Our popular Start-Up Showcase at REAP highlighted some of the great new ideas and businesses that are bringing new thinking to agri-tech – a summary is below, and more details about each can be found via the links.
Small Robot Company to offer farming-as-a-service model
Robots are to be made available in a ‘Farming as a Service’ model. Small Robot Company is to offer a subscription service, which will see the farm ‘digitised’ and with seeding, feeding and weeding managed by robots.
The service links together a series of robots with a clever ‘operating system’. It starts by collecting accurate and up-to-date information about a crop, plant by plant. Eventually, each process – from knowing when to plant, to all aspects of crop care, to knowing when to harvest – will be automated.
Agrilytix making satellite sourced data accessible to farmers
Agrilytix Ltd is developing an agricultural monitoring system that uses satellite imagery and machine learning to provide enhanced decision support for smaller farmers in challenging environments.
Farm-r brings equipment time-share to farming
Sharing agricultural equipment makes economic sense to farmers as the cost and efficiency of the machinery has increased in recent years. Entrepreneur Dan Robinson is launching a company Farm-r at REAP to offer a market place to bring time-share to agriculture
Connecting Food uses Blockchain to secure food quality
Product recalls, such as following the recent Fipronil contamination of eggs, erode consumer confidence and damage brands. Early stage company Connecting Food is developing an authentication system that would allow food operators get real-time insight into whether a given product meets End Product Specifications (EPS)
Petiole makes measuring leaf area faster, more accurate and less tedious
Leaves give good insights into the health and vigour of a crop and so the ability to measure leaf area quickly and effectively is important to agricultural scientists, breeders, ecologists and chemists. Early-stage company Petiole has developed a way to use the camera on a mobile phone to provide a cheap, fast, accurate measure of leaf area.
Phytoponics inflatable modules make quality hydroponics affordable
A new approach to deep water hydroponics that incorporates deep water culture, ebb and flood system, aeration, ventilation and plant support all within one inflatable growing module, has been launched by early-stage company Phytoponics at REAP. The flexible system provides an affordable entry into hydroponics and is quick to install.
The Start-Up Showcase was sponsored by Innovate UK.
