AgriFutures Australia

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.  

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.

A pioneering digital platform that connects investors with agrifood entrepreneurs, researchers and industry leaders has led to AgriFutures Australia being recognised as one of the country’s most innovative companies.

AgriFutures Australia Managing Director, John Harvey shares the vision behind the online platform grow^AG., its critical role in driving Australian agrifood innovation and global opportunities, and its powerful success. 

BuggyBix, with support from AgriFutures Australia, has developed a novel insect-based pet food range – BuggyBlend – to reduce our pets’ environmental pawprint and accelerate the development of Australia’s insect protein industry. An exciting opportunity awaits for commercial partners to assist in the scaling and distribution for Australian and international markets. 

AgriFutures Australia and the University of Newcastle have developed a simple stallion fertility test device to help boost Australia’s billion-dollar thoroughbred breeding industry. They are now seeking investors and industrial partners with experience in plastic manufacturing to commercialise the solution.

It is a great time to be in rural research and innovation. There is a landslide of activity across agriculture, fisheries and forestries, all designed to deliver new technologies and opportunities to Australian farmers.

Each year, the Australian government, universities and industry invest billions of dollars in research to support agriculture, fisheries and forestry. There are 15 Research and Development Corporations (RDCs), 43 universities and hundreds of industry organisations and peak bodies, that currently house thousands of research projects. But, in order to find them, you need to know what you are looking for and where to look. Until now.

AgriFutures Australia and the University of Southern Queensland are seeking technology partners to commercialise novel video analysis software to better detect growth and welfare indicators of poultry flocks and enhance on-farm decision making.

Funded by the University of Southern Queensland and AgriFutures Australia’s Chicken Meat Program, mechatronic engineers Dr Cheryl McCarthy and Dr Derek Long have linked continual on-board image analysis, similar to face recognition, with a low-cost camera to provide regular updates on flock movement throughout the day.

Australians produce over 74 million tonnes of waste per year, with the amount of waste produced by farmers, fishers and foresters presenting a significant challenge. Limited support and practical options exist to avoid waste in the first place or manage it as part of the production process. 

The pre-farm gate waste program has been launched to support innovative ideas and options for the avoidance, recycling and reuse of pre-farm gate waste, and ensure there is clear direction and coordination of activities for the sector to achieve the required change.