Agroecology Capital | 2019 Report
Agroecology Capital released its 2019 AgTech Investment Report
In 2019, Startup in AgTech raised $2.4b in 2019, an increase of 21% over 2018.
Invest in AgTech startups with deep technology differentiation
Agroecology Capital invests in deep technology and science companies to create durable returns.
You are an accredited investor, a corporation or a fund of funds, let’s discover our investment opportunities by contacting Claire at claire@agroecologycapital.com or by setting up a meeting with one of our Partners
Using deep learning to help farmers increase yields, save on seed costs, and reduce excess nitrogen
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign built a network that forecasts the quantity of corn that will grow seasonally in a given field under variable rates of seeding and nitrogen fertilization.
Four different architectures based on convolutional neural networks were tested on nine cornfields, with an average size of nearly 100 acres.
Their best-performing model subdivided each field into plots 5 meters square. For each square, the researchers entered various levels of seed and fertilizer along with elevation, soil quality, and satellite imagery.
The team’s model-averaged .70 root mean squared error of the mean yield standard deviation in all fields. It predicted yields more accurately than other neural networks the team built in all but one. It was also better than a set of non-neural benchmarks, outperforming a random forest model by 29% and a multiple linear regression model by 68%.
Such a model is suitable for nitrogen and seed rates optimization to maximize expected yield
News from the field
U.S. Announces $19 Billion Coronavirus Aid for Farmers, Food Buys for Poor
President Donald Trump announced a $19 billion relief program to help U.S. farmers cope with the impact of the coronavirus, including $16 billion in direct payments to producers and mass purchases of meat, dairy, vegetables and other products.
The U.S. Agriculture Department is partnering with regional and local distributors to purchase $3 billion in such farm goods to be distributed to food banks, churches and aid groups as millions of Americans face unemployment with much of the economy shut down.