#Agritech

Australian agriculture is in the early stages of a dramatic disruption and a subsequent transition. There is rapid innovation across the entire value chain, investment in developing and scaling world-changing technologies and solutions, and we’re setting bullish targets on sustainability and environmental measures. But are we running the risk of leaving our farmers behind? Here farmer, Farmers2Founders project manager and evoke^AG. 2023 Future Young Leader, Matt Anderson urges the Australian agtech industry to not leave our farmers behind. 

Australia has the third largest marine area in the world and the ‘blue economy’ already contributes more than $81 billion* to the nation’s bottom line. And like land-based agriculture, there’s increasing pressure for the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth and to produce food and energy, while conserving the ecosystem.

Between a growing global population and the effects of extreme weather events, food security and climate change are intrinsically linked.
One Aussie startup is putting agriculture at the centre of the fight against climate change, using microbial technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere and boosting soil quality for farmers – at the same time.

There’s a wealth of innovative technology at a farmer’s fingertips, and plenty more on the way. But how do farmers make sense of all the data available generated from this technology and choose the right tools to run their businesses? What is holding farmers back from taking up this new technology and what does industry or government need to do to assist?

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”.

Pairtree Intelligence co-founder Hamish Munro is fast running out of voice as he responds to an avalanche of interest from the global launch of agtech innovation, Pairtree Pipes, at the evoke^AG. event in Adelaide last month.

Four interwoven challenges: climate, COVID-19, conflict, and cost have disrupted agrifood supply chains and led to skyrocketing costs for farm inputs, all set amongst fears for global food security and the transition to a decarbonised economy.

Ten Australian growth stage agrifood tech companies have been selected by SVG Ventures|THRIVE to participate in their new Asia-Pacific (APAC) Accelerator program, based out of Melbourne, Victoria.

In this evokeAG x Humans of Agriculture collaboration podcast, with Oli Le Lievre, Oli chats with Dr Penny Schulz, who never thought she'd end up working in ag. Now the owner of a beef and sheep farm in Field, in the Coorong region of South Australia, listen to Penny talk about the trajectory of her career, and how her home state is becoming the epicentre of agritech innovation.

This week we bring you an episode with Dan Winson, Co-Founder and CEO of dynamic agritech company Zetifi. Dan and Zetifi have been part of the evokeAG story since the beginning, and have made the most of the opportunities and connections established through the evoke^AG. community.

Waste warrior and insect farming pioneer, Olympia Yarger of agritech startup, Goterra, has earned the 2023 ACT Australian of the Year award for her commitment to tackling climate change. In this Humans of Agriculture x evoke^AG. collab podcast, Oli Le Lievre unpacks Olympia’s diverse and entrepreneurial life experiences.

Andrew Bate has been sowing the seeds of the future of farming for the past decade, as Co-Founder of agritech company, SwarmFarm Robotics that’s now leading the world in the development of on-farm robotics. The AgriFutures evoke^AG. Startup Program success story and Central Queensland grain farmer will lead a panel of experts exploring the future of autonomous agriculture at evoke^AG. 2023.