Across the globe, investment and interest in the untapped potential of biomanufacturing* is at an all-time high. From Presidential Executive Orders to advance America’s bioeconomy, to multimillion-dollar funding announcements in states across Australia, governments around the world are pouring resources into the research and development needed to drive this burgeoning industry forward.

At first glance, AgFunder’s Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report makes for pretty bleak reading, showing a 44 per cent drop in investment in the sector in 2022 compared to 2021. But beyond the headline figures, there’s a more nuanced story to tell – and looking forward, it’s not all bad news.

In this evoke^AG. 2023 podcast series you can hear from global change makers and thought leaders who examine how innovation and tech intersect to improve our agrifood sector. These conversations tackle some of the big challenges for our food, farmers and natural resources, exploring tech-savy solutions and opportunities to drive change.

How can making milk without cows benefit Australian dairy farmers?

Using technology to solve consumer concerns is nothing new in the 21st century. But two brothers from Geraldton in Western Australia have taken it to a whole new level, utilising blockchain expertise to track premium Australian food from the farm gate to its final destination in China – and facilitating sustainable, and global consumer interactions.

The application of agtech is often positioned to improve operational efficiency, profitability and sustainability. But could this narrow definition be limiting the adoption of agtech on farm and in the supply chain?

Socially conscious consumers are increasingly demanding sustainable fashion, driving companies to innovate greener forms of fibre production.

We all want to innovate, but is that enough? What if the pace of innovation isn’t fast enough to save us from climate change or worse?

Australian agribusiness has seen significant growth over the past few years reaching $75B in output last year.

Finding world-leading research, technologies and commercialisation opportunities in one easy-to-use location, has always been a challenge – until grow^AG.

Indigenous peoples are the original stewards of the land and with that, the very first agriculturalists.

What happens when big money gets behind big ideas?

With a track record for running and re-engineering complex businesses, Mark Allison, Managing Director and CEO of Elders, is widely recognised as one of the thought leaders of Australian agribusiness.

Government, industries and companies are stepping up their climate commitments and evoke^AG. 2023 highlighted the opportunities and potential challenges for agriculture in tapping into the carbon market. A panel of experts working in this space argued there’s more than one way for farmers to cash in on soil carbon and climate friendly management practices, but that data is the key.

Australian agriculture is in the early stages of a dramatic disruption and a subsequent transition. There is rapid innovation across the entire value chain, investment in developing and scaling world-changing technologies and solutions, and we’re setting bullish targets on sustainability and environmental measures. But are we running the risk of leaving our farmers behind? Here farmer, Farmers2Founders project manager and evoke^AG. 2023 Future Young Leader, Matt Anderson urges the Australian agtech industry to not leave our farmers behind. 

Following a sell-out 2023 event in Adelaide, evoke^AG. organiser AgriFutures Australia in partnership with the Western Australian Government has announced the event will head west in February 2024.