Farms are being “teched up” to make feeding the world (9.7 billion people by 2050!) more sustainable and profitable.
The number of venture investments in agriculture technology, or agtech, was up 10 percent last year versus a 24 percent drop in global VC deal activity, according to AgFunder’s 2016 report. Total agtech funding, however, fell by 30 percent to $3.2 billion, far more than the 10 percent drop in overall venture funding.
New accelerators and early-stage investors entered the market, Agfunder reported, but total dollars dropped amid a weak IPO market, political uncertainty and a pullback as investors cooled to drones, food delivery, and bioenergy.