As sensing / location technologies have matured and the agricultural industry seeks to drive higher yields / efficiencies in light of increasing input costs, a range of technology suppliers have emerged providing data collection, automated systems, and insights / platforms for end-user control.
As the player set has expanded, investments have seen significant growth, with AgTech VC investments seeing steady growth 2014-21 – though overall AgTech VC investment has slowed since ’21, Precision AgTech is a leading category, accounting for 30% of deal value in ’23.
Amidst a surge of startups, major agricultural equipment players are actively acquiring and investing in innovative technologies – notable moves include John Deere’s acquisition of Blue River for precision weeding tech, Kubota’s investments in automated irrigation / harvesting, and AgCo’s acquisition of Raven for autonomous guidance systems.
