Agrotech: what it is, importance, market and examples
Agrotech is the term used to designate startups specifically focused on agribusiness , just as there are fintechs , which optimize financial services through technology, for example.
The idea, therefore, is to use innovations to develop more modern and productive methods , facilitating and streamlining the entire agribusiness supply chain.
When you ensure greater productivity in less physical space and time and spending less, you are not only having a competitive advantage and surviving in the market, but also meeting a demand that continues to grow.
After all, by 2050, the trend is for the world population to reach 10 billion people and the agricultural production area to serve all these people will be just 40% of the Earth's land area.
In other words, we need to do more with less.
What is the market like for agrotechs?
Now that you know what agrotech is, you might be wondering: what have these startups done that is so special?
We list below some solutions that these companies are implementing in agribusiness, revolutionizing the sector .
Robotics
Robotics is one of the implementations that brings the most benefits to the producer, as it reduces labor costs and ensures faster production.
As a bonus, there is an increase in operational performance, especially in more mechanical and repetitive tasks.
Biological control
The method consists of pest management using living organisms (micro or macrobiological) as agricultural pesticides.
In other words, the idea is to use natural predators to exterminate populations that are harmful to plants.
Agrotechs carry out much more in-depth and well-founded case studies to find the ideal living organisms to eliminate each type of pest.
IoT (Internet of Things)
IoT , combined with Big Data , is perhaps the solution that brings the most practical results for crops.
Thanks to it, it is possible to make more assertive decisions, ensure greater efficiency in problem-solving, reduce costs and waste and even manage a large volume of data .
A well-known and practical application of the Internet of Things is the placement of meteorological sensors in irrigation systems to provide information about the weather forecast .
Agricultural management software
The agricultural management software available on the market offers two main solutions: telemetry and real-time monitoring.
With the support of agrotechs, these tools are increasingly sophisticated, helping with fleet and equipment management, faster response to emergencies, increased productivity and improved safety as a whole.
For example, you can collect data on soil conditions or even your machinery from sensors that send information to a central location and store it in the cloud.
Precision agriculture
According to the AgTech Garage report we already mentioned, 16.74% of the solutions implemented by agribusiness startups are in the area of precision agriculture .
Here, several initiatives are being developed to reduce waste , increase productivity and have greater control over all processes.
Technology plays a fundamental role in this regard.
Artificial intelligence , for example, has been very useful in controlling the use of agrochemicals in crop spraying systems.
Using intelligent methodologies , it is possible to analyze images and measure the exact amount of product needed to spray an area.
This way, the producer cuts costs and also helps to protect nature, reducing the dispersion of herbicides and fungicides in the environment.
Laboratory analysis
With the help of agrotech, it is possible to go much deeper into laboratory analyses of soils, plant species, types of fertilizers and seeds, and different production methods for harvesting.
After all, technology offers countless possibilities for testing in a controlled environment, similar to the outdoors, thus bringing results that are more in line with reality.
Consultancy
To conclude the agrotech market, there is the consulting area .
Here, specialists carry out personalized work , mapping all the client's business processes and identifying bottlenecks that may be hindering the best performance of the object of study.
A consultancy job basically has five steps:
- 1. Identification of risk factors
- 2. Measuring possible impacts
- 3. Risk treatment
- 4. Monitoring and tracking of actions
- 5. Creation and implementation of a risk policy.
How can startups help in the growth and evolution of agribusiness?
The time when rural areas and plantations were seen as backward regions, where progress was not reaching, is behind us – or at least it should have been.
Technology is at your disposal.
Just seek knowledge and allow these innovations to be part of your productive routine.
One of the roles of agrotechs is precisely this: to facilitate access to the computerization of processes within the agribusiness supply chain.
In the previous topic, you had a preview of the solutions that these startups develop and the positive impacts they bring.
Therefore, it is impossible to dissociate technological progress within agribusiness and increased productivity.