven results if biofertilisers meet the wrong soil pH, moisture, or temperature. Policy Landscape: Aligning Incentives, Compliance, and Adoption Government policy is now the biggest accelerator — or brake — on biofertiliser adoption. In India, programmes like PKVY and NMSA are subsidising bio-inputs, funding farmer training, and running demo plots to de-risk adoption for both smallholders and commercial hubs. Fertiliser control rules and mandatory nutrient-use efficiency reporting are nudging growers toward balanced nutrition. States such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu add extra firepower with cold-chain support, certification, and advisory services — lowering the operational barriers to microbial use. ” With over a century of microbial expertise, now renewed by the merger of Novozymes and Christian Hansen, we are working to redefine how crops are nourished, protected and optimized. We work not only to replace chemical inputs, but also harness nature’s own solutions for improved and more resilient cropping systems, all while allowing growers to unlock additional yields from every acre. Our philosophy has always been to integrate our global R&D expertise with local needs. We see this in action in different ways. At the business level, as a deeply innovation driven company, we invest roughly 10 per cent of our turnover in R&D, a very significant proportion of our revenue ” — Kate Brandon Sutton, Head of Plant Biosolutions Applied R&D, Novonesis Precision agriculture is the force multiplier. Sensor-guided fertigation, drones, and AI agronomy platforms sync microbial application with crop growth stages, maximising yield response. But, as Katie Whittiker of Novonesis points out, India’s smallholder-heavy farm structure makes scaling a challenge. Subscription-based digital agronomy and shared drone services are emerging as cost-efficient solutions to bridge the gap. “Protected cultivation adds another layer of opportunity, particularly around urban consumption centres where quality, consistency, and residue compliance are non-negotiable. Here, biofertilisers and biostimulants can be precisely delivered through drip systems, aligning with the closed-loop, resource-efficient nature of greenhouses and shade-net operations”, opined Kattie. “Companies like Novonesis, which collaborate with cooperatives and input distributors, play a crucial role in bridging research-led innovation with last-mile farmer adoption — ensuring that advanced microbial solutions reach growers with proper guidance and compliance support “, she added. “Our long term partnerships with platforms like Benchling underscores our investment in cutting-edge R&D innovation and development of next-gen Biosolutions for emerging agricultural segments. We aim to do this in precision farming and protected agriculture segments by – Expanding the suite of microbe-based inputs tailored for high-value crops; Collaborating with organizations and cooperatives to enable data-driven decision making at the level of the farm and the field, and Supporting growers with robust stewardship programs that facilitate seamless adoption, and help maximize returns on investment " — Katie Whittiker, Head of Plant BioYield Business Unit, Novonesis Globally, regulation is uneven but decisive. The EU’s Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR 2019/1009) sets strict efficacy, safety, and traceability standards — critical for exporters facing tight nitrate and residue limits. In the Middle East and Africa, policy levers are tied to EU compliance: Turkey, Morocco, and Egypt are rapidly adopting microbial fertilisers to secure greenhouse exports, while Sub-Saharan rules remain patchy — a hurdle and opportunity for new entrants. Denmark offers a glimpse of the future: subsidies tied to nitrogen cuts, public-private R&D under the IBIS platform, and carbon-credit monetisation create a strong business case for biofertiliser use. Policy isn’t just compliance — it rewires market economics. Where governments integrate incentives, adoption rises faster, microbial performance is more consistent, and ROI for suppliers and growers improves. Precision Vegetable Farming Meets Biological Inputs Digital agriculture and microbial biosolutions are redefining performance standards in high-value vegetable farming. In both CEA and irrigated fields, blanket fertiliser applications are giving way to real-time, demand-driven nutrition. IoT soil sensors, AI-powered fertigation, and multispectral imaging now work in sync to deliver the right nutrients at the right moment — maximising efficiency and yield. ” Extensive global and regional trials on vegetable crops — including tomatoes, chilies, and leafy greens — consistently reveal that India’s average yields remain well below global benchmarks. This productivity gap underscores a significant opportunity for bio-inputs such as biofertilisers and biostimulants to drive both yield gains and sustainability outcomes. When integrated with optimised agronomic practices, biological solutions have delivered yield improvements exceeding 10 per cent compared with conventional methods. In India, fertigation-based trials have recorded yield increases of up to 18 per cent in tomatoes and chilies, while greenhouse experiments in Vietnam have demonstrated markedly improved nutrient uptake and superior quality in leafy vegetables. Validated through close collaboration with growers and research institutions, these results confirm the reliability of microbial inputs under real-world conditions " — Shanmugam Sambanthan, Commercial Head, Agriculture ,South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Novonesis Globally, the impact is striking. Israeli drip-irrigation pioneers like Netafim and Rivulis inject biofertilisers directly into root zones, boosting microbial colonisation and cutting synthetic nitrogen use 20–30 per cent without hurting yields. In Europe, greenhouse tomato growers combine microbial consortia with precision nutrients to hit nitrate-residue targets while sustaining export-grade productivity. A 2023 Wageningen study found 12–15 per cent yield gains and up to 40 per cent nitrate reductions when biofertilisers were paired with variable-rate fertigation. India is steadily moving toward this model, though adoption is concentrated in progressive clusters. Agritech start-ups are embedding microbial inputs into AI-driven agronomy platforms, giving smallholders access to tools once reserved for corporates. Subscription services for drones, sensors, and fertigation-as-a-service are lowering financial barriers. Early pilots in Nashik report tomato yield gains of 10–18 per cent and synthetic nitrogen savings of up to 35 kg/ha through precision-linked biofertilisers. Protected cultivation is another growth lever. Greenhouses and shade-net houses near urban centres enable year-round, residue-free, premium vegetables with lower post-harvest losses. Novonesis’ biofertiliser and biostimulant range, tailored for drip-irrigated systems, has delivered firmer bell peppers and cucumbers, higher marketable yields, and 12–15 per cent better nutrient-use efficiency, boosting grower margins. The benefits are clear: lower synthetic fertiliser costs, improved water efficiency, and premiums for low-residue produce. But scaling is local — what works for a protected cucumber farm in Bengaluru may not suit an open-field tomato grower in Rajasthan. Precision tools plus biological inputs aren’t just incremental; they mark a structural shift toward climate-resilient, resource-efficient farming. For policymakers, they advance fertiliser-reduction and soil-health goals. For growers, they boost per-hectare profitability while cutting input volatility. For investors, they signal a decade of data-driven, biology-led, sustainability-aligned growth. Across the globe, this integration is gaining traction. Israeli drip-irrigation firms inject biofertilisers into root zones to optimise colonisation. European greenhouse tomato growers pair microbial consortia with precision nutrients to meet yield and nitrate-residue standards. In India, agritech start-ups are embedding microbial inputs into AI-powered agronomy platforms, bringing precision farming to smallholders. Benchmarking Regional Pathways: India in Focus Biofertiliser adoption is global but uneven, following three distinct paths: scale-driven South Asia, scarcity-driven Middle East and Africa, and regulation-led Denmark. Each reflects unique market forces, infrastructure readiness, and regulatory pressures, offering lessons on where the microbial transition will accelerate and how businesses can position themselves. India leads South Asia, accounting for over 60 per cent of the region’s $143 million biofertiliser market in 2024, with 11–12 per cent annual growth projected. Policy is a major driver: PKVY and NMSA subsidise bio-inputs, fund training and demo plots, and incentivise adoption among smallholders and commercial vegetable hubs. Fertiliser controls and nutrient-use reporting further nudge farmers toward microbial solutions, especially where synthetic fertiliser costs are volatile. Domestic production adds a cost edge. Local Rhizobium, phosphate-solubilising microbes, and mycorrhizal inoculants are often 20–30 per cent cheaper than imports, while improved quality control builds trust. Smallholder economics are increasingly compelling: ICAR trials show integrated biofertiliser regimes in tomatoes, brinjal, and capsicum can boost yields 10–18 per cent, improve nutrient-use efficiency up to 25 per cent, and cut synthetic nitrogen by 35 kg/ha under fertigation. These results are reshaping the investment calculus for farmers, distributors, and downstream buyers alike. Shanmugam Sambanthan, Commercial Head, Agriculture ,South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Novonesis, expects India’s B2B bio-input market to evolve rapidly, though the highly fragmented agriculture landscape . ” Currently, bio-inputs are still a small fraction of overall inputs used by farmers. The fragmentation across farmlands provides can be a significant challenges to the adoption of Bio-inputs, particularly when it comes to reaching farmers through the direct trade, and most importantly in providing meaningful services to farmers. Along similar lines, companies including startups in the bio-input space struggle to scale due to the high investment and resource requirements needed for wide market reach “, Sambanthan opined. Novonesis has carved a distinct niche in India’s bio-inputs market as a B2B innovator, focusing on cutting-edge R&D rather than direct-to-farmer sales. Its strength lies in developing advanced microbial and biostimulant solutions while partners handle market reach, distribution, and farmer engagement — a win–win that accelerates adoption without diluting focus on innovation, quality, or regulatory compliance. A collaboration with KRIBHCO illustrates this model. By combining Novonesis’ next-generation biosolutions with KRIBHCO’s distribution network and agricultural expertise, the partnership scales access, ensures reliable supply, and co-invests in farmer awareness programs and demonstration plots across diverse crops and agro-climatic zones. The results are tangible: Irrigated vegetable hubs like Nashik (Maharashtra) and Kolar (Karnataka) report 30–40 per cent integration for high-value crops such as tomato and capsicum. Adoption lags in rainfed eastern and central regions ( ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3249/australias-unisq-leads-space-agriculture-innovation-with-ai-driven-plant-health-monitoring.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3249/australias-unisq-leads-space-agriculture-innovation-with-ai-driven-plant-health-monitoring.html Wed, 10 Sep 2025 13:45:31 +0530 Technology aims to support sustainable food production in space and has potential applications for terrestrial farming The University of Southern Queensland’s (UniSQ) iLAuNCH Trailblazer initiative is working with international partners Axiom Space, Yuri Gravity, and Medicinal Harvest to create an autonomous system for monitoring plant health in space. This project involves testing plants in a flight-certified growth chamber using advanced machine vision techniques. The system, supported by an AI algorithm, can detect early signs of plant stress through regular camera footage, enabling remote monitoring and optimization of plant health. The technology aims to support sustainable food production in space and has potential applications for terrestrial farming. The  AI algorithm technology is developed by Associate Professor Cheryl McCarthy from the UniSQ Centre for Agricultural Engineering. “This technology allows us to monitor plants in space conditions and optimise plant health remotely, which is a vital step toward sustainable food systems beyond Earth,” Professor John Bell, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation at UniSQ said Queensland’s involvement in this initiative was highlighted during a trade mission to Taiwan and Japan, which included a showcase at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka. The mission emphasized collaboration in education, research, and commercialization, aligning Queensland’s strengths with global opportunities. International education remains a significant sector for Queensland, contributing $6.85 billion annually and supporting around 30,000 jobs. With over 112,000 international students from more than 160 countries, Queensland’s education sector offers diverse opportunities for professional and personal growth through its research institutions and industry-focused programs. With more than 350 world-class education providers and globally recognised research institutions, Queensland offers international students an ideal environment to grow professionally, personally, and globally through industry-aligned programs, vibrant student communities and global research leadership. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3226/cultiwise-ai-powered-prescription-map-platform-empowers-farmers-to-train-weed-recognition-in-real-time.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3226/cultiwise-ai-powered-prescription-map-platform-empowers-farmers-to-train-weed-recognition-in-real-time.html Wed, 03 Sep 2025 10:28:38 +0530 Czech startup Skymaps has launched “Zoneye”, an AI model that detects crops and weeds from drone images, trains on local species, and helps farmers cut input costs by 50% while boosting yields 20% Czech startup Skymaps has launched Zoneye, an AI model that allows farmers to train the system to recognize weeds unique to their region. Trained to recognize 37 common weed species, Zoneye pinpoints their exact location in the field using drone images. Integrated into the company’s CultiWise prescription-map platform, the tool enables growers to cut input costs by up to 50% while boosting yields by up to 20%. Trained on millions of drone-captured images of crops and weeds, Zoneye can identify, within minutes, all common weeds such as thistle, mayweed and ragweed among major crops including corn, winter wheat, soybean, sugar beet, sunflower, rapeseed, potatoes, and onions. Farmers upload their own drone images to the cloud-based software, which delivers results in minutes. Zoneye is available worldwide. Farmers capture field images using drones with RGB cameras —flying at heights of 40 to 120 meters, depending on weed size—and upload them to the CultiWise platform. The system processes images through a proprietary AI model trained on millions of drone photos. Within minutes, CultiWise generates precise prescription maps detailing the location, density, and species of weeds, enabling the farmer to decide the exact amount of herbicide required for each area. These maps are exported directly to machinery terminals, guiding sprayers to apply herbicides only to weed-infested areas.  Turning maps into actions : Known as spot-spraying and variable rate application, this precise crop protection method relies on prescription maps to accurately distribute herbicide. Many farmers already own sprayers capable of spot application but often lack the tools and expertise to detect weeds and generate prescription maps. The maps inform farmers of expected volume savings. “Zoneye offers up to 50 % reduced herbicide input, because farmers apply only what’s needed and only to the individual weed plants. This can result in increased yields of up to 20 percent due to reduced crop stress,” adds Kornel Cziria, Chief Technology Officer at Skymaps. Zoneye is an advanced system that distinguishes crops from weeds in "green-on-green" scenarios where they appear similar, unlike traditional systems limited to bare soil. Its precision allows it to count individual plants, aiding farmers in decisions about reseeding or continuing crops. Using the same prescription-map technology, Zoneye can also guide seeding. By analyzing plant density and gaps in the field, the system can recommend adjusting seeding rates for areas where germination is low. This ensures uniform crop establishment, optimizes input use, and helps farmers maximize productivity across the field. Additionally, Zoneye provides early harvest estimates, giving farmers an advantage when planning resources, managing grain storage, and scheduling sales. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3135/rooted-in-precision-ram-lisaey-on-scaling-israeli-water-tech-for-thirsty-world.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3135/rooted-in-precision-ram-lisaey-on-scaling-israeli-water-tech-for-thirsty-world.html Fri, 25 Jul 2025 16:48:48 +0530 In an era of deepening groundwater crises across Asia and Africa, Israel’s desert-honed innovations offer a compelling blueprint for sustainable farming. At the heart of this transformation is precision irrigation—pioneered by Netafim—which has redefined how crops can thrive with minimal water. But beyond drip systems, Israel’s integrated approach now includes root-zone moisture sensing, AI-driven scheduling, and large-scale treated wastewater reuse. In this exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Ram Lisaey, Head of Global Agronomy at Netafim, shares how these technologies are being adapted for high-evapotranspiration regions from Maharashtra to the Sahel. He explains why real-time soil data is more powerful than rainfall averages, and why AI is useful—but not always essential—for farmers. Drawing on decades of field experience, Lisaey offers insights on training models, policy frameworks, and public–private partnerships that have scaled Israeli water-tech in low-income regions. As groundwater depletion accelerates, his message is clear: sustainable irrigation must move from theory to field, one root zone at a time. What are the key Israeli technologies (e.g., precision irrigation, moisture sensors, AI-integrated decision platforms) that directly reduce groundwater extraction in agriculture? Israel’s arid climate and chronic freshwater scarcity have long driven the country to pioneer groundbreaking water-saving technologies. At the forefront is precision irrigation—most notably drip irrigation, a game-changing innovation by Netafim. By delivering water and nutrients directly to the root zone of each plant, this method minimizes evaporation, runoff, and percolation losses, dramatically reducing water use compared to conventional flood or sprinkler systems. Micro-sprinklers, a variant suited for specific soil types and crop patterns, offer similar efficiency gains. Complementing this is a growing ecosystem of root-zone moisture sensors, such as Netafim’s GrowSphere and platforms developed by CropX, which provide farmers with real-time data on soil moisture dynamics. These sensors empower more responsive and accurate irrigation, preventing overwatering and optimizing application timing. Israeli firms are also experimenting with AI-integrated irrigation platforms that combine sensor data, satellite imagery, weather forecasts, and plant physiology models to generate predictive watering schedules. While these systems show promise, their full value proposition—particularly for smallholders—remains under evaluation. Beyond field-level technologies, Israel has made major strides in large-scale wastewater treatment and reuse, recycling nearly 90 per cent of its municipal wastewater for agriculture. This provides a reliable, year-round water source that significantly reduces pressure on freshwater and groundwater reserves. Desalination, led by companies like IDE Technologies, plays a complementary role, supplying potable water to cities and thereby freeing up more natural freshwater for food production. At a systems level, water management software and analytics platforms further enhance efficiency by helping farmers monitor usage, diagnose inefficiencies, and fine-tune irrigation strategies across large-scale operations. How effective are Israeli root-zone moisture sensing systems (e.g., from companies like CropX or Saturas) in improving water-use efficiency at scale? Israeli root-zone sensing systems have ushered in a new era of precision and responsiveness in irrigation management. By delivering real-time, granular data on soil moisture, these tools enable dynamic adjustments to irrigation schedules—far superior to traditional methods based on fixed timers or visual cues, which often result in overwatering. The result is a measurable reduction in water waste, as farmers gain the ability to irrigate only when and where it’s needed, minimizing deep percolation and runoff. Field studies have shown water savings of 20 per cent to 50 per cent without any compromise in yield. Equally important is the impact on nutrient efficiency. Maintaining optimal soil moisture levels enhances nutrient uptake by crops, contributing to better plant health and potentially reducing fertilizer inputs. These systems are also highly scalable—whether used on smallholder plots or across industrial-scale farms. Wireless sensor networks and cloud-based platforms allow for remote monitoring and control, making real-time irrigation optimization possible across diverse geographies. The data collected feeds into broader decision-support tools, enabling continuous refinement of irrigation strategies and giving farmers deeper insight into the precise water needs of different crops and soil profiles. What role is artificial intelligence playing in predictive irrigation scheduling, and how do Israeli platforms like SupPlant or Tal-Ya Water Technologies differentiate themselves? Artificial intelligence is poised to play a transformative role in irrigation management, shifting systems from reactive, sensor-based models to proactive and predictive water scheduling. Israeli platforms are at the forefront of this shift, using machine learning to synthesize a wide array of data sources—including weather forecasts, historical crop performance, satellite imagery, soil profiles, and crop phenology. These AI-driven tools can anticipate a plant’s water needs days or even weeks in advance, optimizing irrigation strategies tailored to specific crops, soils, and microclimates. However, the cost-benefit equation for such systems remains under scrutiny. The technology itself is not prohibitively complex or expensive, but its added value may be marginal for many growers, particularly smallholders who already achieve substantial water savings with simpler sensor-based approaches. In many cases, the hyper-optimization that AI enables does not translate into significant enough gains to justify adoption. Nonetheless, the promise of continuous learning—where algorithms improve over time—and the use of intuitive, user-friendly interfaces make these platforms increasingly accessible. For large-scale operations or regions facing acute water stress, predictive AI scheduling may eventually become an indispensable tool. To what degree are Israeli innovations in treated wastewater reuse (e.g., Shafdan model) helping reduce dependence on groundwater in agriculture? Israeli innovations in treated wastewater reuse have become a global benchmark for reducing agricultural dependence on groundwater. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Shafdan model, a pioneering example of circular water management at scale. Israel currently recycles nearly 90 per cent of its municipal wastewater for agriculture—the highest reuse rate in the world—thanks to decades of policy support, infrastructure investment, and public-private collaboration. At the heart of this system, the Shafdan wastewater treatment facility near Tel Aviv treats urban effluent and recharges it into the coastal aquifer, where it undergoes natural filtration through Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). This dual process not only yields high-quality irrigation water suitable for all crop types, but also helps stabilize aquifer levels and protect against seawater intrusion. As a result, farmers gain a year-round, drought-resilient water source, sharply reducing pressure on Israel’s limited freshwater reserves. This model does more than conserve groundwater—it creates a sustainable water cycle where waste becomes a strategic resource. Over time, the system has also proven economically viable, with reliable infrastructure and water quality standards that make recycled water both safe and attractive for agricultural use. In a water-stressed world, Israel’s wastewater reuse paradigm offers a blueprint for climate-resilient farming. How have Israeli groundwater innovations been localized for high-evapotranspiration regions in Africa or South Asia? Israeli groundwater-saving innovations have been effectively localized for high-evapotranspiration (ET) regions across Africa and South Asia, thanks to a thoughtful blend of technological adaptation and on-the-ground capacity building. Companies like Netafim have played a pivotal role in tailoring drip irrigation systems to meet the needs of smallholder farmers, developing affordable, low-pressure solutions that function without electricity by harnessing gravity and elevation. These systems are often customized to suit local crop varieties—such as rice, cotton, and region-specific vegetables—by adjusting emitter spacing and irrigation schedules. Beyond irrigation hardware, Israeli know-how in water harvesting and storage—including rainwater collection systems, lined farm ponds, and underground reservoirs—has proven critical in areas with seasonal rainfall and erratic monsoons. Equally relevant is Israel’s expertise in saline water management, where practices like selective crop breeding, blending saline groundwater with fresh sources, and small-scale desalination have been adapted to help farmers in brackish or coastal zones. However, technology alone isn’t enough. A major driver of successful localization has been intensive capacity building, including farmer training in precision irrigation and soil moisture monitoring, as well as “training of trainers” programs that equip local extension workers to multiply impact. Demonstration farms serve as real-world testing grounds, building trust by showing how these solutions perform under local agro-climatic conditions. Together, these strategies reflect Israel’s commitment not just to exporting tools, but to co-creating sustainable water management systems in partnership with the Global South. Are there examples of successful transfer models? Two flagship initiatives exemplify how Israeli water-saving agri-tech has been successfully scaled in low-income regions: the India–Israel Centres of Excellence and the MASHAV programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. In India, the Centres of Excellence—jointly established across multiple states—function as innovation hubs where Israeli technologies are demonstrated, adapted, and disseminated. These centers focus on precision irrigation, protected cultivation, fertigation, and integrated water management, all customized to suit India’s diverse agro-climatic zones. Thousands of farmers, extension workers, and agri-entrepreneurs are trained annually, creating a ripple effect of knowledge transfer and adoption. Meanwhile, Israel’s development agency MASHAV has been instrumental across Africa in promoting climate-resilient agriculture and efficient water use. Its programs blend technology transfer with expert training in areas such as drip irrigation, water harvesting, and saline water management. In drought-prone dryland zones, MASHAV initiatives have strengthened food security and water resilience by equipping farmers with practical, low-cost irrigation techniques and conservation strategies tailored to harsh environmental conditions. Together, these programs illustrate Israel’s long-term, partnership-driven approach to agricultural development—rooted not just in exporting technology, but in building local capacity and context-specific solutions. What lessons can be drawn from Israeli partnerships (e.g., MASHAV programs, India-Israel Centres of Excellence) in scaling water-saving agri-tech in low-income regions? Israeli partnerships—particularly through MASHAV programs in Africa and the India–Israel Centres of Excellence—have offered vital lessons in scaling water-saving agri-tech across low-income regions. At the core of their success is a demand-driven approach, ensuring technologies align with the actual needs and priorities of local farmers rather than imposing one-size-fits-all solutions. Netafim has played a pivotal role in many of these collaborations, not just as a technology provider but as a long-term partner in knowledge transfer and system design. Demonstration farms and field pilots are critical in this context, allowing farmers to see the tangible benefits of precision irrigation and water-efficient practices under real-world conditions. These initiatives succeed not by isolating technology, but by taking a holistic approach—integrating agronomy, post-harvest value chains, and market access to ensure economic viability. Importantly, lasting impact requires long-term engagement, not just short-term interventions. Public-private collaboration—between MASHAV, Netafim, local governments, and farming communities—has proven essential to sustaining innovation and scaling it responsibly. Finally, successful adoption hinges on addressing socio-economic realities, from affordability and access to credit to cultural farming practices, all of which must be factored into design and delivery. What financing or incentive mechanisms (e.g., public-private partnerships, carbon-linked irrigation credits) have proven effective in scaling Israeli water-tech abroad? Scaling Israeli water-tech in global markets, particularly in developing regions, depends on a diverse set of financing and incentive mechanisms designed to reduce risk, encourage adoption, and align commercial and development goals. Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have proven especially effective—combining the innovation and efficiency of Israeli firms like Netafim with the enabling support of host-country governments, which may contribute land, infrastructure, or policy frameworks. These partnerships often act as springboards for broader ecosystem development. Development aid and concessional loans from agencies such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, and USAID further expand opportunities. Many MASHAV-backed initiatives leverage these funds to support water infrastructure and agri-tech deployment. Meanwhile, export credit guarantees from Israeli and international agencies help reduce financial risk for companies entering new or unstable markets. Emerging models such as impact investing and blended finance—which merge private capital with public or philanthropic funding—are also gaining traction. These structures appeal to investors seeking both financial returns and measurable social or environmental outcomes, such as improved water efficiency or smallholder resilience. One particularly innovative approach on the horizon is carbon-linked irrigation credits, which recognize that reducing energy-intensive groundwater pumping also reduces emissions. Though still in early stages, such schemes could create new revenue streams for farmers adopting efficient irrigation systems. On the ground, local government subsidies, tax incentives, and “pay-for-performance” models—where financial returns are tied to verified water savings or yield improvements—can further drive adoption. These layered financing strategies are essential to turning Israeli water-tech into globally scalable solutions, especially in resource-constrained regions. Can Israel’s experience with desert agriculture and saline water farming inform long-term strategies to reduce freshwater groundwater dependence globally? Israel’s decades-long journey in overcoming acute water scarcity offers a powerful roadmap for regions seeking to reduce dependence on freshwater groundwater sources. Its experience proves that necessity can drive radical agricultural innovation—from drip irrigation and wastewater reuse to saline water farming. What sets Israel apart is its holistic approach to water management, integrating multiple strategies such as efficient irrigation, desalination, policy enforcement, and treated wastewater reuse into a coherent national framework. One of Israel’s most impactful contributions is its demonstration that saline and non-conventional water sources—once dismissed as unusable—can be leveraged productively for agriculture. Through extensive crop selection and breeding programs, Israeli researchers have developed salt-tolerant and drought-resilient varieties that make farming viable even in brackish or arid environments. This has redefined the potential of desert and coastal regions around the world. Equally important is the economic viability of Israel’s arid-zone agriculture. Far from being subsistence-based, these farming systems are market-oriented, export-ready, and technologically advanced—challenging the long-held assumption that deserts are unproductive by default. Underpinning this success is a robust network of policies and regulatory frameworks governing water pricing, quality standards, and infrastructure development. Finally, Israel’s proven ability to transfer and adapt its technologies across geographies—through partnerships, training programs, and demonstration farms—shows that its model is not only effective, but exportable. For countries in Africa, South Asia, or the MENA region, the Israeli experience serves not just as inspiration, but as a practical template for water-secure, climate-resilient agriculture. What role can Israeli institutions play in building regional groundwater resilience alliances with countries in the MENA, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa?Israeli institutions are uniquely positioned to spearhead regional alliances aimed at strengthening groundwater resilience across MENA, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa—regions facing mounting water stress and climate volatility. With deep expertise housed in universities like Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Technion, as well as national bodies like MASHAV and the Water Authority, Israel can offer critical knowledge in hydrogeology, managed aquifer recharge (MAR), and sustainable groundwater abstraction techniques. This expertise is already being applied domestically and can be adapted through joint R&D initiatives that address the distinct hydrogeological challenges of partner nations. Capacity-building is another critical avenue where Israel can lead—through specialized training programs, workshops, and study tours for water managers, engineers, and policymakers. By grounding theory in practice, pilot projects and demonstration farms showcasing efficient groundwater management—including in transboundary aquifer systems—can foster trust and prove shared benefits. In parallel, Israeli legal and technical experts can offer guidance on establishing policy frameworks, such as abstraction permitting, pollution controls, and water quality standards. Equally important is the role of Israeli institutions in facilitating public–private partnerships, connecting cutting-edge water-tech firms with governments, NGOs, and local enterprises to scale solutions on the ground. On the diplomatic front, Israel’s experience in regional water cooperation equips it to host or mediate multilateral dialogues on shared aquifers, especially critical in geopolitically sensitive zones like the Middle East. Finally, all of this must be embedded within broader climate adaptation strategies, recognizing that changing precipitation patterns and rising temperatures will increasingly shape groundwater recharge dynamics. Through these multiple channels, Israel can act not just as a technology provider, but as a strategic ally in global groundwater resilience. —————- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3115/cropin-partners-with-wipro-to-accelerate-ai-led-transformation-in-global-agri-food-businesses.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3115/cropin-partners-with-wipro-to-accelerate-ai-led-transformation-in-global-agri-food-businesses.html Fri, 18 Jul 2025 10:58:37 +0530 Aim to deliver scalable, intelligent solutions that not only transform agribusiness but also extend to adjacent industries where supply chain resilience and sustainability are critical Cropin, the world’s largest deployed AI platform for agriculture, announced a strategic partnership with Wipro, a leading AI-powered technology services and consulting company, to drive digital transformation across the agribusiness sector. This collaboration brings together Cropin’s deep domain expertise in agribusiness and AI innovation with Wipro’s scale, proven capabilities, and domain expertise in the consumer industries, including retail, CPG, and food services. Together, they aim to deliver scalable, intelligent solutions that not only transform agribusiness but also extend to adjacent industries where supply chain resilience and sustainability are critical.  Agribusinesses today face mounting challenges, from climate volatility and supply chain disruptions to tightening regulations and shifting consumer expectations. The partnership aims to address three persistent barriers to transformation: limited transparency that restricts traceability and accountability; fragmented visibility across the value chain due to siloed systems and data; and an unpredictable operating environment shaped by volatile weather, market fluctuations, and geopolitical risks. By combining Cropin’s AI-powered agri-intelligence platform with Wipro’s deep domain expertise in consumer industries and its global consulting and technology capabilities, the two companies will enable agri-food businesses to unlock farm-level insights, enhance operational agility, and scale sustainability efforts.  While the initial focus is on agribusiness, the capabilities brought together through this partnership have broad applicability across adjacent industries such as retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), food service, quick-service restaurants (QSR), and distribution, where supply chain intelligence, traceability, and climate resilience are equally critical.  “Climate change, geopolitical instability, and trade tensions are reshaping the agribusiness landscape. At the same time, regulatory pressures like the EUDR and rising demand for traceability are forcing companies to rethink how they operate,” said Krishna Kumar, Founder and CEO of Cropin. “This partnership with Wipro is a strategic step toward building data-driven, climate-resilient, and compliant supply chains at scale.”  “AI is redefining how agribusinesses operate—from sourcing and production to distribution, compliance, and sustainability,” said Shiva Jayaraman, SVP and Sector Head – Consumer Business, Americas 1, Wipro Limited. “Together with Cropin, we’re helping clients transform their value chains into intelligent ecosystems that deliver measurable outcomes.”  This partnership brings together the best of agri-intelligence and technology to shape the future of agri-food businesses. It also lays the groundwork for smarter, more resilient supply chains across industries like retail, CPG, food service, QSR, and distribution. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3104/building-resilient-harvests-gates-foundation-pushes-for-climate-smart-food-systems-in-apac.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3104/building-resilient-harvests-gates-foundation-pushes-for-climate-smart-food-systems-in-apac.html Mon, 14 Jul 2025 11:40:31 +0530 In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Dr. Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Director for Adaptive and Equitable Food Systems at the Gates Foundation, outlines the unique challenges and opportunities facing food systems in APAC. She emphasizes the need for holistic solutions that integrate climate adaptation, gender equity, and nutrition. Loboguerrero highlights the role of digital innovations—from India’s livestock traceability to AI-based weather forecasts—in boosting resilience. She also stresses the importance of regional cooperation and increased adaptation finance for smallholder farmers. Looking ahead, she remains optimistic about APAC’s potential to lead the world in building inclusive, climate-smart food systems. What makes the APAC region unique when it comes to building adaptive and equitable food systems?In APAC—and specifically South Asia—over 80 percent of households rely on smallholder or subsistence farming to make a living. Most of these farms are under two hectares, meaning simply improving productivity does not always translate into more income, keeping many farmers in poverty. This challenge is further exacerbated by climate change. According to the 2024 Asia-Pacific Climate Report, South Asia will require between $102 billion and $431 billion annually for climate adaptation— far more than the $34 billion of adaptation finance mobilized in the region in 2021-2022. Gender inequality adds another layer to the challenge. While women represent the majority of the agriculture labor force—like in India where women represent 67 per cent of workers in agrifood systems— they are often left out of decision-making and lack access to resources. This is why efforts in APAC demand holistic, integrated interventions across nutrition, climate resilience, and women’s access to resources.  How are global and regional trade dynamics affecting local food system equity in APAC?Today, South Asia primarily exports staple crops and processed products around the world—including to the Middle East and North America—missing opportunities to build resilient local ecosystems through collaboration with neighboring countries. Meanwhile, variations in regulations and logistics between countries in South Asia limit progress, meaning intraregional trade remains underdeveloped and fragmented. Harmonizing trade can help to reduce food prices and buffer against climate shocks, while stimulating crop diversification and helping prepare unified response systems for the climate-driven spread of pests.   What promising technologies or digital tools are helping make APAC food systems more adaptive and inclusive?Digital tools and technologies play a key role in helping smallholder farmers reduce food loss and waste, prepare for climate stressors, and connect to the supply chain. Across food systems, we are seeing the adoption of these technologies increase through rural outreach, training and financial services offerings. For example, the Indian National Digital Livestock Mission now tags over 95 per cent of the country’s ~303 million cows with unique IDs—including vaccination records, parentage, and milk yield metrics—unlocking traceability from farm to processor. By reducing losses and helping to maintain quality, this digital infrastructure improves smallholder incomes and allows them to make the most of premium export markets. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Innovation Mechanism for Scale (AIM for Scale), launched in 2024, is deploying AI-based weather forecasting across Asia. Early pilots in India show reduced farmer debt and savings increases of up to 10 percent. How well are national policies in APAC addressing the dual goals of climate adaptation and food equity? Where are the gaps?National policies across South Asia are helping drive the region’s shift toward food self-sufficiency. In India, for example, the government’s National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is promoting climate-resilient farming, water-use efficiency, and improved soil health. Over the years to come, it will be important to continue strengthening nutrition security across the region. By making nutritious diets more affordable and accessible for everyone, South Asia can further its commitments to food system transformation and healthy lives for all. Meanwhile, across South Asia and beyond, climate-driven extremes continue to devastate yields, further straining food systems, exacerbated by growing populations and water shortages. National adaptation strategies are emerging, however financing is lacking: COP29 discussions noted that less than 1 per cent of public climate finance targets smallholder agriculture, despite these farmers producing up to 80 per cent of the region’s food. Moreover, gender considerations are still largely siloed, rather than woven into core agricultural and climate policies. How can APAC countries collaborate better across borders to build resilient regional food systems?Climate resilience across South Asia depends on cross-border alignment in regulatory standards, joint disease and pest surveillance, synchronized early warning systems, and shared R&D investments in crop, livestock, and climate innovations. The 2024 Asia-Pacific UN meeting highlighted the need for such alignment, urging institutional support for agriculture, fisheries, and nature-based food systems to build resilience. Establishing regional centers to coordinate responses to these challenges is essential to make regional trade more efficient while reducing production and transaction risk and increasing profit. What does a truly adaptive and equitable food system look like in APAC by 2035 or 2050?Such a system would deliver both food and nutrition security, while being climate shock-resilient—able to respond to and bounce back from floods, heatwaves, or disease outbreaks without raising food prices or impacting farmer livelihoods. It would embed climate-smart technologies at scale and center on inclusivity, integrating marginalized groups, including women and smallholders, into governance and markets. By 2050, many APAC low- and middle-income countries would have transitioned towards high-income economies, leveraging inclusive, nutritious and resilient food systems as engines of growth. What are three policy or investment priorities you believe must be urgently addressed to get there?First, the region must dramatically increase adaptation finance directed to smallholder farmers. Second, policymakers should mandate systems-based planning, wherein nutrition, gender equity, and climate resilience are seen through a “growth lens” as core elements of food system transformation. Third, cooperation between countries—across agricultural research, emergency response, and trade policy—must be institutionalized through stable regional frameworks to enable long-term investments in shared climate-resilience infrastructure. What gives you hope or optimism about the future of food systems in APAC?Digital tools and technologies are now underpinning agricultural modernization—from livestock traceability to AI-enhanced weather services—demonstrating that these innovations can meaningfully improve the lives and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in South Asia. Diet diversification is also increasing: pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, and aquaculture sectors are now outstripping the growth rate of staple crops in South Asia. It’s also exciting to see multilateral forums—like the upcoming COP30 in Belém —prioritize climate-resilient food systems at the center of SDG discussions. Despite formidable challenges, the convergence of technology, policy momentum, regional engagement, and innovation offers a credible path toward fair, and nutritious climate-smart food systems. ————- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3065/maersk-launches-maersk-trade-tariff-studio-helping-global-supply-chains-navigate-tariff-volatility.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/3065/maersk-launches-maersk-trade-tariff-studio-helping-global-supply-chains-navigate-tariff-volatility.html Fri, 27 Jun 2025 11:52:46 +0530 Maersk’s new platform offers a centralised, AI-powered approach to customs and tariff management. A.P. Moller - Maersk announced the launch of “Maersk Trade & Tariff Studio”, a new digital solution designed to help global cargo owners regain control in an increasingly volatile trade environment. As global trade faces a paradigm shift marked by rising tariffs, regulatory scrutiny, and disrupted customs processes, Maersk’s new platform offers a centralized, AI-powered approach to customs and tariff management. For decades, global trade benefited from declining tariffs and fewer barriers. But for now, that has been put on hold. Today’s environment is defined by unpredictability, with newly imposed and suddenly postponed tariffs creating what many of our customers describe as ‘tariff chaos’. Maersk Trade & Tariff Studio is our answer to this challenge—bringing clarity, compliance, agility and cost optimization to global supply chains when goods are crossing borders. Lars Karlsson, Global Head of Trade & Customs Consulting at Maersk said, “After comprehensive pilots with large customers, the solution will be available as from 28 June for cargo imported into the US. The full roll out covering the rest of the world is scheduled for August. The product is best used by cargo owners as part of their integrated logistics services by Maersk but can also be implemented as a stand-alone solution. Many even globally active companies still rely on up to 30 or 40 different local customs brokers based in as many ports or countries, resulting in fragmented data, limited visibility, and unnecessarily paid duties. This decentralized approach is increasingly unsustainable in a world where tariff levels are not only higher but also much more volatile. Maersk data shows that: 5–6 per cent of tariffs is overpaid on average due to lack of centralised data and optimization. 20 per cent of shipment delays are caused by poor customs preparation. Only 50-55 per cent of trade that is eligible for existing Free Trade Agreements (FTA) actually use the respective FTAs. More than 650 FTAs exist, but they are complex and companies often don't have the resources to fully understand all applying details at origin and destination. Hence, many owners of global supply chains are leaving significant savings untapped. As a centralised, intelligent solution “Maersk Trade & Tariff Studio” is a global customs platform that combines: AI-powered tariff engineering and optimization, ensuring the correct application of over 6,000 product codes and 20,000+ sub-codes. Upstream compliance risk screening, helping customers avoid delays, detentions, and penalties. Real time updates from data partners, as well as Maersk's network of 2,700 customs experts across the globe, all feeding tariff and regulation changes into a unified system. The platform solution allows the integration of trusted local brokers while still ensuring a global overview. Another challenge is that companies must comply with a growing number of complex regulations—from product safety and labour standards to upcoming environmental mandates such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and deforestation regulations. Non-compliance can result in significant fines and market bans. Maersk’s customs team is equipped with tools and expertise to help customers stay compliant and ahead of these developments. With intensified customs controls—particularly in the U.S., where inspections have increased significantly over the past months—Maersk’s role as both consultant and fulfilment partner is more critical than ever. Besides the new “Maersk Trade & Tariff Studio”, the company’s global reach and local expertise enable customers to optimize their customs strategies, reduce costs, and ensure uninterrupted trade flows. Customs declaration is one of the most complex areas in global logistics. With Maersk Trade & Tariff Studio, we are not only simplifying that complexity—we are turning it into a competitive advantage for our customers, added Lars Karlsson. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2953/thailands-first-ai-hyperscale-data-center-launched-by-cp-group-through-true-idc.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2953/thailands-first-ai-hyperscale-data-center-launched-by-cp-group-through-true-idc.html Mon, 26 May 2025 09:32:08 +0530 Thailand as the Digital Hub of ASEAN: Elevating the digital infrastructure to the Giga Data Center era True Internet Data Center (True IDC), a leading data center and cloud service provider under Charoen Pokphand Group (CP), officially launched Thailand's first AI Hyperscale Data Center, reinforcing its commitment to advancing the nation's digital infrastructure to support the new economy and positioning Thailand as the digital hub of ASEAN. This AI Hyperscale Data Center plays a critical role in supporting the digital transformation of industries, especially Thailand's New S-Curve industries, such as electric vehicles (EV), smart agriculture, fintech and digital finance, digital content, and the creative economy, digital health and medical services, . All of these sectors rely heavily on massive data processing and high-performance computing. Having a modern domestic digital infrastructure empowers these industries to maximize their competitiveness without relying heavily on foreign data infrastructure. This AI Hyperscale Data Center is purpose-built for AI processing and large-scale workloads, equipped with over 20 megawatts of power capacity to support high-performance and stable computing, including Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) workloads. The facility features a high-efficiency smart fan wall unit cooling system and is designed to support liquid cooling technology. It also includes high redundancy backup systems to ensure uninterrupted computing operations and continuous business services. The center is optimized for energy efficiency with Thailand's best-in-class Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and houses a Data Center Innovation Lab for testing and developing new solutions across various industries. Suphachai Chearavanont, Chief Executive Officer of Charoen Pokphand Group, stated that " To enable everyone—individuals, companies, and industries—to access AI and cloud technology, a fundamental requirement is a robust data center. This development brings immense benefits to Thailand and its industries, and contributes to the broader region by establishing Thailand as a regional hub while fostering domestic digital research and development."  Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the Board of Investment (BOI), added "This is a historic moment for a Thai company to develop hyperscale digital infrastructure. This data center will play a crucial role in elevating Thailand into a digital economic hub of the region, supported by a strong digital ecosystem and enhanced attractiveness for investment in digital and technology-driven industries." Thanasorn Jaidee, President of True IDC, shared, "This new AI Hyperscale Data Center sets a new benchmark for Thailand's data center industry in terms of technology, engineering, and sustainability. It is designed to handle hyperscale workloads and clients with architecture tailored for the digital era—especially industries powered by data, cloud, and AI. This foundation enhances Thailand's capability to independently and securely develop advanced technologies." ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2859/global-digital-innovation-network-gdin-invites-global-partners-for-smart-farming-pilot-projects.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2859/global-digital-innovation-network-gdin-invites-global-partners-for-smart-farming-pilot-projects.html Wed, 16 Apr 2025 10:41:37 +0530 Calling on global companies and institutions to collaborate with most innovative tech companies through its AI & Digital Transformation PoC Support Program: Climate tech, food security solutions, smart farming The Global Digital Innovation Network (GDIN) is calling on overseas companies and institutions to collaborate with South Korea’s most innovative tech companies through its AI & Digital Transformation PoC (Proof of Concept) Support Program. This program offers a unique opportunity for overseas companies and institutions to test and validate cutting-edge Korean technologies in real-world settings. By supporting local pilot projects, GDIN helps global partners assess the potential for commercializing AI and digital transformation solutions—without heavy upfront investment. Overseas companies and institutions can submit project proposals, which will be evaluated by GDIN for feasibility. Selected projects will be paired with top Korean tech firms to run collaborative PoC initiatives. The goal is to test new technologies in actual operational environments, making it easier for companies to adopt and scale innovative solutions. Key sectors supported:  Edu-Tech: E-learning platforms, corporate and HR training, language education technologies Ag-Tech: Climate tech, food security solutions, smart farming Digital Healthcare: Telemedicine, AI-powered diagnostics, digital therapeutics Digital Manufacturing: Process optimization, predictive maintenance, robotic automation This program is backed by the Ministry of Science and ICT of South Korea and reflects the country’s commitment to sharing its digital innovation globally. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2808/gigacrop-to-advance-photosynthesis-to-enhance-crop-productivity.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2808/gigacrop-to-advance-photosynthesis-to-enhance-crop-productivity.html Mon, 24 Mar 2025 13:37:39 +0530 Plant Biology Company Raises Pre-Seed Round of $4.5 Million Led by Playground Global Biotech pioneer GigaCrop has raised a $4.5 million pre-seed round of funding led by Playground Global. Using machine learning to improve enzymes, the company aims to boost photosynthesis, crop yields, and farmers’ profits. GigaCrop’s technology will help plants use sunlight more efficiently, enabling agricultural producers of food, fiber, and fuel to grow more with the same water, fertilizer, and acreage. “Plants are part solar panel, part fabrication facility, which is pretty amazing,” said Chris Eiben, founder and CEO of GigaCrop. “Farmers, and the plants they grow, support a robust and self-sufficient biomanufacturing economy. GigaCrop is developing crops to supply the additional yield needed to massively scale this sector, and benefit everyone in the process." Today, the enzyme Rubisco holds back the full potential of photosynthesis, the plant process converting sunlight and CO2 into biomass. To compensate for slow Rubisco, plants synthesize huge amounts, making Rubisco the most abundant protein on earth. By using machine learning and enzyme engineering, the GigaCrop team is working to bypass sluggish Rubisco entirely. The GigaCrop approach seeks to unlock yield far beyond what traditional plant breeding can deliver. Early-stage, deep tech venture capital firm Playground Global led GigaCrop’s pre-seed round of more than $4.5 million in funding to accelerate photosynthesis and increase crop yields. “Imagine a planet where plants are twice as efficient,” said Bruce Leak, general partner at Playground Global and GigaCrop board member. “GigaCrop has the potential to change the world by doubling crop yields. This breakthrough could drive a more energy-abundant future and unlock economic growth by transforming agriculture at its core." Chris Eiben founded GigaCrop under the name Perlumi as he began a two-year entrepreneurial fellowship with the Berkeley Lab Cyclotron Road program in partnership with non-profit Activate. GigaCrop’s early research was funded by the U.S. DOE Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO), the Grantham Foundation, and ARPA-E. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2783/saudi-arabias-kaust-developing-robotic-system-to-improve-date-palm-harvesting.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2783/saudi-arabias-kaust-developing-robotic-system-to-improve-date-palm-harvesting.html Wed, 12 Mar 2025 01:10:39 +0530 "Robotic farmers", with Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) model leverages AI robotics for reliable farming and greater efficiency Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST ) has developed an automated robotic system designed to automate date palm harvesting. The artificial intelligence-powered robotics to automate key date farming processes, such as harvesting, pollination and tree maintenance, which will yield more nutritious dates in larger yields.   KAUST Assistant Professor Shinkyu Park is leading research that uses Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) model that can allow smaller farmers to benefit from the technology without the burden of purchasing the robots outright. Field trials are scheduled to begin during the 2025 harvest season, with full operational capability expected within three years. Park's solution, "robotic farmers", combines robotics for reliable farming and AI for greater efficiency. The robotic arms of the system will be able to move as quickly as a human farmer while precisely picking each date without damage – to itself or the fruit. By equipping them with high-precision visual sensors, the robotic farmers can distinguish individual dates, flowers, and tree structures to execute various farming tasks like harvesting, spraying, and pruning, which ensures the health, productivity, and longevity of the trees and reduces the risk of pest infestations and diseases. With the AI component of the system, robots will be able to learn much faster than humans, while the best farmers spend decades developing their expertise.  By the end of the project, Park hopes to have his robotic farmers handle dates of varying sizes and firmness while maximizing their harvest rate. A robot's ability to operate and collect data will be enhanced by AI, similar to how farmers learn by working in the fields.   Through the system, Saudi Arabia hopes to disrupt the agriculture industry and become a leader in innovation in agriculture. The project is just one of many at KAUST that will benefit date farming and food security. At the end of 2024, the National Center for Palms and Dates signed an agreement to fund SAR 100 million ($25M) to KAUST for innovations in the date sector.    The Saudi diet has been dominated by dates for thousands of years. Date exports by the Kingdom have increased 10% between 2022 and 2023, and another 10% between 2023 and 2024. In date farming, ripeness has been determined by understanding the color and texture of the date and by the farmers' physical stamina, as they climb tall trees and cut off their harvest with knives and sharp objects. The ability to automate these processes - both the evaluation of the date fruit and the harvest - will allow date suppliers to supply higher quality dates more reliably and reduce worker risk.   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2771/grdc-invests-3-6m-to-improve-disease-management-for-grain-growers-in-australia-by-tracking-airborne-disease-spores.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2771/grdc-invests-3-6m-to-improve-disease-management-for-grain-growers-in-australia-by-tracking-airborne-disease-spores.html Fri, 07 Mar 2025 10:39:53 +0530 Harnesses technology to track airborne particles containing fungal spores An Australian project by Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is harnessing technology to track airborne disease spores to improve disease management for grain growers. Growers now have access to localised and accurate data. In the three-year, $3.6 million project, growers and advisers will have an earlier opportunity to detect blackleg, botrytis, leaf blights and spots (alternaria species), cereal powdery mildew, and general rust. The GRDC investment is led by BioScout with support from several research and commercial partners across Australia. As part of the project, a network of sensors that capture airborne particles containing fungal spores has been installed. When combined with artificial intelligence (AI) approaches, the data from these sensors allow for early alerts as to potential crop infection, when spores are microscopic and plants are asymptomatic, providing growers with the opportunity for more informed and timely disease management decisions. GRDC Manager Agriculture Technology Peter Thompson said that growers are reactive to fungal diseases, with detection possible only once the disease is visible in crops. Growers are already on the back-foot once visual symptoms can be spotted by the eye. During early infection, spores are microscopic, and plants are asymptomatic, making disease difficult to detect. But early infection is the optimal stage to apply fungicides. This project is providing more accurate and localised disease risk information for growers, so they can make more informed decisions on when and where to apply foliar fungicides, helping maximise profit from fungicide use and delay the onset of resistance. As part of the project, 60 BioScout SporeScout units have been deployed across Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The units use air sampling to trap fungal spores, which are photographed using automated microscopy. An AI function then compares these photos to a database of images to detect and identify fungal diseases. Data from SporeScout units is displayed on BioScout’s online dashboard, with graphs containing airborne spore concentrations of specific pathogens. BioScout CEO Lewis Collins said that over the 2024 season the network sampled nearly 1 billion litres of air, tracking and reporting on around 1.6 million unseen disease-causing spores in near real-time. This sampling revealed a staggering 1.2 million general alternaria spores. The project is led by BioScout with support from Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QDAF), Elders Rural Services Australia, Pairtree Intelligence, WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA DPIRD) and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), a division of the department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA). ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2738/malaysias-datodurian-revolutionizes-the-durian-industry-by-blending-with-blockchain-technology.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2738/malaysias-datodurian-revolutionizes-the-durian-industry-by-blending-with-blockchain-technology.html Wed, 19 Feb 2025 12:47:39 +0530 DatoDurian pioneers Malaysia's farms with First Tokenization of Durian Farm DatoDurian, Malaysia's first live agriculture tokenization project, proudly announces the completion of its private sale, selling 100% of the initial round. This milestone, achieved ahead of schedule, solidifies DatoDurian's position as the pioneer in blending agriculture and blockchain technology to revolutionize Malaysia's premium durian industry. A private launch event was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to celebrate the launch of DatoDurian. Mantra Chain, a purpose-built RWA Layer 1 Blockchain capable of complying with real world regulatory requirements, will be used by DatoDurian for its public round in the coming weeks. The company has partnered with local government agencies and obtained several licenses to guarantee compliance, solving common blockchain concerns such as speculative risks and scams. DatoDurian enables investors to own a share of Southeast Asia's most profitable agricultural market by tokenizing durian farms as Real-World Assets (RWAs). The platform provides unprecedented access to a thriving industry, ensuring transparency and long-term stability for investors. "We're breaking barriers to offer fractional ownership, unparalleled returns, and long-term stability—all backed by lifetime freehold farmland," said Bobby Sim, VP of DatoDurian. "This is more than just an investment; it's the gateway to a booming industry powered by innovation and trust." John Patrick Mullin, CEO and Co-Founder of MANTRA said, "At MANTRA we're focused on empowering those with high quality asset classes - just like DatoDurian's farms - with the leading protocol and infrastructure they need to seamlessly participate and build solutions in the evolving RWA tokenization space. Just like real estate, agriculture makes a perfect tokenization use case. It's exciting to see how this project could lead to others and the opportunities it will yield." "One of the biggest benefits of RWA and tokenization is that we're not subject to market crashes. We don't pay attention to bull or bear markets because our profits are not tied to speculation. It's the sale of durian fruit which is in extremely high demand" claims Warren Burke, VP of Ecosystem. DatoDurian also offers free cryptocurrency tokens, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. This choice from the company enforces their stance on trust and security for all users. "Most of our users come from traditional finance and don't understand Web3 at all. We want to give them a safe and secure channel to learn about blockchain" states Bobby Sim. Empowering Investors Through Innovation DatoDurian offers fractional ownership of premium durian farms, historically reserved for large-scale investors. The durian industry has long been a cornerstone of wealth in Malaysia, with many farmers earning millionaire status. Now, through DatoDurian, retail investors can participate in this high-yield market. DatoDurian's blockchain-based security tokens ensure: Transparency in transactions and operations. Bi-annual harvest and dividend payouts for investors. Automated profit distribution without intermediaries. Access to global liquidity via regulated securities markets. Global Accessibility and Ethical Investments DatoDurian's tokens are designed to be traded 24-7-365 on several security exchanges globally like NexStox, offering seamless global liquidity. The company also adheres to Shariah principles, unlocking access to the $445 trillion USD global market that is inaccessible to Islamic Finance. "RWA offerings have hitherto lacked global liquidity and real yield from real business. This announcement from DatoDurian highlights the immense potential of the market moving forward alongside its commitment to becoming a global pioneer in the RWA space. We're excited about making this available for 24/7 trading on the NexStox group of exchanges and the immense potential it brings." says NexStox CEO, Cathal Donnellan. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2723/conservation-of-marine-biodiversity-through-smart-technology-innovation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2723/conservation-of-marine-biodiversity-through-smart-technology-innovation.html Mon, 17 Feb 2025 14:00:00 +0530 Victor Cheng, Chief Executive Officer, Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL Singapore's National Parks Board (NParks) launched the 100k Corals Initiative in December 2024 with the aim of planting 100,000 corals in Singapore's waters over the next 10 years. NParks will create a coral culture facility on St John's Island so that corals can be cultivated and transplanted into the marine environment to restore degraded reefs or establish new coral communities. This programme will also scale up NParks' existing coral restoration efforts to improve the resilience of coral communities and reefs, making it the most extensive coral restoration effort in Singapore to date. On this mission, Delta Electronics collaborated with NParks to embark on the NParks-Delta Corals Research Programme, which helps NParks cultivate corals with the help of smart technology. As part of the two-year research programme, NParks will leverage Delta’s expertise in industrial and building automation to optimise large-scale coral cultivation at the coral culture facility. As the healthy growth of corals is dependent on several parameters, including lighting, temperature, water quality and water flow, smart technology will be deployed to cultivate corals under controlled conditions in the tanks, enabling them to thrive without being subject to environmental stressors such as ocean warming and acidification. Victor Cheng, Chief Executive Officer, Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL highlighted additional critical aspects of the NParks-Delta Coral Research Programme and the role of smart technology in conservation of marine biodiversity. How do you describe the role technology innovation plays in marine biodiversity conservation, especially in coral reef restoration? In recent years, several technologies have emerged as game-changers for large-scale coral reef restoration across Asia. AI-enabled environmental monitoring systems allow real-time tracking of water conditions, ensuring optimal growth environments for corals. Adaptive LED lighting systems mimic natural sunlight and support coral photosynthesis, while 3D-printed reef structures provide ideal habitats for coral larvae to attach and grow. At Delta, we have integrated these innovations into our solutions, such as customized coral culture tanks and IoT-enabled water management systems. These technologies not only enhance restoration success rates but also make the processes more energy-efficient and scalable, making them ideal for urban and high-demand environments like Singapore. How are NParks and Delta Electronics working together to integrate smart technology into coral cultivation? Does the program offer grants to support its initiatives? Delta is proud to partner NParks on the 100K Corals Initiative, a transformative project that will help restore and cultivate coral reefs in Singapore’s waters. This project is aligned with Delta’s commitment to supporting biodiversity and addressing global environmental challenges through innovation and collaboration.  Marine conservation has long been a focus for Delta. In Taiwan, Delta and the Delta Electronics Foundation worked with marine experts to develop coral nurseries and protect coastal reefs, using advanced automation systems to create controlled environments that foster coral resilience and optimal growth conditions. These efforts have significantly contributed to reef restoration in Taiwan’s waters. In Singapore, Delta will support the creation of ideal growing conditions for corals in land-based aquaculture tanks through its automation and monitoring systems. The Smart Coral Aquaculture System will integrate technologies such as redundant Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs), sensors for water quality monitoring, and wave makers to ensure good water mixing throughout the tanks. Additionally, a chiller system trialled by NUS researchers will manage water temperature, ensuring system reliability and optimal conditions for coral growth. To scale up restoration efforts, Delta has enhanced the new coral culture facility with a custom tank control and monitoring system, energy monitoring system, alarm systems, and surveillance trackers. To date, this initiative has received over $2 million in support from its donors, including Delta (approximately $1.7 million) through contributions to the Garden City Fund, NParks’ registered charity and IPC. What are the key parameters Delta will evaluate to optimize the coral culture facility's potential for large-scale coral cultivation? Restoring corals in an urban setting like Singapore is a challenge. Our man-made surroundings require a unique blend of advanced technologies tailored to protect coastal and climatic conditions.  Delta’s environmental sensors and adaptive lighting can help create controlled conditions to support marine habitats, complementing natural environmental factors essential for coral restoration. This helps support optimal growth conditions for coral nubbins, while minimizing energy consumption. The energy monitoring system also helps to track and manage power usage, ensuring energy efficiency throughout the facility, aligning with our commitment to efficiency. In addition, the VTScada System, provides remote monitoring and always-on connectivity allowing for immediate alerts on any environmental changes, enabling quick responses to protect the coral. The comprehensive monitoring system ensures efficient management of water parameters for optimal operation and maintenance. Delta will conduct quarterly check-ins for the foreseeable future to ensure the equipment is well-maintained and operates at peak efficiency. Give an overview of Delta's sustainable approach to the 100K Corals Initiative, such as the use of green materials or a low-carbon supply chain. Delta is committed to environmental stewardship and is working to embed sustainability into the 100K Corals Initiative. These can be seen in the: Energy-efficient systems: Delta leverages its expertise in smart industrial automation and utilizes intelligent automation such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs) and energy monitoring system to optimize energy consumption in the facility, ensuring systems operate only as needed while minimizing energy waste; and to reduce the overall operational carbon footprint by maintaining precise control of energy-intensive processes like lighting and temperature regulation. Water Conservation and Recycling: Delta’s control topology helps maintain water temperature within the desired range, preventing chiller overruns and reducing energy waste. Smart Monitoring and Data Analytics: IoT-enabled sensors and AI-driven systems are used for real-time monitoring of environmental conditions, enabling precise control and minimizing resource wastage. Delta’s approach exemplifies how technology and sustainability can come together to address critical environmental challenges, ensuring that the 100K Corals Initiative contributes meaningfully to marine ecosystem restoration while minimizing its ecological impact.  How can the NParks-Delta Research Programme support future cross-sector collaborations and research opportunities for coral restoration? Delta places great importance on forming international partnerships to address complex sustainability challenges like biodiversity and coral reef restoration. Collaborating with NParks on the 100K Corals Initiative showcases how public and private expertise can come together for collective action to protect biodiversity.  Committed to a smarter, greener future, Delta applies its technical expertise to drive meaningful sustainability efforts and welcomes further collaborations. How do you define Delta's overall commitment to ecological sustainability and marine biodiversity resiliency? At Delta, environmental conservation is deeply embedded in our ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategy because we understand the intricate connections between climate change and nature. Coral reefs, for example, are vital ecosystems that protect marine biodiversity, provide livelihoods, and safeguard coastlines, yet they are facing unprecedented threats from ocean heatwaves and acidification. As a company committed to sustainability, Delta sees conservation not just as a responsibility but as an opportunity to apply our expertise in energy-efficient and innovative technologies. By integrating conservation into our ESG strategy, we align our business objectives with global goals like biodiversity preservation and climate change mitigation, ensuring a positive impact on the planet and our communities. What ESG trends and opportunities would Delta Electronics advocate for in the future? Delta is committed to advancing sustainability and addressing global challenges through innovation. We have pledged to achieve the goal of 100% renewable electricity and carbon neutrality by 2030 for all of Delta’s global operation sites, and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Using the power of technological innovation, we are committed to pursuing business growth through sustainable development. The key ESG trends and trends Delta advocates for include: Transition to net-zero emissions: Delta emphasizes the urgent need for businesses to align with global carbon neutrality goals by adopting low-carbon technologies, improving energy efficiency, and integrating renewable energy into operations. Opportunities lie in advancing green buildings, energy storage, and electric vehicle infrastructure to accelerate this transition. Circular economy practices: Delta supports the adoption of circular economy principles by promoting sustainable product design, responsible material sourcing, and recycling initiatives to reduce waste and environmental impact. The company advocates for developing solutions that enable lifecycle management and resource optimization. Digitalization for sustainability: Delta recognizes the role of digital transformation in achieving sustainability, encouraging the use of IoT, AI, and smart automation to enhance resource efficiency and operational sustainability. Opportunities exist in enabling smart cities, energy-efficient data centers, and intelligent manufacturing systems. Climate adaptation and resilience: As climate risks grow, Delta advocates for solutions that enhance resilience, such as renewable energy systems, disaster-proof infrastructure, and sustainable water management practices. Investing in green innovation: Delta highlights the importance of R&D in green technologies to drive innovation across sectors, particularly in energy, transportation, and building solutions. Promoting sustainable supply chains: Delta emphasizes the need for transparent, low-carbon, and ethical supply chains to foster sustainable practices across industries. Biodiversity Conservation: Delta underscores the importance of preserving ecosystems to protect biodiversity, as reflected in its coral restoration projects and initiatives to protect natural habitats. This includes the Chaojing Bay Project, where Delta collaborated with marine institutions to restore coral reefs, cultivating and transplanting over 1,000 coral colonies by the end of 2022. Delta also became the first Taiwanese corporation to serve as an official observer at COP16, sharing its biodiversity policies and commitment to restoring 10,000 coral colonies by 2025. Stakeholder Engagement and Education: Delta advocates for stronger collaboration between governments, corporations, and communities to raise awareness, share knowledge, and collectively address sustainability challenges. Delta became an early adopter of TNFD with its first official disclosure in accordance with the TNFD v1.0. This marked an important step to safeguard nature & biodiversity in our operation. Through Delta’s coral restoration scheme and the partnership with NParks, we see great opportunities to expand our impacts and contribute to nature conservation beyond our own supply chain. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2713/source-ag-joins-forces-with-sigrow-to-expands-its-partner-network.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2713/source-ag-joins-forces-with-sigrow-to-expands-its-partner-network.html Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:29:29 +0530 By ensuring seamless integration of Sigrow sensors with the Source API through this partnership Source.ag, the provider of AI solutions for vegetable growers, announced its partnership with Sigrow. Sigrow is a wireless sensor provider, specializing in hardware for accurate and efficient (micro-)climate data collection. The new partnership allows more greenhouse growers to optimize their operations, increase yield, and ultimately boost profitability. By ensuring seamless integration of Sigrow sensors with the Source API through this partnership, Source.ag offers growers a centralized platform for instant data visualization, comparison, and analysis. This enables easier scalability, reduces operational costs, and empowers growers to leverage data-driven strategies for enhanced outcomes. Sigrow has partnered with Source.ag to empower growers with enhanced data integration, enabling smarter irrigation decisions and more accurate production forecasts. By incorporating Sigrow's wireless sensors, Source.ag's AI technology gains access to valuable new inputs, including PAR, microclimate temperature and humidity, as well as leaf, fruit, and flower temperature,  Javier Lomas, Co-Founder and CEO of Sigrow said, " We are happy to partner with Sigrow, a company that shares our commitment to excellence and technological advancement. Together, we aim to help growers maximize yields and optimize growing strategies for enhanced outcomes,  Rien Kamman, CEO and Co-Founder at Source.ag said, "Source.ag’s advanced technology is helping growers worldwide scale faster and operate more efficiently, boosting vegetable yields and creating more sustainable practices. Today, commercial greenhouses in 18 countries benefit from Source.ag’s solutions globally. These growers collectively produce vegetables for more than 60 million people worldwide—and that number continues to grow. Source.ag is accelerating access to fresh fruit and vegetables by empowering the world’s growers with AI. Founded in 2020 by Rien Kamman (CEO) and Ernst van Bruggen (CPO), Source.ag has brought together a team of experienced engineers and plant scientists and has partnered with the world’s leading growers to build the sector’s most advanced AI. Its AI solutions can simulate plant behavior for defining and implementing optimal cultivation strategies, taking into account millions of data points on climate, biology, and resources. By enabling more growers to operate more facilities more efficiently through pioneering tech, Source.ag is making covered greenhouse agriculture accessible, profitable, and globally scalable. Together, we’re on a mission to feed the world, in a climate-resilient and resource-efficient way. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2676/classiq-and-florence-quantum-lab-partner-to-advance-sustainability-and-food-security-with-quantum-enhanced-precision-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2676/classiq-and-florence-quantum-lab-partner-to-advance-sustainability-and-food-security-with-quantum-enhanced-precision-agriculture.html Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:48:06 +0530 Partnership focuses on significantly enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of soil health monitoring and nutrient management Classiq, a leading quantum computing software company, and Florence Quantum Labs announced their collaboration on research to develop quantum-enhanced precision agriculture. Quantum advancements will play a crucial role in addressing global challenges in 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technologies kicks off. The Classiq platform will be used in this collaborative research to develop quantum computing solutions for precision agriculture. It will leverage Florence Quantum Lab-designed quantum-enhanced biosensors and include deployment of scalable AI-quantum hybrid algorithms for ecosystem modeling. The partnership focuses on significantly enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of soil health monitoring and nutrient management by integrating Classiq’s quantum computing platform with Florence Quantum Labs’ advanced agricultural technologies. Classiq offers a leading quantum development platform with cutting-edge technology enabling high-level abstraction that simplifies and accelerates the development of efficient complex quantum programs and applications. The Classiq platform’s built-in functions, GitHub repository and seamless execution on a broad range of quantum computing hardware will be key components in research to develop transformative agricultural solutions. Classiq CEO Nir Minerbi said, “Classiq looks forward to enabling the development of sophisticated, optimized quantum programs to tackle food security challenges.” “This partnership represents a pivotal step toward harnessing quantum computing to address global food security challenges,” said Florence Quantum Labs CEO Dr. Pratima Vasistha. “By combining Classiq’s innovative platform with our precision agriculture expertise, we are set to revolutionize sustainable farming practices.” Florence Quantum Labs is pioneering the integration of quantum technologies to address critical challenges in sustainable farming and global food security. Through a rigorous multidisciplinary approach, the laboratory has established itself as a leader in the development of advanced quantum-enhanced biosensors, which provide unparalleled accuracy in real-time soil health diagnostics. These biosensors are coupled with AI-quantum hybrid algorithms, designed to optimize nutrient delivery systems and reduce inefficiencies in agricultural processes. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2650/vizmonet-launches-cutting-edge-wi-fi-halow-module-for-sony-spresense-powered-by-newracom-chipset.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2650/vizmonet-launches-cutting-edge-wi-fi-halow-module-for-sony-spresense-powered-by-newracom-chipset.html Tue, 24 Dec 2024 15:39:37 +0530 Makes it ideal for diverse IoT applications, for agricultural monitoring Vizmonet Pte Ltd, a leading manufacturer of wireless communication solutions, is proud to announce the launch of its latest Wi-Fi HaLow module, the ahSP1, designed specifically for the SONY SPRESENSE platform. The groundbreaking module, powered by Newracom’s advanced chipset, promises to revolutionize IoT connectivity with its extended range, low power consumption, and robust performance. The ahSP1 extends the capabilities of the SONY SPRESENSE with an impressive array of features, offering greater range and better penetration through obstacles, all while using considerably less power. This makes it ideal for diverse IoT applications, from smart homes to industrial automation and agricultural monitoring. “At Vizmonet, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of wireless technology. Our goal with the Wi-Fi HaLow module is to empower developers to create smarter, more connected devices. In collaboration with Sony and Newracom, we are excited to provide a solution that addresses the growing demand for reliable, low-power, long-range IoT connectivity” said Raghu PV, Founder, CEO of Vizmonet. SONY SPRESENSE Integration:"The integration of Vizmonet’s Wi-Fi HaLow module with the SONY SPRESENSE platform opens new possibilities for developers and businesses. The SPRESENSE platform, known for its high-performance and low-power consumption, is now further augmented with seamless Wi-Fi HaLow connectivity” said Takayoshi Koizumi, General Section Manager, Sony Semiconductor Solutions corporation. “We are thrilled to see our chipset powering Vizmonet’s innovative Wi-Fi HaLow module. This collaboration highlights the potential of our technology to drive the next generation of IoT solutions,” said Frank Lin, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Newracom ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2637/abu-dhabis-nabat-to-use-ai-and-robotics-to-restore-mangroves-and-build-climate-resilience.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2637/abu-dhabis-nabat-to-use-ai-and-robotics-to-restore-mangroves-and-build-climate-resilience.html Wed, 18 Dec 2024 07:28:13 +0530  New startup from the Advanced Technology Research Council’s VentureOne is using AI and autonomous robotics to conserve natural ecosystems, starting with mangroves and expanding to other habitats At the International Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Conference in Abu Dhabi, VentureOne, the commercialization arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), unveiled Nabat, a new climate tech company that aims to conserve and restore mangroves and other ecosystems in the region through AI and robotics. Nabat showcased its cutting-edge technology, including drones, AI-powered software and flexible seeding mechanisms, which it will use to conserve and restore thousands of hectares of mangroves across the UAE over the next seven years. Mangroves store up to five times more carbon than rainforest trees and are a critical part of the UAE’s ecosystem and the global fight against climate change. “Nabat is a perfect example of how the UAE is using cutting-edge technology to serve humanity,” said HE Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary-General of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC). “By merging innovation and science, we are driving efforts to restore ecosystems, enhance biodiversity and build climate resilience to accelerate our country’s transition to net zero.” “Technology and nature are often seen as two opposing elements – but when we combine technology and scientific research to solve critical problems, technology can become one of nature’s most powerful allies,” said Dr Najwa Aaraj, CEO of the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) and the developer of the technology behind Nabat. “Our system helps solve several critical conservation challenges, one of the most important being data collection. No two ecosystems are the same – each requires a tailored, data-driven approach.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2609/farmers-edge-launches-managed-technology-services-for-large-scale-agribusinesses-and-crop-insurers.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2609/farmers-edge-launches-managed-technology-services-for-large-scale-agribusinesses-and-crop-insurers.html Mon, 02 Dec 2024 11:14:22 +0530 Advancing technology in agriculture through innovation, data, and agronomic expertise Farmers Edge™, a leader in digital agriculture, announces the launch of its Managed Technology Services focused on addressing agriculture’s toughest technology challenges like rising tech costs, siloed systems, and complex digital transitions. This comprehensive offering is a first for the industry, meeting the growing complexity of digital needs for global insurers, agribusinesses, and financial institutions seeking to scale their technology capabilities. Farmers Edge Managed Technology Services encompass technology consulting, outsourcing, data licensing, and custom development catered to key verticals in agriculture: Farm Productivity Agribusiness Operations and Sales Enablement Crop Insurance and Risk Management Agriculture-Supply Chain Optimization and Traceability Sustainability Reporting and Scope 3 Insets “Our Managed Services redefine how agribusinesses adopt and integrate technology,” said Vibhore Arora, Farmers Edge CEO. “As a strategic partner, we deliver end-to-end lifecycle support—simplifying processes, resolving challenges, and empowering clients to harness technology into a catalyst of growth and innovation.” Farmers Edge Managed Technology Services addresses three critical challenges: Cost Management: Agribusiness leaders face pressure to amplify business value without additional overhead –Managed Services enable a 30-50% reduction in technology spend. With in-house technology, insurance, agronomy and sustainability experts, Farmers Edge becomes an extension of its clients’ technology teams, providing specialized knowledge and solutions to improve financial visibility. Disconnected Tech Stacks: Application bloat and data silos can lead to complex integrations, making it difficult to optimize tech infrastructures, and weaken performance. From system integrations to custom builds, Farmers Edge develops end-to-end solutions encompassing proprietary tools, such as robust AI/ML models, licensed SaaS products, Carbon Intensity (CI) Scoring, ESG data and reports, and more. This tailored approach converts fragmented technology stacks into a cohesive, strategic asset to enhance business capabilities and customer experience. Change Management: With deep expertise in agriculture technology and an elite ecosystem of strategic partnerships with the world’s leading advisory firms, including Fairfax Digital Services, TEKSystems, Tata Consultancy Services, Coforge, and LTIMindtree, Farmers Edge goes beyond the basic SaaS model to ensure a smooth digital transformation. Farmers Edge has received significant interest within the enterprise market, establishing strategic partnerships with leading organizations. National Sorghum Producers leverages Farmers Edge Technology to support climate-smart crop production, helping their growers qualify for government grants. GEVO, a leader in renewable fuels, benefits from tailored solutions for Carbon Intensity Scoring, providing transparency from field to bin. Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Insurance, one of Canada’s largest crop insurers, is using advanced analytics to support hail claims and improve customer experience. These flagship collaborations demonstrate the innovation that Farmers Edge will drive across the agricultural supply chain. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2567/agrovision-secures-400-million-credit-facility-to-drive-global-expansion.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2567/agrovision-secures-400-million-credit-facility-to-drive-global-expansion.html Mon, 11 Nov 2024 09:25:30 +0530 Aims to strengthen markets expansion, fuel innovative product development, and enhance Agrovision’s genetics partnerships, robotics, and AI-powered initiatives Agrovision Corp., the technology driven global superfruit platform, announced the closing of senior secured credit facilities in an aggregate amount of $400 million. Proceeds from the financing, which includes an initial $230 million five-year term loan and a $150 million three-year revolving credit line, will be used to repay outstanding borrowings under the Company’s existing $210 million credit facility and short term credit lines. The remainder of the proceeds will be used to support Agrovision’s expansion including into new markets and categories, fuel innovative product development, and enhance Agrovision’s genetics partnerships, robotics, and AI-powered initiatives. Together, these actions reinforce Agrovision’s mission to excite consumers and inspire nutritious snacking using technology. Rabobank and Banco Santander acted as mandated lead arrangers and lenders in connection with the financing, with participation from a diverse group of global financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Scotiabank, BBVA, BanBif, Banco ITAU, BTG Pactual, COFIDE, and ICBC. Agrovision has invested over $550 million since inception in building a healthy snacking platform that integrates an owned value chain across a uniquely designed global production footprint and proprietary technology, including purpose-built AI deployed across its operations, and in becoming the genetics development and commercialization partner-of-choice. This platform, along with a 52-week premium offering through its Fruitist brand, has accelerated Agrovision’s trusted, long-term retailer partnerships and driven strong consumer demand. “We are delighted to reinforce our partnerships with a world-class group of global banks to accelerate our growth and innovation efforts in transforming the produce aisle,” said Steve Magami, Chairman and CEO of Agrovision. “We appreciate the strong support from our long-standing lenders, and look forward to leveraging these resources to drive our mission forward and deliver exceptional value and wellness to consumers.” Agrovision remains committed to sustainability and strengthening the communities in which it operates. In addition to alignment with more than 10 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Agrovision is dedicated to increasing biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and improving quality of life. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2505/australia-extends-digital-boost-for-2-billion-seafood-export-industry.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2505/australia-extends-digital-boost-for-2-billion-seafood-export-industry.html Thu, 07 Nov 2024 11:23:53 +0530 NEXDOC is being expanded as part of the government’s five-year $322.9M Digital Services Australian fish exporters will find it faster and easier to send consignments offshore thanks to ongoing support from the Albanese Labor Government. The Next Export Documentation (NEXDOC) system is an online document management system that will simplify export documentation processes for seafood exporters from today, making their $1.8 billion trade more efficient. The system streamlines the permit and certificate application process, saving exporters time and money with digitally generated export certificates that can be easily printed. Covering all types of catches – from wild caught fish to aquaculture – NEXDOC is built with improved data collection, analysis and reporting. The system will help get fish to foreign markets securely and efficiently, with greater tracking capability that reduces the risk of fraudulent certification. Australian fish and fish products are exported to many countries, with China, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam home to the biggest appetites for Australian products. Australian exporters of dairy products, eggs and honey have all benefitted from the move to NEXDOC, with self service functions, certificate QR code security and a direct access web-based portal to the new system. The portal gives exporters greater choice in how to manage their export documents, potentially saving costs in courier fees. Other agricultural export products needing government permits and certificates are in line to move to the new system next year. NEXDOC is being expanded as part of the government’s five-year $322.9M Digital Services to Take Farmers to Markets package to implement digital solutions to streamline trade processes, reduce costs and enhance efficiencies. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2537/untether-ai-drives-the-agricultural-revolution-with-energy-efficient-ai-acceleration-at-the-edge.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2537/untether-ai-drives-the-agricultural-revolution-with-energy-efficient-ai-acceleration-at-the-edge.html Mon, 21 Oct 2024 11:43:39 +0530 Untether AI®, the leader in energy-centric AI acceleration technology, is at the forefront of transforming agriculture with edge-optimized solutions that address critical challenges like labor shortages and inefficient resource use. As AI reshapes the farming practices, Untether AI is delivering cutting-edge solutions that significantly improve productivity and sustainability, ensuring the future of agriculture. Accelerating the Future of Agriculture Untether AI is disrupting the agricultural technology landscape delivering best-in-class AI acceleration solutions that power advanced vision-based equipment for precision farming. These solutions help with tasks such as crop monitoring, weeding, identifying pests or diseases, automating harvesting processes, and optimizing irrigation. While AI holds enormous potential in AgTech, traditional GPU-based solutions are often prohibitively expensive, with high ongoing operational costs. Untether AI’s speedAI® 240 Slim breaks these barriers offering edge-optimized AI acceleration that is both practical and scalable, allowing farmers to embrace the future of farming with efficient, high-performance AI solutions. “At Untether AI, we believe that AI is not just a technology advancement; it is a force that will redefine the agricultural landscape,” said Chris Walker, CEO Untether AI. “Our speedAI family of AI accelerators has the best performance, power and accuracy giving AgTech equipment designers the essential capabilities to maximize farm equipment efficiency and effectiveness; reducing upfront and operational costs, making sustainable practices viable.” Overcoming the Limitations of Current Solutions Most AgTech solutions rely on GPU-based solutions – originally designed for gaming—which are costly, inefficient, and power-hungry—making them impractical for real-world agriculture. For example, laser weeders intended to replace harmful chemicals are expensive due to the need for multiple GPUs, pushing farmers back to chemical solutions. Untether AI's state-of-the-art speedAI240 Slim AI accelerator card employs a novel At-Memory compute architecture, delivers superior performance and low latency at a fraction of the cost and energy, making AI-powered AgTech viable and efficient. Centralized Architecture: A New Paradigm for AgTech Just as the automotive industry embraced centralized architectures for efficiency, agriculture is now poised to shift away from complex, inefficient GPU-powered distributed systems toward more streamlined centralized solutions. Untether AI is pioneering an open-source platform that leverages a centralized architecture to enhance reliability, reduce costs, and simplify maintenance. By moving away from power hungry, expensive GPU-centric models, Untether AI’s accelerators enabled advanced AI capabilities, driving both productivity and sustainability in agricultural operations. A Vision for Sustainable Agriculture Untether AI envisions AI as a driving force for sustainable farming, tackling challenges like labor shortages and resource inefficiencies. By delivering edge-optimized AI solutions—not outdated, GPU-based technologies—Untether AI is unlocking productivity while promoting sustainability. This translates to more efficient farming, reduced chemical use, healthier crops, and ultimately, a more profitable and sustainable future for farmers. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2489/syngenta-group-adds-cutting-edge-generative-artificial-intelligence-genai-to-cropwise.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2489/syngenta-group-adds-cutting-edge-generative-artificial-intelligence-genai-to-cropwise.html Wed, 02 Oct 2024 11:24:23 +0530 Cropwise AI is a cutting-edge GenAI system designed to increase the efficiency of agronomic advisors and growers to determine the best crop management practices. Syngenta Group, a global leader in agricultural innovation, announced the launch of Cropwise AI at the World AgriTech Innovation Summit in London Cropwise AI is a cutting-edge GenAI system designed to increase the efficiency of agronomic advisors and growers to determine the best crop management practices. Leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms and data analytics, Cropwise AI empowers growers with deep insights and enhanced decision-making capabilities to optimize crop yields, improve sustainability, and drive profitability. Cropwise AI leverages the deep library of Agronomic Models housed within Cropwise Insight Engine, including over 20 years of weather history, soil conditions, more than 80,000 observations on crop growth stages, and historical yield data from R&D and on-farm trials. This information is then integrated with Syngenta’s extensive agronomic expertise. Combined with a multi-lingual conversational LLM, the system provides growers with tailored recommendations for precise input applications, product placement, and strategies for pest and disease control in easy-to-understand natural language. The unique combination of data and models helps farmers make better decisions. Utilizing Syngenta’s seed recommendation models, Cropwise AI helps growers increase yields by up to 5 percent. "Cropwise AI represents a significant milestone in our digital transformation journey," said Feroz Sheikh, Chief Information and Digital Officer at Syngenta Group. "By combining our deep agronomic knowledge with cutting-edge AI capabilities, we are bringing the power of GenAI to agriculture and empowering growers to make data-driven decisions." Earlier this year, the launch of GHX 2.0 with Cropwise AI integration brought the full potential of farmer data to life. The updated GHX 2.0 app allows users to ask questions and get answers on products and agronomic challenges, to high-impacting diseases like Tar Spot. Key features of Cropwise AI include: Seeds recommendation and placement: providing insights on seed products and utilizing advanced predictive machine learning algorithms to deliver tailored seed recommendations. Predictive Modeling: Leveraging machine learning algorithms to forecast crop growth, yield potential, and risk factors based on real-time and historical data. Precision Agriculture: Providing site-specific recommendations for optimized input application, minimizing waste and maximizing resource efficiency. Looking ahead, Syngenta plans to expand Cropwise AI’s capabilities with innovative features that will further revolutionize agricultural practices: Advanced Disease and Pest Management: Future iterations will leverage computer vision and image recognition to detect and identify pests and diseases early, for proactive and precise management strategies. Sustainability Analytics: Syngenta will integrate sustainability analytics to quantify the environmental impact of farming practices and provide suggestions for reducing carbon footprint. “Cropwise AI is an industry-leading example of how GenAI can address critical agricultural issues”, said Elizabeth Fastiggi, Global Head of Agriculture, AWS. “Syngenta has revolutionized decision support, giving farmers easy access to expert advice. We're excited to partner with them to boost yields and optimize productivity across the agri-food system.” Cropwise AI is currently available to selected groups of customers in the United States and Brazil, with plans to expand to Europe in the near future. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2476/worlds-first-ai-powered-global-scale-forest-monitoring-system-launched-by-planet.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2476/worlds-first-ai-powered-global-scale-forest-monitoring-system-launched-by-planet.html Fri, 27 Sep 2024 11:16:28 +0530 AI-powered Forest Carbon Monitoring Product at 3-Meter Resolution Planet Labs PBC, a leading provider of daily Earth data and insights, released its Forest Carbon Monitoring product, consisting of quarterly, 3-meter resolution measurements of forests globally. This new product offers partners and customers an unprecedented dataset to support voluntary carbon markets, regulatory compliance, and deforestation mitigation. Commenting on the climate crisis, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore said “Planet’s Forest Carbon Monitoring system is an important tool that helps the world monitor, protect, and manage one of the important resources in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere — our global forests. This kind of information is vitally important to governments, scientists, and advocates working to safeguard humanity’s future.” This quarterly dataset estimates aboveground carbon, canopy height, and canopy cover over the entire Earth dating back to 2021, setting a new standard for monitoring forest growth and change. Forest Carbon Monitoring equips stakeholders with a cost-effective way to monitor forested areas — scaling from a single tree to the entirety of the Amazon rainforest. In order to measure forest carbon stocks, stakeholders typically use ground measurements, fly expensive airborne missions over select areas, or pay for temporally and spatially patchy satellite data. But by leveraging Forest Carbon Monitoring data — built using Planet’s extensive archive of PlanetScope imagery and a global library of airborne and spaceborne LiDAR data, with processing by AI — users can derive precise, scalable, and affordable measurements without sacrificing scientific rigor. For countries implementing policies to reduce deforestation and sequester carbon, establishing an accurate baseline to quantify the current state of their forests is a critical step. Then they can draw on Forest Carbon Monitoring data to track changes and assess policy impact and effectiveness. Forest Carbon Monitoring can be leveraged by companies aiming to comply with the new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Measuring tree canopy and carbon stock change of sourcing regions can help mitigate and track any commodity-driven deforestation risks. And in the case of EUDR, ensuring compliance can help companies avoid fines and help jurisdictions sustainably maintain agricultural exports. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2470/israels-dairyx-crafting-next-gen-casein-micelles-using-precision-fermentation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2470/israels-dairyx-crafting-next-gen-casein-micelles-using-precision-fermentation.html Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:13:43 +0530 Paving the Way to Making Stretchy, Protein-rich, Dairy Cheese – Cow-free DairyX Foods Ltd. announces a major advancement in creating authentic milk proteins without cows, using precision fermentation. The food-tech start-up has developed a method to produce casein proteins that can self-assemble into micelles. Micelles are the primary building blocks of dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt. DairyX has also refined a complementary technology to enhance the gelation of its casein micelles, considered the holy grail of the industry. DairyX’s gelating micelles enable manufacturers to produce firm, stretchy and creamy products using their traditional dairy-making processes. Galit Kuznets, Head of Strain Development and Fermentation discusses DairyX's proprietary technologies and protocols, saying, “We have achieved several key objectives with our solutions. Our biological design genetically manipulated yeast to produce functional caseins that we organized into micelles. We developed a fast-tracked screening process that simulated evolution to locate super-producers of protein from among millions of yeast strains. Our machine-learning models simulated fermentation to determine optimal fermentation conditions. We have proven our ability to create a gel from reconstituted casein micelles. All these ingenuities have helped us work smarter and faster to create highly functional micelles.” Creating a smarter casein with precision fermentation Casein micelles are key to the appealing sensory profile of dairy products. DairyX’s precision fermentation technology uses microorganisms (specifically yeast) to produce smart casein proteins. “Not all caseins produced using precision fermentation are alike,” explains Maya Bar-Zeev, PhD, Head of Product Development and Downstream Processing. “We trained yeast to produce the next generation of casein. DairyX's patent-pending casein is an advanced form created to precisely and effectively organize into micelles.” “The industry knows quite well that caseins are extremely hard to produce using precision fermentation, so our initial goal was to solve this problem. Once we successfully crafted caseins, the next major challenge was to upgrade caseins so they could self-assemble into gelating micelles to produce the dairy properties manufacturers are seeking,” explains DairyX CEO and founder Arik Ryvkin, PhD. DairyX casein eliminates the need for hormones and antibiotics applied in dairy farms and Maximizes efficiency Currently, manufacturers of animal-free dairy products use additives, like stabilizers, emulsifiers and thickeners, which don’t perform as well as cow’s milk and can add unpleasant aftertastes. These fail to satisfy consumer cravings for a real dairy experience. “DairyX caseins have amino acid sequences identical to those of their animal counterparts, making them, in fact, non-genetically modified,” explains Galit Kuznets, Head of Strain Development and Fermentation. DairyX addresses taste with its innovative caseins while also making non-animal dairy affordable. The company is creating yeast strains that produce exceptionally high casein yields in short timeframes. This approach ensures that DairyX's ingredients are cost-effective – a crucial factor for adoption by dairy manufacturers. “Another significant challenge that dairy companies face is adapting their production facilities to use new ingredients,” Bar-Zeev explains. “This is why we created a drop-in replacement for milk that does not require process changes or retooling.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2383/fonterra-and-superbrewed-food-collaborate-to-advance-biomass-protein-technology.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2383/fonterra-and-superbrewed-food-collaborate-to-advance-biomass-protein-technology.html Mon, 19 Aug 2024 11:19:34 +0530 The collaboration builds upon Superbrewed’s commercial launch of their patented biomass protein, called Postbiotic Cultured Protein Global dairy co-operative Fonterra and natural ingredient manufacturer Superbrewed Food have teamed up to boost sustainable food production. The partnership combines Superbrewed’s biomass protein platform with Fonterra’s dairy processing, ingredients, and applications expertise to develop additional nutrient-rich, functional biomass protein. The collaboration addresses the rising global demand for protein, reflecting on commitment to delivering sustainably sourced, functional proteins that meet customer and consumer needs worldwide. The collaboration builds upon Superbrewed’s commercial launch of their patented biomass protein, called Postbiotic Cultured Protein. Postbiotic Cultured Protein is a non-GMO, allergen-free, nutrient-dense bacteria biomass protein that recently received US market green light from the FDA. In ingredient evaluations, Fonterra determined that the excellent function and nutrition of Postbiotic Cultured Protein complement dairy ingredients in food applications with growing consumer demand. Additionally, Superbrewed demonstrated that its non-GMO, fermentation platform could be adapted to ferment other inputs. Thus, the multi-year joint effort seeks to develop new biomass protein solutions based on the fermentation of multi-feedstocks, including Fonterra’s lactose permeate, which is produced during dairy processing. The objective is to add value to Fonterra's lactose by converting it into high-quality, sustainable protein with Superbrewed's technology. Chris Ireland, GM Innovation Partnerships commented, "Superbrewed Foods cutting-edge technology aligns with our mission to provide sustainable nutritional solutions to the world and respond to the global demand for protein solutions thereby creating more value from milk for our farmers." ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2275/azti-develops-a-genetic-method-to-facilitate-an-ecosystem-based-approach-to-fisheries-management.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2275/azti-develops-a-genetic-method-to-facilitate-an-ecosystem-based-approach-to-fisheries-management.html Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:25:21 +0530 Information would be key for the application of ecosystem-based models for fish stocks sustainable management European directives such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive or the EU Common Fisheries Policy call for fisheries management that ensures the sustainability of stocks. In recent years, this management has started moving towards the more holistic ecosystem-based approach, which not only considers the abundance of the stock and the fishing pressure it is subjected to, but also how the species interacts with the other species in the ecosystem. Thus, a better understanding of the trophic relationships in the marine environment and how they vary spatially and temporally is required. This knowledge has been historically obtained through visual inspection of the stomach contents, which is a time-consuming task that requires high taxonomic expertise, especially challenging (if not an impossible task) when stomach contents are degraded. In response to this problem, a multidisciplinary team from the AZTI Technology Centre composed by genetics, marine ecology and ecosystem modelling experts, has developed and validated a novel method to facilitate and speed up the collection of trophic data for 5 highly commercial species in the Bay of Biscay: anchovy, sardine, hake, horse mackerel and mackerel. The method, based on the analysis of the DNA in the stomachs of the fish, is devised to reduce the time needed for stomach processing while improving the efficiency of the genetic analysis. Furthermore, it allows the analysis of hundreds of samples simultaneously to obtain a prey inventory for each one. “Our method represents a precise and reliable way to collect information on who eats whom and with what preference in the ocean, key data to increase our knowledge on the trophic structure of marine ecosystems,” says Oriol Canals, a marine genetics expert at AZTI. “Increased knowledge on the trophic relationships between marine organisms will facilitate the application of ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management, ultimately ensuring a sustainable exploitation of marine ecosystems and resources, of high-value for the economy and the fisheries sector,” says the AZTI researcher. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2265/syngenta-biologicals-and-lithos-crop-protect-collaborate-to-fight-major-corn-pest-in-europe.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2265/syngenta-biologicals-and-lithos-crop-protect-collaborate-to-fight-major-corn-pest-in-europe.html Wed, 03 Jul 2024 09:17:00 +0530 First sprayable pheromone disrupts mating of the Western Corn Rootworm, which poses an increasing threat to European agriculture as an impact of climate change. Syngenta and Lithos Crop Protect have signed a distribution agreement to supply a sprayable pheromone formulation for mating disruption to control a key pest in corn, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Western Corn Rootworm). This innovative solution features Lithos' patented lithos micro dispenser® technology, which utilizes a natural carrier material with pherolit®-d (the pheromone of Diabrotica v.v. L.), a naturally derived female pheromone that causes mating disruption in corn crops for large-scale use. The companies have now entered into the next phase of their collaboration to optimize the features and benefits of this innovation and rigorously test for safety and efficacy. The Western Corn Rootworm poses a significant threat to European agriculture, particularly in regions with continuous maize cultivation and insecticide resistance. It’s increased prevalence poses a significant threat to the industry, with climate change also intensifying its invasion into new territories. Targeting corn crops, its larvae feeds on roots, stunting plant growth and causing economic losses. Growing insecticide resistance and environmental concerns have increased the need for new, sustainable control methods with a lower environmental footprint. “This partnership between Syngenta Biologicals and Lithos Crop Protect represents another significant stride in expanding our biological portfolio with forward-thinking and disruptive solutions, while filling gaps in pest control due to the current EU regulatory landscape,” said Matthew Pickard, Head of Europe Biologicals and Seedcare, Syngenta. “The introduction of this solution will add a new tool to the current integrated pest management (IPM) strategies employed by the growers to safeguard crops and curb the advance of pests.” “We are actively seeking innovative and sustainable solutions to combat pests such as the Western Corn Rootworm,’’ said Lithos Crop Protect Managing Director and Founder Dr. Franz Reitbauer. ‘‘With the active ingredient pherolit®-d, we have the means to naturally disrupt pest mating behaviors, thus maintaining pest populations below the economically damaging threshold, without any negative effects on other organisms or the environment.” The introduction of pherolit®-d for European farmers will be the third pheromone technology in Syngenta’s portfolio. Registration in key European markets is expected for 2026. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2249/source-ag-releases-source-cultivate-empowering-growers-with-precise-yield-forecasting.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2249/source-ag-releases-source-cultivate-empowering-growers-with-precise-yield-forecasting.html Thu, 27 Jun 2024 12:03:14 +0530 New AI solution will support growers in their decision-making process with accurate, real-time yield predictions Source.ag, the leading provider of AI solutions for fruit and vegetable growers, presented Source Cultivate: an AI-based solution that enables accurate yield forecasting up to eight weeks before harvest. Following the launch of its first product, Source Track, and the recent release of Source Irrigation Control, Source Cultivation is a new addition in the suite that takes greenhouse efficiency to the next level. By simulating the outcome of cultivation strategies, Source Cultivate supports growers in their decision-making process with accurate, real-time yield predictions. It provides growers with valuable and consistent insights into how cultivation strategies, along with local greenhouse conditions, impact new fruit sets, plant load, and potential harvest. When combined with the execution of the crop plan, Source Cultivate can forecast with a 90% accuracy 3 to 4 weeks out. In addition, the software facilitates seamless data sharing between the greenhouse and sales teams through its API, ensuring complete transparency and enabling timely adjustments to yield expectations and their corresponding values. With Source Cultivate handling the complex data analysis for yield forecasting, the grower can focus on the greenhouse management.  In developing Source Cultivate, as with all its products, Source.ag collaborated closely with top-tier growers, leveraging their invaluable insights and practical expertise. By combining this on-the-ground knowledge with Source.ag's expertise in plant science and data science, the company has created a cutting-edge, scalable AI software solution that addresses one of the most challenging issues faced by modern agriculture. Source Cultivate can provide a simulation that tells us what effect our early cultivation choices have on the rest of the season. It also offers insights when circumstances change, simulating what the consequences of those changes will be for our yield forecast. Source Cultivate is set out to bring us more certainty, solving one of our biggest pain points, Bart van den Bosch, Co-Owner of A&G van den Bosch said, "Yield forecasts are often inaccurate and only available shortly before the harvest, resulting in sales teams trading with unreliable and outdated information. Unexpected shortages or surpluses, often driven by weather conditions, many times come as a surprise and have a massive impact on the average sales price. At Source, we are committed to giving the reins back to growers and augmenting their skills through AI. Source Cultivate is the solution that enhances growers’ ability to predict yield accurately, decrease human error, and negotiate better trading terms, said Ernst van Bruggen, CPO and Co-Founder of Source.ag. said, "Source.ag’s advanced AI technology is helping growers worldwide scale faster and operate more efficiently; boosting vegetable yields and creating more sustainable practices. Source.ag’s solutions have been rolled out across the largest global fresh vegetable segments—tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers—with the eventual aim of improving operations for all fruit and vegetable growers. Source.ag’s clients include Agro Care, Thanet Earth, The Green House Growers, Grupa Mularski, Le Jardin de Rabelais, and other leading growers worldwide. Globally, more than 300+ commercial greenhouses covering over 1800 hectares benefit from Source.ag’s revolutionary solutions. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2247/ai-powered-farming-solution-carbon-robotics-laserweeders-achieves-sustainable-weed-elimination.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2247/ai-powered-farming-solution-carbon-robotics-laserweeders-achieves-sustainable-weed-elimination.html Thu, 27 Jun 2024 11:28:55 +0530 AI-powered farming solution results in higher yields and healthier produce by eliminating weed competition without chemical herbicides or soil disruption Carbon Robotics, the leader in AI-powered farming, today announced a major milestone: its award-winning fleet of LaserWeeders™ has eliminated over 10 billion weeds across North America, Australia and Europe since its launch in 2022. By implementing the LaserWeeder, growers can achieve higher profits, substantial reductions in weed control costs and increased control and predictability. Growers can use the LaserWeeder on over 100 different crops, including lettuce, leafy greens, onions, carrots, broccoli and herbs. “It would take 100 people 10 years of continuous hand-weeding to eliminate 10 billion weeds,” said Paul Mikesell, CEO and founder of Carbon Robotics. “The LaserWeeder has achieved this milestone in just 24 months without using chemical herbicides or hand-pulling, enabling growers to allocate available labor to higher-value tasks that move the needle for their business.” Western Growers Center of Innovation and Technology recently published an independent case study quantifying the results and economic benefits of laserweeding using production data from commercial growers. The case study found that Triangle Farms, a California-based conventional and specialty crop farm, saw up to a 50% crop yield increase after one year of using the LaserWeeder. Carbon Robotics is revolutionizing farming with its innovative technologies, bringing significant benefits to farmers and earning widespread recognition. Recently featured on the 2024 CNBC Disruptor 50 list and having secured a significant investment from NVentures, the venture capital arm of NVIDIA, the company is rapidly expanding globally. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2224/koppert-global-and-fresh-energy-forge-partnership-for-pest-control-in-horticulture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2224/koppert-global-and-fresh-energy-forge-partnership-for-pest-control-in-horticulture.html Mon, 17 Jun 2024 01:58:34 +0530 To embark several Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs Netherlands headquartered Koppert has signed a contract with Egyptian agricultural company Fresh Energy. The agreement, signed by Boaz Oosthoek, Business Unit Manager Middle East Africa at Koppert, and Mohamed Mohab, CEO of Fresh Energy, marks the beginning of several Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs to be implemented. Egypt, renowned as Africa's largest horticultural producer, plays a pivotal role in the global fruits and vegetables market. Both Fresh Energy and Koppert share a vision of fostering healthy and sustainable food systems, with a strong commitment to enhancing food safety standards. Mr. Ayman Youssef, Managing Director of Fresh Energy, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership. "We are always looking to collaborate with reputable and innovative companies for long-term cooperations to meet our clients' demands. With Koppert, we are confident that we can reduce Minimum Residue Levels (MRL), boost yield volumes, and improve the quality of our end products," said Youssef. Yassin Lahiani, Koppert’s Area Manager, also expressed pride in the new collaboration. "We are delighted to partner with Egypt’s Fresh Energy. . Koppert has been striving for many years to establish a presence in Egypt. This is just the beginning, and we see a multitude of opportunities for growth and development in the long term," said Lahiani. This partnership underscores Koppert and Fresh Energy's dedication to advancing agricultural practices in Egypt, ensuring sustainable production and higher food safety standards for consumers. The initial phase of the project sets a promising foundation for a fruitful and impactful collaboration. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2213/bunge-and-cp-foods-implements-blockchain-technology-in-shipments-of-deforestation-free-soybeans.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2213/bunge-and-cp-foods-implements-blockchain-technology-in-shipments-of-deforestation-free-soybeans.html Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:26:03 +0530 Around 185,000 metric tons of deforestation-free soybean meal were shipped from Brazil to Thailand to test the companies’ joint digital blockchain traceability solution for sustainable soy Bunge, a leading agribusiness and food company, and Bangkok Produce Merchandising Public Company Limited (BKP), a subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF or CP Foods), a world leader in food, jointly tested a traceability platform using blockchain technology for sustainable soy. To date, three shipments totaling 185,000 metric tons of deforestation-free soybean meal have been loaded in Brazil and are headed to Thailand, allowing CP Foods to trace the soybeans from farm origin, processing, transportation, to delivery at destination. Three additional ships carrying an additional 180,000 metric tons of soybean meal are expected for shipment by July 2024. These products comply with Bunge’s and BKP’s socio-environmental supplier verification protocols and were grown in high priority regions with zero deforestation since 2020, aligning with the cutoff date determined in the sourcing standard developed by CP Foods. In addition to compliance with different socio-environmental criteria, the platform also offers customers access to information including the carbon footprint of the volumes sold and whether the farm has adopted regenerative agricultural practices. Paisarn Kruawongvanich, Chief Executive Officer of Bangkok Produce Merchandising stated that the company is working to connect blockchain-based traceability solutions with suppliers, partners, and farmers across the world, ensuring transparency across its supply chain. “In the initial stages of our partnership with Bunge, we have shipped the first vessels of soybean meal verified deforestation-free, fully traceable from farms to their destination in Thailand for CP Foods. This marks a significant milestone for Charoen Pokphand Foods to achieve 100% deforestation-free supply chains by 2025,” added Kruawongvanich. “Adding a layer of blockchain technology improves the transparency in end-to-end traceability that Bunge has been doing for some years. This ability to increase end-consumer confidence in soy projects is only possible thanks to the robust supplier’s socio-environmental verification and monitoring system that we have structured over the last decade, which uniquely positions us to provide the connection of proven sustainable products with markets where the demand for them is increasing,” says Rossano de Angelis Jr., Bunge’s Vice President of Agribusiness in South America. The two companies have been collaborating since October 2023, when they announced a partnership to develop technical, commercial and operational feasibility studies for a blockchain traceability solution aimed at building a sustainable and digitally integrated supply chain. The agreement involves oilseeds and their by-products sourced by Bunge in Brazil destined for several countries in Asia, where BKP and CP Foods produce and sell feed and food. The ongoing tests aim to automate the connection between Bunge and BKP’s supplier management and socio-environmental monitoring systems with a digital platform. This enables the customer to monitor and receive product traceability data, in addition to accessing socio-environmental information from the sourced farms. The blockchain technology ensures an additional layer of reliability, as it makes data immutable once it enters the platform ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2165/viasat-and-azercosmos-to-expand-satellite-services-across-emea-and-asia.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2165/viasat-and-azercosmos-to-expand-satellite-services-across-emea-and-asia.html Tue, 28 May 2024 12:20:12 +0530 The collaboration aims to expand satellite-enabled services to support energy, utilities, and transportindustries in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Central and South Asia Viasat, Inc., a global leader in satellite communications, announced that it is working with Azercosmos to bring its highly reliable L-band satellite services to Azerbaijan and beyond. Under the proposed arrangement, Azercosmos and Viasat will provide connectivity for a range of industrial applications to help organizations operate more efficiently, sustainably, or safely - even in the most remote locations. This includes powering applications like tracking and telemetry for advanced transport systems, pipeline monitoring and control for energy companies, real-time control for utilities, and environmental or safety monitoring for mining and agriculture. Azercosmos provides a range of telecommunications, remote sensing, surveying, and ground station communications services in both public and private sectors. The collaboration with Viasat will significantly expand its available connectivity offering, meaning it can provide more services for existing and new customers alongside connectivity from its existing satellite fleet. It will hallmark the first time that Viasat-enabled satellite services are being offered within the Republic of Azerbaijan. Andy Kessler, President, Viasat Enterprise and Land Mobile, said: "Our global satellite fleet powers a vast range of applications and sectors across the world, ranging from a single explorer using a satellite phone to major industrial sites managing complex supply chains across borders. To make that happen, we are proud to work with a diverse ecosystem of partners to put our customers' vision first. Partnering with Azercosmos is an exciting step forward to bring those services to new people and organizations." Fuad Aslanov, Vice-chairman of Azercosmos, noted: "The agile response in the satellite service market is critically important for us, and as Azercosmos, we aim to expand our reliable service to consumers and businesses globally. This landmark agreement with our strategic partner, Viasat, will solidify our collaboration in unlocking boundless possibilities in connectivity in EMEA and Asia." ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2152/cermaq-and-cognizant-partners-to-evolve-expertise-in-the-nordic-aquaculture-and-seafood-industry.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2152/cermaq-and-cognizant-partners-to-evolve-expertise-in-the-nordic-aquaculture-and-seafood-industry.html Tue, 21 May 2024 17:09:53 +0530 Cognizant will provide managed infrastructure services and seek to modernize Cermaq's cloud landscape as a digital transformation partner in Norway and Canada Cognizant has renewed collaboration with Cermaq Group AS, a leading global salmon producer driving the transition of systems towards healthier and more climate-friendly foods. The renewal comes after an existing ten-year relationship between the two companies which has enabled Cognizant to reliably act as a strategic ally on Cermaq's path towards digital modernization. The collaboration will cover both the Norwegian and Canadian entities for Cermaq. Throughout the agreement term, Cognizant will seek to simplify, modernize, and secure Cermaq's technology landscape across infrastructure services, On-Premise and Cloud, while also testing out the latest technology trends including AI and Gen AI. Cognizant will aim to reduce the total cost of ownership, speed up time to market, lay the foundations for the digital enablement of Cermaq globally, and ensure stable operations of the infrastructure. As a result of this modernization, Cermaq's clients can expect to experience a consistent and steady value chain thanks to stable infrastructure operations. Food production companies, similar to Cermaq, are seeing the benefits of modernizing their digital infrastructure and adopting the latest technology to help improve efficiency and reliability, especially with current global supply chain demands and strains. Cermaq is on the threshold of taking the next step in expanding its IT footprint and enabling the entities in Norway and Canada to own their IT landscape within a centralized governance framework. Cognizant is a part of Cermaq's cloud governance group and is playing a major advisory role to help ensure the framework is set up sufficiently so that the entities are independent, self-sufficient, and cohesive while aligning to the security and compliance guidelines agreed at a global level. Davor Crnoja, Head of Global IT at Cermaq Group AS, said: "We are pleased to continue our collaboration with Cognizant, our trusted partner for the past decade. Following a lengthy and thorough RFP process, we carefully evaluated potential partners and are confident that Cognizant is the ideal choice to guide Cermaq's IT operations. This partnership has been instrumental in shaping our technology landscape, and we look forward to leveraging Cognizant's expertise to achieve new milestones. With a focus on simplifying, modernizing, and securing our infrastructure, we anticipate even greater efficiency and reliability in our IT operations." Knut Inge Buset, Country Manager of Cognizant Norway, said: "We are thrilled to be continuing our collaboration after ten-years of providing reliable and strategic counsel to Cermaq as they modernize their technology and infrastructure. Cognizant's presence is the catalyst in helping both Cermaq's individual entities and the global organization achieve their goals and mobilizing them towards adopting newer technologies as they emerge to keep pace with the market. Norway is one of the leading countries for seafood production and relies heavily on the blue economy. Through our collaboration with Cermaq we look forward to evolving our expertise in the Nordic Aquaculture and Seafood industry." In order to further support ocean health, Cognizant launched its business unit Cognizant Ocean in 2023. The aim is to find new areas of innovation in aquaculture, or water farming of fish, improve sustainable food production, while feeding the world by monitoring the behavior and welfare of thousands of individual fish over time ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2137/yara-international-and-kongsberg-digital-enter-collaboration-on-digital-twin-technology.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2137/yara-international-and-kongsberg-digital-enter-collaboration-on-digital-twin-technology.html Wed, 15 May 2024 11:17:29 +0530 Novel digital tech solutions will be deployed in Yara's production facilities worldwide Kongsberg Digital, a leading provider of industrial software, and Yara International, a global fertilizer company and the world's largest distributor of ammonia, have entered into a two-year agreement under which Kongsberg Digital will develop digital twin technology for Yara's factories in Herøya in Norway and Sluiskil in the Netherlands. The agreement includes an operational twin for Yara's production facilities at Herøya in Porsgrunn and a project twin for the carbon capture project in Sluiskil in the Netherlands. The ambition is to deploy the solution to Yara's production facilities worldwide.  The operational twin for the production facility at Herøya will utilize industrial data from the factory in combination with technical data and equipment documentation. Based on this, a contextualised work surface with detailed 3D models of the plant and the various units will be created, along with associated maintenance, operational, and facility information gathered from the factory's sensors and data sources. The work surface will assist users in making the right decision at the right time by providing relevant information.  Twin technology will also be implemented into the carbon capture project at Yara's facility in Sluiskil, Netherlands, where a new carbon capture unit is being built to convert CO2 gas into liquid before transporting it by ship for injection and storage in reservoirs in the North Sea. The twin technology will play an essential role in this project by contributing to efficient collaboration and preparations for data transfer from project to operation before the plant is operational. The digital twin will establish a "digital thread" through all project phases and into the operation and maintenance phase.  "Yara is the first wholly Norwegian industrial company to use Kognitwin – Kongsberg Digital's twin technology. With this technology, a significant improvement in the work process is expected, thereby leading to a more efficient workday for engineering, maintenance, and operations," says Merete Østby, Digital Manager at Yara Porsgrunn.  "In cooperation with Yara, Kongsberg Digital will build on the already close cooperation between Kongsberg Gruppen and Yara and deliver technology that provides Yara with improved insights and new opportunities to optimize the operation of their facilities" says Shane McArdle, CEO of Kongsberg Digital.  ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2117/singapores-rize-raises-14m-series-a-funding-to-boost-tech-platform-for-rice-farming.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2117/singapores-rize-raises-14m-series-a-funding-to-boost-tech-platform-for-rice-farming.html Fri, 10 May 2024 08:51:00 +0530 This investment will enhance Rize's technology stack including its MRV technology and support further expansion into Indonesia, Vietnam, and across South and Southeast Asia Rize, a pioneering agritech platform dedicated to making sustainable rice cultivation viable through innovative and data-driven practices, today announces the closing of its $14 million Series A funding round. This investment will enhance Rize's technology stack including its Measuring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) technology and support further expansion into Indonesia, Vietnam, and across South and Southeast Asia. The funding round is co-led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, GenZero, Temasek and Wavemaker Impact. Rize’s technology stack captures vital agricultural data essential for implementing sustainable farming practices, making rice farmers more climate resilient, increasing their crop yields, lowering costs, and facilitating efficient access to finance. This step advances Rize's goal to eliminate 100 metric tonnes of carbon emissions whilst significantly improving farmer livelihoods. “We are confronted with the challenges of addressing the high levels of methane emissions and the water-intensive practices prevalent in rice farming, which accounts for 10% of global methane emissions, a figure that is set to rise if unchecked,” said Dhruv Sawhney, CEO of Rize. He adds, “another hurdle is the lack of precise data, particularly among the numerous smallholder farms across South and Southeast Asia, as well as the increasingly high cost of farming due to increased input prices and a changing climate. Our technology stack seeks to tackle these challenges. By doing so, we are not just aiming to cut down 100 million tonnes of carbon emissions, we are also enhancing the economic stability of farmers, ensuring that improved farmer livelihoods and reduced emissions go hand-in-hand.” Scaling data for Climate resilience and enhanced farmer finances Traditional rice cultivation methods, often involving water-saturated paddies, are a significant source of methane emissions. This age-old practice of flooding the fields restricts oxygen flow, creating an ideal environment for methane-producing bacteria. To address this, Rize has assembled an expert team of agronomists who collaborate directly with farmers to implement more sustainable farming practices, such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and Direct Seeding Rice (DSR). These techniques not only require less water but also significantly reduce methane emissions while maintaining crop yields. Leveraging a robust technology stack, Rize enhances the capabilities of its agronomists, enabling them to reach more farmers and collect precise data on farm performance and crop yields. Additionally, Rize is at the forefront of testing and scaling innovative technologies in areas like biological farming inputs, seed treatments, and climate-resilient rice varieties, driving the evolution of sustainable rice farming. Furthermore, the technology stack will also improve farmer finances. The economic and operational hurdles at the start of the rice growing season often leave smallholder farmers vulnerable, incurring high borrowing costs for necessary inputs (seeds, fertiliser etc). The increasing costs of these inputs, coupled with the frequency of crop failures due to climate change, further exacerbate their struggles. The comprehensive data collection is ultimately designed to significantly improve the financial access of small farmers and reduce the risk for financial institutions. Lenders gain confidence as they understand that the farmers have improved their economic stability and are more fortified against climate variability, enabling them to offer loans at lower costs. As a result, this enhances their productivity ensuring they are better equipped to thrive in a changing climate. Expanding market reach and empowering farmers for sustainable growth In addition to technology stack development, the funds will enable Rize to expand its operations deeper into Indonesia and Vietnam and help strengthen its team of agronomists to over 100 by the end of 2024, potentially reaching over 20,000 farmers. Rize also has plans to expand into other rice producing South and Southeast Asian countries in 2025. This coming season, Rize aims to improve over 7,000 hectares of rice farming, demonstrating a practical path to environmental sustainability and economic improvement. These initiatives are projected to not only lower emissions by 50% and reduce water usage by 20% but also increase farmer incomes by up to 30%, making sustainable rice farming a viable and attractive option. “Our platform, and the data it captures, is pivotal in modernising rice farming, leveraging technology to sustainably enhance yield and efficiency,” adds Sawhney. “Given that producing a single bowl of rice requires over 200 litres of fresh water, and considering that the entire rice industry accounts for more than a third of the world's irrigation water, the urgency to adopt sustainable methods is clear." ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2115/nventures-invest-in-carbon-robotics-to-revolutionize-ai-driven-farming-and-weeding-solutions.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2115/nventures-invest-in-carbon-robotics-to-revolutionize-ai-driven-farming-and-weeding-solutions.html Fri, 10 May 2024 07:35:00 +0530 AI-driven plant detection and identification to target and eliminate weeds with lasers Carbon Robotics, the leader in AI-powered farming, announced that it has received an investment from NVentures, NVIDIA’s venture capital arm. This underscores the power of AI in transforming farming worldwide, as well as Carbon Robotics’ leadership and innovation in the industry. Carbon Robotics’ LaserWeeder™ has been proven by top farmers to reduce weed control costs by 80% and significantly increase crop yield and quality. By providing farmers with an innovative weeding solution that does not rely on traditional methods of chemical herbicides, hand labor, or soil cultivation, Carbon Robotics is at the forefront of using AI to protect crops, people, and the planet. Leveraging the power of 24 NVIDIA GPUs, the LaserWeeder processes 4.7 million high-resolution images per hour, offering unparalleled AI-driven plant detection and identification to target and eliminate weeds with lasers. The LaserWeeder can eradicate 5,000 weeds per minute with sub-millimeter precision and utilizes the world’s most diverse and fastest-growing agricultural image dataset, comprising 25 million labeled plants and more than 30,000 crop and weed models. The LaserWeeder also captures real-time metrics on crops and weeds and sends them to the cloud, providing farmers with actionable visual insights into their field farming operations at any time, from anywhere. “With this investment, and using the power of AI, we can help farmers create farms and food systems of the future that are more productive, efficient, healthy, and profitable,” said Paul Mikesell, CEO and founder of Carbon Robotics. “AI and advanced robotics have immense potential in addressing the myriad of challenges present in agriculture. Carbon Robotics’ innovative solution improves farming practices to increase sustainability and improve the quality of produce available to consumers" said Mohamed “Sid” Siddeek, corporate vice president and head of NVentures. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2101/bayer-inks-strategic-collaboration-to-promote-camelina-cultivation-in-argentina.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2101/bayer-inks-strategic-collaboration-to-promote-camelina-cultivation-in-argentina.html Mon, 06 May 2024 08:15:00 +0530 As Part of Bayer's PRO Carbono Program collaborates with Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc., and Bayer inks strategic collaboration to promote Camelina cultivation in Argentina Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc., and Bayer announced a strategic collaboration to promote camelina cultivation as part of Argentina Bayer's PRO Carbono Program, in line with the companies' efforts to drive decarbonization in the supply chain and, ultimately, more efficient and sustainable agricultural production. The collaboration is aligned with LDC's global sustainability strategy, a key focus of which is to contribute to global climate goals by driving decarbonization in its operations and supply chains, including through efforts to drive adoption of regenerative agriculture practices in key supply sheds. Camelina is used as an ultra-low carbon feedstock for advanced biofuels production. It is an “intermediate crop” planted between main crops in Argentina during winter, helping to preserve soil health, especially between summer crops of soy and corn. It is already promoted in Argentina by LDC and Global Clean Energy, as part of their strategic collaboration since 2023. Global Clean Energy is the world’s leading camelina producer, with over 18 years of camelina breeding history and more than 65,000 acres contracted in the US, South America, and Europe in 2023. Global Clean Energy is dedicated to developing and offering the most adaptable and high-yielding camelina varieties for producers, with an exclusive collection of 20 camelina varieties, including those suited for both spring and winter planting. The company is currently developing new traits (including herbicide tolerance) to introduce camelina cultivation across a wide range of geographies and crop rotations. Global Clean Energy has partnered with LDC to advance camelina production in South America through superior genetics delivery, camelina seed production, crop promotion, and technical support to producers through its Camelina Company brand. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2009/usa-basf-launches-scnfields-com-to-raise-awareness-of-soybean-cyst-nematode-populations.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/2009/usa-basf-launches-scnfields-com-to-raise-awareness-of-soybean-cyst-nematode-populations.html Fri, 29 Mar 2024 17:05:41 +0530 Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) is present in most areas where soybeans are grown, and because nematodes feed on the roots of the plant, the damage is often invisible without any above ground symptoms. To help farmers do the Biggest Job on Earth, BASF is launching SCNFields.com, a website dedicated to providing farmers with SCN sampling results from more than 4,000 collected samples across the United States. Soil sampling is the best way for farmers to determine SCN population levels and help inform decision-making as they work to protect soybean yields. SCNFields.com allows farmers to search SCN sampling results from their area by searching using town name or area code. BASF provides average egg count data and percent of samples at damaging levels, and each area is also provided with a color-coded marker, displaying if an egg count is low, medium, high or very high. "Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) is the leading cause of soybean yield loss in the United States, costing growers over 100 million bushels of yield and an estimated $1.5 billion in yield annually," said Troy Bauer, BASF Senior Field Technical Representative, Seed Treatments. "Farmers need to be testing their fields and ensuring SCN isn't becoming a problem without them even realizing it. SCNFields.com will allow growers access to valuable soil sampling data and help them build a plan to protect yield from this devastating threat." With SCNFields.com, a farmer can see samples with high counts locally and know they need to take steps now to manage the threat of SCN. In addition, SCN populations can change in-season, and a grower in an area with low counts can monitor samples in their area on SCNFields.com. SCN also has an impact on other diseases, like sudden death syndrome (SDS), making it imperative to manage both pests. ILEVO seed treatment has been proven to deliver increased yield potential under SCN and SDS pressures, offering soybean crop protection from the unpredictability of each season. Using ILEVO seed treatment to protect from SCN is a valuable way to add yield potential and partner with SCN-resistant varieties. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1999/fpt-and-de-heus-vietnam-partner-to-elevate-security-operations-in-high-tech-agribusiness.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1999/fpt-and-de-heus-vietnam-partner-to-elevate-security-operations-in-high-tech-agribusiness.html Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:35:12 +0530 The partnership marks a significant milestone for De Heus' digital transformation strategy amid rising cyberattack concerns in the manufacturing and agriculture industries Global IT corporation FPT and De Heus recently entered a strategic partnership to foster the agriculture giant's security operations. Signing ceremony was attended by senior leaders of the Netherlands government during the economic mission to Vietnam. The two firms will join forces to support De Heus’ Security Operations Center, focusing on the scope of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM). Leveraging FPT's prowess in technology and high-quality workforce, this movement will bolster De Heus’ capabilities in terms of system monitoring, security breach detection, and defense measures to effectively mitigate cyber risk and safeguard its information system and security data on a global scale. The partnership marks a significant milestone for De Heus' digital transformation strategy amid rising cyberattack concerns in the manufacturing and agriculture industries. Both parties expect this to set a solid foundation for future collaborations in other areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, and more to further advance De Heus' and the agriculture industry's growth. Tran Van Dung, Chief Executive Officer of FPT Software Europe, said: “While all businesses want to scale their digital transformation initiatives quickly, doing so securely is equally imperative in the face of cyber threats. Leveraging our extensive expertise and demonstrated success in deploying SIEM projects for multinational corporations globally, we stand ready to optimize De Heus' security operations.” Rick van der Linden, Chief Operating Officer of De Heus Viet Nam, shared: “Through this partnership, FPT and De Heus are committing to leveraging our collective expertise and resources to develop robust security frameworks that will withstand the test of time. Together, we will explore innovative solutions and best practices to enhance cybersecurity measures and protect against emerging threats.” The signing ceremony was attended by the Netherlands Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Mark Harbers; Minister of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality, Christianne van der Wal; Chair of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers, Ingrid Thijssen; and over 140 large enterprises from the Netherlands in pivotal fields of high-tech manufacturing, sustainable agriculture and food production, renewable energy, logistics, and climate adaptation and water. Established its first office in 2008 in France, FPT has expanded its presence to 16 offices across 9 countries, serving over 70 leading businesses across Europe. Over the past decade, the tech firm has also been actively intensifying its local footprint and delivery capabilities through partnerships and acquisitions ventures, notably with the acquisition of RWE IT Slovakia, a subsidiary of European energy giant RWE in 2014, and the French IT Consulting Firm AOSIS in 2023. FPT Corporation (FPT) is a globally leading technology and IT services provider headquartered in Vietnam. FPT operates in three core sectors: Technology, Telecommunications, and Education. During over three decades of development, FPT has constantly provided practical and effective products to millions of people and tens of thousands of business and non-business organizations worldwide, establishing Vietnam’s position on the global tech map. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1986/corteva-launches-corteva-catalyst-the-investment-and-partnership-platform.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1986/corteva-launches-corteva-catalyst-the-investment-and-partnership-platform.html Mon, 25 Mar 2024 11:20:04 +0530 New Investment and Partnership Platform will accelerate Next Generation Ag-tech Innovation  Corteva, Inc. has launched its new next-Gen platform "Corteva Catalyst", a novel investment and partnership platform focused on accessing and bringing to market agricultural innovations that advance the company’s R&D priorities and drive value creation. Corteva Catalyst will partner with entrepreneurs and innovators to accelerate the development of early-stage, disruptive technologies that enable farmers to sustainably produce more food and feed. “Corteva has a long tradition of addressing the critical challenges farmers face around the world by advancing innovation in partnership with the global scientific community,” said Sam Eathington, EVP and Corteva Chief Technology and Digital Officer. “Through Corteva Catalyst, we will build upon that tradition by pairing our considerable expertise and resources with the agility of start-ups and universities to deliver new solutions for farmers globally. This initiative will expand our pipeline and accelerate growth.” Leveraging Corteva’s expertise, recognized R&D capabilities, global footprint and go-to-market infrastructure, Corteva Catalyst is uniquely positioned to support the development and commercialization of groundbreaking technology and deliver it directly into farmers’ hands.  Corteva Catalyst will initially focus on identifying opportunities across four strategic verticals aligned with the company’s R&D priorities: genome editing; biologicals and natural products; technology platforms; and decision science.   ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1985/gen-ai-platform-agpilot-by-headstorm-to-revolutionize-agricultural-retail-market.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1985/gen-ai-platform-agpilot-by-headstorm-to-revolutionize-agricultural-retail-market.html Mon, 25 Mar 2024 11:07:54 +0530 The advanced platform to redefine the relationship between agronomists and growers, fostering greater productivity and efficiency for both parties Headstorm, a technology consulting company, recently unveiled its latest innovation, AGPILOT, at the esteemed World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco. This cutting-edge product, an app powered by Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI), marks a significant departure from Headstorm's traditional role of service provider, as it aims to revolutionize the agricultural retail sector. AGPILOT promises to redefine the relationship between agronomists and growers, fostering greater productivity and efficiency for both parties. AGPILOT will be a “north star” to the ag retail industry, positioned to increase revenue and reduce agronomist attrition rates for the companies that adopt it. AGPILOT strives advancement in the intersection of technology and agriculture, promising to reshape industry dynamics and drive sustainable growth. As Headstorm leads the charge with its innovative Gen AI solution, the future of agricultural retail stands poised for unprecedented transformation. At the heart of AGPILOT's capabilities lies its utilization of Gen AI, seamlessly integrating grower-agronomist interactions with vast troves of both public and private data. Leveraging sources such as Microsoft's ADMA solution for public data, and proprietary data repositories developed by ag retailers, AGPILOT transforms raw information into actionable insights in real-time. By automating research tasks and consolidating relevant data, AGPILOT empowers agronomists to perform their duties more efficiently and effectively. The potential use cases for AGPILOT are limitless, offering opportunities for continuous refinement as underlying machine learning models evolve and responses are optimized for maximum efficiency. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1976/cropx-and-wiseconn-announce-digital-integration.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1976/cropx-and-wiseconn-announce-digital-integration.html Thu, 21 Mar 2024 10:23:30 +0530 Integration Will Streamline Irrigation Management for Drip Irrigators  CropX Technologies, a leading provider of digital farm management, today announced an API integration with WiseConn, a global leader in precision drip irrigation solutions, to further improve data gathering and analytics for farmers worldwide. WiseConn users will be able to seamlessly incorporate the CropX system into their precision irrigation network. WiseConn irrigation systems are used throughout North and South America, Europe and Australia.   CropX’s agronomic farm management system incorporates farm data from sensors, satellites, rain gauges and farm machinery into an advanced analytics platform to optimize decision-making and crop management. With the integration of WiseConn’s smart irrigation system, dual CropX and WiseConn users will now have easy access to as-applied data, including irrigation and fertilization records, directly within the CropX platform. WiseConn users will access CropX’s agronomically-sound decision support for dynamic irrigation scheduling. This will allow farmers to move away from static schedules and instead personalize irrigation based on real-time conditions, optimizing water usage for each crop and field By combining advanced data analysis and automated irrigation control, WiseConn and CropX anticipate significant benefits for growers, including reduced water usage, increased crop yields, and enhanced resource management. Using WiseConn and CropX precision irrigation practices can significantly reduce water waste without compromising crop health. Optimal water management can lead to improved plant growth and higher yields while saving the grower time and labor.  “This collaboration with CropX strengthens our commitment to providing farmers with the tools they need to make informed decisions and optimize their irrigation practices,” states Vicente Ossa, Marketing Manager at WiseConn. “By combining our expertise in precise irrigation management with CropX’s technology, we believe this integration has the potential to enhance irrigation management and contribute to a more sustainable future for agriculture.”  Matan Rahav, Vice President of Corporate Development of CropX, said, “ By integrating our cutting-edge technologies, we are empowering farmers to make more informed decisions, reduce water usage, and increase overall crop yields.”  CropX and WiseConn are supporting farmers worldwide by providing them with the tools and technologies they need to thrive in an increasingly complex agricultural landscape. This integration represents a significant step forward in the digitization of farming practices and the promotion of sustainable agriculture.  ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1971/chinas-rakwireless-partners-with-ambiq-to-expand-precision-agriculture-solutions.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1971/chinas-rakwireless-partners-with-ambiq-to-expand-precision-agriculture-solutions.html Wed, 20 Mar 2024 11:17:10 +0530 Precise irrigation solutions used across the diverse agricultural regions in the US, Europe, Latin America, and Australia China's RAKwireless, a trusted IoT solution innovator, and Ambiq, a leading energy-efficient semiconductor provider, demonstrated the real-world impact of technology on agriculture by implementing WiseConn’s precision irrigation systems using the RAK11720 hybrid LoRaWAN + BLE module enabled by the Ambiq Apollo3 Blue MCU.  WiseConn, notable for its precise irrigation solutions used across the diverse agricultural regions in the US, Europe, Latin America, and Australia, has launched its latest innovation with an integration for RAKwireless’ RAK11720 to address its need for extensive signal reach and robust connectivity.  The RAK11720’s combination of LoRa® and Bluetooth® capabilities, enabled by Apollo3 Blue, not only overcame limitations seen with previous communication protocols but also introduced new, user-friendly features together with NFC, that made system installation and management more convenient for farmers.  Some of the notable features are, Enhanced Agricultural Sensor Technology; Comprehensive IoT Solutions with RAK11720; WiseConn’s Selection of RAK’s One-Stop Service for Antenna Design and Certification; and Expanding IoT Applications Beyond Agriculture  Constructing sensors that can withstand farming environments while providing essential insights into resource management was a complex task. By leveraging the mixed-technology features of the RAK11720 module, WiseConn succeeded in producing devices that gather crucial data on soil and weather conditions. Importantly, these devices are more than mere data collectors; they are critical tools in operational robustness and data-driven farming strategies.  The introduction of the RAK11720 module into our cloud-based automation solution enhances our ability to provide detailed insights from initial water source analysis to final agronomic implementation. This advancement allows us to support a wider range of farmers in implementing effective irrigation programs that optimize water usage and significantly reduce operational costs, including those for fertilizer, energy, and labor”  This collaboration between RAKwireless and Ambiq, showcased through WiseConn’s story, is advancing agriculture and transforming industries with IoT. Focusing on practical benefits and real-world applications, RAKwireless and WiseConn’s success demonstrates how innovative technology can solve pressing problems, paving the way for a smarter, more connected world.  ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1961/clariant-launches-clarity-prime-the-digital-service-for-ai-powered-optimization-of-catalyst-operation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1961/clariant-launches-clarity-prime-the-digital-service-for-ai-powered-optimization-of-catalyst-operation.html Fri, 15 Mar 2024 11:28:10 +0530 CLARITY™ Prime extends real-time plant performance data and visualization solutions for fertilizer industry Clariant, a sustainability-focused specialty chemical company, announced the release of CLARITY Prime, an advanced digital service for syngas plants, an upgrade of its cloud-based service portal CLARITY. The upgraded solution leverage automated catalyst health alerts and machine-learning-based performance projecting tools, combined with advanced technical support to improve the operation of Clariant catalysts. Lorena Oviol, Head of Applied Catalyst Technology at Clariant, commented, ″CLARITY Prime is available for ammonia, methanol, and hydrogen producers and enables forecasting of catalyst performance by combining actual data with predictive scenarios. This allows informed decision-making to improve catalyst operations based on desired timelines and economic considerations. Our advanced tools and services promise to give customers the edge they need in today’s competitive markets.″ Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals, a subsidiary of the Indorama Corporation, operates the world’s largest single-train ammonia plant in Nigeria and is the largest fertilizer producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Deepu Sivadas, Chief Technical Officer & Director at Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals, added, ″Our plants are based on state-of-the-art technology, and we believe that digital solutions play a key role in supporting our plant teams to continuously optimize our operation. The initial implementation of CLARITY at our plant was a perfect match for our digitalization strategy as it enhanced the collaboration with Clariant’s catalyst experts. We are excited about the new capabilities of the CLARITY Prime services and with our expertise in safe and efficient operations, we will collaborate and contribute to even further enhancing this digital service to provide a powerful tool for future users.″ CLARITY Prime is a cutting-edge software solution combining enhanced customer support and advanced technology. The platform’s ″Catalyst Health Alerting″ service comprises numerous algorithms that continuously scan for deviations related to catalyst operation and automatically notify customers with guidance and mitigation solutions. Another important feature is the ″Catalyst Performance Projection Tool,″ which uses machine learning to analyze current and historical operating data and catalyst activity to predict future performance. The interactive tool can be used to evaluate multiple ″what if″ scenarios and/or identify risks and optimization potentials. Through the platform’s superior service, customers receive dedicated and comprehensive expert support, reviews, and catalyst performance evaluations. CLARITY Prime is available for any plant using Clariant’s ammonia, methanol, or hydrogen plant catalysts, independent of process technology. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1929/innovative-packaging-solutions-for-the-cheese-industry-using-sealpac-packaging-technology.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1929/innovative-packaging-solutions-for-the-cheese-industry-using-sealpac-packaging-technology.html Tue, 05 Mar 2024 12:30:03 +0530 A revolutionary packaging technology has been developed by Swiss and Portuguese cheese manufacturers to advance the dairy industry across the globe. A high-tech tray sealer and thermoformer from packaging specialist SEALPAC support these organizations' objectives. The European Union has the world’s largest annual consumption of cheese. Manufacturers are competing for the consumer's hand with their own specialty products Regardless of whether it is a small craft company with a regional customer base or a large-scale cheese producer for export markets. Suitable and innovative packaging is crucial to ensure cheese specialties are of high quality and to ensure their quality on their way to the end user, as well as to stand out from the competition. The packaging expert SEALPAC has adapted its traysealers and thermoformers to meet the demands of the dairy segment and offers producers innovative packaging solutions that combine optimal product protection with efficient production, simplify logistics, and offer attractive presentations while consuming fewer consumables. SEALPAC helps cheese manufacturers throughout Europe and beyond with the right packaging solutions for distributing and marketing their products.  PRO thermoformer from SEALPAC is a compact thermoformer that is tailored to small and medium-sized companies. The space-saving PRO uses consumables and energy extremely economically, and has a modular design. The PRO thermoformer is equipped with an innovative tooling quick exchange system, which reduces changeover times.  The basic PRO machine is suitable for running flexible and rigid film, both for vacuum packaging and sealing-only applications. Different modules can be added to run other packaging solutions, such as MAP, skin, or shrink packaging. The model is the most ideal for the artisan cheese factory. CEO Roland Rüegg at Wildberg Käserei said, “With the new PRO thermoformer, the pieces of cheese are now packaged from a reel of highly transparent bottom film using Rapid Air Forming. The machine reliably manages particularly thin film that is easy to print, for example with product information, an organic label, or a brand logo. Besides ensuring consistent high quality, the new thermoformer also makes progress in terms of sustainability: unlike the previous bag solution, thinner films are now used, which saves plastic and reduces storage space. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1897/chinas-zte-introduces-innovative-5g-a-products-to-aid-futuristic-agri-tech-solutions.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1897/chinas-zte-introduces-innovative-5g-a-products-to-aid-futuristic-agri-tech-solutions.html Fri, 01 Mar 2024 07:57:00 +0530 ZTE unveils 10 new 5G-Advanced technologies products which can elevate the performances at express logistics, emergency rescue, environmental monitoring, agriculture, forestry and plant protection Corporation a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, hosted "5G-Advanced Innovation and New Product Release Conference" at MWC Barcelona 2024, which systematically demonstrated ZTE's panoramic planning and futuristic innovations for the 5G-A era, and released 10 new stunning 5G-A products, fully preparing for 5G-A commercial use. China's three major telecom operators and industry partners also participated the conference. Zhang Wanchun, Senior Vice President at ZTE, pointed out in his opening keynote speech that, the unveiling of 5G-Advanced technologies is an exciting milestone for the possibility and potential of the future communication technology development. 5G-Advanced represents more than an evolution stage from 5G to 6G in speed and connectivity; it signals a paradigm shift in the way people live, work and play. He called on the industry to join hands and work together for a smarter and more connected intelligent world. Li Xiaotong, Vice President at ZTE, General Manager of RAN products, delivered a speech entitled "New Horizon of 5G Advanced," and shared ZTE's understanding, planning and achievements of 5G-A. "5G-A is consistent with the evolution direction of 5G-A and 6G in the industry, which is an enhancement to 5G and a connection to 6G. 5G-A will enhance its capabilities in three major 5G scenarios, in terms of eMBB, mMTC and uRLLC, and meanwhile, it will open up three major scenarios, including integrated sensing & communication, universal intelligence and ubiquitous connectivity." said Li Xiaotong. "Through the six-dimensional scenarios' enhancement and expansion, 5G-A will continuously realize the infinite value for B2C digital life, B2B digital industry and B2X digital society. ZTE has implemented several 5G-A use cases in different domains, demonstrating the exciting prospect of 5G-A." During the product release event, ZTE unveiled 10 stunning innovative products incorporating three categories, the simplest and high efficient UBR and FDD M-MIMO products, the mmWave products and NTN ground base station to extend 5G-A scenarios, and the a series of products with integrated communication and computing for rich B2C, B2B applications. Cao Lei, Deputy Director of Wireless and Terminal Technology, China Mobile Research Institute, delivered a comprehensive speech entitled "5G-A Promotes the Prosperity of Low-Altitude Economy," which systematically outlined the growth trends of the low-altitude economy, the business scenarios it encompassed and the key role of 5G-A in strengthening this sector. Cao Lei said that the low-altitude economy has become a new track for global economic development, covering express logistics, emergency rescue, environmental monitoring, agriculture, forestry and plant protection, consumer entertainment and many other fields. When 5G-A meets new tracks, it stimulates unlimited opportunities. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1899/beehero-launches-pollination-research-stations-prs-in-the-u-s.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1899/beehero-launches-pollination-research-stations-prs-in-the-u-s.html Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:14:00 +0530 To give growers and stakeholders real-time visibility into bees & pollination BeeHero, the pioneer of data-driven precision pollination, announced the launch of its groundbreaking Pollination Research Stations (PRS). With three Pollination Research Stations situated in California's Central Valley, BeeHero's innovative data platform now provides unprecedented ability to track and monitor bloom progress and bee activity in the world's most important almond-producing region. Approximately 75% of crops grown for human consumption rely on pollination, underscoring the process's critical role in global food security. Understanding pollination progress is essential for effective pollination, as it allows growers to optimize their timing and allocate resources efficiently to best sustain their agricultural operations and maximize yield potential. However, most growers lack visibility into these processes, often requiring them to rely on their best guesses and approximations, all while managing unpredictable weather and the ongoing challenges of day-to-day operations. BeeHero's Pollination Research Stations deliver real-time, accurate, and extensive data on bloom progression and bee activity, providing unprecedented visibility for growers who previously operated with minimal data. Harnessing advanced scientific monitoring techniques and AI analysis, the stations collect data that is analyzed to provide invaluable insights via a public dashboard, enabling any local grower or other agricultural stakeholder to refine their practices, mitigate risks, and boost pollination. By making this information available at no cost, BeeHero is helping agriculture industry players make informed decisions, adapt to changing environmental conditions, foster more resilient and sustainable agricultural practices, and improve yield potential. Each Pollination Research Station is fully equipped with precision instrumentation tailored to deliver comprehensive and accurate real-time data, including: Weather Monitoring Equipment: Alerts growers to potential frost advisories, ensuring proactive measures can be taken to safeguard crops. Bee Counters: Provide highly accurate bee flight times, enabling the precise tracking of pollination activity to the single bee level. Scales: Offer insights into colony weight gain, a key indicator of foraging and pollination effectiveness. Cameras: Deliver visual confirmation of bloom progression throughout California's orchards, enhancing monitoring capabilities. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1892/philippine-space-agency-philsa-to-explore-aerospace-tech-to-enhance-farm-productivity.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1892/philippine-space-agency-philsa-to-explore-aerospace-tech-to-enhance-farm-productivity.html Wed, 28 Feb 2024 09:58:00 +0530 Advanced space technology to increase farm productivity, improve resource utilization, and enhance project monitoring Philippine Department of Agriculture has entered into a partnership with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) to use advanced space technology to increase farm productivity, improve resource utilization, and enhance project monitoring. The DA, through the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering, and PhilSA signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to modernize data collection, analysis and dissemination, fostering informed decision-making and sustainable growth in the agriculture and fisheries sector.  DA-BAFE Director Engr. Ariodear C. Rico and PhilSA Director General Joel Joseph S. Marciano signed the MOA for the implementation of the Digital Agri Project Phase 1. DA Undersecretary for Operations Roger Navarro, who represented Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr., witnessed the ceremony.  “This MOA signing signifies a convergence of expertise, resources, and innovative thinking aimed at harnessing the power of technology to transform our agricultural landscape. Using technology and data analytics, we can gain invaluable insights into crop health, soil conditions, enabling us to make informed decisions and implement targeted interventions. Digital agriculture is essential to unlock opportunities for farmers and fisherfolk, providing them with tools and knowledge to increase productivity. The information gathered will help policymakers with near real-time data and insights for strategic planning and decision-making. We urge collective efforts to overcome challenges related to limited access to digital infrastructure and costly technology, ensuring that the benefits of digitalization are accessible to all” said Sec. Tiu Laurel.  The project entails joint research, exchange of expertise and information, capacity-building exercises, and project implementation focused on monitoring of farm-to-market roads and major agricultural commodities such as onion and corn. This partnership will utilize space technology, remote sensing, and sophisticated agricultural systems to drive innovation and efficiency in the sector, with the pilot testing taking place in Nueva Ecija.  “The collaboration between DA-BAFE and PhilSA exemplifies the spirit of partnership and synergy that is essential for driving meaningful change. By pooling together our respective expertise and resources, we can co-create innovative solutions that have the potential to revolutionize the way we approach agriculture. He stressed that by working together, the transformative power of technology can be harnessed to foster a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive agricultural sector. ” the agriculture chief said. As the central engineering arm of DA mandated to ensure effective and efficient mechanization and infrastructure interventions to modernize the agriculture and fishery sector, BAFE will utilize other digital technologies including Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Management Information System  and Geographic Information System for Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery and Infrastructure. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1853/heifer-international-and-fruitpunch-ai-promotes-data-access-for-women-farmers-in-nepal.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1853/heifer-international-and-fruitpunch-ai-promotes-data-access-for-women-farmers-in-nepal.html Mon, 19 Feb 2024 07:17:42 +0530 Launches Artificial Intelligence Challenge in Nepal Global development organization Heifer International and FruitPunch AI, the global community educating and applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Good, launched the AI for Women Farmers Challenge — a project to develop AI tools to help rural women farmers in Nepal leverage data to improve their livelihoods. The project aims to help women-run agricultural cooperatives extract and translate their own data on financial, business and other activities, which the co-op members can then use to improve their access to markets, financing, product traceability platforms and more. The AI for Women Farmers Challenge will use FruitPunch AI's trailblazing method of recruiting highly skilled volunteers from the AI for Good community to solve a specific problem in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals over the course of a focused 10-week technical collaboration. In Heifer International's decadeslong work supporting women smallholders in Nepal, a key vehicle for economic and social empowerment is the organization of agricultural cooperatives, which provide technical, production and financial services to their member farmers. However, a digital divide prevents farmer cooperatives from easily using and benefiting from their own data as most information, such as sales, loan and production records, is stored on paper ledgers, out of reach of the digital ecosystem. "This Challenge represents a significant milestone with immediate benefits for rural women entrepreneurs," said Antoinette Marie, director of Heifer Labs, a digital technology unit within Heifer International that collaborates with country programs to co-create technology interventions that deliver farmer value and accelerate Heifer's organizational goals. "By empowering them with digitized versions of their own data, we're boosting their market presence, optimizing their business processes, and strengthening their ability to secure essential growth capital." The Challenge will use AI Optical Character Recognition (OCR) models to extract, digitize and translate Nepali handwritten and typeset text from photos and scans of existing paper records. Bridging the digital divide in this way will enable farmers to easily search, analyze and obtain insights from various types of existing records, such as financial, cooperative capacity, livestock breeding and agricultural production.  The Challenge will have two phases: The first will tackle Nepali data extraction and translation via AI OCR models, which will enable search and analysis of different types of paper records. A second follow-on Challenge will create data structures from these results, focused on a specific use case, such as financial data to stimulate formal lending to farmers.  FruitPunch AI volunteers involved in the Challenge will build on their existing programming, data and AI skills, while being mentored by experts to become a certified AI for Good Engineer. At the same time, they will deliver immediate impact to women smallholders in Nepal by helping them receive value from their own data. "By joining forces with Heifer Labs, we will be able to educate AI engineers with sustainable AI skills while helping women-run farms reach the digital economy and grow their businesses," said Sako Arts, CTO and founder of FruitPunch AI. Heifer International began operating in Nepal in 1997, working alongside local farmers to improve food security and reduce poverty by providing technical support to strengthen agricultural value chains, promoting environmentally friendly farming, and improving access to affordable inputs and services. To date, Heifer Nepal has supported over 400,000 families, organized into 277 agricultural cooperatives — all working under the Social Entrepreneur Women Alliance, an apex governing body led by progressive women farmers ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1844/vietnam-deploys-an-innovative-real-time-sea-water-monitoring-system-for-aquaculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1844/vietnam-deploys-an-innovative-real-time-sea-water-monitoring-system-for-aquaculture.html Fri, 16 Feb 2024 10:52:24 +0530 Collaboration between Australia's University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Vietnamese university researchers to create water monitoring solution A groundbreaking collaboration between UTS, Vietnam National University and Ho Chi Minh University of Technology has led to the development of a real-time sea-water monitoring system in Xuan Dai Bay, Vietnam. As the system is scalable and non-site specific, the technology has the potential to be used not just in further sites across Vietnam, but globally, and the team is actively seeking new partners to help them realise its full potential. The project, funded by Aus4Innovation and part of UTS Rapido Vietnam, employs the latest Industry 4.0 technologies such as Internet of Things, data analytics, and mechatronics. "Aquaculture is an important industry in Vietnam, generating an income of AUD$11 billion per year. But while it can have rich economic rewards for farmers and the regions they live in, it can be a precarious livelihood," says Professor Eryk Dutkiewicz, the chief investigator of the project at UTS. The system, launched in March 2020, monitors temperature, acidity, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and turbidity, providing real-time data to farmers. The advanced technology withstands harsh conditions, offering alerts for timely decision-making. The monitoring stations, the first of its kind in Vietnam, are now permanent fixtures in the bay. Mr Le Tan Ho is Vice President of Phu Yen province and was impressed with both the UTS team and the results of the project. He says the information it has provided has been invaluable for decision making. "The data from the realtime seawater monitoring system allows the local government to assess and better plan aquaculture and other activities like tourism towards the sustainable social and economic development goals while protecting environment and coping with global climate changes, especially in coastal areas," says Le Tan Ho. The research team hopes the application of IoT platforms for coastal water system management in Phú Yên will just be the start. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1841/boehringer-ingelheim-partners-veeva-to-advance-its-clinical-and-regulatory-operations-in-animal-health.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1841/boehringer-ingelheim-partners-veeva-to-advance-its-clinical-and-regulatory-operations-in-animal-health.html Fri, 16 Feb 2024 10:16:43 +0530 Global animal health leader adopts Veeva Vault Clinical and Veeva Vault RIM for greater efficiency, visibility, and speed Boehringer Ingelheim has selected Veeva Vault Clinical and Veeva Vault RIM applications as its technology foundation for clinical and regulatory management in its animal health business unit. By adopting unified applications on a single platform, Boehringer Ingelheim can streamline clinical execution to speed development of new medicines that help animals live healthier and happier lives. “Veeva Vault Clinical and Veeva Vault RIM will help us drive higher operational efficiency across functions while providing the insights for data-driven decision making,” said Marcus Gravendyck, head of global regulatory affairs and pharmacovigilance, Animal Health at Boehringer Ingelheim. “This will allow us to execute and innovate faster to improve the lives of animals.” Boehringer Ingelheim will use Veeva Vault CTMS in its animal health business unit to manage and monitor trials and Veeva Vault eTMF for real-time inspection readiness, visibility, and control. The company will also use Vault RIM applications, including Veeva Vault Registrations, Veeva Vault Submissions, and Veeva Vault Submissions Archive for advanced regulatory processes. Connecting these applications on a single cloud platform will enable real-time access to data and seamless information exchange. “Boehringer Ingelheim is driving innovation to accelerate the development of new treatments for animals,” said Thomas Reith, corporate vice president, IT research, development, and medicine at Boehringer Ingelheim. “By establishing a centralized and digital foundation with Veeva, we can deliver a better user experience for our teams, and offer lean, end-to-end processes for speed and agility.” “We’re proud to partner with Boehringer Ingelheim in animal health to simplify their clinical development and regulatory processes,” said Stefan Jahnecke, vice president of animal health strategy at Veeva. “Veeva Vault Clinical and Veeva Vault RIM will help Boehringer Ingelheim increase data integrity and provide the visibility to quickly adapt to changing business requirements.” Vault Clinical and Vault RIM are part of Veeva Development Cloud, the technology foundation for product development across clinical, regulatory, quality, and safety ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1830/advanced-ai-technology-to-uncover-novel-rd-and-commercialization-opportunities-of-dairy-nutrition.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1830/advanced-ai-technology-to-uncover-novel-rd-and-commercialization-opportunities-of-dairy-nutrition.html Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:21:00 +0530 US national dairy research and promotion organization to leverage AI application LEAP™ to explore the full spectrum of Dairy dietary nutrition PIPA LLC, AI leader in Nutrition and Ingredient Innovation and Dairy Management Inc, the US national dairy research and promotion organization, have partnered to further explore the full spectrum of dairy's health benefits. Leveraging AI application LEAP™, DMI will work with the dairy industry and other partners to expedite the identification of novel R&D opportunities in milk while also analyzing scientific evidence to validate and build new product claims. "This partnership represents a groundbreaking development for the U.S. dairy industry, pioneering the integration of AI in dairy research and innovation," said Barbara O'Brien, President and CEO of Dairy Management Inc. "Dairy farmers' long-standing investments in nutrition research have made significant contributions to the portfolio of credible science demonstrating the positive impact dairy foods have on overall health and wellness. The partnership with PIPA will leverage the power of AI to uncover dairy-centric health and wellness opportunities that can meet the growing world's needs for personalized nutrition solutions." PIPA's Chief Commercial Officer, Eric Hamborg said: " With PIPA's technology and the subject matter expertise of DMI, we'll unlock novel research and commercialization opportunities for the industry with a speed and accuracy we've never seen before." PIPA aims to accelerates science and innovation for nutrition and Ingredient industries by embedding AI in their R&D, manufacturing, and commercial business, decreasing times and improving productivity. PIPA's AI apps, LEAP and Ingredient Profiler, coupled with in-house pipelines, enables a comprehensive suite of solutions to advance scientific breakthroughs in feeding plants, animals and humans. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1834/australia-launches-18-different-portfolio-online-tool-to-shape-the-future-of-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1834/australia-launches-18-different-portfolio-online-tool-to-shape-the-future-of-agriculture.html Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:17:00 +0530 For setting strategic direction and to engage with stakeholders in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry sector Australian has launched a new online tool to encourage a wider variety of applicants to apply for government boards across Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry sector. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Portfolio Boards Register enables eligible applicants to register their interest to be on one of the boards. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt said "There are 18 different portfolio boards that fall under the Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry sector. They reflect the different needs of the portfolio – from primary producers, to research and development corporations, to examining drought preparedness across the food and fibre industry". "Given the broad cross-section of topics these boards look after, we’re hoping to see a wider range of Australians putting their hands up and get involved on these boards. This includes more women, more young people and more indigenous Australians" added Minister Watt hoping to see new and upcoming talent who have an interest to shape the future of agricultural work stepping forward. “Working on a portfolio board is a great opportunity to participate in setting strategic direction, engage with stakeholders and are to work with the Government on growing our agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors to create more sustainable, productive and profitable food and fibre industries. It would be great to see this breadth of the public and the industry reflected in the portfolio boards" iterated Minister Watt. The initiative is expected to promote better resource management practices, innovation, sovereign capability, and improved access to international markets. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1808/xfarm-technologies-introduces-integrated-ai-pest-management-solutions.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1808/xfarm-technologies-introduces-integrated-ai-pest-management-solutions.html Thu, 08 Feb 2024 10:38:34 +0530 Effective pest management with "Defense module" The tech company xFarm Technologies, a company specializing in the field of Agriculture 4.0 leveraging digitization and sustainability of agrifood supply chains, present its novel pest control technology solutions based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The xFarm platform combines Artificial Intelligence algorithms with systems designed to simplify farming operations for farmers. Some of the most important features of the xFarm platform include; Defense module, the decision support system (DSS) for the control of plant diseases, based on Artificial Intelligence and created to provide farmers and technicians with advice on the most appropriate time to carry out treatments, ensuring the best possible protection for crops, but also Disease Recognition , which, simply by taking and uploading a photo into the system, through computer vision algorithms, allows for the recognition of numerous diseases. Not only that, there will also be a chance to learn more about the Insects module that, in combination with the xTrap remote insect monitoring trap, is designed to automate the control of harmful insects in the field and predict the evolution of their populations. Secondly, Irrigation module, which can optimize the use of irrigation resources through recommendations generated on base by Artificial Intelligence algorithms capable of autonomously interpreting data collected from sensors such as, for example, weather stations and soil moisture sensors. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1708/next-gen-remote-area-connectivity-solution-to-aid-smart-iot-farming-in-rural-areas.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1708/next-gen-remote-area-connectivity-solution-to-aid-smart-iot-farming-in-rural-areas.html Thu, 25 Jan 2024 07:05:01 +0530 Morse Micro and Zetifi partners to extend Zetifi's Wi-Fi HaLow technology connectivity solutions for farmers and rural residents, to transfer the future of agriculture Morse Micro, a leading Wi-Fi HaLow silicon vendor, and Zetifi, an innovator in last-mile connectivity for vehicles, machinery and farms, have partnered to enhance Zetifi's remote-area connectivity solutions with Wi-Fi HaLow technology. Zetifi's innovative technology enables farmers and other rural residents to access, extend and optimize coverage from existing radio, cellular or satellite networks, leading to reliable remote area connectivity in areas where phone coverage is otherwise unreliable or unavailable. Zetifi's long-range Wi-Fi coverage extension products address a major barrier to the digitalization of agriculture and are recognized as a foundational technology to unlock significant value from on-farm digital technologies in the years ahead. Morse Micro's Wi-Fi HaLow technology will take Zetifi's farm-wide Wi-Fi connectivity with the ZetiCell and ZetiRover to a whole new level. Zetifi's and Morse Micro's collaboration leverages the long-range capabilities of Wi-Fi HaLow to give more farmers than ever before the ability to embrace precision agriculture and remote monitoring and prepare for the introduction of connectivity-dependent autonomous machinery. "The Internet of Things is revolutionizing farming, and now Wi-Fi HaLow – the first version of Wi-Fi optimized for the IoT -- is helping Zetifi deliver on the promise of smart, connected farming technology," said Dan Winson, CEO and founder of Zetifi. "Our collaboration with Morse Micro is a defining moment in Zetifi's mission to bring digital advancements to modern farming through remote-area connectivity." Zetifi currently offers two core products that together offer farming businesses true farm-wide Wi-Fi connectivity possibilities: ZetiCell – a long-range Wi-Fi small cell installed on farmhouses or machinery sheds. ZetiRover – a vehicle-mounted roaming Wi-Fi hotspot used on off-farm passenger vehicles or farm machinery. The ZetiRover can be moved easily between vehicles and features fully integrated antennas and dual modems that enable seamless backhaul connections to multiple cellular and Wi-Fi networks. This multi-carrier functionality provides redundancy and extra coverage options to fill in more coverage gaps in remote areas. Crucially, it also enables a Wi-Fi link back to a private ZetiCell, enabling the ZetiRover to repeat Wi-Fi from a cellular or satellite ZetiCell connection up to three kilometers away. "Zetifi's wireless technology brings an innovative approach to rural connectivity, and we are proud to join them in the journey to transform smart farming technology with our Wi-Fi HaLow technology," said Prakash Guda, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management at Morse Micro. "The collaboration is a crucial step in the evolution of IoT agriculture by extending the wireless range and expanding the coverage of Zetifi's connectivity solutions for farm equipment operating in remote areas." ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1737/ntt-group-partners-with-climateforce-to-create-worlds-first-smart-rainforest.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1737/ntt-group-partners-with-climateforce-to-create-worlds-first-smart-rainforest.html Fri, 19 Jan 2024 08:44:39 +0530 AI, Data Analytics and NTT Smart Management Platform will help regenerate section of Daintree while speeding new models for environmental restoration NTT and ClimateForce have partnered to create the world’s first Smart Rainforest using NTT’s Smart Management Platform technology. This groundbreaking initiative aims to regenerate a section of Australia's Daintree Rainforest and establish sustainable and cost-effective models for environmental restoration efforts around the world. ClimateForce is regenerating a section of Australia’s Daintree Rainforest that had been razed for agriculture decades ago. The land, which is adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef, has since become infested with invasive plant species. NTT’s sponsorship will help support the regeneration effort using Smart Management Platform (SMP) Technology and Analytics, while NTT DATA, a global digital business and IT services leader, is providing operational and fundraising support. “ClimateForce is a proving ground for technologies that protect biodiversity and help mitigate climate change,” said Barney Swan, CEO and Co-founder of ClimateForce. “The generous support from NTT and NTT DATA will help us quickly expand our initiative in the Daintree and speed our goal of developing replicable models that regenerate ecosystems, protect biodiversity and foster resilient local economies in other locations.” NTT DATA will help ClimateForce leverage AI, data gathering and analysis as well as predictive analytics to assess various organic reforestation techniques. In addition to providing operating support for the initiative, NTT DATA is also contributing funds to help ClimateForce purchase and protect the regenerated land in perpetuity. “NTT DATA met Barney through our sponsorship of his father’s Undaunted: South Pole 2023 expedition, which advocated for sustainable practices and long-term protections for Antarctica,” said Bob Pryor, CEO, NTT DATA Services. “We’re excited to extend this relationship and help ClimateForce with its mission in the tropics, which perfectly aligns with our own vision for realizing a sustainable future.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1736/agritask-partners-with-pessl-instruments-to-enhance-agronomic-data-analytics-with-advanced-weather-data.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1736/agritask-partners-with-pessl-instruments-to-enhance-agronomic-data-analytics-with-advanced-weather-data.html Thu, 18 Jan 2024 07:38:00 +0530 Crop supply data intelligence software company to integrate METOS® weather station data to advance agronomic picture, further mitigating extreme weather risks and optimizing field activities Agritask, a crop supply data intelligence software company, and Pessl Instruments, a leading global developer and provider of smart agriculture technological solutions, jointly announced their partnership to integrate METOS® weather stations into the Agritask platform. In combination with other agronomic data sources, METOS® weather station data, which includes a variety of real-time environmental parameters, will provide a more advanced agronomic picture down to the plot level for food and beverage companies using the Agritask platform. Globally, extreme weather events are becoming routine, making advanced weather data from state-of-the-art stations a critical data source to optimize cultivation activities and mitigate risks,” says Ofir Ardon, CEO of Agritask. “Agritask together with Pessl Instruments are shaping the future of agrifood tech and helping combat some of the industry’s most pressing agronomic and food supply chain issues amid the impacts of climate change.” Through the partnership, Agritask customers will gain a seamless integration of METOS® systems and their data feeds, which will be optimized with all other data sources on the Agritask platform. METOS® weather stations help farmers mitigate risks associated with extreme weather events and climate change shifts. The technology provides insights into soil and crop conditions, enabling resource-efficient practices. Data-driven decision-making helps better plan field activities such as when to seed or sow and when to irrigate, spray, and harvest. The Agritask-METOS® integration will address the diverse needs of Agritask users depending on their crops, farming locations, and associated weather patterns, seasons, and risks. In addition to real-time alerts about weather conditions like rainfall impacting a plot of crops, companies can enhance long-term planning with seasonal weather data and optimize irrigation with insights on soil moisture and evaporation rates. Companies can also protect crops and bolster their pest control mitigation with fewer chemicals and better timing thanks to weather data. With improved irrigation practices and reduced chemicals, robust weather data not only leads to cost savings but also more sustainable practices, ultimately having an overall positive impact on the environment and companies’ bottom lines. As food and beverage companies continue to address climate change issues and ESG commitments, crop supply data intelligence offers two-fold benefits and financial incentives. “All aspects of agricultural production from plant growth and crop yields to insect maturation and disease prevalence hinge on weather.” Says Gottfried Pessl, CEO and founder of Pessl Instruments. “Our METOS® stations provide detailed and comprehensive weather data by monitoring accurate site-specific meteorological parameters. Together with the flexibility and advanced solutions of Agritask, growers can plan for different scenarios, mitigate weather risks, and adjust cultivation activities.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1731/thailand-launches-chatbot-for-strawberry-disease-diagnosis-using-ai-images.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1731/thailand-launches-chatbot-for-strawberry-disease-diagnosis-using-ai-images.html Wed, 17 Jan 2024 10:51:29 +0530 NECTEC-NSTDA, in collaboration with the Royal Project Foundation, developed the 'Strawberry Disease Bot NECTEC-NSTDA, in collaboration with the Royal Project Foundation, developed the 'Strawberry Disease Bot.' This chatbot facilitates the diagnosis of strawberry diseases through images and provides recommendations for disease control. Mr. Wasin Sinthupinyo, a researcher from Artificial Intelligence Research Group at NECTEC explained the project’s origin. Mr. Wasin’s team, in collaboration with Kasetsart University, previously developed the Rice Disease Bot, an image-based rice disease diagnostic chatbot service. Following media coverage of the Rice Disease Bot, the Royal Project Foundation approached the research team, expressing interest in developing a similar disease diagnosis chatbot service for temperate crops to support farmers in the northern region. Strawberry was chosen for research and development due to its economic importance and the availability of a comprehensive database. The Strawberry Disease Bot is now ready for testing by farmers, the process that will further enhance its performance.” The Strawberry Disease Bot is designed to be user-friendly on the LINE application platform. Farmers can simply take pictures of infected strawberry plants and send them to LINE chat. The images are then transferred to the cloud system, where AI performs disease diagnosis using deep learning. The results, along with recommendations for disease control, are sent back to the farmers within 3-5 seconds. At present, the chatbot can diagnose five diseases affecting strawberry cultivation in Thailand: anthracnose, leaf blight, gray mold, powdery mildew, and leaf spot. Currently, the system achieves an accuracy of 60-70%, with expectations of improvement as more data is collected through farmer participation. “While the accuracy at this early stage may not be high, farmers can still use the chatbot with confidence because technicians at the Royal Project Foundation will help verify the results. Early detection is the key to effectively managing the disease and reducing the use of chemicals. As more farmers use the system, more images will be added to the database, thereby improving the diagnosis performance,” explained Mr. Wasin. “Strawberry was chosen for research and development due to its economic importance and the availability of a comprehensive database. The Strawberry Disease Bot is now ready for testing by farmers, the process that will further enhance its performance.” The Strawberry Disease Bot is designed to be user-friendly on the LINE application platform. Farmers can simply take pictures of infected strawberry plants and send them to LINE chat. The images are then transferred to the cloud system, where AI performs disease diagnosis using deep learning. The results, along with recommendations for disease control, are sent back to the farmers within 3-5 seconds. At present, the chatbot can diagnose five diseases affecting strawberry cultivation in Thailand: anthracnose, leaf blight, gray mold, powdery mildew, and leaf spot. Currently, the system achieves an accuracy of 60-70%, with expectations of improvement as more data is collected through farmer participation. “While the accuracy at this early stage may not be high, farmers can still use the chatbot with confidence because technicians at the Royal Project Foundation will help verify the results. Early detection is the key to effectively managing the disease and reducing the use of chemicals. As more farmers use the system, more images will be added to the database, thereby improving the diagnosis performance,” explained Mr. Wasin. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1712/solinftecs-solix-revolutionnizes-crop-management-in-the-american-corn-belt.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1712/solinftecs-solix-revolutionnizes-crop-management-in-the-american-corn-belt.html Thu, 11 Jan 2024 09:51:54 +0530 Solinftec's revolutionary robot, Solix bringing transformative changes to Crop Management solutions and cooperative business models by effectively eliminating weeds at an early stage in the American Corn Belt Solinftec, a global leader in artificial intelligence and sustainable agricultural practices, has extended its capabilities by collaborating with three new partners to reduce herbicide applications by over 95% during the recent crop season, effectively eliminating weeds at an early stage. Solix AG Robotics Sprayer Solution keeps the fields clean, free from invasive plants, and ensures sustainable production from pre-planting to harvest. The Solix Sprayer is capable of precise herbicide application, enabling efficient control of weeds, preventing their spread, and competition for nutrients with the target crop. The Sprayer model also has the advantage of avoiding drift during herbicide management because it is a lighter machine that operates at a lower speed, allowing for greater stability in the booms while maintaining the recommended 20 inch nozzle spacing. In addition to the weather function, the Sprayer works in conjunction with the ALICE platform, which can provide appropriate wind speed recommendations and optimal windows for spraying crops. The Sprayer is powered by four solar panels that control its drive system and spraying system, providing reports on crop populations, weed identification and densities, insect identification, spraying maps with analysis of inputs, and other data layers for producer analysis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Solix Sprayer can cover up to 50 acres per day, depending on the field's shape and terrain. Around 20 robots covered the American corn belt in 2023 and proved the effectiveness of the Sprayer solution, reducing herbicide volume in American crops by more than 95% through targeted applications that eliminate weeds at their early stages.  A new partnership was formed by Solixtec at the beginning of August 2023 with three more American cooperatives. Co-Alliance, Carroll FS, and Premier Ag acquired additional Solix units after testing the Sprayer solution and experiencing its benefits on their crops. Through these partnerships, Solinftec aims to expand its presence in the United States by fivefold. "The three cooperatives are at the forefront of agricultural technology in the United States, and by adopting Solix, they realized the potential for changing the way they price services provided to American producers," says Leonardo Carvalho, Chief Global Strategy Officer. "In the traditional model, American cooperatives purchase agrochemicals directly from companies in the agricultural pesticides industry and offer spraying services along with the product that will be managed on the field," explains Leonardo. " “Solix robots create the possibility of  a fair changing model for the service by not costing the volume of agrochemicals applied but on clean acres generated by a combination of factors including weed-free area, productivity per acre, and the possibility of establishing a fixed value since the choice of the product to be applied by the Solix platform lies with the Cooperative," assures the director of strategy at Solinftec. "Through these partnerships we aim to enable quick decision-making, delivering a significant reduction in agrochemicals, and providing sustainability to our customers' businesses. Additionally, we offer a new way of managing the American corn belt," added Guilherme Guiné, Chief of Operations of Solinftec in North America. In addition to these three cooperatives, WHIN (Wabash Heartland Innovation Network) has also partnered with Solinftec and will continue to use the technology among its members in the next harvest. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1696/indonesian-agritech-semaai-raises-4-7m-to-expand-agronomy-strength.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1696/indonesian-agritech-semaai-raises-4-7m-to-expand-agronomy-strength.html Mon, 08 Jan 2024 09:15:00 +0530 The funds will be channeled into expanding its agronomy service, collaborating with fintech institutions, and expanding the startup's presence in Central Java Semaai, provider of digital agritech solutions for Indonesian farmers and agri-retailers has raised $4.7 million (approx IDR 73 billion) in a mix of equity and debt financing. CyberAgent Capital led this investment round with participation from new investors, namely Sumitomo Corporation Equity Asia, Ruvento, MyAsiaVC and Heracles Ventures. Semaai's existing investors, Peak XV's Surge, Accion Venture Lab and Beenext, also participated in the round. Semaai's total funding has now reached $7.6 million (approx IDR 118 billion) with this latest round. In the last 12 months, the net revenue has increased by more than fifteen-fold (>15x), and its Toko Tani marketplace user base has doubled (2x). Furthermore, its advisory feature has witnessed an eightfold (8x) increase in adoption in the last six months and is used by most of Semaai's active users. Semaai plans to deploy the new funds to expand its agronomy advisory service to agri-retailers and farmers, collaborate with fintech institutions to provide advanced fintech solutions and strengthen its presence in Central Java. There are more than 8,2001 villages in the region, and Semaai plans to cover 75% of these villages by the end of 2024. "With the new funding, our company will collaborate with financial institutions and fintech providers to expand our embedded fintech solutions, having already doubled Semaai's total transaction volume in the last twelve months. This is part of our goal to provide an integrated digital ecosystem that addresses disruptions in the supply chain and fills knowledge gaps for Indonesia's agri-retailers and smallholder farmers," said Muhammad Yoga Anindito, Co-founder and CEO of Semaai. "Agriculture is the third largest contributor to the overall GDP in Indonesia. This certainly shows that the sector has massive opportunities, but unfortunately, it has been run traditionally without significant exposure to any digital adoption. As a result, productivity gains and development opportunities are left untapped. With the founding team's long experience in the agriculture sector, we are confident that Semaai will revolutionise the Indonesian agricultural sector through its offline-to-online approach, especially within the agricultural input material supply chain," said Kevin Wijaya, CyberAgent Capital, Director of CyberAgent Indonesia Office. Indonesia's agricultural sector, together with forestry and fisheries, grew 1.46% on a yearly basis and 1.61% on a quarterly basis. Badan Pusat Statistik 2023 data shows that the agricultural sector contributed IDR 397,291.202 billion to Indonesia's GDP or 12.71% of the total GDP. Despite being one of the most significant contributors to the national economy, Indonesia's agricultural sector still faces several challenges, such as limited access to financing, long supply chains, and low technology adoption. To tackle the challenge, Semaai provides three essential services widely utilised by farmers and agri-retailers, namely: B2B digital marketplace for agricultural inputs such as seed and fertilisers Agronomy advisory services to improve their farming practices Financial services in partnership with financial institutions and fintech providers. Semaai's agronomy advisory service, which was launched in 2024 gives access to a wide range of educational content, neatly organised by crop type, focused on crop-related pests and diseases. The content aids users in thoroughly understanding the complexities of crop issues and empowers them to prepare to mitigate and address future problems. Users are then recommended products from Semaai's marketplace platform, culminating in hassle-free doorstep delivery. The unique blend of commerce and logistics incorporated into Semaai's advisory service is set to bring substantial value and benefits to agri-retailers and farmers utilising the feature. Singapore is establishing global network of scientists and seed and field experts understand local, national and international requirements, and supports during all phases of the product development cycle. Singapore national policies supporting Sustainable agriculture using state-of-the-art technology, crop management solutions and digital tools, provides accurate results and supports you with technical competence. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1631/iktos-and-bayer-collaborate-to-leverage-ai-to-design-novel-sustainable-crop-protection-solutions.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1631/iktos-and-bayer-collaborate-to-leverage-ai-to-design-novel-sustainable-crop-protection-solutions.html Mon, 18 Dec 2023 09:51:26 +0530 Iktos-Bayer collaboration signed at Bayer's LifeHub Lyon research center Iktos, a company specialized in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for new drug design, and Bayer’s Crop Science division with its industry-leading R&D pipeline and portfolio of seeds & traits, crop protection and digital farming solutions, today announced a collaboration to expand the use of AI in the discovery and development of new sustainable crop protection products.   Iktos’s de novo generative design software Makya™ will be deployed by Bayer scientists to facilitate the design of novel molecules according to pre-defined profiles and accelerate hit-to-lead/lead optimization, whereby potential molecular candidates are further optimized and developed into lead compounds. Makya™ is based on deep learning generative models which design and optimize, in-silico, novel molecules that satisfy multiple parameters, such as efficacy, selectivity, safety, and sustainability. The technology brings new insights and directions into the molecular discovery process based on a comprehensive data-driven chemical structure generation technology. It also allows scientists to analyse billions of molecules in a virtual environment, enabling the exploration of new and larger chemical spaces than previously possible. The Makya™ Software as a Service (SaaS) platform enables researchers to benefit from the technology thanks to its user-friendly interface and a secure and scalable technical implementation in the cloud. This approach to innovation, validated through multiple collaborations in pharmaceutical research and development, is now being used for the first time to help solve a key challenge in crop protection discovery: the rapid and efficient identification and optimization of successful and safe molecules and holds great potential to support Bayer’s sustainability objective to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, via lower application rates and favourable safety profiles of its solutions. Rachel Rama, Head of Small Molecules at Bayer’s Crop Science division said “Bayer’s CropKey approach to crop protection innovation is made possible by data-driven breakthrough technologies such as those made accessible by Iktos. They will allow us to unlock a new way to protect crops, food security and the environment and, in doing so, set a new benchmark in the industry.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1612/the-first-robotics-plant-dedicated-to-agriculture-to-begin-production-in-the-american-midwest.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1612/the-first-robotics-plant-dedicated-to-agriculture-to-begin-production-in-the-american-midwest.html Thu, 14 Dec 2023 09:42:35 +0530 The factory has the capacity to produce up to 20 Solix robots per day. Solinftec, a global leader in artificial intelligence solutions and sustainable agricultural practices, strengthened its partnership with WHIN and expanded its manufacturing capacity in the United States through collaboration with Still Waters Manufacturing. The production of the Solix robot in the WHIN region of Indiana strengthens Solinftec's presence in the United States from the last quarter. This will be the first agricultural robotics factory in the American Midwest The collaboration and efforts of the companies will make robotic technology more accessible to American producers, leading to a significant reduction in herbicide use and promoting sustainable agriculture. "This partnership represents a significant milestone for the US agricultural industry, and it's gratifying to see two companies from our network bringing innovation to our region. Collaboration among all parties was crucial to the success of this project," says Johnny Park, CEO of WHIN. Jake Church, CEO of Still Waters Manufacturing says "There's something truly special about building these robots in rural Indiana. They will come out of what used to be a school, where many farmers and livestock producers in this area received their primary education. This venture is an opportunity to 'rewrite' history. A dear friend of mine often says, 'If you want to know the future, go build it,'" The business received an initial investment of over 2 million dollars from Solinftec for the next two harvests, ensuring continued annual growth. The use of Solinftec solutions has already led to a reduction of up to 97% in herbicide volume on properties using the Solix robot in the United States. The key differentiator is that, through the collaboration of the three companies, the solutions will be adapted to the reality of the American Midwest. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1535/aigen-rises-12m-in-series-a-to-unleash-true-solar-agriculture-robots.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1535/aigen-rises-12m-in-series-a-to-unleash-true-solar-agriculture-robots.html Fri, 10 Nov 2023 11:13:56 +0530 Funding from ReGen Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Cleveland Ave, Incite, and Susquehanna Private Equity Investments will scale Aigen's robotic fleet, launching on farms in Spring 2024 Aigen, an AI-driven robotics company, closed $12 million in Series A financing from leading investor ReGen Ventures along with NEA, Cleveland Avenue, Incite, and Susquehanna Private Equity Investments LLLP. The funding expands Aigen's manufacturing capacity to meet high pre-order demand and create a new agricultural era that is both sustainable and scalable. "ReGen Ventures believes that innovation is the cornerstone of a regenerative future, and that's why we invest in visionary companies like Aigen," said Marcario. "The Aigen team's exceptional progress in hardware and software development has us eagerly supporting their next phase – scaling." Founded in 2020, Aigen is the only agricultural technology company developing truly solar-powered autonomous robots for crop management without chemicals or fossil fuels. The Aigen Element robots combine LTE connectivity with the cutting edge of AI, ML, solar, and battery technology to create a reliable, sustainable product that saves farmers time and money. "Aigen is defining a new era for agriculture, where farmers prosper and people are healthier. Getting chemicals out of our food is not only incredibly important for fighting climate change, it's also personal for Kenny and Rich," said Swati Mylavarapu, managing partner at Incite. "The Aigen team embodies what Incite looks for in our investments: talented entrepreneurs who have the power to make the world a better place. We are thrilled to be joining them." To date, Aigen has successfully demonstrated and integrated all critical technologies to solve farmers' most urgent problem: eliminating herbicide resistant weeds at scale. With a total $19 million raised, Aigen is building a 7,500 sq ft manufacturing and R&D facility to manufacture their solar-powered robotic fleet. "Agriculture is the intersection of human health and planetary health and that's why we focused on creating technology for farmers that is both profitable and sustainable. Our robotic fleet empowers farmers to escape the conventional system of chemical dependency," said Kenny Lee, co-founder and CEO of Aigen. "Thank you to our amazing team who have accomplished so much in the past year. We are humbled by the support of our investors and incredibly excited to scale our fleet into 2024 and beyond." "Aigen wouldn't have been possible a few years ago, because the technology wasn't there. Today, we have a great team working on the cutting edge of AI, robotics, electric motors, and solar power," said Rich Wurden, co-founder and CTO of Aigen. "Thanks to technological advances in all those areas and the incredible work of our team, we are automating farming solutions that have worked for thousands of years and helping farmers get chemicals off their farms and out of our food." The Aigen Element robotics service will debut on over 20,000 acres of U.S. farmland arriving on farms in April 2024 to transform weed control and real-time farming insights. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1523/lenovo-amd-and-ite-drives-sustainability-transformation-for-smes-and-foster-green-employment-in-singapore.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1523/lenovo-amd-and-ite-drives-sustainability-transformation-for-smes-and-foster-green-employment-in-singapore.html Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:02:00 +0530 The initiative includes the launch of two new labs, Sustainability Lab and eXtended Reality Centre (XRC), and two Certificate of Competency (CoC) courses to support SMEs in their green digital transformation journey and to nurture the next generation of digital workforce Lenovo has launched its Innovations in Sustainability initiative, in collaboration with AMD and ITE, to support SMEs in their green digital transformation journey and empower students to be the next generation of the digital workforce in Singapore. The initiative encompasses the launch of two new labs, Sustainability Lab and eXtended Reality Centre(XRC), and two Certificate of Competency (CoC) courses, to equip SMEs and students with industry specific knowledge on sustainable technologies, as well as hands-on experience in leveraging thesetechnologies, to drive a greener, more sustainable future. The initiative is also aligned with Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 to create new jobs, transform industries, and harness sustainability as a competitive advantage. The two new labs were unveiled yesterday at the annual Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology (SWITCH) 2023. “The dynamic partnership between Lenovo, AMD, and ITE is a key example of our commitment to make the world more sustainable through our innovative technology applications and the scale of our global business. SMEs are the backbone of Singapore’s economy, and by enabling these businesses with sustainable digital transformation skills and tools, we can collectively catalyze the community for a smarter and greener future,” said Nigel Lee, General Manager at Lenovo Singapore. “By providing students and professionals alike with hands-on experience in the fields of green digital transformation, the two labs will serve as catalysts for fostering a thriving ecosystem and the next generation of talents in green skills and jobs – a significant step in driving a greener, more sustainable future for Singapore,” he added. “As a technology leader, Lenovo believes that technology can and should be a positive catalyst for change. Our collaboration with AMD and ITE exemplifies our commitment to meeting our ESG targets, including achieving net zero by 2050. By embracing smarter technology like high-performance computing and working with like-minded partners, we are not just opening doors, but making strides in scaling and advancing data-driven decision processes for ESG initiatives – to shape a sustainable and responsible future together,” said Sumir Bhatia, President of the Infrastructure Solutions Group at Lenovo Asia Pacific. Sustainability LabPowered by Lenovo’s Digital Workplace Solutions (DWS) which incorporates Artificial Intelligence (AI), ITE’s new Sustainability Lab aims to equip SMEs with industry-specific digital strategies, tools, and sustainable growth models. Lenovo will also work with AMD and ITE to train companies on how to develop a green digital transformation blueprint to meet Singapore’s revised carbon tax in 2024.As part of the initiative, Lenovo and ITE have rolled out the Green Digital Transformation 2.0 Certificate of Competency (CoC) course, supported by AMD. The course examines digital transformation frameworks and strategies, and how to integrate sustainability into digital transformation initiatives. Lenovo will also work with AMD and its sustainability ecosystem partners, exclusively with Rentalworks and TES to introduce Rentalworks ThinkEco Leasing program. This initiative aims to extend the lifecycles of devices, resulting in a notable reduction in electronic waste. Rentalworks will acquire devices from Lenovo and offer them for lease, making advanced technology accessible at affordable rates. This promotes a circular economy by enabling these devices to be utilized efficiently for an extended period, benefiting both the academic community and businesses. An extension of Lenovo’s Asset Recovery Services for CO2 offset services, the leasing program offers Lenovo carbon offset options in leasing plans for old and new devices so that businesses can opt for valuable service (DaaS) to reduce and neutralize their carbon footprint. eXtended Reality Centre (XRC)With the adoption of digital twin projects, augmented lessons that mirror real-life experiences, and practicing and accessing situations without the physical constraints of being on-site, the XRC lab aims to provide immersive experiences and remote collaboration for participants. The initiative looks to conduct 20 XRC projects, as well as train 720 students and 270 adult learners across a three-year period. Thus far, Lenovo and SFX Corp have taught some 20 ITE students and staff to use the Transform Reality software to create metaverse sets. With these simulated sets, users can be trained in work processes in the metaverse before trying it out physically. In the workplace, these can be used to simulate proof of concept. As part of its CET Training for Lifelong Learning, ITE will co-develop short courses with Lenovo and AMD, including a Certificate in Competency (CoC) course to train adult learners on Digital Twinning and Extended Reality Assets Creation. The course aims to equip participants with the basic concepts of Digital Twinning and Extended Reality Assets Creation, including creating virtual replicas of real-world objects, systems, and environments using cutting-edge technology; and explore Extended Reality (XR) through hands-on experience in creating XR assets. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1499/ifad-and-grow-asia-to-modernize-agriculture-in-southeast-asia-with-digital-tools.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1499/ifad-and-grow-asia-to-modernize-agriculture-in-southeast-asia-with-digital-tools.html Wed, 25 Oct 2023 07:25:17 +0530 SEEDS aims to accelerate and scale-up social and economic development for small-scale farming families in Cambodia, the Philippines and Viet Nam The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Grow Asia launched the Smallholder Economic Empowerment through Digital Solutions (SEEDS) project with financial support from the Republic of Korea’s Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA). SEEDS aims to accelerate and scale-up social and economic development for small-scale farming families and poor rural people in Cambodia, the Philippines and Viet Nam through digital and ICT solutions. Southeast Asia is home to 660 million people across 10 countries, and has seen incredible change in recent decades, driven by the rapidly increasing availability and adoption of technology. But while digital technology has brought unprecedented opportunities and sources of income, a persistent digital gap means that small-scale farmers and rural people have been unable to tap into these new opportunities. SEEDS aims to leverage strong partnerships to bring localized solutions that bridge this gap, and ensure truly inclusive growth in the region by helping them to access services to modernize their farms and agri-enterprises. It will directly benefit 48,000 people, as well as 30 start-ups and 150 government officials across the three countries at the national or subnational level. “Around 150 million adults in Southeast Asia still lack access to digital technologies, and rural people are especially left behind. Collaboration is essential to ensure that everyone has access to, and can benefit from, the wide opportunities the new digital economy opens up,” said Reehana Raza, Regional Director, Asia and the Pacific, IFAD. “SEEDS is an initiative that attempts to bring all partners together to enhance digital inclusion, so that technology can be a real force for good.” While the interest in leveraging digital technologies to improve service delivery for small-scale farmers is growing rapidly among the governments of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and response from the private sector is picking up, there are policy and regulatory barriers that limit the uptake of innovations in service provision. Some of these barriers are low digital literacy; a gap in coverage because of poor or limited mobile internet connectivity; and inadequate data privacy policies and regulations. SEEDS will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the policy and regulatory landscape influencing the uptake of digital innovations in smallholder agriculture, with a focus on policies that promote connectivity in rural and remote regions. The goal is to collaborate with government and private sector partners to enhance the supportive policy and regulatory framework for smallholder digital technologies. In addition, SEEDS will engage governments, agribusinesses, technology, and support organizations in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam to identify specific digital initiatives that can be supported. It will also link to existing IFAD country programmes and interventions, aligning with already existing digital components and initiatives. It will identify promising digital solutions that have already been developed and piloted through IFAD-funded projects in the three countries to be strengthened and scaled up. Importantly, the grassroots farmer organizations that work with IFAD-funded projects can allay concerns of small-scale farmers, especially those related to data privacy, and act as the last mile provider of services and training to members. To that end, SEEDS will assist these organizations in acquiring digital literacy and mastering the use of relevant digital technologies. This will allow small-scale farmers to be integrated into the evolving digital technology landscape, and to achieve higher farm productivity and incomes. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1425/world-economic-forum-embraces-producepay-to-shape-global-climate-and-food-agenda.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1425/world-economic-forum-embraces-producepay-to-shape-global-climate-and-food-agenda.html Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:04:27 +0530 AgTech leader invited as Unicorn Innovation Community member to be among the world’s most promising start-ups and scale-ups ProducePay, the agtech company transforming the global produce industry into a more connected and sustainable supply chain, has joined the World Economic Forum's prestigious Innovator Communities as a Unicorn member. This invite-only honor places ProducePay among the world's foremost start-ups with proven impact and a strong mission dedicated to driving positive change and shaping the global social economic and climate agenda. ProducePay's entrance into the prestigious Innovator Communities is a testament to its remarkable innovation and achievements in creating more predictability, stability and transparency in the fresh produce supply chain – while addressing the 60 percent of food and economic waste that is so prevalent in this category. As an integral member of the Innovator Communities, ProducePay will join other scale-up companies at the forefront of technological and business model innovation where they will have the platform and networking opportunities to contribute groundbreaking solutions to address current regional, global and industry crises and build future resiliency. Earlier this year, ProducePay launched a first-of-its kind program for the fresh produce industry. In partnership with one of the largest growers and distributors of table grapes, Four Star Fruit, ProducePay is creating more stability and predictability throughout the fresh supply chain to enable stakeholders to better handle volatilities such as extreme weather events. The transformative initiative enables a stable supply of high-quality and nutritious food to consumers while driving financial sustainability and fostering investments in sustainable agricultural practices. Starting with grapes, the new model paves the way for other fresh produce commodities to adopt this direct-to-retail procurement model. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1362/integrating-accelerating-retail-agri-business-using-e-commerce.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1362/integrating-accelerating-retail-agri-business-using-e-commerce.html Mon, 04 Sep 2023 11:13:49 +0530 Agtech Agrega Agro accelerates the sector's progress in Brazil by taking Agro's physical business to e-commerce, integrated with Luft's logistics ecosystem Market dynamics reports that the digital logistics market is expected to grow exponentially, from $30.2 billion this year to $121.4 billion by 2030, owing to technology's rapid and irreversible transformation. According to a McKinsey survey, 70% of Brazilian rural producers use digital channels for at least one input purchase. By leveraging its expertise in e-commerce logistics, Luft Logistics advances as a logtech in this dynamic sector, while also accelerating the digitization of the Brazilian ag sector through Agrega Agro. By integrating cutting-edge technology, speed, and low cost into Luft's logistics ecosystem, agtech is bringing physical businesses into the world of e-commerce and meeting the specific needs of agribusiness retailers. Recently in July, Luft Logistics signed a technology transfer memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Development of Saudi Arabia (MISA), which provides for the establishment, in Saudi Arabia, of a development center for distributors, e-commerce and retailers, involving systems and solutions created by the Brazilian company. Robust digital solutions Aggrega Agro enables companies to tap into new channels and possibilities. The company designs virtual stores for resellers, distributors, cooperatives and rural producers, including those entering e-commerce. In order to meet the market's specific needs and to comply with good practices, Agtech helps them develop robust solutions. "We developed a safe and highly adaptive model. With full-commerce technology and a multidisciplinary operational team, Agrega Agro follows up on orders from their origin to the shipping and transport stages, automating complex processes in an effective and uncomplicated channel for the sale of inputs such as pesticides, fertilizers and seeds, with multichannel online service", explains Gustavo Saraiva , CIO of Luft Logistics and Agrega Agro. Digital agronomic prescription Through the platform, the retailer can, for example, access documentation in the same place; schedule and fractionate the delivery of orders; answer questions in real time by sellers; check market quotes and issue invoices and digital agronomic prescriptions. "Through our advanced ecosystem, new projects and solutions are incubated and meticulously tested within a conducive environment, before being comprehensively launched onto the market. This approach ensures that we remain at the forefront of logistics evolution", says Gustavo. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1352/new-zealands-fruit-tech-startup-hectre-to-revolutionise-global-horticulture-with-ai.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1352/new-zealands-fruit-tech-startup-hectre-to-revolutionise-global-horticulture-with-ai.html Fri, 01 Sep 2023 09:57:13 +0530 In the post-harvest space, Hectre's early fruit sizing AI solution Spectre, sizes apples, pears, cherries, citrus and onions. New Zealand's fruit tech startup Hectre has developed transformative technology for the global fruit growing and packing industry.  The Hectre platform delivers value across the supply chain by streamlining key processes, and offering early access to valuable data.  Most fruit tech companies play in one market space, like labor management or fruit sorting. Each market has complexities and a never-ending collection of unique use cases. Hectre has overcome a major challenge by crossing over into additional areas of the supply chain. Bryan Vaughn, Managing Director, AgTech Breakthrough said, “With Hectre's range of solutions, growers and packers can drive efficiency and performance, and gain greater insights for informed decision making and profitability”. The combination of Orchard Management PLUS Early Fruit Sizing solutions that Hectre offers spans both growers and packers. After a successful demonstration in the US, Hectre's technology is now being adopted by fruit leaders in South America and Europe.  In the post-harvest space, Hectre's early fruit sizing AI solution Spectre, sizes apples, pears, cherries, citrus and onions. Spectre provides reliable early data to support successful sales, storage and packing decisions, positively impacting pack planning capabilities, driving down repack rates and fruit loss, and enabling optimal sales. Spectre has released two core solutions:  A hand-held option where users simply take a photo of a bin of fruit on their phone or tablet and receive sizing results in seconds a top-down solution where a camera is installed above arriving trucks.  More than 5,000 pieces of fruit are detected and sized by Spectre Top Down in one truck pass. Early color grading results are also available.  Growing innovations from Hectre include Digital QC, where growers can track and assess picker performance and provide evidence-based coaching for better picks and packouts. Growers can identify and address picking issues early with Hectre and get more fruit to market. These evidence-based insights have become critical as the cost of labor and regulation continue to climb.  Hectre also helps to simplify labor management with their Digital Timesheet. Over 5,000 pieces of fruit are sized before the truck has even been pulled into reception using a solution that automates complex pay structures such as hourly wages, piece rates, minimum wages, and group picks. Hectre software's auto calculation capability, as well as data flow directly into payroll reports, save growers and their teams time and reduce errors. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1346/basf-launches-new-xarvio-agro-experts-program.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1346/basf-launches-new-xarvio-agro-experts-program.html Wed, 30 Aug 2023 10:55:09 +0530 To increase access and use of digital farming technologies in Brazil BASF has launched an innovative program in Brazil that links independent, agronomic consultancies with farmers through its advanced xarvio FIELD MANAGER crop optimization platform. The unique program, called xarvio Agro Experts, gives agronomic consultancies access to existing xarvio solutions that optimize and increase productivity in the field, specifically for soybean, corn, and cotton. It enables these consultancies to expand their digital farming knowledge and service offering, bringing even greater value to the work being done. It also ensures farmers can benefit from in-field support for the use of xarvio FIELD MANAGER and compatible technologies including drones, weather station devices and machinery terminals. xarvio Agro Experts is a clear and practical response by BASF to understanding and meeting the needs of the agricultural industry. It underlines the company’s commitment to proactively transforming agriculture, by making digital technologies more accessible through removing barriers to adoption and use. Konstantin Kretschun, Global Head of BASF Digital Farming, comments: “Understanding and responding to the needs of the agricultural industry ensures we keep our focus on delivering value. Our xarvio Agro Experts initiative in Brazil underlines this approach, helping ensure more farmers and agronomic consultants can learn about, access and profit from the use of digital farming technologies, specifically the proven, measurable benefits provided by xarvio FIELD MANAGER. From a business perspective, xarvio Agro Experts is an important milestone in our journey to positively transform agriculture via precision digital farming technologies.” Increasing agronomic consultancy knowledge and business offering To become a xarvio Agro Expert, the agronomic consultancies must have accredited and valid agronomic certification specific to the area where they work. They also need to complete specialized theoretical and practical training on xarvio FIELD MANAGER and digital agriculture, which is provided by BASF and includes drone operation and regulation. On completion of the training, the agronomic consultancies can position themselves as xarvio Agro Experts and take xarvio products to customers they currently serve. The innovative xarvio Agro Experts service is being implemented across eight Brazilian states, with the valued participation of local agronomic consultancies that have been trained by BASF. BASF is preparing to rollout the xarvio Agro Experts initiative to other markets. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1335/indonesia-interactive-voice-response-ivr-infoline.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1335/indonesia-interactive-voice-response-ivr-infoline.html Mon, 28 Aug 2023 10:42:27 +0530 The IVR Infoline is designed to deliver science-based advisory directly to rice farmers through voice messages in the local language Indonesia has launched intersection of technology and agriculture Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Infoline. This collaborative effort between the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Viamo, marks a significant milestone in reaching and empowering Indonesian rice farmers. The IVR Infoline is designed to deliver science-based advisory directly to rice farmers through voice messages in the local language. This platform also promotes the utilization of accessible digital tools such as Layanan Konsultasi Padi (LKP). The IVR Infoline is part of alternative pathways to deliver actionable information to farmers through the Rice Crop Manager Indonesia project. IVR Infoline works through scheduled calls to known numbers of farmers and presenting them with a menu of options through pre-recorded voice messages. Farmers can interact with the system using their phone's keypad to access key messages about crop management advisories for irrigated rice farms. IVR Infoline delivers concise actionable information about the following 10 key messages: rice variety selection, planting method, fertilizer dosage, fertilizer type, fertilizer application timing, alternate wetting and drying, brown plant hopper, stem borer, combine harvesting, and threshing machine. It is now available for rice farmers in West Java and South Sulawesi. During the launch, the system called 952 mobile numbers of farmers and about 67% of farmers picked up the calls. Out of the 10 key messages, the top five key messages accessed by farmers were: rice variety selection (36%), fertilizer application timing (19%), planting method (18%), fertilizer dosage (14%), and fertilizer type (11%). Prof. Dr. Ir. Hasil Sembiring, MSc., IRRI Indonesia Liaison Scientist, expressed his contentment with the launch, stating, “This significant launch of the IVR Infoline is an achievement underscoring the partnership between IRRI and Viamo in propelling the enhancement of rice farmers' access to agricultural information. The IVR Infoline is poised to unequivocally empower rice farmers in Indonesia, while also charting the course for the adoption of more sustainable farming practices.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1340/bayer-launches-fieldview-to-rolls-out-new-capabilities-for-post-harvest-analysis-and-reporting.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1340/bayer-launches-fieldview-to-rolls-out-new-capabilities-for-post-harvest-analysis-and-reporting.html Mon, 28 Aug 2023 10:22:09 +0530 FieldView’s most used features, Field Region Reports help farmers analyze seed performance and management practices in specific regions of their fields Bayer is extending Climate FieldView™ access with new features, including the ability to evaluate the performance of crop protection products and fertility applications more easily and more transparently. One of FieldView’s most used features, Field Region Reports help farmers analyze seed performance and management practices in specific regions of their fields. After harvest, farmers will have the opportunity to analyze yield by application when using the feature. Whether evaluating a field trial or seeking to understand a yield-limiting factor for an area within a field, this latest enhancement aims to bring greater performance transparency to applied products like herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizer. Available after U.S. harvest within the FieldView app on iOS, additional enhancements to this new feature are expected later this fall. Building on new reporting capabilities announced earlier this year, farmers can now generate Yield Analysis reports, export as a PDF or CSV file, and share them with whoever they choose directly from their FieldView app on iOS. Users can also access all reporting capabilities from a centralized home screen in the app. New capabilities in the FieldView™ Cab app – such as improved seed drill compatibility, better cloud sync, and the ability to create tillage maps – support greater efficiency of field activities and the adoption of regenerative practices across farm operations. Farmers can use their FieldView account to enroll in ForGround for free, which also provides access to a team of sustainable systems agronomists, as well as discounts and rebates from input and machinery providers. Along with streamlined enrollment, FieldView is making it easier for user to participate in ForGround. Now after inputting tillage type, depth and coulter angle in their FieldView Cab app, farmers using a FieldView™ Drive aims to identify precisely when and where a tillage implement is lowered or raised, and they can generate a live map that displays the tractor’s path, tillage depth, and acreage tilled. The new feature also allows them to track and compare fuel used during the tillage operation. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1280/beehero-launches-pollination-insight-platform-pip.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1280/beehero-launches-pollination-insight-platform-pip.html Fri, 11 Aug 2023 10:37:01 +0530 In-Field Sensing Solution Monitoring Pollinator Activity to Improve Crop Pollination BeeHero, the pioneer of data-driven precision pollination, has developed a digital solution that collects data about pollinator behavior and environmental conditions to give growers actionable, AI-powered insights, improving pollination and crop yield in real time and adding to the world's largest bee activity dataset. BeeHero is redefining pollination in commercial agriculture by introducing Pollination Insight Platform (PIP), an in-field sensing solution that measures pollinator activity in crops to improve pollination and increase yields. PIP utilizes BeeHero's patented in-hive sensors, which provide valuable in-field sensing capabilities for a variety of seed, row, and specialty crops, to enable real-time, data-backed decisions by growers. The new technology builds on and will also contribute to BeeHero's dataset of bee behavior, the largest such database in the world, fueled by the 200K hives under BeeHero management. About 75% of major food crops rely on pollinators, the most important one being bees. By understanding the rate at which bees visit those required crops, growers can gauge the efficacy of pollination and identify potential issues in the process, allowing them to take proactive measures to enhance results. BeeHero is using advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence, and low-cost IoT sensors, BeeHero brings transparency and efficiency to the complex logistics of commercial crop pollination. Its Precision Pollination as a Service (PPaaS) results in better crop yields and increased profits for commercial crop growers and agribusiness stakeholders. Their precision pollination solution is rapidly evolving into the backbone of the data-driven approach needed to build a resilient and future-proof sustainable agriculture ecosystem. The company is headquartered in Fresno, California, with offices in Palo Alto, California and R&D in Tel Aviv, Israel. BeeHero's simple, plug-and-play in-field sensors measure bee activity, including bee visits to flowers and other bee behavior, as well as environmental conditions. Leveraging AI-powered analytics, the data - which was previously collected manually in an inefficient and incomplete manner - is transformed into actionable insights that support real-time decisions by growers to significantly improve crop yield. The activity reported by the sensors is easily accessible through a mobile device that serves as an effective management tool, helping growers keep track of dates, hive placements, and pollination strength. Omer Davidi, Co-Founder and CEO of BeeHero, "The new platform empowers growers with crucial knowledge about the actual bee activity in the field - with huge positive implications for seed, row, and other crops. We look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of what's possible, driven by our innovative spirit and unparalleled bioresearch team, to serve growers and beekeepers across the globe." ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1283/fluid-quip-technologies-to-provide-worlds-first-wheat-based-animal-feed-protein-system.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1283/fluid-quip-technologies-to-provide-worlds-first-wheat-based-animal-feed-protein-system.html Fri, 11 Aug 2023 10:24:24 +0530 FQT's MSC system can work with a variety of feedstocks, enabling the efficient production of a higher value protein-enriched animal feed co-product.  Fluid Quip Technologies (FQT), a global leader in advanced biofuels, biochemistry and innovative co-product technologies, is set to provide the first wheat-based MSC™ (Maximized Stillage Co-products™) system at the Ensus UK Limited ethanol facility in Teesside, a subsidiary of Crop Energies AG.  The collaboration is the iterates efficiency of MSC technology in delivering high quality animal feed solutions.  This project marks MSC™'s entry into the UK and European technology markets. This agreement between the companies demonstrates MSC's flexibility and efficiency. “We are really excited about this opportunity to work hand in hand with Crop Energies and Ensus UK for our first MSC installation with wheat as the main feedstock,” says Neal Jakel, President of FQT.  FQT's patented MSC™ technology integrates seamlessly into Ensus UK Limited's existing biofuels operations, enabling the efficient production of a higher value protein-enriched animal feed co-product. Beyond corn and wheat, FQT's MSC system can work with a variety of feedstocks, including sorghum blends. FQT has 11 MSC systems in service worldwide, with an additional system currently under construction and others in the design phase. FQT has completed preliminary engineering of the Ensus system and will begin full-scale advanced engineering and equipment procurement this month. Fluid Quip Technologies (FQT) is a global leader in providing proprietary technologies and engineering services to the biofuels and biochemical industries. FQT's innovative solutions improve ethanol grain dry milling processes, create alternative food products and meet the growing demand for carbohydrate feedstocks in the biochemical market. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1258/australias-first-virtual-fence-for-dairy-farms-launches-in-tasmania.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1258/australias-first-virtual-fence-for-dairy-farms-launches-in-tasmania.html Fri, 04 Aug 2023 10:09:00 +0530 Banned in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, the ACT and South Australia New dairy technology allowing farmers to remotely herd cows has become commercially available in Australia but it is banned in three major states. The technology is currently approved by Tasmanian administration but is banned in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, the ACT and South Australia states, where the use of electric shock collars are banned under their various animal welfare acts, which supposedly predate the technology. The technology allows precisely control the areas his cows fed, spot medical issues early on and a stress free farming for the farmers. The technology is offered at a subscriptions starting at $8.50 per month, per cow. Virtual fencing is a system that uses smart collars to herd and monitor cattle. Each animal is given an electric collar that emits sound and vibration cues to tell them where to go, and then zaps them if they ignore the cue. Controlled by a smartphone app, it gives dairy farmers the ability to remotely move their cows to the milking shed, set up temporary paddocks and monitor cow health — all without setting a foot outside. Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture senior researcher Dr Megan Verdon has been studying virtual fencing since 2016. She said the race to introduce the technology has been ticking since its initial conception in the 1980s, followed by a further boost in the early 2000s when the CSIRO commissioned research and development in the area. New Zealand tech startup Halter has become the first company in the country to offer it commercially. The system was already widely used in New Zealand where, in the last year alone, collars were put on about 100,000 cows. In Victoria and South Australia, electronic collars can only be used for the purpose of scientific research. In NSW, the collars cannot be used at all on livestock. Dairy Australia's principal scientist John Penry said the main issue was that each state had differing opinions regarding the impacts of the "pulse" delivered by the collars.  Dairy Australia is looking forward to have harmonised legislation between the states. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1228/koreas-skt-launches-live-care-iot-based-livestock-monitoring-system.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1228/koreas-skt-launches-live-care-iot-based-livestock-monitoring-system.html Wed, 26 Jul 2023 00:55:38 +0530 Allow farmers to keep an eye on the health of their cattle using smart biocapsules. South Korean IT giant SK Telecom has launched a new livestock monitoring system called ‘Live Care’ after teaming up with bio venture company uLikeKorea, which will allow farmers to keep an eye on the health of their cattle using smart biocapsules. The new service from SKT will see biocapsules packed with a communications module connected to the company’s IoT-dedicated network, LoRa, injected into stomach of a cow, monitoring body temperature and potential hydrogen levels, with data recorded and then sent to a central server as well as cattle farm owners via a smartphone or computer. Loaded with the latest technology features, the Live Care service will help cattle farm owners stay up to date with the health status of their livestock, providing graphs based on data related an animal’s reproductive cycle as well as health condition. Manufactured from sugar cane and corn, the capsules with environmental-friendly shells covering a communications module inside will also be able to predict the optimal time of insemination while detecting symptoms of labor. While previous livestock monitoring systems required building additional network infrastructure to transfer data from farm animals to a database, SKT’s Live Care will use its existing IoT-dedicated LoRa network, while the company plans to build base stations for its users for free. SK Telecom and its business partner uLikeKorea’s efforts to work further in creating a monitoring system for pigs and calves will continue with plans to develop an alert message distribution system to prevent infectious diseases among livestock. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1217/vietnam-to-adopt-digital-transformation-by-developing-farm-network-to-aid-cooperative-agribusinesses.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1217/vietnam-to-adopt-digital-transformation-by-developing-farm-network-to-aid-cooperative-agribusinesses.html Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:45:16 +0530 National Digital Transformation Program to leverage Farmer Network to provides cooperatives, agribusinesses and improve productivity and quality of agricultural products, Vietnam’s MARD (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) is planning to develop a digital transformation solution called "Farm Network" in order to support farmers in their production and consumption of agricultural products. As a tool to assist in developing the agricultural industry in the 4.0 era, the Network of Farmers provides information to farmers anytime and anywhere, said Minister Le Minh Hoan. Farmers, however, need solutions that provide what is most convenient to them through platforms, such as Farmer's Network. A meeting was held by Vietnam's Minister Le Minh Hoan on July 20 with leaders from a number of relevant departments within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, including the Center for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics and World Software Technology Joint Stock Company (Worldsoft). To support the National Digital Transformation Program and promote the digital transformation of the agricultural industry, the Center for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics (MARD) partnered with World Software Technology Joint Stock Company (Worldsoft) to develop a digital transformation solution for Vietnamese farmers called Farm Network. The Farmer Network provides cooperatives, agribusinesses and farmer households with tools to manage crops, improve productivity and quality of agricultural products, and improve management efficiency; make more informed decisions; automation of production and business processes; monitoring origin, product supply chain, ensuring fast, transparent, accurate, safe, food hygiene. Through an e-commerce platform, farmers can bring agricultural products directly to consumers through the "Nong Network", which is also an ecosystem that connects all actors within the agriculture industry improving production costs and selling prices. The Nong Network is pre-installed on Xelex “Made in Vietnam” tablets, which is a more convenient “All-in-one” software and hardware integration solution for farmers. Nguyen Quoc Toan, Director of the Center for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics (DTS), said that the targeted structure of the Network of Farmers is:  Improving knowledge autonomy (answering questions related to crops, farming processes, pest control, close coordination with grassroots extension forces) Consumption linkage (contributing to output settlement through agricultural product trading and wholesale alliance); Better management (managing cooperatives, enterprises, and farmers' households on digital platforms, by phone and tablet applications) Optimizing input materials, reducing costs (providing many choices of input materials for farmers, helping to optimize costs) Piloting from Mekong Delta provinces, proceeding to replicate nationwide. “Through Nha Nong Network, cooperatives, farmer households and businesses have tools to manage and promote products, and at the same time capture timely information, especially actively buying and selling. The management agencies also have tools to capture the output of aquaculture immediately, thereby regulating the supply - demand market, providing information to people/businesses quickly, efficiently and economically” explains Nguyen Ai Huu - Chairman, General Director, Founder of Worldsoft & Xelex Corporation. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1163/lucent-bio-secures-patent-for-innovative-biodegradable-crop-nutrient-delivery-technology.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1163/lucent-bio-secures-patent-for-innovative-biodegradable-crop-nutrient-delivery-technology.html Tue, 11 Jul 2023 07:57:00 +0530 Water-insoluble biopolymers to provide a next-generation alternative for crop nutrition and signals a new era in agriculture, advancing global practices and innovations at fertilizer industry Lucent Bio, an industry leader in sustainable crop nutrition, has been granted a patent for its innovative biodegradable nutrient delivery technology (US Patent No. 11,691,928).  Transformative technologies like this signal a new era in agriculture, advancing global practices and creating opportunities for investments in the future. Lucent Bio is actively fostering fertilizer innovation with new biopolymer-based seed coatings and controlled-release NPK coatings under development that are plastic-free and biodegradable.  The patented technology fundamentally reimagines the delivery of nutrients, using water-insoluble biopolymers to provide a next-generation alternative for crop nutrition. This technological breakthrough is backed by rigorous scientific research and validation, marking a pioneering stride in the agri-tech industry.  The patented technology will be harnessed through AGT Soileos in Western Canada, a joint venture between Lucent Bio and AGT Foods, leveraging the collective expertise to support farmers in enhancing crop performance while prioritizing the long-term stewardship of natural resources. Peter Gross, Chief Technical Officer at Lucent Bio, says, "This patented technology redefines the concept of sustainable farming, by providing a fertilizer solution that is more efficient, environmentally responsible, and providing a better ROI for the farmer. The milestone places Lucent Bio at the forefront of agri-tech fertilizer innovation."  Murad Al-Katib, President and CEO of AGT Foods shared that, with the completion of its Saskatchewan manufacturing facility, the company will be able to bring these smart fertilization solutions to local farmers. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1162/indonesias-efishery-secures-200m-series-d-funding.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1162/indonesias-efishery-secures-200m-series-d-funding.html Tue, 11 Jul 2023 07:34:00 +0530 By 2025, eFishery plans to operate over 1 million aquaculture ponds in Indonesia. eFishery, a leading aquaculture company from Indonesia, managed to secure Series D funding worth $200M(around 3 trillion Rupiah). Funding will be used to accelerate community development of fish cultivators and shrimp farmers in Indonesia and to increase transactions in eFishery. By 2025, eFishery plans to operate over 1 million aquaculture ponds in Indonesia. eFishery will also utilize the funding to increase transactions for fish feed and fresh Aquaculture products in platforms This. eFishery Co-Founder and CEO, Gibran Huzaifah, said “The strategic support we receive from investors will help eFishery revolutionizing the entire industry, through the integration of small-scale fish farmers and shrimp farmers with the ecosystem eFishery that covers the whole value chain aquaculture business.” Based on the latest research from the Demographic Institute, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (LD FEB UI), eFishery has contributed IDR 3.4 trillion or the equivalent of 1.55% to the GDP of the Indonesian Aquaculture sector throughout 2022. The integrated ecosystem of eFishery which cover marketplace And platforms sales of fish products, shrimp products, and services to access finance have supported more than 70,000 cultivators and farmers throughout Indonesia. The development of the Farmer community is in line with the effort eFishery to increase exports of domestic shrimp products that are free of chemicals and antibiotics. In addition, this also makes the export of shrimp products eFishery fully traceable (traceable) to the international market, as well as closer relations between consumers and farmers. This series D funding round was led by 42XFund (a global investment management company based in Abu Dhabi) supported by Association Wang Association (Established) (Malaysia's largest pension fund company), responsiveAbility (Swiss-based asset management company), 500Globals (a multistage venture capital firm), as well as several other emerging investors. Early eFishery investors like Northstar, Temasek, And Softbank also participated in this funding round. Besides that, there is also Goldman Sachs exclusively acting as funding advisor. This latest investment shows that investors have confidence in their integrated Aquaculture ecosystem eFishery. Principal from 42XFund, Faith Adiwibowo, expressed his excitement regarding this funding, “We believe in the vision eFishery and interested in becoming a key partner who adds value and contributes to the company's growth. Other Aquaculture technologies and solutions provided by eFishery has had a significant impact on the aquaculture technology industry, as well as providing benefits for small cultivators in Indonesia. We also believe that eFishery can continue to contribute to realizing an inclusive and sustainable economy, while at the same time playing a role in preserving the environment in Indonesia, and even the world.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1138/adamas-herbicide-formulation-tech-platform-enables-a-robust-resistance-monitoring-tool.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1138/adamas-herbicide-formulation-tech-platform-enables-a-robust-resistance-monitoring-tool.html Wed, 05 Jul 2023 02:17:05 +0530 ADAMA receives registration for Sierra®, the first Off-Patent, self-produced Saflufenacil-based product in Australia ADAMA Ltd., a leading global crop protection company, announces the registration of Sierra®, its self-produced Saflufenacil-based herbicide formulation, the first off-patent product based on this active ingredient, in Australia. Sierra®, powered by ADAMA's unique formulation technology platform, provides farmers with a critical resistance management tool for improved knockdown of annual grass and broadleaf weeds in various crop and non-crop situations, while maximizing efficiency and minimizing loss of valuable soil moisture. Sierra's® superior and consistent performance in comparison to existing solutions has been confirmed by more than 100 trials conducted across different conditions. “This significant milestone is the first global registration of Saflufenacil, one of the active ingredients in our ’Core Leap’ strategy,” said Walter Costa, VP Marketing and Product Strategy at ADAMA. “The registration in Australia of this important molecule demonstrates our dedication to delivering innovative solutions that meet farmers’ needs and ADAMA's agility to bring that strategy to life. We are excited to bring this patented, high-performance product to the market. It is part of our commitment to offer a complete range of crop protection solutions to cereals and pulse growers around the globe.”  ADAMA expects further registration approvals for this product to be obtained in the upcoming years in Brazil, Canada, Argentina, South Africa and others.  ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1134/novel-irrigation-technology-can-simulate-irrigation-projects-remotely.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1134/novel-irrigation-technology-can-simulate-irrigation-projects-remotely.html Tue, 04 Jul 2023 09:56:56 +0530 New online platform Virtual Dealer developed by Valley® breaks barriers and democratizes irrigation technology in any region of Latin America Valley Latin America, a leader in advancing agricultural productivity, announces yet another innovation in a remarkable year for technology investments. In June, Valley launched its Virtual Dealer program, which provides remote assistance through an online representative experience with agility and autonomy. Agricultural productivity and precision farming technologies have been advanced by Valley® Irrigation, a Valmont® Company.  The Valmont Group is a world leader in developing critical infrastructure and increasing agricultural productivity. In addition to reaching a broad range of producers, the virtual platform will provide precise and personalized information on irrigation projects, products, and services provided by the company. Dimas Rodrigues, Valley's regional sales manager for Latin America, cited the geographic coverage of the platform as a motivation for developing the project. Valley 's Virtual Dealer proposes a simulation of an irrigation system based on specific data such as the type of crop and geographic parameters of the property. Producers can easily access the simulation of their projects via email and text messages. According to Dimas, this connectivity is another foundation of the experience. "The Virtual Dealer manages to demonstrate that having the most innovation in the irrigation sector and increasing productivity and profitability is possible. With it we have the assertiveness to deliver precise data and information about products, costs, configurations and benefits to producers", he highlights. Technology advancements also motivate managers to seek greater autonomy in price consultation and project analysis by producers, which is made possible by tools that provide agility and security. In over 40 countries, Valley's Virtual Dealer is accessible "Customers want to personalize things, they want information, and sometimes they want the autonomy to quote or detail their project without a salesperson present. With Virtual Dealer, before moving on to a second step in the sales journey, customers have this power in their hands, they can customize the offer and the product according to their needs and, more than that, they can better understand the benefits of irrigation for their type of crop" explains Dimas. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1129/australia-grants-au250k-to-boost-agriculture-market-intelligence.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1129/australia-grants-au250k-to-boost-agriculture-market-intelligence.html Mon, 03 Jul 2023 08:24:00 +0530 Targets to provide up-to-date monitoring on global prices, futures markets and fertiliser outlook through the Agriculture Market Information System (AMIS) The Australian government has committed $250,000 to promote a global initiative focused on improving agricultural market intelligence in order to benefit farmers and exporters. Government aims to support greater price transparency across the food supply chain and predictable agricultural trade. Speaking from the 43rd session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation conference in Rome, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt said “Australia’s new funding contribution would provide up-to-date monitoring on global prices, futures markets and fertiliser outlook through the Agriculture Market Information System (AMIS). It provides a platform for governments around the world to coordinate policy actions and that helps to prevent unexpected price hikes. It is also vital for supporting global food security, and another way in which Australia is helping to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals”. AMIS plays an important role in disseminating trade information and technical market data to support the transparency and proper function of global agricultural markets. This information is vital for farmers to make evidence-based decisions, particularly grains producers and exporters. Farmers will benefit from increased global market certainty and predictability in global markets and supply chains. AMIS systematically compiles information on crop supply and demand monitors and reviews policy developments that affect agricultural markets. Australia has now provided $550,000 in total to support AMIS. AMIS provides data on the following areas:  World supply and demand for commodities such as wheat, maize, rice and soybeans. Crop conditions around the world Global policy developments International prices Futures markets Market indicators Fertiliser outlook Ocean freight markets. Minister Watt continued, “AMIS also supports informed decision-making by policy makers, analysts and those directly involved in the trade. AMIS was launched in 2011 by the G20 Ministers of Agriculture following the global food price hikes in 2007/08 and 2010. It is composed of G20 members plus Spain and seven additional major exporting and importing countries of agricultural commodities. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1103/innovasea-introduces-worlds-most-advanced-acoustic-telemetry-system-for-aquatic-animal-tracking.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1103/innovasea-introduces-worlds-most-advanced-acoustic-telemetry-system-for-aquatic-animal-tracking.html Mon, 26 Jun 2023 09:33:00 +0530 NexTrak Technological advancements improve receiver range by nearly 40 percent Innovasea, a global leader in technologically advanced aquatic solutions for aquaculture and fish tracking, have introduced NexTrak, a breakthrough acoustic telemetry system that improves performance in the water now while providing the technological foundation for the fish tracking of tomorrow. NexTrak uses digital technology and advanced coding schemes to improve coverage, extend range and provide researchers with deeper, more accurate data. “Put simply, NexTrak is a giant leap forward because it does everything better than previous acoustic telemetry systems,” said Mark Jollymore, president of Innovasea. “Whether it’s generating more robust and accurate data sets or enabling the study of new habitats for the first time, NexTrak represents the future for aquatic animal researchers.” Preliminary testing shows NexTrak receivers have a range that’s 39 percent greater than the current VR2 receivers, which will lead to a vast increase in the number of valid detections in the field. The new system also delivers: Less interference and fewer tag collisions Signal strength data to better show the proximity of fish to receivers Higher quality data and enhanced post-processing capabilities NexTrak makes aquatic animal tracking easier by making deployment, maintenance and data retrieval more efficient. And the range improvement and better coverage mean less equipment to purchase up front, lowering the total cost of ownership and making acoustic telemetry more accessible. The first NexTrak receivers will be available for order later this year. They will be part of a larger NexTrak ecosystem that includes new receivers, transmitters and enhanced cloud-based tools that will provide researchers with a richer, more complete picture of animal behavior. “Over the course of the next decade, NexTrak is going to open up exciting new means and methods of aquatic animal research and ultimately enable researchers and the public at large to better understand the world around us,” said Jollymore. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1059/yara-opens-digital-crop-nutrition-expertise-to-third-parties.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1059/yara-opens-digital-crop-nutrition-expertise-to-third-parties.html Tue, 13 Jun 2023 12:44:13 +0530 Over 100 years of crop nutrition knowledge will be made available to third parties with YaraFX Insight to help drive the transition towards more sustainable agriculture. Yara International ASA has announced at the 4th World Intelligent Farming Summit, that the company is opening its AgTech portfolio up to third parties through the new agricultural API-solution, YaraFX Insight. The tool will make recommendations based on Yara’s more than 100 years of crop nutrition knowledge, global field trials and over 800 agronomists worldwide, available for integration into third-party digital platforms. YaraFX Insight is an API-based solution that enables farmers worldwide to access Yara's industry leading crop-nutrition knowledge on the platform of their choice, offered by Yara's partners. Yara has developed a portfolio of agronomic, science, and data-based tools, including crop nutrition plans, variable-rate nitrogen application maps, on-field analysis tools, and biomass monitoring maps. Approximately five million farmers use Yara's digital products. Now, these features can be integrated into the platforms of other leading AgTech providers. This advancement will open the door for newly connected farmers to benefit from industry leading insights, ultimately making it easier for them to improve nutrient use efficiency, crop yield, soil health, and profitability. - It is crucial that we collaborate to farm more sustainably, reduce global emissions, maximize yields, and ensure that farmers can prosper. The industry is moving towards stronger collaborations with partners and building interconnectivity between digital services. Yara wants to support as many farmers around the world as possible in Growing a Nature-Positive Food Future, regardless of what platform they chose, says Victoria Pace, VP Yara AgTech. - We aim to cover 150 million hectares with our digital services by 2025. The key driver behind this is to support as many farmers as possible to improve their yields based on science and our industry leading crop nutrition knowledge. With YaraFX Insight, we enable a collaborative approach to do so within the growing AgTech industry, says Marcus Birke, Head of Product, AgTech APIs, Yara International. Yara launched YaraFX Insight Ag-API offering at the 4th World Intelligent Farming Summit in Berlin, where the company also held a keynote on how to put the EU farm to fork strategy into action. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1026/indonesia-elevates-remote-sensing-agri-devices-usage.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/1026/indonesia-elevates-remote-sensing-agri-devices-usage.html Tue, 06 Jun 2023 11:04:00 +0530 As part of its agricultural land management system, Indonesia began the use of remote sensing devices to identify and analyze various problems. A remote sensing research collaboration for estimating oil palm productivity, modeling areas prone to forest fires, and oceanographic studies in Lamandau District, Central Kalimantan was also established by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) with the Lamandau Polytechnic from Lamandau District, Central Kalimantan. The signing of the cooperation between the two parties was carried out by  Rahmat Arief as Head of the Remote Sensing Research Center (PRPJ), Aviation and Space Research Organization (ORPA) BRIN with A. Adhityawan Nugroho as Director of the Lamandau Polytechnic at the Teratai Building KST Soekarno Cibinong. Technology is indeed closely related to infrastructure. BRIN has an open platform infrastructure concept, where the existing infrastructure at BRIN can be accessed by all groups. Such as High Performance Computing (HPC), laboratories, data centers and other facilities, he continued. This research is expected to accurately predict oil palm productivity in Bulik District, Lamandau Regency using remote sensing data. Palm oil companies can use it to carry out plantation management and production according to the expected targets for regional development in Lamandau Regency and Central Kalimantan Province. As well as knowing the risk of fire and environmental impact on sea waters. One of the remote sensing applications has been carried out by Untoro et al. (2018) to estimate oil palm productivity using imagery from the Sentinel-2 satellite. Further research regarding the estimation of oil palm productivity using remote sensing needs to be carried out in order to obtain results that are more guaranteed to be accurate. Rahmat Arief said "BRIN has a duty to increase the number of partners in collaboration, especially in conducting research collaboration. The goal is to form a research ecosystem to become the basis of the economy. A research-based economy will be more resilient, especially one that uses high technology. For this reason, BRIN seeks to establish a research ecosystem that will be supported by policies, human resources, infrastructure and business processes. These four things are very important" The Lamandau Regency's palm oil production is quite large and so is its export, although at this time there are countries that are starting to become our competitors, such as countries in Africa. Specifically for Lamandau, according to Bapeda data, 20% of Lamandau Regency's PDRP is supported by the plantation sector. So during the yesterday's pandemic, cities that depended on the service or real sector were badly affected. But for Lamandau Regency, the postscript, which has a side job as a farmer, is not too affected, Adhityawan explained. For information, the scope of the agreement includes estimation of productivity of oil palm plantations with limits on the NDVI (Normalized Differential Vegetation Index) vegetation index and other possible vegetation indices obtained from the processing of Landsat 8, Pleiades imagery on plantation land and rainfall data, rainy days, fertilizer, and plant age obtained from Bulik District, Lamandau Regency. Mapping of fire-prone areas, hydro-oceanographic studies and research on the utilization of remote sensing data for capture fisheries. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/999/asc-pioneers-digital-traceability-for-shrimp-through-its-key-data-elements-project.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/999/asc-pioneers-digital-traceability-for-shrimp-through-its-key-data-elements-project.html Tue, 30 May 2023 09:30:00 +0530 The groundbreaking project developed software to capture and convey data from ASC-certified farms and feed sources through processing, packaging, and transport to retailers. The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)'s Key Data Elements (KDE) project has enabled ASC-certified shrimp products to be traced digitally. By harnessing technology to improve the visibility of each product’s route to market, retailers will have a higher level of programme assurance through increased farm origin and supply chain data transparency. The groundbreaking project developed software to capture and convey data from ASC-certified farms and feed sources through processing, packaging, and transport to retailers. With the help of a unique code, data is transferred digitally from one company to another as the product moves through the supply chain. ASC has ensured that the project is aligned and has shared objectives and outcomes by working closely with supply chain company partners, stakeholders, and large-scale seafood traceability initiatives like the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST). How to Capture Diverse Data Digitally? The KDEs of a species are captured, including its scientific name, stock volume, broodstock source, production method, country of origin, farm location, movement and transportation documents, feed ingredient source and certification status, processor type, date of freezing, and sales documentation. The data captured supports traceability, which ultimately strengthens integrity and programme assurance. In addition to capturing hatchery names and stocking data, ASC also employs tracking and verification measures prior to harvest, which sets it apart from other schemes. The project’s initial focus has been on shrimp in Vietnam. So far, most shrimp companies in Vietnam and India have signed up, and Bangladesh has begun rolling out the ASC label. Globally, these products are exported to countries such as the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and Germany. Furthermore, the company exports its products to many countries in Europe, as well as to Canada, Singapore, the USA, Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong. ASC plans to run trials using tools such as farm management software as part of the project that reinforces traceability and integrity. ASC aims to create interoperable systems between different software providers and the ASC platforms by working with partners and NGOs on protocols. The full traceability of ASC shrimp products is just the beginning of this journey, and further steps are already being considered with regard to additional species and geographical locations. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/995/global-horticulture-suppliers-greenv-acquires-green-simplicity.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/995/global-horticulture-suppliers-greenv-acquires-green-simplicity.html Mon, 29 May 2023 10:06:44 +0530 Group takes major stride forward by adding in-house knowledge and technology for crop-specific research and daylight-free cultivation. GreenV, the internationally operating group of horticulture suppliers, will acquire a 100% stake in Green Simplicity, a Netherlands-based relatively young knowledge and technology company founded in 2014. Green Simplicity Research offers research systems that enable clients to determine the ideal growth conditions for crop cultivation in a fully controlled environment. The primary focus of Green Simplicity Concepts is on the development of concepts and the implementation of large-scale controlled daylight-free agricultural systems. Green Simplicity Research's research systems let growers and breeders test the performance of their own crops in a (fully) controlled environment with a variety of variables, like LED lighting, humidity, irrigation, CO2 and temperature. Using a single variable such as dehumidification or lighting, or a fully controlled environment in an automated multi-layered cultivation system without daylight, Green Simplicity Concepts can offer a suitable solution for production upscaling. The acquisition will enable GreenV to acquire a comprehensive set of knowledge and technology which it will use in the development of new cultivation concepts aimed at maximizing crop yields by utilizing a variety of innovations in automation, climate control, lighting and software. These innovations will accelerate crop growth and yield in both environments with and without daylight (conventional greenhouses and indoor farms). A new innovative 'hub' within GreenV, Green Simplicity will collaborate closely with the indoor farming activities, as well as other group companies: Prins Group and Prins USA (greenhouse construction), Stolze (installation engineering), HT Verboom (internal transport systems), Voshol Warmte- en Elektrotechniek and JV Energy Solutions (climate and installation engineering). Wessel van Paassen, founder and director of Green Simplicity, said "Collaboration with these companies opens up unprecedented opportunities for the future. In the past, we have worked with HT Verboom on several projects, so we were already familiar with GreenV. Currently, we are a small knowledge, data, and technology company. By joining GreenV, we not only gain access to a wide range of relationships and potential clients, but also are able to deliver and scale up our concepts and test environments on site for clients". ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/978/nifa-triggers-investigative-study-on-asian-longhorned-tick-causing-livestock-diseases.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/978/nifa-triggers-investigative-study-on-asian-longhorned-tick-causing-livestock-diseases.html Wed, 24 May 2023 10:00:00 +0530 Medgene awarded USDA funding to leverage the company's platform technology against tickborne disease targets The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has awarded animal health company Medgene grant funding to study the Asian longhorned tick and its ability to spread diseases in animal livestock. The company will be using its proprietary platform technology to develop and test vaccine approaches to prevent the spread of diseases caused by the tick. Dr. Alan Young, Chief Technology Officer for Medgene, has been researching parasite borne diseases since 2013, studying the effects of tickborne diseases in whitetail deer. "Animal parasites and insects are major disease vectors that have significant impacts on wild animals and livestock. This partnership with USDA-NIFA shows the agency's awareness and dedication to addressing animal health concerns in the United States." Medgene's vaccine approaches leverage a USDA-approved "platform technology" that is safely and easily adapted to multiple animal disease targets. The result is the development of vaccines and an understanding of how diseases move within species and geography within a fraction of the time of traditional vaccine approaches.  Medgene received the award notice from USDA-NIFA in April and will begin field research this summer. The eight-month study will be conducted in conjunction with an independently-operated research facility and supported by an international team of recognized experts in tickborne diseases. Medgene will incorporate the results of this research into its current platform technology-based vaccine portfolio and ultimately apply these findings to other tickborne diseases, such as Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/968/indias-iotechworld-avigation-expands-operations-aimed-at-delivering-agri-drones.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/968/indias-iotechworld-avigation-expands-operations-aimed-at-delivering-agri-drones.html Mon, 22 May 2023 16:33:57 +0530 Aims to launch 7 new remote pilot training organisations (RPTOs) in 5 states; Regional Training and Service center to be launched by July 2023 to serve burgeoning agri-drones market IoTechWorld Avigation, India’s leading agri-drone manufacturer, are setting up 7 remote pilot training organisations (RPTOs) in 5 states by 23 July forecasting a sale of 3,000 drones in FY'23-24, up from 500 in the last fiscal. IoTechWorld Avigation is India’s 1st drone manufacturing firm to obtain DGCA Type Certificate (TC) for agri-drone AGRIBOT. Recently, company unveiled its plans to expand product line with the launch of a new type of agri-drone. The company has already showcased a more compact version of its famous drone AGRIBOT. The company has collaboration with several universities and other institutions for RPTOs. The new RPTOs are expected to collaborate with prominent organisations. To provide after-sales service and expansion of its network, IoTechWorld will also open a new service center for agri-drone in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Deepak Bhardwaj, Co-founder & Director said, “During the June month three more RPTOs in Gurugram (Haryana), Chikballapur (Karnataka), and Samastipur (Bihar) will begin operation. Remaining two in Rajamundary and Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, will begin operations in July 2023. For the operations at Gharaunda (Haryana) and Jobner (Rajasthan), Two of the upcoming RPTOs will be functional in May month". IoTechWorld has a presence in 12 states and will be expanding its footprints in newer geographies as well during the current fiscal. These RPTOs will have an annual capacity to train 360 budding drone pilots per location annually. The company has helped train 400+ pilots to date. In addition, IoTechWorld's drones soon to have more than 70 percent local components" he added.  Sharing about the manufacturing can distribution capacity, Anoop Upadhyay, Co-founder & Director of IoTechWorld Avigation Pvt Ltd said "We sold over 500 drones in the year 2022-23 and this year’s target is at least 3,000 drones. We have made a comprehensive plan to meet the target and even surpass it. Opening 7 new Remote Pilot Training Organisations (RPTOs) will help IoTechWorld Avigation to train more pilots who can operate the drones safely and efficiently". "We are aiming to strengthen IoTechWorld position in the agri-drone market in India while providing job opportunities for rural youths. We remains committed to providing high-quality agri- drones. By having more service centers, we target better customer service with reduce downtime for repairs or maintenance" explains Anoop Upadhyay. A large part of the company's strategy is to raise awareness about the benefits of using drones in agriculture. Agri-drones not only save time and money but also increase farm productivity. Drones can also be used in farming activities, such as spraying pesticides over crops, to benefit farmers' health. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/967/innovasea-acquires-aquaculture-software-firm-aquanetix.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/967/innovasea-acquires-aquaculture-software-firm-aquanetix.html Mon, 22 May 2023 11:16:22 +0530 Opens new office in Greece to add to its presence in Canada, Norway, Chile and Australia Innovasea, a global leader in technologically advanced aquatic solutions for aquaculture and fish tracking, has purchased Aquanetix, a UK-based aquaculture software company, and moved its operations to a new office in Greece. . Headquartered in the United States, Innovasea also has offices in Canada, Norway and Australia and has opened a new office in Corinth, Greece. Aquanetix’s cloud-based aquaculture management software provides deep insights into farm operations. Innovasea has strong portfolio of egg-to-harvest aquaculture solutions. Innovasea’s move into Greece is its second major expansion in the last three years. In 2020 it opened a full service office in Puerto Varas, Chile. Innovasea CEO David Kelly said, “By adding its powerful farm management capabilities to our suite of real-time aquaculture intelligence solutions, we’ll be rounding out our precision aquaculture platform and further helping our customers make data-driven decisions to improve operations, run more efficiently and sustainably and become more profitable.” Aquanetix co-founder and CEO Diogo Thomaz said, "This is a wonderful opportunity for us to make additional investment into our business to enhance our existing tools and better serve our customers.” Aquanetix’s farm management software is in use at more than 200 farms in 31 countries and is currently being used to grow more than 30 species of fish and shrimp. By offering it alongside Realfish Pro, Innovasea now has a complete suite of precision aquaculture tools that can handle all aspects of running a fish farm – from real-time environmental monitoring and control capabilities to powerful analytics that improve operations and decision-making. Kelly said Innovasea’s footprint in Greece will help it execute on its growth strategy in key markets like the Mediterranean and Middle East while better serving existing customers in those areas. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/964/fao-emphasizes-on-asia-pacific-aquaculture-sustainably-with-innovation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/964/fao-emphasizes-on-asia-pacific-aquaculture-sustainably-with-innovation.html Mon, 22 May 2023 09:54:56 +0530 FAO emphasized critical themes for aquaculture, including production methods, social issues and planetary health, nutrition, genetic resources, biosecurity, governance, and inclusive market access. Asia accounts for more than 90 percent of global aquatic animal production. 126 million tonnes of live weight aquaculture production, including aquatic animals and algae, were produced in 2021, about half of which were farmed finfish. There was an estimated farmgate value of $296.5 billion for the output. In contrary, Americas, Europe and Africa combined account for 8.2 percent. Currently, more than 700 species are cultured around the world, but just 12 species account for about half of global production. FAO emphasizes the sector now needs an updated set of governing principles that ensure it expands and intensifies, embracing modern technologies, while being environmentally and socially responsible, economically viable, and meeting the needs of present and future generations in a sustainable manner. In a recent development, FAO emphasized critical themes for aquaculture, including production methods, social issues and planetary health, nutrition, genetic resources, biosecurity, governance, and inclusive market access. Identifying the concerns, FAO shared certain recommendations to trigger sustainable aquaculture are; In the future, aquaculture should be climate smart, while we use the ocean to supply food more effectively, efficiently, and intelligently. A key aspect of this will be to emphasize integrated growth in low trophic level culture species (such as seaweed and filter-feeding bivalve molluscs and finfish). Africa, Latin America, and Small Island Developing States must be encouraged to develop aquaculture, which is predominantly practiced in Asia.  The use of marine-sourced ingredients has decreased and feed efficiency has improved, but more innovation is needed, especially for many species being farmed in developing countries. In contrast to terrestrial agriculture, selective breeding programmes to develop more efficient farmed types of aquatic species are heavily underutilized, currently accounting for only around 15 percent of production. Biosecurity should be enhanced and take a more proactive approach through improved disease-alerting systems, integrated data and regulatory frameworks that reduce the risk of the spread of aquatic epidemic diseases. Digital and electronic technologies can be harnessed to improve food safety concerns and certification protocols, such as traceability system, e-commerce, as well as broadening market access. There is a need for many countries to develop and implement supportive, dedicated legislation, through a lead agency, to coordinate regulations that promote sustainable development whilst ensuring public well-being without overly constraining aquaculture systems' capacity to cope with environmental and social challenges. Having become a major food and economic industry, aquaculture now needs to take on a proactive role in integrating social responsibility and well-being perspectives at all levels, including workers. Sustainability and decent work standards certification are downstream demands, yet the burden of compliance falls disproportionately on producers, especially small-scale aquaculture operators. Mechanisms to redistribute costs and benefits equitably between producers and retailers should be sought and implemented. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/953/ai-to-reduce-production-costs-and-shorten-time-to-market-for-cultivated-meat.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/953/ai-to-reduce-production-costs-and-shorten-time-to-market-for-cultivated-meat.html Thu, 18 May 2023 09:15:53 +0530 Israeli firms Aleph Farms and Enzymit are co-developing novel insulin substituents in microorganisms that can fulfill the function of proteins found naturally in animals Enzymit, a bioproduction platform company developing enzymatic manufacturing technology, has successfully developed insulin substitutes, in partnership with food technology company Aleph Farms, that can reduce the cost and development time for producing cultivated meat at scale. One of the most prohibitive expenses in scaling up cultivated meat production is developing non-animal-derived serum protein mimetics that promote and support cell growth. Such proteins are not widely available in the current market at the quantity, quality and cost necessary for large-scale production. Israeli firms Aleph Farms and Enzymit are co-developing novel insulin substituents in microorganisms that can fulfill the function of proteins found naturally in animals and do so with greater desired activity per molecule. "This innovation, combining Enzymit's outstanding protein design and experimental capabilities with our team's expertise in cellular agriculture, is helping to build the foundations for our sector to achieve cost-efficiency and long-term impact. Developing more suitable processing aids for the production of cultivated meat is imperative for driving economies of scale and taking cultivated meat mainstream" says Neta Lavon, PhD, CTO of Aleph Farms. The success of this collaboration opens the door to additional benefits, far beyond the cultivation of cow cells. As insulin is a highly conserved protein across mammals and other species, it has the potential to similarly influence the production of other cultivated meat types, such as porcine, ovine and poultry. "Aleph Farms has been an invaluable partner for this initiative, which can pave the way for more cost-efficient production of cultivated meat," said Gideon Lapidoth, PhD, CEO of Enzymit. "With recombinant proteins currently accounting for the overwhelming majority of cell culture costs, creating highly stable and more active insulin substituents can markedly reduce the cost of growth media and increase efficiency in producing cultivated meat at scale." Utilizing its proprietary computational design algorithms and high-throughput testing capabilities, Enzymit was able to quickly develop a variety of insulin substituents and experimentally assess their functionality. All those selected were soluble proteins expressed in E. coli and purified without requiring refolding, complex purification steps, or other treatments. Further screening resulted in several leading candidates exhibiting superior results in activity for cell culturing and requiring minimal concentration for activation. These new proteins, which demand notably fewer downstream purification and maturation processes, dramatically reduce production time and costs. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/952/novel-herbicide-technology-to-enter-asian-markets-for-grass-weed-control-in-paddy-field.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/952/novel-herbicide-technology-to-enter-asian-markets-for-grass-weed-control-in-paddy-field.html Wed, 17 May 2023 08:00:00 +0530 FMC Corporation and Syngenta to commercialize breakthrough technology that transforms grass weed control FMC Corporation and Syngenta Crop Protection have signed an agreement to bring weed-control technology to Asia. The newly developed active ingredient, tetflupyrolimet, was discovered and developed by FMC with support from Syngenta for rice development. DHODH - HRAC Group 28 is the first major herbicide with a novel mode of action in over three decades, providing relief to farmers who struggle with weed resistance. In accordance with the agreement, FMC and Syngenta will each bring tetflupyrolimet-based products to key rice markets in Asia. FMC will register and commercialize tetflupyrolimet, as well as a broad array of tetflupyrolimet formulations for rice throughout Asia. In the China rice market, FMC will focus on mixtures only. Syngenta will register and commercialize the compound and an array of products in China for the rice market. It will also offer mixtures for use on rice in India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea. Syngenta will also commercialize the compound for rice in Bangladesh. In addition, FMC will register and commercialize tetflupyrolimet and a full portfolio of tetflupyrolimet formulations in markets globally for rice and other crops. "Tetflupyrolimet is a transformative herbicide that provides season-long control of important grass weeds with just one application in the growing season," said Diane Allemang, FMC executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "Due to its new mode of action, tetflupyrolimet has no known cross-resistance and will provide millions of growers around the world with a critical weed management tool. It provides outstanding residual control with very low dose rates and an exceptional sustainability profile." Tetflupyrolimet enhances rice yield and quality by controlling destructive grass weeds that compete with the crop for water, nutrients, light, and space. In addition to being easy to apply to traditional transplanted rice, the herbicide is also highly suited to direct-seeded rice. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/950/agstack-initiates-global-scientific-alliance-devoted-to-in-field-carbon-accounting-in-agriculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/950/agstack-initiates-global-scientific-alliance-devoted-to-in-field-carbon-accounting-in-agriculture.html Wed, 17 May 2023 01:40:56 +0530 A digital open-source field-carbon-model uses remote in-field sensers for carbon measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) The AgStack Foundation, a Linux Foundation project that aims to increase the efficiency of food and agriculture innovation through scalable, reusable open-source digital infrastructure, recently launched a sub-project to develop an open-source, global-scale digital/remote sensing model for monitoring carbon levels in agriculture and forestry. With global warming and climate change prevailing, it has become increasingly imperative to take action to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change. One strategy that has gained momentum is using agriculture and forestry land for carbon sequestration – the process of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in ground reservoirs. While public-private stakeholders have been developing incentive structures to encourage participation through carbon credit markets, the current measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) process is manual, expensive, and becomes economical only for large growers and projects. Making a sustainable global impact requires an MRV process that provides transparency and scales efficiently to enable participation from stakeholders of all sizes economically viable.  AgStack's subproject will leverage the power of existing digital infrastructure such as the geo-id asset registry and the open-source community to develop models that enable existing carbon sequestration models such as NASA SMAP to be scaled down so they can be implemented at an individual field level. Participants will be able to use the open-source models and compute parameters such as carbon flux through public or private data sources on their own servers and report back using the geo-id digital infrastructure maintained by AgStack.  Climate change is a global challenge that requires urgent action. Carbon sequestration is a promising strategy to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change. However, AgStack is actively trying to solve the MRV process expense through open source. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/936/wmbt-holdings-triggers-digital-agriculture-revolution-promoting-transparent-investment-opportunities.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/936/wmbt-holdings-triggers-digital-agriculture-revolution-promoting-transparent-investment-opportunities.html Mon, 15 May 2023 10:54:37 +0530 A collaborative effort in Europe region is ensuring supply chain transparency and traceability to assist farmers, investors, and consumers by combining traditional agricultural expertise with digital technology Poland's Sandomierz City Government has collaborated with Swiss based WMBT International Investment Group through its Sad Sandomierski to pioneer a new era of digital agriculture. The collaboration aims to lead the Digital Agriculture Revolution to provide investors with transparent and sustainable investment opportunities in agriculture arena. WMBT Holdings and Poland's Sad Sandomierski have signed a cooperation agreement to list and finance the digital agriculture project on the GDE exchange. The collaborative effort not only ensures supply chain transparency and traceability. Farmers, investors, and consumers looking for environmentally friendly and responsible options will benefit from the digital agriculture project's alignment with sustainable agricultural practices and functional food products. Using digital technology and traditional agriculture expertise, the project democratizes access to agricultural investments and enables investors to actively contribute to sustainable agriculture. As one of the world's largest apple producers, Poland holds a 10% share of the global market due to its favorable climate, fertile soil, and extensive experience in apple farming. Using digital agriculture revolution as a platform, WMBT Holdings and the government of Sandomierz aim to change the apple industry in Poland and set new benchmarks for investment agriculture worldwide. Digital agriculture project aims to digitize 10 million apple trees in Sandomierz and create a digital investment platform. Investors can acquire part of the production of apple trees, including apple wine, apple chips, functional juices, etc., over a 10-year period. By purchasing bundles of digital assets, they will also be able to obtain carbon credits for thousands of hectares of orchards. The packages will be able to link a Polish (EU) citizen's digital identity, providing further benefits and opportunities. Sandomierz city government and WMBT Holdings have worked together to advance digital agriculture. Digital assets can facilitate sustainable development, improve investment transparency, and drive economic growth. Investing in digital agriculture will revolutionize the apple industry in Poland by setting a new standard for agricultural investments worldwide. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/928/semtechs-lora-chip-to-cloud-platform-enables-sustainable-farming-in-malaysia.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/928/semtechs-lora-chip-to-cloud-platform-enables-sustainable-farming-in-malaysia.html Sun, 14 May 2023 08:47:34 +0530 Semtech’s LoRa devices and gateways utilizing LoRaWAN® help to improve farming practices, lower operational costs and increase crop yields Semtech Corporation, a global firm specializing in high-performance semiconductors, IoT systems, and Cloud connectivity services is enabling Greater Malaysia's Durian fruit farms by enabling local firm Sustainable Hrvest Sdn Bhd (SH) with its LoRa-enabled sensors and LoRaWAN-based gateways. Durian trees are challenging to grow and harvest as they are sensitive to weather and moisture conditions and need 24X7 maintenance for high yields. LoRa-enabled sensors will enable Malaysian farmers with real-time data on the condition of their farms at every step of the growth cycle from pre-harvest, harvest, until post-harvest. Farmers are benefiting from this real-time visibility. LoRa is the de facto wireless platform for the Internet of Things (IoT). Semtech's LoRa chipsets connect sensors to the Cloud and enable real-time data communication and analytics. This instantaneous management enhances the efficiency and productivity of sustainable IoT use cases. Globally, there are more than 300 million LoRa end nodes deployed across a wide array of customer applications from agriculture and healthcare to industrial and transportation and more. “Malaysian farmers are looking froward to improving farming practices, reducing operational costs, and helping farmers deliver better yields. Semtech’s LoRa® Chip-to-Cloud platform fits our needs perfectly for crop management. LoRa monitors the trees, alerts the farmer if there is an issue, and allows them to take immediate action. This response saves time and mitigates potential tree loss and revenue. Sustainable IoT and LoRa have completely overhauled farming in Malaysia” said Han Wei, co-founder, and chief technology officer at SH. Currently, there are 30 LoRa-powered farms in Malaysia with new plantations expected to become live in 12 months. Designed by Sustainable Hrvest, the IoT nodes utilizing LoRaWAN implement LoRa’s low-power, long-range sensors. They last four years in the field without needing replacement. This purpose-built chip-to-Cloud sensor platform monitors the flow rate and pressure of irrigation systems to maintain soil moisture levels. It also tracks nutrients in the soil. The data-driven farming practice gives Malaysian farmers the ability to remotely care for their crops and helps to deliver a more sustainable planet for future generations. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/912/apac-agriculture-food-and-beverage-industry-lean-on-collaborative-automation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/912/apac-agriculture-food-and-beverage-industry-lean-on-collaborative-automation.html Wed, 10 May 2023 08:55:25 +0530 How Cobots Could Help Make the Most of ‘Asia’s Food-bowl’, By Adam Sobieski, Regional President APAC, Universal Robots Countries across the Asia-Pacific region have been synonymous with the export of agriculture and the manufacturing of food. From Southeast-Asian countries like Thailand and Indonesia, to Australia and New Zealand representing Oceania, these nations have long and proud histories as agricultural exporters. In fact, Thailand is responsible for roughly 34.5% of the world’s rice exports, and Australia alone produces enough produce to feed 80 million people, despite having a population of just 26 million. Taking a micro look into Australia’s food sector, it has been smashing records for production, exports and farm income. Their food and drinks are exported all over the world, notably to the US and other parts of Asia, with China being a major end-customer. From the likes of seafood and meat to grains, dairy and wine, Australia and New Zealand’s agriculture, along with their food and beverage industries, make a major contribution to employment and their economies ($71 billion in Australia). Currently, over 243,000 people are employed in the food and beverage manufacturing sectors in Australia. Elsewhere, Singapore is home to a thriving food manufacturing industry supplying safe and quality food products for local consumption and export around the world. Consisting of approximately 1,000 food manufacturers across 10 sub-sectors, it houses established MNCs, home-grown brands and an increasing number of food-tech start-ups. In 2018, the food manufacturing industry employed about 50,500 employees and contributed more than S$10.7 billion. As dainty as everything sounds, food production is extremely labour-intensive and a thriving industry is heavily dependent on having a large workforce to prepare and package food and drink for both domestic and export use. Currently, the APAC sector is facing the tightest labour market in decades due to immigration slowing down since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite borders opening up and businesses getting back in the saddle, collaborative automation lightens the workload with the smaller workforce through assisting them with repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on other tasks that require that human touch. When the workforce slowly repopulates, the addition of collaborative automation to more manpower only makes businesses more efficient and effective.   In fact, it has been estimated that by 2030, 1 in 3 new jobs created in the agriculture industry will be technology related. Singapore is prime example of a workforce decreasing rapidly in population, with the United Nations estimating a decrease of about 600,000 workers between 2023 and 2043. Ultimately, collaborative automation will aid the declining labour force population in the decades to come.  The Automated Saviours of Food and Beverage As with the trends globally, automation has evolved into an important role supporting businesses of all sizes, and it is no different in the food industry. According to the most recent World Robotics report from 2022, it was indicated that 26% of industrial robot installations in 2021 within Australia and New Zealand stemmed from the food industry. In the midst of labour shortages, collaborative robots (cobots) are well placed to support Australia and New Zealand’s food and beverage sector to with solutions that include packaging and palletising its output.   Labour shortages have had several driving factors, mainly aging populations along with the catalyst which was COVID-19. The pandemic forced businesses to source for different solutions in filling in for the lack of manpower, and automation was found to be a viable solution. Over the last couple of years, industrial robots have been steadily gaining popularity amongst manufacturers throughout the region, especially with handling and assembly tasks. With the increased payload of the Danish cobot developers Universal Robots’ latest model, the UR20, palletising products in bulk especially will become increasingly accessible, giving businesses alternatives to spending big on industrial robots. This comes in handy especially for the packaging of beverages. The field of automation has much untapped potential as both Australia and New Zealand are way under the global average ratio of industrial robots to manufacturing employees. The adoption rates of automation in other Asian countries have been slow as well, with developed countries such as Singapore only installing 3,467 new robots in 2021 – 35% lower than in 2020. Though the food and beverage industry rapidly takes steps towards automation, it remains important to ensure opportunities are not just for conglomerates of the industry, but are available for companies of all sizes. Robotics should not only be for large scale operations which are accompanied by significant capital investments, but is crucial to provide the tools for local companies that will help them stay competitive and remain relevant in the fast-paced and ever-evolving industry. The Automation-ready Future Workforce Robotics are starting to play a key part in many businesses across various industries, they are becoming increasingly common in the workplace. With that, it is important for the future workforce to be well-versed in robotics to fit seamlessly into future vocations. Educational institutions in Australia have seen this, and are now including technical training in their curriculum. Universities and vocational training centres are offering robotics education including exposure to real world applications such as palletizing.   Collaborative robots are commonly used in the classroom as a part of this training. Currently there are approximately 150 cobots installed across educational institutions in Australia. With the increasingly important role automation is starting to carve out in various industries, it is vital that the emerging workforce is well-versed in its ins and outs for a seamless transition from school to the workplace. In due time, the ability to understand automation and work together with it will become prevalent, which will aid everyone be more efficient and effective in delivering the results they need. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/914/evonik-launches-epa-registered-vigorox-trident-for-water-quality-control-in-aquaculture.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/914/evonik-launches-epa-registered-vigorox-trident-for-water-quality-control-in-aquaculture.html Wed, 10 May 2023 08:50:00 +0530 EPA-registered Peracetic acid formula combats pathogens in water in recirculating aquaculture systems, ponds, egg hatcheries Vigoros® Trident peracetic acid from Evonik has been registered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and ponds. A biocide produced by Evonik's Active Oxygens business line can reduce fish pathogens (bacteria and viruses) in water. In fact, VIGOROX® Trident can be applied while fish are present, as it breaks down into only water, oxygen, and acetic acid. RAS is a land-based form of aquaculture that enables high-density fish farming while minimizing impact on the surrounding environment and avoiding depletion of natural marine and freshwater resources. Maintaining water quality is one of the greatest challenges in a recirculating system. With VIGOROX® Trident, the biocide can be dosed directly in the tank — without the need for time-consuming fish or water removal. VIGOROX® Trident has no-observable effect on salmon and similar fin fish in concentrations below 3.5 mg/L. And because peracetic acid breaks down into nothing more than water, oxygen, and acetic acid, there are no additional steps to clean up chemical residues. “Evonik has been pioneering this new technology in close collaboration with authorities and research facilities. The effective treatment will reduce waterborne fish pathogens that can be used with fish present,” said Philip Block, Technology Director for Specialty Markets at Evonik Active Oxygens in North America. “Keeping water clean is an important first step in pathogen management — which is a big concern to operators of RAS systems.” LuAnn Maloney, Regulatory Manager for Evonik Active Oxygens in North America. “The new EPA registration for VIGOROX® Trident attests to our commitment to offering effective solutions that helps in meeting compliance standards.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/909/singapore-invents-worlds-smallest-led-holographic-microscope-for-botanical-studies.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/909/singapore-invents-worlds-smallest-led-holographic-microscope-for-botanical-studies.html Wed, 10 May 2023 07:29:00 +0530 SMART researchers create world’s smallest LED and holographic microscope that enable conversion of existing mobile phone cameras into high-resolution microscopes Singapore researchers at SMART have developed the world’s smallest silicon (Si) light-emitting diode (LED) coupled with state-of-the-art Si LEDs and with multiple potential applications. The invention enables to reconstruct objects measured by this microscope, including plant seeds and tissue samples - enabling enhanced microscopic examination of a wide range of objects that has been impossible previously, as well as the detection of plant disease and aberrant plant tissues. Researchers from the e Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP) and the Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP) Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRG) of Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore. The new world’s smallest LED (light emitting diode) enables the conversion of existing mobile phone cameras into high-resolution microscopes. Smaller than the wavelength of light, the revolutionary LED was used to build the world’s smallest holographic microscope, paving the way for existing cameras in everyday devices such as mobile phones to be converted into microscopes via only modifications to the silicon chip and software. This technology also represents a significant step forward in the miniaturization of diagnostics for indoor farmers and sustainable agriculture. This breakthrough was supplemented by the researchers’ development of a revolutionary neural networking algorithm that reconstructs objects measured by the holographic microscope. This enables enhanced examination of microscopic objects such as cells and bacteria without bulky conventional microscopes or additional optics. The research also paved the way for a major advancement in photonics - the building of a powerful on-chip emitter smaller than a micrometer, which has long been a challenge in the field. The novel LED developed by SMART researchers is a CMOS-integrated sub-wavelength scale LED at room temperature exhibiting high spatial intensity (102 ± 48 mW/cm2) and possessing the smallest emission area (0.09 ± 0.04 μm2) among all known Si emitters in scientific literature. In order to demonstrate a potential practical application, the researchers incorporated this LED into an in-line, centimeter-scale, all-silicon holographic microscope requiring no lens or pinhole, integral to a field known as lensless holography.  The research team also developed a deep neural network architecture to improve the quality of image reconstruction. The researchers envision that this synergetic combination of CMOS micro-LEDs and the neural network can be used in other computational imaging applications, such as a compact microscope for live-cell tracking or spectroscopic imaging of biological tissues such as living plants. This work also demonstrates the feasibility of next-generation on-chip imaging systems. Already, in-line holography microscopes have been employed for a variety of applications, including particle tracking, environmental monitoring, biological sample imaging, and metrology. Further applications include arraying these LEDs in CMOS to generate programmable coherent illumination for more complex systems in the future. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/908/bayer-partners-with-superplum-to-build-a-sustainable-crop-protection-model.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/26/908/bayer-partners-with-superplum-to-build-a-sustainable-crop-protection-model.html Wed, 10 May 2023 07:16:00 +0530 Partners with Superplum to deploy a proprietary multi-faceted IoT-driven Fresherator approach to enhance fruit growers' profitability and to boost sustainable supply chain Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in agriculture and healthcare has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Superplum, an agri-tech start-up building a digitised farm-to-customer traceable supply chain. Over three years, the program aims to benefit 15 thousand smallholder farmers in India by delivering definable economic benefits to all stakeholders. A fully traceable, MRL-tested alternative has been developed to offer consumers better fresh produce choices. Providing full traceability to consumers backed by a modern supply chain and a technology-first approach will ensure full transparency for consumers and farmers. By improving post-harvest technology and managing the supply chain digitally, farmers will reduce wastage and increase their incomes. The collaboration aims to build and implement a sustainable crop protection model for fruit growers based in the Indian states of UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. The program will be expanded to other states as the seasons progress.   The partnership will focus on guiding partner farmers toward better fruit quality and advisory to increase productivity. Additionally, they will ensure that Bayer's crop protection management practices are implemented properly. Superplum's proprietary multi-faceted approach increases the shelf life of a range of fruits. IoT-driven Fresherator, a cold-chain transport system that carries fruit remotely monitored and controlled, helps reduce wastage and increases shelf life without requiring expensive temperature-controlled transportation. As part of the collaboration, Bayer will provide support for domestic and export compliance, and implementation of a product schedule to ensure improvement in the quality and productivity of the produce, helping in achieving incremental growth in farmer income. Bayer will also focus on developing crop protection packages for fruit crops and training farmers in the implementation of these practices. To make it easier to track farmer progress, they will be provided with a passport, to record crop management practices being implemented. Superplum provides consumers with full traceability through its scannable QR code and will incorporate farmers' information into its own supply chain. D Narain, President, South Asia, and Global Head of Smallholder Farming for Bayer, said, "Nutritional security along with food security is a critical national and global imperative for the growing population. To this effect, Bayer has launched a global 'Nutrient Gap Initiative' that aims to expand access to essential nutrients to 50 million people in underserved communities by 2030. However, we do recognize that to achieve this at scale a collaborative ecosystem is required and to further this critical agenda we have partnered with Superplum to create a holistic ecosystem that will help improve fruit growers' incomes by sustainably enhancing market linkages and ensuring healthy produce for the end consumers." ]]>