- Indian price & market discovery platform ONO raises Rs 11 crore led by Aeravti Ventures, with participation from Indigram Labs. ONO currently operates in six states across 45+ APMCs/MANDIs, with over 30,000 partners onboarded and transactions spanning seven commodities. Read more: Economic Times
- Robovision, a European AI company, secured $42 million to expand its AI-powered computer vision platform globally. The platform, utilized in over 45 countries, revolutionizes automation processes across various industries, generating over $250m in sales. Notably, Robovision partners with ISO Group to aid in planting 1 billion tulips annually and collaborates with Hitachi in semiconductor wafer production. The funding will drive U.S. expansion, R&D investment, and market growth in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, empowering end-users with Industrial AI solutions. Read more: AgReads
- Seso raised $26 Million to tackle farm labor shortages with a platform offering online recruitment and visa documentation services, along with digital payment solutions for workers, easing the burden on farms and facilitating remittances. Backed by venture capitalists like Mary Meeker and agricultural customers, Seso now collaborates with a significant portion of the top 100 farm employers in the US. Read more: Impact Alpha
- Ag-tech firm TerraClear has secured $15 million for its innovative rock-picking technology that streamlines farm maintenance processes, saving time and enhancing efficiency for farmers. Leveraging advanced software and artificial intelligence, TerraClear offers a comprehensive solution for rock displacement, complemented by services such as drone-supported field mapping. Read more: Killer Startups
- InfraCo Africa pledged $12 million to expand SunCulture's solar irrigation solutions in sub-Saharan Africa, as part of a larger $27.5 million Series B funding round. SunCulture's IoT-enabled solar-powered irrigation systems aim to benefit hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers by 2030, reducing reliance on rainfed agriculture and polluting fuel-based pumps. Read more: Afsiasolar
- Aqua Capital successfully closed its Ag & Food PE Fund III at $450 million with an AUM of $1.1 billion. The firm focuses on sustainable and innovative middle-market companies with strong track records and management teams. Since its inception, Aqua Capital has invested in over 45 companies across Latin America and North America, emphasizing professionalism, growth, and impact value creation. Read more: Agri Investor
- Syngenta finishes down year with strong fourth quarter as it abandons multibillion-dollar IPO in Shanghai. Overall, group faced a 4% decline in sales for fiscal 2023, attributed to reduced inventories and higher interest rates impacting crop protection markets. Despite this, the company reported a 5% growth in sales in the fourth quarter, reaching $32.23 billion in total sales for the year. Read more: Syngenta
- Treelogy launch the world's first premium organic moringa, packed with 92 essential nutrients and cultivated through regenerative agriculture practices in Bali's volcanic foothills, Treelogy ensures transparency with its BPOM-certified facility nearby and emphasizes fair wages, community support, and regenerative farming to produce top-quality moringa. Read more: The Jakarta Post
- Chocolate prices surged to all-time high following climate change, illegal mining and disease outbreaks in West Africa, the region responsible for 80% of global output of cocoa. US Cocoa Futures have risen by 140% since the beginning of the year touching as high as $10,000 per ton. Just one West African country, Ghana, has lost nearly 590,000 hectares of cocoa plantations to diseases like swollen shoot virus, exacerbating an already declining production trend. Experts are warning of a luxury price tag for chocolate bars shortly, signalling a fundamental shift in the global cocoa market dynamics. Read more: Reuters
- Applying crushed rock to farmers' fields can reduce greenhouse gases and boost crop yields by up to 16%, new study by University of Sheffield scientists shows. This technique, known as enhanced rock weathering, involves spreading rock dust across agricultural land to increase carbon sequestration. Over a four-year period, fields treated with basalt dust yielded 12-to-16% more crops compared to untreated plots. Additionally, the basalt dust raised soil pH, enhancing nutrient uptake by plants and releasing essential nutrients. Read more: News Atlas
- Africa lost the Carbon Sink Status as new research from the Futures Ecosystems for Africa reveals Africa transitioning from a slight net carbon sink to a source of 4.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year between 2010 and 2019. Despite natural ecosystems acting as carbon sinks, increased agricultural land use and livestock numbers are tipping the balance. The study underscores the urgency for climate-smart agricultural practices and investments in carbon-neutral energy sources to mitigate Africa's escalating carbon emissions. Read more: Newswise
- ExxonMobil faces accusations of 'greenwashing' over its carbon capture plan at the Fawley oil refinery, which it promoted but hasn't invested in. The project lacks licenses, government support, and company funding, casting doubt on its feasibility. Carbon capture and storage technology has progressed slowly, with global operations capturing only 0.1% of CO2 emissions. Exxon's focus on diesel production instead of carbon capture raises concerns about its commitment to environmental transition. Read more: The Guardian
- Nike avoided a potential class-action lawsuit over greenwashing allegations as a judge dismissed the case, citing a lack of evidence. The plaintiff failed to provide proof that Nike's products weren't as environmentally friendly as claimed, leading to the dismissal. As greenwashing lawsuits become more common, experts advise companies to substantiate their sustainability claims to avoid legal repercussions. In Europe, governments are considering legislation to regulate vague sustainability claims on product packaging. Read more: Fast Company
