Five years on: the changes redefining Australia’s agrifood ecosystem

Since 2021, Australia’s agrifood innovation landscape has evolved in meaningful ways: how research is discovered, how partnerships are formed, and how Australia presents itself on the global stage. To mark growᴬᴳ^.’s fifth birthday, we’ve reflected on five changes we’ve seen across the ecosystem - from advances in innovation to new government approaches to agrifood tech - and why these shifts matter for the future of rural industries.

Innovation

Over the past five years, agrifood innovation has advanced domestically through field trials, financial partnerships and stronger industry connections. Three innovations that have joined grow^AG. over the years – BuggyBix, HydGene Renewables and AGOVOR - have each made significant strides in their fields, from launching commercial products to entering new markets.

BuggyBix

BuggyBix - a pet food range using insects as its primary protein source - was first introduced to the grow^AG. platform as a research project led by Western Sydney University and AgriFutures Australia’s Emerging Industries program. The project investigated the nutritional quality of edible insects and the development of pet food products.

Since 2022, this research has been patented and used to inform the design of BuggyBix dry dog and cat food lines, which are now commercially available through Australian pet retailers. 

HydGene Renewables

HydGene Renewables produces clean hydrogen on-site and on demand using a biocatalyst solution that generates carbon-neutral, high-purity hydrogen from renewable, plant-based feedstocks such as straw, hay, sugarcane, wood chips and food waste.

Since 2021, the Macquarie University spinout has participated in several acceleration programs and received financial backing from both government and private organisations. In the past six months, HydGene Renewables has achieved two significant milestones: enabling the manufacture of its biocatalyst at scale and demonstrating - for more than two years - its ability to continuously produce high purity hydrogen from wheat straw using a fully commissioned pilot plant. Together, these milestones validate the durability and stability of the platform. 

AGOVOR

AGOVOR is a New Zealand–based agritech company developing electric, autonomous mini tractors designed to help specialty crop producers address challenges related to labour, environmental impact and accessibility. The company made its Australian debut at WineTech 2025, travelling from New Zealand as checked-in luggage on a passenger jet.

Since then, AGOVOR has closed a pre-seed funding round of AU$3 million, led by Tenacious Ventures with co-investment from Hort Innovation Australia. This funding is being used to accelerate research and development, as well as manufacturing, sales and service infrastructure across New Zealand and Australian markets.

Research and Development Corporations (RDCs)

For RDCs, innovation has become an increasingly important focus. In the last five years, new venture capital-style funds have been launched like Hort Innovation Frontiers and Australian Wine Future Fund. These follow the success of GRDC’s Grain Innovate Fund which was established to support the development and adoption of agrifood technologies that address specific industry challenges.

Both funds operate on the same core principle: to de-risk innovation, attract co-investment from private and government partners, and fast-track the commercialisation of technologies that deliver tangible outcomes for growers and producers.

Hort Innovation's Frontiers program commits $500 million over 10 years to horticulture innovation. Supported by Artesian Venture Partners the fund provides equity investment into 20–30 startups from pre-seed through to early Series A whose concepts and prototypes have the potential to make a tangible impact for industry. The more recently launched Australian Wine Future Fund supported by Tenacious Ventures has a target of $50 million by 2030. This is split across a $35 million research and innovation fund and a $15 million venture investments portfolio, supporting co-designed R&D and early-stage technology companies across the grape and wine sector. 

Commercialisation

Research commercialisation remains a major challenge facing the agrifood innovation ecosystem, with the Ambitious Australia Report highlighting the importance of greater research translation, mission focus, national coordination and funding availability critical to future success. However, pathways for commercialisation have become far more prominent over the past five years including programs and accelerators like Australia’s Economic Accelerator, Drought Venture Studio, the Industry Growth Program and the Food and Beverage Accelerator.

RDCs have also recognised the importance of supporting the commercialisation of industry-funded research. One example is Hort Innovation’s revised approach to intellectual property ownership, which focuses on giving innovators greater control over IP, enabling startups and researchers to have greater freedom to progress their technologies and makes innovations more attractive to future investors.

International engagement

Over the past five years, we have seen increased international interest in grow^AG. and evoke^AG.  programs, both in the market entry and export ofAustralia AgTech. Across several evoke^AG. events, there has been a steady increase in international delegates, a trend that has also been reflected in the number of international visitors to the grow^AG. platform.

In 2023–24, around one third of platform visits came from international users. In more recent years, this has grown to over half of monthly users, with strong engagement from priority markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, China and New Zealand. International users are also increasingly converting into enquiries, partnerships and delegations.

One example of this growing international engagement is UK startup Airponix Ltd, which was introduced to the Australian market through evoke^AG.’s 2025 AgVenture Downunder startup program. Following the event, Airponix listed its commercial and research opportunity on the grow^AG. platform, generating strong interest from producers and corporates. These connections have since progressed towards a proposed Australian seed potato production trial using Airponix technology.

Navigation

Finding innovation, opportunities and connections across the agrifood ecosystem both domestically and internationally has become significantly easier. Over the past five years, the grow^AG. platform has listed more than 700 organisations, 600 opportunities and 3,500 research projects.

The platform’s growing network includes agrifood startups, corporates, investors, universities, research organisations and government agencies, generating high value enquiries each month and helping connect the ecosystem in more efficient and meaningful ways.