#Agriculture innovation

A thriving ecosystem of AgTech hubs featuring start-up advice for entrepreneurs, technology testbeds, and demonstration farms is ensuring South Australia builds a strong reputation as a global leader in AgTech. Off the back of evoke^AG. 2023 Dr Ben Baghurst explains why South Australia is the “state of Innovation”.

Developing innovative solutions and technology to make agriculture easier, more profitable, or sustainable is one thing, but getting farmers to use it is often a challenge. A new initiative by Farmers2Founders (F2F), is focused on breaking down the critical barriers to agtech adoption by putting the farmer first, building connections and removing some of the risk.

Imagine an innovation system where universities are encouraged to step outside traditional discipline-specific boundaries, and throw the full might of their research and technology at our agricultural challenges? That’s a future, the Australian National University’s (ANU) Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology (CEAT) is embracing.

Enabling farmers with greater connectivity and driving productivity on-farm are key priorities for wireless networking company Zetifi, that’s just scored a $12 million Series A investment round to scale up production and support widespread adoption.

How can we make agriculture an accessible, inclusive, and exciting career option for anyone to consider? What’s the key for encouraging farmers to adopt new technologies or practice change on farm? And how can greater access to education and resources support the industry to become more sustainable and resilient?

Applications for the 2023 evoke^AG. Future Young Leaders program are now open for 18 to 30-year-olds from Australia and New Zealand. Submissions close on Sunday, 3 July 2022.

Founder and Managing Director of Flinders + Co, James Madden shares his learnings about carbon neutral products and the path-to-market in the highly competitive shelves of major retailers and why embracing “failure culture” could lead to greater innovation and success for Australian startups.

Lucy Anderton, Founder of myFARMSMART recently participated in the evoke^AG. Startup Network program. We caught up with Lucy, and producer Jeremy Walker on the benefits of using this technology to make more informed decisions on-farm.

The ability of Artificial Intelligence to be developed and used at scale is changing the way problems are solved – from global food shortages to weed identification. The Queensland AI Hub is encouraging a national focus to push AI’s potential by supporting local AI developers – to reduce risk across the supply chain and take control of Australia’s assets, from natural resources to power.

Australian aquaculture and biotech company, Pacific Biotechnologies, has developed a better way to farm prawns. Its Pacific Reef Fisheries operation earned Australia’s first Aquaculture Stewardship Council certification for responsible and sustainable prawn farming. Now, the opportunity exists for a new owner to expand this market-leading business and put locally grown sustainable prawns on more Australian dinner plates.

Collaboration is a key ingredient in creating a more sustainable global food system. One of the UK’s four Agri-Tech centres, Crop Health & Protection (CHAP), is leading the way by connecting with AgriFutures Australia, set to enhance farming productivity through agritech innovation.

Join the evoke^AG. and AgriStart team, as we deep dive into the topic of 'Growing an agrifood startup in Australia'.