Agriculture and the broader food system contribute approximately one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, innovative technology now presents farmers and major food companies with opportunities to make agriculture more environmentally-friendly.
The process of growing the food we eat at the increasing volumes demanded results in nutrient depletion and harmful carbon emissions. Regenerative agriculture seeks to reduce emissions and protect soil through various methods, including crop rotation, cover crops, biodiversity enhancement, composting, and integrating livestock. Additionally, regenerative agriculture aims to enhance crop resilience in the face of climate change.
One noteworthy example is Regrow Ag, a startup dedicated to decarbonizing and revitalizing agriculture. Regrow Ag utilizes satellite imagery, weather data, government soil maps, and on-site observations from specific farms, inputting this wealth of information into a computer model. This model understands how soils and crops behave under different conditions. Furthermore, Regrow Ag collaborates with farm management partners, including John Deere, to directly import crop, yield, and management data into its platform.
Co-founder and CEO Anastasia Volkova explains, “We monitor 1.2 billion acres where we observe the adoption of agricultural practices, allowing us to provide guidance to both private and public sectors. We analyze whether these practices have positive impacts on the environment, water, soil health, sustainability, farm resilience, and the local community.”
The computer model also identifies ways to improve agricultural practices. Regrow Ag then sells this valuable information to customers such as General Mills, a company committed to advancing regenerative agriculture on one million acres of farmland by 2030.
Steve Rosenzweig, agriculture science lead at General Mills, elaborates, “We source ingredients like oats for Cheerios and wheat for Pillsbury from the Great Plains of the U.S. and Canada. We acquire dairy from the Great Lakes region. Therefore, we require tools capable of modeling the agricultural impacts in these specific areas.”
Corporations like General Mills, which are striving for net-zero emissions, purchase Regrow Ag’s software and provide it to farmers. Additionally, they offer payments for ecosystem benefits. Therefore, when a farmer adopts practices that help sequester or remove carbon from the atmosphere, they receive compensation for their efforts, with Regrow Ag helping estimate the carbon amount.
Regrow Ag has secured funding from Galvanize Climate Solutions, Main Sequence Ventures, Microsoft’s M12, Time Ventures, Rethink Impact, and Cargill. According to the company and Pitchbook, the total funding received to date is approximately $60 million.
In conclusion, through cutting-edge technology and partnerships with key players in the industry, Regrow Ag is leading the charge towards sustainable and regenerative agriculture. By providing farmers with actionable insights and compensating them for their environmental contributions, this startup is paving the way for a cleaner and more resilient food ecosystem.
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