“This is not social media, this is not the internet, this is not gaming.” But agtech investors aren’t going anywhere
“A tipping point.” “A pivotal moment.” “Great change.”
These phrases and similar were used several times to describe the current state of agriculture last week at the AgTech NEXT conference in St Louis.
They were referring, of course, to the upheaval taking place globally resulting from continued Covid-related supply chain disruptions, the war in Ukraine, and climate-related disasters. Farmers are grappling with volatile pricing for inputs at the same time that downstream consumers battle inflation in the grocery aisles. Droughts, floods, and fires are impacting crop production in many parts of the world. Hunger is on the rise again.