Emerging Tech Brew's Behold: the internet of plants covers the rapidly growing precision agriculture industry. Key quote:
"And just like bamboo, these companies are growing fast: According to Pitchbook, the precision agriculture market reached $7.8 billion in 2021 and is expected to nearly double to $13.9 billion by 2026."
According to Pitchbook, precision agriculture companies fall into four categories:
- Farm management software: Software and other devices that help with farm operations, including data collection.
- Robotics and smart field equipment: Advanced machinery that helps automate or optimize fieldwork.
- Field IoT: Internet of things sensors and software used to monitor and analyze crops, water, weather, and pests.
- Drones and imagery analytics: Tools used to gather crop health information, such as disease and pest detection. They also utilize predictive analytics to help guide decisions and maximize productivity.
The Emerging Tech Brew article covers several interesting ag-tech startups. But our favorite is SupPlant, which recently raised $27 million in funding. Key quote on their products:
"The company uses five different sensors—deep soil, shallow soil, trunk, leaf, and fruit—placed in and around a fruit tree to gather real-time data on plant stress, growth patterns, weather conditions, and soil water content. The data gained from one tree is then extrapolated to all trees within an average of 20 acres, giving farmers insight into ideal crop irrigation for the days ahead."
Precision farming means less use of water and fertilizers, higher crop yields, and better land management. And due to the disruptions being caused by climate change, all of these benefits are needed.
See our small farms section for more on ag tech.
