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GLOBAL • AGRICULTURE
Seedstars Global
MAY 14, 2021
What do we think about when we say food? We think about joy, family, culture, art in some ways, but ultimately food is the substance keeping us alive and the industry behind it is worth billions of dollars. Agrifood, or AgriTech and FoodTech together, was worth over $8 trillion USD according to TechCrunch. With the steady increase of the world population, food production will also have to increase, but taking climate changes into account the question remains- how can we produce enough food while running out of natural resources?
Agriculture plays a key role in feeding the planet, but it is also one of the biggest strains on our environment. It is the leading cause of deforestation, with nearly 60 percent of the world’s arable land being used for just beef production, and the largest consumer of freshwater, of which 70 percent goes towards agriculture. However, the importance of this industry in developing countries cannot be overstated. In many emerging markets agriculture employs more people than any other industry, and women comprise an average of 43 percent of that labour force.
This is where innovation comes in. Entrepreneurs around the world are working on new solutions that will revolutionize AgriTech and FoodTech. From developing flying fruit pickers, to using cutting-edge climate tech to forecast food deficit and surplus areas and proactively react to food insecurity, and predicting diseases and pests in your orchard by using an app- the possibilities for innovation are plenty.
Luckily for startups, investors are also interested. According to the AgFunder AgriFoodTechInvestment Report startups in these industries have raised $26.1 billion in 2020, a 15.5 percent year-over-year increase. Seedstars has also recognized the importance of the sector and has several startups in our portfolio which are changing the food supply chain, like AgroCenta and Manzana Verde. Over the years we have also organized several programs with the sector in mind and given out the Land Restoration Prize in last year’s edition of the Online Summit.
The canton of Vaud, known as the headquarters for companies such as Nestlé and the European branch of PepsiCo, is also home to many farmers, research centres and laboratories and offers a favorable framework for young companies. The unique combination of well developed federal and national policies, a number of incubators and structures working on supporting researchers and startups and the proximity of experienced mentors, means that this small part of Switzerland can boast with an unmatched density of companies and scientific institutions contributing to solving global food challenges.
With their support, the topic of FoodTech will be one of the seven themes of the Grand Finale, with one of the Mags presenting several startups dedicated to solving the issues in the industry and the Seedstars Podcast also hosting three of the startup founders where they will tell us more about their companies.
Take a look at the startups who are working on this topic:
To find out more on how these startups are using blockchain technology, automation, robots and AI to improve the food and agriculture sector tune in to the Grand Finale on May 20th at 2 pm by registering here.
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