Here’s the latest round up of groundbreaking developments in the world of agritech. In this issue, we explore everything from electric tractors to bacon made from mushroom fungi.
We’ve designed this newsletter to kickstart exciting conversations around the future of agriculture in New Zealand and beyond.
Kia pai te rā,
Melissa (FutureCentre.nz) and Shane (Callaghan Innovation)
Monarch Tractor has developed the world’s first 100 per cent electric tractor that’s self-driving and data-driven. New Zealand’s own Mike Casey, owner of the country’s first fully electric cherry orchard near Queenstown, already has one on the way!
The MK-V tractor is a mashup of innovations, tackling decarbonisation, automation, and smart technology. Not only does it move away from the use of harmful diesel in the wake of energy price hikes, the self-driving ability could address labour shortages farmers are experiencing globally.
Arguably even more exciting, the night-vision capability allows the tractor to work after the sun has set.
With so many innovative tractors hitting the market, will the night-vision be what clinches it for the early adopters? As more farms become more mechanised and automated, what will that mean for workers?
New Zealand company Scentian Bio is developing a world-leading device to - literally - sniff out disease using the protein receptors found in insects’ noses. Late last year, they were awarded USD$1.7M by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to specifically develop a device to detect tuberculosis in the developing nations where it’s still a leading cause of death.
Chief Technology Officer Dr Andrew Králíček spent almost 20 years researching insect nose receptors at Plant & Food before launching the company. He says there are many more applications for their technology, including in the food safety sector.
Scentian Bio is one of a number of companies mimicking and amplifying nature for human benefit. Where else might scientists look in nature to solve complex human problems? Could businesses like Scentian Bio signal a new shift to working with nature, rather than against it?
After more? UK-based expert David Mattin (author of New World Same Humans) is running a workshop for us this June on how to spot emerging futures and win inside them. Using David’s trend-driven innovation framework, you will come away with a set of new ideas that will be ready to run with based on relevant and actionable trends.
Plant-based food company MyForest is using a fungi called mycelium, found on the roots of mushrooms, to create a tasty new approach to bacon, called MyBacon.
The mycelium is grown in a vertical farm that uses solar technology and LED lights which allow for both faster farming and, more consistent results due to lack of interference from external factors.
MyBacon has been a huge hit, winning the best plant-based product at the 2023 World Food Innovation Awards. MyForest have since announced fungi-based jerky will soon be released.
With vertical farming easier to learn than open ground agriculture, could we see more people moving into the agriculture space? And could we see fungi farming extend beyond food production into fungi leather, fungi-based shoes?
Farm management system CropX has announced the completion of a Series C financing round with $30 million in funding.
The funding will be used to acquire new companies that have complementary technologies and market reach. In 2020, CropX bought kiwi aggregation firm Regen and have continued to buy companies to build out their global offering.
CropX clearly believes there’s a global market for soil data, irrigation, and nutrient management. Could we see other smaller companies following their lead and acquire other companies as a method of expansion?
Human genome sequencing has long been both time-consuming and expensive. American biotech company Illumina has announced a machine, the NovaSeq X series, which will slash the cost to just $200 per human genome and will work at twice the speed, providing up to 20,000 genomes per year.
Combined with the also relatively cheap gene-editing technology CRISPR, could this be another step closer to the development of new, more climate-resilient species of produce? Even if we don’t engage in genetic editing, could it make selective breeding easier?
Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: Thriving in Complexity by Jennifer Garvey Berger
The central thesis of Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps, is that “humans are brilliantly designed for an older, less connected, and more predictable version of the world.” Unfortunately, that’s not the world we’ve created for ourselves.
Garvey Berger explores the five “mindtraps” (Trapped… by simple stories; by rightness; by need for belonging and agreement; by need for control; and by our own Egos) as useful ways of thinking about where we might have blindspots when it comes to dealing with complexity.
One of the biggest challenges I see in my futures work is being bombarded by too much information: too many (conflicting) signals, too many opinions, complex development schedules, complex consumer messaging and so on. The book shows us how we might move to creating solutions, not just pointing out problems!
We’d love to hear your feedback so we can continue to share relevant monthly reads with you.
Don’t forget to share with us any signals or interesting innovations you’ve come across so we can spread the word. We enjoy seeing NZ companies be creative, innovative and push the boundaries, it makes for insightful reading.
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