The Omdena: “AI Adoption Leaders Series” includes game-changing startups, stories and thought-leadership content from pioneering impact ventures that are solving real-world problems.

The series is introduced by Omdena´s talent top program for impact-driven startups.

In this article, we’ll take a look at 15 inspiring and innovative precision agriculture companies (up to Series A) that are making an impact in the AgTech industry with some modern technologies like AI and machine learning. As part of the series, we interviewed a couple of companies on “How they measure the impact of their products and services”, those answers you can find in their company profiles.

What is precision agriculture, and why is it important?

Precision agriculture refers to the latest farming technology that uses data and analytics to increase crop yield and enhance productivity. This data is gathered from sensors monitoring various sources on the farm – soild of varying properties, periodic weather and crop health patterns- to help the farmer to take fast decisions.

By applying precision agriculture best practices, farmers realize increased yields, reduced input costs and improved environmental sustainability.

Moreover, by working with the best in class precision agriculture companies featured in this blog post and also precision farming technology companies through comprehensive data analytics farmers can have access to granular insights driven by data that will enable them take informed decisions for improved farming operations. Precision agriculture has many advantages which represent a significant opportunity for growers in Australia and around the world to boost their output and cut costs.

Why is social and environmental impact measurement important? What is the connection to profit?

Most of the thinking on measuring social impact is aimed at civil society organizations, non-profit or ESG (Environment and Social Governance), CSR initiatives of big corporations. But they are also unable to work at the speed of startups when it comes to tangible impact measurement, and this is where startups come in by stepping in and using agile working method.

For instance,OECD has produced this policy brief on approaches and policies to scale the social impact of social enterprises. It was prepared in the framework of a multiannual collaboration between the LEED Programme of the OECD and the Directorate General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission. Overview of the Social Enterprise and Scaling The policy brief starts by defining what is a social enterprise, and what scaling means for the social enterprises. Then it contrasts scaling dynamics of social ventures with those commonly experienced by mainstream enterprises, considering the role of mission-related objectives versus profit-maximization; products and services involved; and stakeholder relationships.

Profit and progress are not mutually exclusive. Most of the Precision Ag companies work hard to keep trust and transparency in their customer relationship. Precision Without reputation and products that prove their commitment to moral principles, including competitive pay, good working environments, green practices, etc., ag tech co.s will not find see long-term loyalty from customers -> INCREASED SALES. Better yet, high impact, high profit precision Agtech companies get what the “triple bottom line” can mean — they are making money and being socially responsible and environmentally sound for instance.

The connection between impact investing and startups

There are dozens of industries making a positive difference, like healthcare, inclusive media and energy — just to name a few.

Precision Agriculture is the industry model, where profit can be raised at the same time providing a positive impact on the environment. Some even say that, just as personal computers (PCs), the internet and smartphones have revolutionised our lives in multiple ways, Precision Agriculture will also act as a catalyst for change in rural areas by enabling new business models.”. ~ European Parliamentary Research Service (Europarl) These advancements are designed to simplify work and enhance the lives of people working diligently every day. PA could help in narrowing the gender pay gap and saving time for farmers. But it also endangers seasonal workers who depend on farm labor. New business models are now being developed here to see what the farming industry would look like with a boost from PA, but only 25% of EU farms have access to these technologies at the moment. EU could introduce PA to the new generation of farmers (as second category above) and establish proper civil behavior to expand the practice. Nonetheless, there are different country-specific complications that challenge policymakers across Member States.

Greater numbers of impact-driven funds are also coming to market.

To the likes of Human Impact Capital (HIC), Germany’s first social impact VC fund. The fund will invest cash into digitally-based business models geared more toward health, education and “living,” up to having impacts on sustainable development goals themselves. To HIC, this comes down to “No Poverty, Good health and well-being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Reduced Inequalities.”

Some of the impact investing funds include European Institute of Innovation (EII), and Technology, a few start-ups currently revolutionising precision agriculture around the world from within EII among others are GetBoarded Technologies (Portugal), Revolab (Lithuania), OPTIFOOD (Slovenia), Omnio (Bulgaria) and Evelon (Portugal); RestPay(Poland) Vision Anchor(Slovenia).

15 Rising Precision Agriculture Companies Making a Real-World Impact

1. Agrosmart

Headquarters: Campinas, São Paulo

Founded: 2014

Founder(s): Mariana Vasconcelos

Description: Based in Brazil and founded on 2014, Agrosmart operates in LATAM with more than 100k agribusiness users and manages over 48mn hectares through their solutions across 9 countries. The company uses technology and design to deliver a climate intelligence platform with solutions for crop monitoring in which they offer solutions based on sensors, satellite images, digital field notebooks and other applications that produce agronomic and climate models integrated with various sources of information.

Applications and projects:

• BoosterPRO | Weather monitoring and irrigation control:

BoosterPRO is a climate intelligence platform which assembles the fundamental data, information and alerts for your crop. Agrosmart BoosterPRO provides over 100,000 Latin American producers with safer and more proactive decisions in their routine.

2. Stenon

Headquarters: Potsdam, Brandenburg

Founded: 2018

Founders: Niels Grabbert, Dominic R.

Description: NO LOOKING FOR LABS TO SEND SOIL SAMPLES TOO! With Stenon’s sensor technology, farmers can now analyse their soil as often as they want and receive immediate results. Immediate access to soil information is essential before, during and after planting in order to maximise the health of soils with crops.

Applications and projects:

• Laboratory Independent Real-Time Soil Analysis

Thanks to sensor technology developed by Stenon, farmers can test soil as frequently as they choose and get instant results. With quick and easy access to their soil data, farmers can better manage their soil health and agricultural performance.

3. Instacrops

Headquarters: Santiago, Chile

Founded: 2015

Founder(s): Mario Andrés Bustamante Bernucci 

Brief About the Product: Instacrops is an end-to-end platform that collates and packages IoT, satellite & drones technologies to deliver real-time recommendations to the farmers with the use of ML and AI.

Applications and projects:

InstaFrost: Frost alert service forecasting environment temperature and frost based on agroclimatic information collected by the Instacrops stations – InstaWeather Standard/ Plus and/ or InstaSoil Temp / Plus.

• InstaWell: The complete solution to monitor and control deep wells, in accordance with the DGW 1238 Standard.

• InstaWeather: This is the weather station that brings together all the essential agroclimatic parameters to monitor the temperatures of your field.

• InstaSoil: With this, farmers can monitor the soil moisture of their crop to manage the time and frequency of irrigation efficiently.

• InstaFlow: This is a controller that is connected directly to the irrigation shed in order to track, program, and control water flows easily and remotely.

• SkyCrops: This is a diagnostic tool that gives updated information on your crops through drones or satellite images.

• CROP ADVISOR: With the INSTACROPS technology deployed on the farms, they collect minute-by-minute data to gather relevant information for decision-making.

What is impact to you and maybe,how do you measure it at Instacrops?

Instacrops is a virtual advisor that allows you to give farmers direct advice on their crops thanks to a powerful platform where processed information (easy to interpret and given in real-time) can make decisions about everything that happens in the territory. Our tech lets farmers use 35% less water and 30% less energy, while increasing crop productivity by 12%.

As of today, we have 1,200 + users connected to our platform and over 80,000 + hectares monitored in Latin America.

We’re committed to continued investment in new solutions that will benefit farmers long term by enabling them to grow more and better food for the planet.

We hope that by 2026, we will change the life of more than 5.000 farmers in Latin America and save over 2.5 billion gallons of water.

4. Augmenta

Headquarters: Paris, Ile-de-France

Founded: 2017

Founder(s): George Varvarelis and Dimitri (Jim) Evangelopoulos

Description: Augmenta is redefining agriculture by “smartly” automating the most significant farming activities, while reducing costs and increasing crop performance.

• Applications and projects:

Augmenta Mantis: A simple and compatible alternative that is easy to install on the most popular architectures. ROI in a fraction of alternatives. It tweaks your farmers existing RX or simply use VRA in real time.

• In-cabin tablet application: This is used for initial setup and for conveniently starting your in-season Live VRA applications with just a few taps. The tablet interface enables the visualization of the application of farmers’ agronomic recommendations, in real-time as you drive, section by section.

• Augmenta Web Portal: The Augmenta web portal gives you access to complete reports including plant health statistics, snapshots from specific fields and/or applications along with visualization of the savings status in detail.

• Augmenta LiveVRA: The continuously evolving portfolio of Augmenta LiveVRA Services enables farmers to variable rates on their recommendation of maximum dosage, based on the real-time reading of the canopy’s health.

5. Intello Labs

Headquarters: Gurgaon, Haryana

Founded: 2016

Founder(s): Nishant Mishra, Milan Sharma, Himani Shah

Description: Intello Labs does the quality assessment of food commodities using computer vision and AI. They help food businesses (growers, traders, retailers, food service companies, exporters, etc.) improve their customer satisfaction and cut down losses.

Applications and projects:

• Intello FlowStar: Intello FlowStar is a packing machine designed to eliminate food business challenges, from high SKUs to manual labor.  Extremely adaptable and fast, the packing machine weighs and packs 40+ different types of fruits and vegetables. 

• Intello FruitSort: FruitSort represents a revolution in automatic fruit sorting machines. The configurable machine comes with integrated lighting and cameras that rotate 360 degrees, so no part of the fruit surface goes undetected.

• Intello Sort: This configurable, automated machine physically segregates fruits and vegetables for growers, packers, aggregators, traders, retailers, and processors. Built for multiple commodities, it sorts based on size, color, and visual defects.

• IntelloPack: IntelloPack gives precision packing driven by intelligence. An automated weighing and packing machine for fresh produce, it is distinguishable for its compact size. 

• IntelloGrade: IntelloGrade is a next-generation grading machine. Powered by the ingenuity of AI, it combines sensors with data-driven analysis to gives a crystal clear picture of every nut or spice.

• Intello Track: An app that helps gain greater control over quality processes, driving accuracy, consistency, & collaboration.

• Intello ShelfEye: Intello ShelfEye helps automates dark stores, online fresh produce and mealkit quality processes with AI to cut superfluous costs, enhance operations, and delight customers

6. Plantix

Headquarter: Berlin, Germany

Founded: 2015

Founder(s): Simone Strey and Rob Strey

Description: Plantix is the world’s most downloaded app for farmers – combining artificial intelligence and the expertise of leading research institutions around the globe.

Applications and projects: 

• Plantix Magic App:Plantix turns farmers’ Android phones into a mobile crop doctor with which they can accurately detect pests and diseases on crops within seconds. Plantix serves as a complete solution for crop production and management.

How do you define and, possibly, measure impact at Plantix?

We at Plantix want to connect small-scale farmers and suppliers in one digital ecosystem with customized solutions, reliable products, and trusted services. In the last 12 months, over 5.5 million farmers have used the Plantix app very actively throughout the year – our goal of reaching 6 million by the end of 2022 is within reach.

During this period, the Plantix app has provided well over 30 million pieces of qualified advice to its farmers

By creating this digital ecosystem, Plantix has been able to make a strong positive impact:

Environmentally:

• 33.6M acres of crops have been saved
• The misuse of 2,1000 tonnes of pesticides have been avoided

Economically:

• 90% of farmers report an improvement in their farming practices
• 80% say the amount of crops that died has decreased
• 50% report decreased household expenditures
• and 80% report improvement in their quality of life

7. BharatAgri

Headquarters: Karnataka, India

Founded: 2017

Founder(s): Krishna Tanmay, Sai Gole, Aman Verma, and Siddharth Dialani

Description: BharatAgri is a farming technology platform where they work with farmers and full agriculture value chain directly. The company’s mission is to bridge the gap between technology and agriculture in India with a vision to reach out to 140 Million Indian farmers.

Applications and projects: 

• Personalized farm solutions and products with the BharatAgri website. 

How do you define and, possibly, measure impact at BharatAgri?

BharatAgri was conceptualized with the mission of increasing farmers’ incomes.

We measure our impact with two metrics – an increase in production and a reduction in cost. To date, 90,000+ farmers have purchased BharatAgri subscriptions for 200,000+ acres.

BharatAgri users have seen a 30% increase in production and a 10% reduction in costs.

8. TartanSense

Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka, India. 

Founded: 2015

Founder(s): Jaisimha Rao, Arha Padman

Description: TartanSense is a Bangalore based Agri-tech company centered on AI, Computer Vision, and Robotics, revolutionizing the way farming is undertaken in India and the world.

Applications and projects: 

• Tartan BladeRunner: A tractor-pulled Mechanical Weeder

• Tartan 3S (Sustainable Spot Spraying Technology): Tartan 3S Technology is a one-stop solution to mitigate the perils of blanket spraying. It can spray pesticides directly on the foliage of the plants without wastefully spraying on the soil saving up to 60% chemical usage.

9. OneSoil

Headquarters: Zurich

Founded: 2017

Founder(s): Usevalad Henin, Slava Mazai, and Sasha Yakovlev

Description: OneSoil is a Swiss company with headquarters in Zurich and research and development across Europe that develops precision farming apps based on satellite images and machine learning technologies. The OneSoil free app is used by more than 300K farmers worldwide, with around 5% of the world’s arable land (56M+ hectares/ 135M+ acres) added to the app by its users. The company’s data processing algorithms enable access to field insights in real-time, making it an important data source for farmers, various companies, non-profits, researchers, and international organizations.

Applications and projects:

• OneSoil App: The OneSoil app helps remotely monitor crops, increase yields, and reduce seed and fertilizer costs. 

How do you define and, possibly, measure impact at OneSoil?

Data-driven precision farming is the future of agriculture. At OneSoil, we make precision farming as simple and valuable as possible for farmers.

Our precision farming program, OneSoil Yield, helps farmers maximize the yield based on the productivity zones of each field. With OneSoil Yield, we save farmers time and money and increase the profitability of their businesses by analyzing satellite imagery with OneSoil’s machine-learning algorithms.

Thanks to OneSoil Yield, one of Ukraine’s top 10 agricultural holdings, IMC, was able to save 200 tons of fertilizer during an agricultural crisis due to the war. During the previous season, they made $300,000 thanks to OneSoil Yield precision farming technology, and during the war, the same technology helped them optimize resources.

Thus, OneSoil Yield is a solution that has a tremendous positive impact on farm profitability, on business flexibility in times of crisis, and on the planet: excess fertilizer and chemicals no longer create greenhouse gases or contaminate groundwater. Data-driven precision farming has a win-win impact both on business and the environment.

10. Arable

Headquarters: San Francisco, California

Founded: 2014

Founder(s): Adam Wolf

Description: Arable’s ground-truth data, powerful agronomic models, and intuitive design help businesses across the ag and food value chain optimize decisions, improve efficiency, and deliver greater levels of sustainability.

Applications and projects:

• Sensing and monitoring: Infield sensing and data capture have never been easier, more complete, or more reliable. Arable system help collect ground-truth data in real-time from the field on weather, soil, and crop response all in one place and start making more confident decisions.

• Data Analytics and Integration: Arable Analytics transforms highly accurate, localized data harvested from the field into actionable insights and alerts for easy consumption on the devices of your choosing.

11. Arugga

Headquarters: Kfar Monash, Isreal

Founded: 2017

Founder(s): Iddo Geltner, Eytan Heller

Description: Arugga is developing and manufacturing autonomous ground robots which will treat and monitor individual plants in the greenhouse. 

Applications and projects:

• Arugga Polly: Equipped with cameras and AI-based computer vision, the Arugga Polly robot recognizes flowers ready for pollination. This air-pressure mechanism then applies calibrated air pulses to the selected flower.

12. AGRIVI

Headquarters: London, England

Founded: 2013

Founder(s): Matija Zulj And Roger Blott

Description: AGRIVI is one of the leading global AgTech companies with a vision to change the way food is produced, positively impact over a billion people.  The AGRIVI approach to solving the global food problem is through the digitalization of agriculture, that is, by switching the farmer’s decision-making reliant on traditional practices and historical knowledge to the new data-driven and fact-based decision-making empowered by best-growing practices and real-time agronomic insights available using technology. 

Applications and projects:

AGRIVI 360: Comprehensive and all-encompassing insight into crop production management with leading farm management software for farmers, food processing companies, and other agri-food value chain stakeholders.

• Farm Insights: Easy-to-Use Farm Management Software

• Farm Enterprise: Comprehensive Farm Management Platform

• Farm Advisory: Advisory Farm Management Platform

• Agriculture Supply Chain: Supply Chain Management Platform

AGRIVI loT: Real-time insights into field data, from micro-climate and soil conditions to farm machinery fleet monitoring.

• IoT Meteo: Agricultural Meteo Stations

• IoT Soil: Agricultural Soil Sensors

• IoT Fleet: Fleet Management Platform

13. BeeHero

Headquarters: California

Founded: 2017

Founder(s): Itai Kanot, Omer Davidi, and Yuval Regev

Description: BeeHero is a developer of a beehive technology platform intended to maximize crop yields through pollination. The company’s technology uses artificial intelligence with low-cost sensors to collect in-hive data and to stimulate full output potential during peak pollination cycles, enabling farmers to protect beehives from colony collapse and maximize pollination efficiency for growers around the world.

Applications and projects:

• BeeHero Beekeeper App: Farmers can be everywhere with unprecedented data-driven oversight of their entire operation, from real-time colony health insights to pollination activity. 

How do you define and, possibly, measure impact at BeeHero?

• Inadequate pollination threatens our ability to feed a growing population.
• BeeHero uses IoT sensors to collect hive data and then analyzes the resulting data set with AI and ML.
• BeeHero leverages this data on hive strength to deliver Precision Pollination to commercial crop growers.
• Precision Pollination is critical to generate more productivity from each acre, which is at the heart of Sustainable Agriculture.

14. Wefarm

Headquarters: London, England

Founded: 2015

Founder(s): Kenny Ewan

Description: Wefarm is a farmer-to-farmer digital network that enables farmers to share information via SMS. The company allows small-scale farmers to connect with one another to solve problems, share ideas, and spread innovation. Utilizing the latest machine learning technology, Wefarm’s service works both online and over SMS. Wefarm knowledge network and marketplace for small-scale farmers help them share and access vital information, products, and services. Wefarm is free for farmers to use.

Applications and projects:

• WeFarm SMS system: Wefarm is a platform where independent farms thrive. By connecting with each other, the community open-sources its collective expertise and resources, unlocking better outcomes for themselves and their farms.  The community can connect online or via SMS, and access a trusted marketplace of physical retailers. Farmers can access Wefarm anytime, for free, even without access to the internet. The Wefarm App is where the Wefarm community comes together online. This digital platform allows farmers to browse special-interest forums, and form groups based on their specific farming interests and value chains.

• Wefarm Marketplace: Marketplace is Wefarm’s network of trusted retail partners. They work closely with their retailers to provide the best value products for their members to help turn plans into farm output.

• Machine learning and NLP: WeFarm harness artificial intelligence to empower human intelligence. This means all machine learning at Wefarm aims to supplement, augment, and identify the knowledge, skills, and achievements of our farmers. As they work towards connecting every smallholder farmer on earth, they match farmers with issues to farmers with the best solutions.

15. A de Agro

Headquarters: Sao Paulo

Founded: 2021

Founder(s): Rodrigo Almeida

Description: A de Agro is an agriculture company that is in agribusiness that provides financial services.

Applications and projects:

• Financial Credit for farmers: Through A de Agro agricultural intelligence, they evaluate the rural producer from pre-planting to harvest to deliver the fairest credit for your crop.