Highlights from Australian agrifood innovation.

The grip of climate change is being felt in the world’s vineyards - disrupting practices that have been built up over thousands of years. Small changes in temperatures are resulting in large fluctuations in yield and quality across seasons. Deep Planet says viticulture is the canary in the coal mine for the broader agriculture industry and is seeking investment to further develop the next generation of monitoring solutions to help winemakers adapt.

Industrial automation company Indyn has developed the world-leading “Platypus” analyser, taking human error out of the grain inspection process to revolutionise biosecurity and agri-trade. The founders are ready to go global and are seeking the right business partners to help them do it. 

Graeme Barnett, Managing Director & CEO of Qponics speaks in a podcast about their innovative marine microalgae solution, how it can help droughtproof agriculture and become a major player in the future of protein production. Qponics is now seeking a $1m bridging round to scale the co-production of protein-rich food ingredients and high-value oils

Meat & Livestock Australia is seeking expressions of interest from global collaborators with solutions to objectively measure value characteristics – from productivity, welfare and eating quality to marbling potential – in live animals. With the potential to transform decision-making for producers, feedlotters, and processors, it’s a research priority that’s turning a lot of heads.       

Queensland agritech company, Qponics is on a mission to accelerate the transition to drought proof agriculture, by cultivating marine microalgae at scale for the co-production of protein-rich food ingredients and high-value oils. To achieve this, Qponics is seeking impact investors to support the development of a new microalgae production complex in South Ballina, NSW, and scale sustainable oil and protein production in Australia.  

Agronomist and 2021 Young Farmer of the Year Emma Ayliffe and her business partner at Summit Ag, Heath McWhirter, crisscross the country advising farmers on how to improve their crop production and soil health. Now the pair is helping farmers connect with each other, with a purpose-built social media app for agriculture – YackerApp. With a thousand users and growing, Emma and Heath are looking for investors to take YackerApp to the next level.   

Eco Caviar has produced a caviar alternative with the rich taste and mouthfeel of the prized Beluga. An opportunity exists for investment to validate a product which will save the declining wild population and appeal to the luxury market at a fraction of the cost.

With a new report showing Australia and New Zealand’s public research organisations are world class at commercialising their innovative ideas, AgriFutures Australia is urging them to join its online platform grow^AG. to extend their networks in the investment community even further. 

Agriculture is a critical part of the Australian economy, with the country’s agricultural, fisheries and forestry sector valued at $69 billion and growing. 

With that growth comes an urgent need to expand the use of agricultural technologies to ensure both productivity gains for farmers and Australia's role in the global food system. To do this, more investment needs to be channeled into both research and commercial initiatives for the country's agtech.

AgriFutures Australia created the grow^AG. program to address these needs.  

A future-focused partnership, between Australian agritech startup, RingIR and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) under its Biosecurity Innovation Program (BIP) will investigate whether its tech can be used to protect Australian agriculture from hitchhiker pests. Applications for the 2023-24 DAFF BIP funding round are now open for innovators with bold ideas, like RingIR.

AUSTRALIA’S growing agrifoodtech sector is being showcased on the international stage with the launch of a report showing investors tipped more than half a billion dollars into Australian startups last year, and a bright outlook for 2022.

Australian agritech startup, InvertiGro is on a mission to feed the planet in a smarter way – with an indoor vertical farming system that’s already won the support of supermarket giant, Woolworths. Now, they’re on the hunt for investment and budding indoor farmers to speed the commercial rollout of an innovative farming system that could revolutionise how – and where – we grow our food.