Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we'll dive into the latest strides in AgTech, featuring market corrections and bankruptcies revealing structural challenges, biological crop protection innovations from Micropep Technologies, and strategic partnerships advancing fungicide development and sustainable farming practices. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
Biological Innovation: Micropep Technologies' platform-driven peptides for crop protection
Strategic Partnerships: ADAMA and BASF fungicide co-development; xFarm Technologies and ISFA almond farming collaboration
Technology Advancement: Hexagon Bio biological research; Trinity AgTech precision agriculture; CDotBio crop health biologicals
Investment & Corporate Activity: Agreenculture raises six million euros Series A; Ardabelle Capital expands agriculture investments; GrowUp Farms acquired by Sun Capital; AeroFarms winds down operations
Production Optimization: Ginkgo Bioworks and Agricen complete fermentation collaboration
Events: Future of Food Summit in London and Indoor Ag-Con in Las Vegas
Read The Full Summary On The Latest Issue Of IGROW NEWS
Welcome to another episode of AgTech Digest, your go-to source for the latest in agricultural technology. In today's episode, we're diving into the latest developments shaping the future of agriculture. We'll explore market corrections and structural resets in the AgTech sector, examine biological crop protection innovations and platform development, and look at strategic partnerships in fungicide development and sustainable farming. We'll also cover precision agriculture advancements, autonomous machinery funding, and biological technologies for crop health. There's a lot to cover, so let's get started.
Anna:
From the analysis of the last year, AgTech bankruptcies in 2025 reflect a structural market correction rather than a failure of innovation. At least 21 companies across insect farming, vertical farming, greenhouse technology, drones, biotech, and digital platforms entered bankruptcy or liquidation, impairing over $2.8 billion in disclosed historical funding. Losses were concentrated in capital-intensive production models, especially vertical farming at approximately $1.4 billion and insect farming at approximately $670 million, where high energy costs, infrastructure demands, and slow commercialization became untenable as follow-on capital tightened. Many failures occurred after Series B to D rounds, highlighting scale-up risk rather than early-stage experimentation. Geographically, the United States at approximately $2.1 billion and France at approximately $608 million accounted for the largest disclosed funding exposure. While several companies entered full liquidation, others pursued restructuring or distressed asset sales, with facilities, intellectual property, and equipment acquired at steep valuation discounts. At the same time, capital continued to flow elsewhere in AgTech, albeit more selectively, through bridge rounds, venture debt, and downside-protected structures. Overall, the 2025 data reflects a market recalibrating toward capital efficiency, realistic scaling paths, and demonstrable unit economics, with 2026 likely to further differentiate resilient models from structurally challenged ones.
Anna:
Moving forward, as a crop-level deep dive from the Indoor Farming Trends Report 2025, we analyzed every publicly announced controlled-environment agriculture update from both growers and solution providers, spanning vertical farms and high-tech greenhouses. The data offers a clear view of which crops continue to anchor commercial activity and where operators are selectively expanding or experimenting. Leafy greens remain the most active category, leading all crops in announcements related to facility launches, system upgrades, lighting trials, and product integrations. Tomatoes and strawberries continue to show strong momentum, driven by automation development, climate and energy-efficiency optimization, and demand for premium produce. A secondary group of crops, including cucumbers, peppers, aromatics, lettuce, and mushrooms, appears consistently in expansion and optimization projects, while a long tail of specialty crops surfaced in single announcements, signaling ongoing experimentation with high-value or technically complex categories that could define future commercial pathways as indoor farming systems mature.
Anna:
Following this week's interview, Micropep Technologies is developing peptide-based biological crop protection solutions as alternatives to synthetic pesticides. Chief Technology Officer Mikael Courbot notes that scaling AgTech requires balancing near-term product delivery with long-term platform development. A platform approach allows the company to design solutions that can adapt across crops and markets. The company uses artificial intelligence to support peptide design, optimizing efficacy, stability, and production cost. Field programs currently focus on soybean, grapevine, and potato, with trials underway in Latin America and the United States. Courbot points to regional differences in biocontrol regulation, with Brazil advancing faster than Europe. Looking ahead, Micropep aims to apply its peptide platform across multiple crop protection applications, supporting scalable and repeatable biological solutions.
Anna:
Furthermore, ADAMA and BASF entered a strategic agreement to jointly develop and commercialize Gilboa fungicide solutions for crop disease management. Transitioning to digital agriculture, xFarm Technologies partnered with ISFA to support sustainable almond farming. The partnership brings digital farm management tools to almond production, with a focus on efficiency, sustainability, and data-driven decision-making. In biological innovation, Hexagon Bio shared progress on biological crop protection programs aimed at supporting more sustainable input development. Meanwhile, AeroFarms has laid off a significant number of employees over the past week as operations wind down. The company is now seeking a buyer for its assets. On the investment front, Ardabelle Capital disclosed new investments targeting growth-stage companies across agriculture, food, and sustainability sectors. Continuing with technology developments, Trinity AgTech highlighted developments in precision agriculture tools designed to improve farm-level efficiency and decision-making. In corporate transactions, GrowUp Group Limited has sold its entire shareholding in GrowUp Farms to Sun Capital through a pre-packaged transaction following pre-pack administration. Regarding funding news, Agreenculture raised 6 million euros in a Series A equity round led by Supernova Invest, Future Food Fund, and Unilis, which is part of the Unigrains Group. The funding will be used to scale autonomous machinery solutions. In biological technologies, CDotBio introduced advancements in biological technologies aimed at supporting crop health and reducing conventional input use. Finally, Ginkgo Bioworks and Agricen have completed an initial collaboration focused on fermentation process optimization for soil amendments.
Anna:
Looking ahead to upcoming industry events for this year, mark your calendars for Future of Food Summit on February 10th, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. Following that, Indoor Ag-Con will take place from February 11th to February 12th, 2026 in Las Vegas, United States.
Anna:
That wraps up today's episode of AgTech Digest. We explored the latest developments in agricultural technology. From market corrections and structural resets in AgTech to biological crop protection innovations and strategic partnerships, it's clear that the agtech sector is making strides in sustainability and innovation. With significant funding rounds including Agreenculture's six million euro raise and impactful partnerships between companies like ADAMA and BASF, xFarm Technologies and ISFA, and Ginkgo Bioworks and Agricen, the future of agriculture is shaping up to be smarter and more sustainable than ever before. Thanks for joining me, I'm Anna, signing off. Stay inspired and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible!
