Agtools Inc.

Down and Under – Food and AG Recent studies indicate that Australia’s #agricultural sector was valued at $88 billion in 2021-22. Notably, 72% of the country’s agricultural #produce is exported, while 90% of the #food consumed domestically is produced within #Australia. The agricultural #supplychain also employs approximately 1.6 million #people.   Source: Agriculture Gov AU

Agtools participated and presented during the 65th FDRS (Food Distribution Research Society, Inc) Conference, asking better questions about scaling technology in food and agriculture industries. https://lnkd.in/g7Mi975J. Advances in technology for agricultural use often focus on increasing efficiency and lowering cost, which in turns aims to increase profit. Yet, the research and development of such technologies often fail to consider the deeper social and economic issues related to implementation. Managing the risk of implementation goes beyond simple cost-benefit calculations, but rather should focus on asking broader, core questions about the purpose of the specific technology. Such questions are not about whether we can develop a new technology or refine an existing one, but rather should we? Moreover, what role should economist play in such discussions and when should they be involved in such discussions? These more normative economic type questions are essential to advancing resilient agrifood systems and need to be discussed to better position the profession for future involvement. This symposium aims to bring together different perspectives from extension, research, and industry to develop conversation around different technologies and approaches to asking more pertinent and engaging questions. Discussion will include the audience with a goal to develop and encourage a method for formulating such questions. Presentations will cover issues such as the science of scaling, advancing information technology, finance and marketing technology advancements, along with policy and labor considerations. Panel participants will provide different perspectives on the issue through interactive presentations and then an audience led discussion, through submitted questions, will be the main focus of the symposium. The outcomes of the symposium are intended to spur attendees to better engage with inter/transdisciplinary research teams and provide a flexible framework to ask more pertinent economic questions. FDRS (Food Distribution Research Society, Inc) is the only body of scholars and practitioners in the United States dedicated to the study, monitoring and sharing of knowledge about the dramatic changes that are taking place in the global food system.

90% of #almond farms are family farms. Many of them are multi-generational Around 8,000 farms in #California are responsible for producing 80% of the world’s almonds. Most of those orchards are concentrated in the vast #CaliforniaCentralValley, where the trees thrive in the mild winters and scorching, dry summers that make up the region’s #Mediterranean #climate. More than half of the nuts they produce are then exported, primarily to #India, #Spain, #China and the #UnitedArabEmirates. Source: kvpr.org

U.S. fruit, #treenut, and #berry sales amounted to $34.2 billion in 2022 (20% more than 2017), accounting for 6.3% of total U.S. #agriculture sales. 10 states accounted for 93% of sales and 92% of acres producing fruit, tree nuts, and berries in 2022. Just three states – #California, #Washington, and #Florida – accounted for 83% of sales and 76% of acres. Source: Census of Agriculture

International Coffee Day – October 1st #Coffee is grown in the #Bean Belt circling the globe of equatorial regions of #Africa, #SoutheastAsia, the #Americas, and the #Indian subcontinent. 70 countries grow it yet only 50 export #coffeebeans. 25 million #farming households are responsible for 80% of the world’s coffee #production. And if you include harvesters, processor or other industry workers, 100 million. (FAO)

Agtools Worldwide Data Partnership with Fruitnet Agtool's strategic collaboration with Fruitnet Media International, which supplements the publisher’s global fresh produce industry insights, started in 2024. Fruitnet is the worldwide leader on media and tradeshows such as Eurofruit, Asiafruit, Global Avocado Congress, Global Berry Congress, Fresh Produce India and many more including the leading Fruit Logistica content in Berlin. The strategic collaboration will see Agtools supply global market data via its real-time platform to boost Fruitnet’s research capability, as well as regular category reports for publication on Fruitnet.com https://lnkd.in/gmDP27G2

The Future of #agriculture & #Farming: #AI Innovation: By 2050 we must produce or manage efficiently 60% more food to feed a world population of 9.3 billion, reports #FAO… #ArtificialIntelligence to the rescue: The #AI in Agriculture Market is projected to grow from $1.7 billion in 2023 to $4.7 billion by 2028, highlighting the pivotal role of advanced technologies in this sector. www.agtools.ai

Globally - #Climate Adaptation Underfunded Developing countries alone need some $212 billion per year by 2030 to adapt to increasingly inhospitable growing conditions in agriculture. Adaptation project pipeline is lacking, with hazy financial incentives for the world’s #smallholderfarmers (SHFs) who contribute to one-third of the world’s food supply. The bright news: #corporations have made #adaptation investments, predominantly from their venturing arms, contributing to $1.1 billion in funding – nearly 20% of the total $5.7 billion in adaptation #agrifoodtech funding – across 85 deals. Source: Agfunder #Agriculture #FoodSupply #AgrifoodTech #Investment

Agtools – Invited to IFC's 2nd Agribusiness Conference: Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Agriculture. Agribusiness is a priority to IFC because of its broad development impact and especially strong role in poverty reduction. IFC combines their investments and advisory services capabilities to support private sector solutions focused on addressing the world’s soaring demand for food and escalating food prices in a sustainable, inclusive and efficient way. IFC’s private sector investments in agribusiness and forestry are an integral part of the World Bank Group’s goals of reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Agtools will be presenting its Advance Sustainability Knowledge System (ASKS), which curates a full value chain prism for each studied commodity for smart contracts, and the Advanced Phase Expert System (APExS), which rigorously reconciles myriad intractable extrinsic facets influencing said commodities, to afford thorough resource citations to aid decision-making.

Global AgriFoodTech Investment Will Impact #Food #SupplyChain Investment in #agrifoodtech startups has hit its lowest point in six years, declining nearly 50% from 2022 to 2023 as a result of fewer and smaller deals. Agrifoodtech startups raised $15.6 billion globally in 2023, down 49.2% percent from $30.5 billion in 2022. Funding to all categories declined with the exception of two: Bioenergy & Biomaterials and Farm Robotics, Mechanization & Equipment.   Source: AgFunder