crops

FarmWise raises $14.5 million for its weed-removing robots

FarmWise, a US startup which builds autonomous farming robots, has raised $14.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Calibrate Ventures.

In addition to existing investors backing FarmWise, agriculture company Wilbur Ellis, Xplorer Capital and Alumni Ventures Group are participating in the round.

The proceeds will be used to grow the company’s robotic engineering and operation teams, as well as boost R&D efforts on plant-level detection and actuation capabilities. [Read more…] about FarmWise raises $14.5 million for its weed-removing robots

Samsung moves into the vertical farming market

Agricultural innovations are essential for feeding our ever-growing global population.

Especially these days, as industrialisation and global warming continue to negatively affect soil fertility and reduce the amount of arable land.

According to the United Nations, the world’s population is set to reach 9.8 billion by 2050.

[Read more…]

Australian university focuses on future food systems

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers will play a key part in developing smart logistics to link growers with their markets and high-tech methods of growing customised food, with the announcement of the Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre.

The Future Food Systems CRC will involve more than 50 commercial and research partners, with the Federal Government injecting AUS$35 million in funding over 10 years along with almost AUS$150 million in support from the research centre’s educational and commercial participants.

QUT’s involvement in the CRC is spread across the centre’s three research and development programs of planning and logistics in linking growers to their markets, developing smart automated indoor cropping and creating nutrient-dense foods and hybrid food and medical goods tailored to growing domestic and export markets.

[Read more…]