Nutrient technology start-ups to start trials in New Zealand

The Farm2050 Nutrient Trialing Platform aims to identify, validate and demonstrate at scale promising technologies in nutrient management and water contamination reduction across broad acre crops, horticulture and pasture-based dairy in collaboration with agritech investors, farmers, researchers and startup companies around the globe.

The innovators chosen for the first wave of trials in New Zealand include:

• ClimateAi, which uses AI to tackle climate risk across the food supply chain
• CropX, an established farm management platform with soil sensing and nitrogen monitoring solutions
• Eko360, a sustainable fertiliser start-up providing controlled-release nitrogen solutions
• Pastoral Robotics, focused on reducing nitrate leaching and greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farming with precision infield nitrogen treatments
• Phospholutions Solutions, which provides controlled-release phosphorus technology solutions

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Improve nutrient usage and reduce nutrient loss

“All five of the companies we’ve selected demonstrated remarkable promise as critical nutrient management technologies that will ease the transition to productive and profitable food production systems with low environmental impact. We are optimistic that their technology can improve nutrient usage and reduce nutrient loss out in the field, under real environmental pressures within current farming systems and practices.” noted Michael Pereira, chief agronomist for Finistere Ventures.

Finistere Ventures will lead the first wave of trials for these five technologies in New Zealand across pastoral/grazing dairy farms, high-value horticultural crops and broad acre farming efforts.

Farm2050 anticipates extending the program to the U.S. in 2022 to capture year-round insights across diverse ecologies and farming systems.