Agtech - So What?

Sarah Nolet

We tell the stories of innovators at the intersection of agriculture and technology to answer the question: what really is agtech and why should you care?

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Putting cotton farmers at the forefront of the cotton industry, with Marzia Lanfranchi

    The biggest issue facing the cotton industry isn't fast fashion or water consumption. It's that the people growing cotton have been rendered invisible. The industry fixates on fiber quality and commodity pricing while the farmers themselves– and their role in determining sustainability outcomes– get lost. Marzia Lanfranchi, founder of the global community Cotton Diaries, is a strategic consultant working to improve supply chain sustainability in the cotton industry. She argues that cotton is viewed first and foremost as ‘a cheap fiber,’ instead of a commodity that is grown in the field.  She has seen that when cotton is treated purely as "a cheap fiber" rather than an agricultural product shaped by farming practices, the entire system suffers, including the sustainability frameworks fashion brands are trying to build. In this episode, we discuss why putting farmers at the center changes everything. Sarah and Marzia discuss: What fashion brands miss or overlook about regenerative agricultureWhy cotton is often perceived as a ‘water thirsty crop’ (and why that is not always the case)How stories are useful ‘tools’ to help people visualize solutions to problemsHow traceability can be built into supply chains to help fashion brands improve sustainabilityUseful Links: Cotton Diaries “Manifesto”VejaLandfill to Farmfill: rethinking cotton waste (podcast)Promises of premiums won’t cut it to scale sustainable agrifood supply chainsFor more information and resources, visit our website.  The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

    32 min

  2. 17 SEPT

    Will China’s cheaper tractors disrupt ag equipment? With Lachlan Monsbourgh

    As the world’s largest agricultural economy, when China makes a move, the world pays attention. China has just unveiled an ambitious plan to accelerate its development of ag machinery by shortening its research and development cycles. So will China dominate the future of agricultural machinery, and what does this mean for dealers, farmers, and agtech companies? Lachlan Monsbourgh, Global Rural Agricultural and Environmental Lead at Rabobank, joins us to discuss China’s pivotal role in global agriculture. This includes China’s rapidly developing ag machinery industry, which can manufacture tractors and equipment for about half the cost of the other major players in the US, Europe and Japan. While the products currently face quality, durability and serviceability challenges, Lachlan argues it is only a matter of time before these are overcome.  Lachlan and Sarah discuss: The price point difference between Chinese agricultural manufacturers and other big OEMsThe impact of cheaper tractors on agtech adoption and autonomyHow China is moving to ensure sustainable supply chains from countries such as Brazil.Global biodiversity targets and the role of autonomous robotics in helping to achieve them.Useful Links: How China is reshaping Global Food Systems for the Climate Change Era, World Economic ForumTarget to accelerate agriculture machinery development, AgTechNavigatorKunming Montreal Biodiversity frameworkThe Three Categories of Autonomy in Agriculture, SwarmFarm RoboticsFor more information and resources, visit our website.

    38 min

  3. 3 SEPT

    From agtech adoption problems to high performance farming teams, with Kevin Boyle, EFI

    When the agtech is not working in the field, we can be quick to search for answers in the product itself. But sometimes, the solution is not there. That’s because it’s not a technical problem, but rather a social systems challenge. Kevin Boyle is the Director of Organizational and Workforce Development at the Equitable Food Initiative (EFI). He argues that a key component of the farming and food system is often overlooked; and that’s the people who work on the ground. Farm workers can be seen as low-skilled, with little more to offer than the set tasks they perform. However, Kevin is seeking to change this approach, to better recognize the knowledge these workers have, and to create recognizable career paths for them. Kevin also believes that focusing on the workforce will ultimately benefit the development and adoption of agtech. He spent much of his career in telecommunication tech, where he helped integrate the new digital technologies of the 1990s into the system, including the workers. Sarah and Kevin discuss: ·  Kevin’s unique career background, from growing up on a farm, to working in telecommunications tech, and consulting across Europe and the United States. ·  How the perception of farm workers as ‘tools’ rather than humans with skills, knowledge, and desires has hindered tech adoption. ·  How to better recognize the skills and knowledge of farm workers, to build high performance farming businesses ·  How applied university research can be used to test a product in the broader system before it goes to market. Useful links: ·  Can robotics solve the farm labor problem? With Connie Bowen and Sophie Thorel ·  How policy hamstrings agtech in California - Walt Duflock

    41 min
  4. Can robotics solve farm labor challenges? with Sophie Thorel and Connie Bowen

    20 AUG

    Can robotics solve farm labor challenges? with Sophie Thorel and Connie Bowen

    Ask any farmer what their biggest challenge is right now and most will say ‘labor’. But what if, instead of trying to get more farm workers, we focused on changing the types of jobs available on farms? That’s where robotics comes in. Unfortunately, successfully commercializing robots in agriculture has been extraordinarily difficult, especially relative to sectors like healthcare, defence and warehousing. We break down the problem into three key challenges, based on research by Sophie Thorel, robotics expert and researcher at CREO Syndicate. Sophie argues robotics in agriculture needs to overcome the technical challenge of varied, uncontrollable environments; the cost and capital challenges that often comes with hardware; and the social stakeholder challenge of getting farmers and farm workers involved in the design process. Connie Bowen, GP at Farmhand Ventures, also joins us, drawing on her expertise in understanding and investing in agtech from a labor-first perspective and how all of these challenges intersect. Connie, Sophie and Sarah discuss: Sophie’s journey into robotics and why a family office investment platform cares about robots in food & agricultureHow we can overcome the time and cost it takes for on-farm robotics to develop to a stage where it’s actually useful for farmers/growersWhy it’s so important for farmers and farm workers to be involved over the long term in a robotics program- from design into implementationHow overcoming the key challenges in ag robotics could lead to a revolution in farm labor– more attractive and skilled farm opportunitiesUseful Links: Agriculture Robotics: Technologies Enabling the Fourth Industrial Revolution" - CREO reportAg LaunchPete Nelson on partnering with growers to build better agtechBeyond VC: Redeemable Equity in Agtech, with Connie BowenThe Three Categories of Autonomy in Agriculture, SwarmFarm RoboticsBurroTRIC RoboticsFor more information and resources, visit our website. The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

    44 min

  5. 6 AUG

    Are agtech startups just digital agribusinesses? Mark Kahn, Omnivore

    The term ‘agtech’ now encompasses so many different types of businesses and innovations, that from an investment perspective, it can look overly complex. However perhaps the opposite is true? Mark Kahn, Managing Partner of Ominvore, shares his ‘agtech-agribusinesss convergence theory’; where agtech startups eventually grow to look like a more conventional agribusiness company. He argues that if an agtech startup can’t see a pathway to either becoming an agribusiness or at least complementing one, then it’s likely to fail. The recent agtech startup failures in animal protein and vertical farming are an example of this. So what does this argument mean for venture capital, which is all about high growth potential, disruption, and of course, high risk? Are VCs likely to invest in startups which are going to become ‘just another agribusiness’? And does that even matter? For important context, Mark Kahn is based in India, which has a vastly different investment landscape compared with western countries. India has an incredibly large agriculture economy,  worth about $US600 - 700 billion, with about 50% of the Indian workforce employed in agriculture.  If you compare that with Australia, only 2.5% of the national workforce is involved in agriculture. In the United States, it's around 10%.  Mark and Sarah discuss: Omnivore’s investment thesis and how it has evolved over time to focus on food security, agricultural prosperity, resource efficiency & rural resilienceThe unique agtech investment conditions in India and how it compares with markets in western countries such as the US, Canada, and Australia Whether we are starting to see a global uptick in agtech investmentWhy Mark believes there is an agtech-agribusiness convergenceHow the Indian agtech market can be overlooked by western investors, because they do not take the time to understand itUSEFUL LINKS: Value creation in Indian agriculture - McKinsey and Company, 2025DeHaat - the largest farmer platform in India and portfolio company of Omnivore.What caused the farmer protests in India and what does it mean for innovation in Ag?- Agtech… So What? episode, featuring Mark Kahn and other investors.For more information and resources, visit our website.  The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

    30 min

  6. 23 JUL

    How “Food is Medicine” Could Change Food and Farm Economics with Brad McNamara

    “Food is Medicine” is extremely popular right now, and a few facts suggest it might be more than just a trend. The U.S. alone spends something like $1.5 trillion annually on diet-related diseases, and key issues like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and other diseases are on the rise around the world. There are costly interventions available to manage many of these problems, but an increasing body of research suggests that some of the least invasive (and most affordable) interventions don’t come in a pill or vial, but in a grocery basket.  Agrifood tech is definitely not sitting on the sidelines. We’re seeing a new wave of startups emerging in this space, building on the lessons of food businesses of the past. To explore this trend, we spoke with one such founder– Brad McNamara, CEO and Founder at Morrissey Market, a “food is medicine” distribution startup. Brad was formerly at Freight Farms, a vertical farming company that strove to sell, not the produce, but the farm itself, in the form of a tech-enabled shipping container-sized farm. For more information and resources, visit our website.  The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

    39 min

  7. 9 JUL

    How Policy Hamstrings AgTech in California with Walt Duflock

    When it comes to the production of high-value food crops, California is, without question, a global leader. Plus, much of the state’s thousands of acres of farmland lies within close proximity of Silicon Valley, where high-tech tools and solutions are endemic. And yet, many California farmers are struggling to continue their work, and agtech startups are increasingly looking beyond the state for customers and sectors to serve.  So what gives?  To answer this question, we asked Walt Duflock, Senior VP of Innovation at Western Growers Association on the show to help us connect the dots on why California’s world-renowned ag and its state-of-the-art tech sectors are struggling to align. Policy plays a big role here, but shifting tides around agtech funding are also having an effect.  For more information and resources, visit our website.  The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

    39 min

  8. 27 JUN

    Is AI the Secret to Next Gen Soil Sampling? with Jack Oslan and Nate Storey

    Finding the right solution often starts with finding many, many wrong solutions. When it comes to some of agtech's most beguiling challenges, like real-time, granular soil testing, many startups have found the wrong solution– either ones that simply don’t work, don’t work at the right price, or don’t work in a way that makes them useful enough.  But just because a problem hasn’t been solved yet doesn’t mean it’s unsolvable! And with the recent leaps made in artificial intelligence, a new startup– Soil Action– is taking another crack at this problem, hoping that a novel approach will help align the stars of effectiveness, usefulness, and affordability.  The co-founders at Soil Action, Jack Oslan and Nate Storey, also know a thing or two about tackling big challenges in agtech. They both were also co-founders at vertical farming startup Plenty, and this week, in addition to hearing about Soil Action, we’ll also hear about lessons learned from that journey.  For more information and resources, visit our website.  The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

    37 min
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About

We tell the stories of innovators at the intersection of agriculture and technology to answer the question: what really is agtech and why should you care?

Information

  • Creator
    Sarah Nolet
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2025
  • Episodes
    196
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 Tenacious Ventures
  • Show Website
    Agtech - So What?

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