Inspiration from agriculture

Before investing, it is important to assess not only the project itself, but also the macro environment in which it will be implemented. To assist investors, the National Agency for Investment and Privatization has prepared reviews of all sectors and areas of the Belarusian economy that are of interest for direct investment.

Statistical data, sales markets, infrastructure for investment projects, an overview of preferences, and successful cases—everything you need to understand the development prospects of the industry.  And for inspiration, we have supplemented our reviews with current trends and talked about the most daring global startups, ideas, and technologies that can be applied in the Republic of Belarus.

Innovation and a new approach to existing technologies can transform even the most traditional industry into a technologically advanced one. To prove this, we began our research with agriculture. Today, we no longer talk about genetic engineering, biotechnology, automation, and robotization—these are obvious and sustainable trends. The modern world dictates new trends:

1. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze and predict events. For example, diseases, optimal sowing and harvesting times.

2. Precision farming and the Internet of Things – using sensors, weather stations, drones, and satellites to make decisions on optimizing irrigation, fertilization, pest control, and tracking the location, health, and behavior of livestock.

3. Vertical farming – growing plants in vertical systems in a limited space. This could be a multi-story farm where plants are located on different levels. Or it could be a livestock farm.

4. Urban agriculture is the cultivation of plants in cities on an industrial scale, including vegetable gardens on roofs, balconies, basements, parks, and other available spaces.

But does it work in practice? Not every innovation can become a worthy replacement for existing technologies. Often, the costs of implementation far exceed the expected economic effect. We have found the top 20 most interesting startups in agriculture that are actively developing new trends. Maybe there is an idea here for your investment project in Belarus?

1. Agrila is developing an IoT-based sensor station that tracks humidity, soil temperature, wind speed and direction, rainfall, solar radiation, and more.

2. Farmer's Hive offers remote monitoring sensors for agricultural equipment, crops, and microclimate, providing cloud services for data storage.

3. Advanced.Farm offers autonomous harvesting using robots equipped with stereo cameras. They identify and collect fresh produce based on size and ripeness.

4. Nexus Robotics is developing a robot that detects and removes weeds from fields. It uses deep learning algorithms and cameras to distinguish grains from weeds.

5. Arva Intelligence uses artificial intelligence to give farmers advice on harvest planning. The program collects all data about the farm and analyzes genetics, soil composition, weather, plant species, and crop yield.

6. Smart Agritech is developing a digital system for automatically weighing pigs. It uses cameras and artificial intelligence.

7. Wakan Tech creates drones for caring for date palms. Unmanned systems monitor the condition of trees and spray pesticides and pollen.

8. Equinox's Drones offers unmanned solutions for farmers—for crop monitoring, aerial inspection, and data analysis. Drones are used to create field maps, 3D terrain models, and other useful materials.

9. Data Farming offers digital solutions for precision farming through cloud services.

10. Agricolus develops precision farming tools to measure plant vitality, water stress, and chlorophyll levels. Maps are then created to help farmers apply fertilizers and other substances correctly.

11. AgGene specializes in breeding plants that accumulate more protein.

12. Fyllo develops cloud technologies for real-time data analysis in agriculture.

13. AgriData Innovations creates smart cameras for greenhouses. The cameras measure plant characteristics, detect pests and diseases, analyze seed germination, and provide useful information.

14. OnePointOne specializes in creating farms with vertical aeroponics.

15. RhizeBio helps track biodiversity and soil health to improve farm productivity.

16. Plenty is involved in vertical farming. It offers an innovative approach to growing fresh vegetables and greens indoors on vertical racks.

17. InFarm promotes the idea of creating farms in cities. Small beds are installed directly at supermarkets and restaurants, allowing consumers to obtain fresh produce directly at the point of sale. This reduces transportation costs and lowers the cost of products.

18. Full Harvest offers a platform for selling and buying substandard fruits and vegetables that are usually thrown away. This helps farmers sell their entire crop and reduces the amount of food waste.

19. Pherosyn uses species-specific pheromones to naturally protect plants from insects.

20. Ensemo has developed a high-performance mechanical solution that introduces beneficial microbes into seeds, facilitating the widespread adoption of biological products.

Download the full overview of Belarusian agriculture and its investment prospects. Similar analytical materials with an overview of trends and startups in other industries can be found here.

Already have a project in agriculture? On our website, you can find a suitable land plot or production site for its implementation. And in the Investment Projects section, you will find even more ideas and businesses that need a partner.

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