Broken Crayons
“Broken crayons still color.”
🚜 New in AgTech
The Robot Rewriting German Farming
It's dawn on the Straeten family farm in Germany. While Christoph Straeten sips his morning coffee, a small Norwegian robot is already hard at work in his fields, methodically hunting down weeds with the precision of a surgeon and the persistence of a tireless farmhand.
Meet Your New Farmhand
The Kilter AX-1 doesn't look like much-certainly not like the hulking tractors we're used to seeing. But since April 2025, this autonomous spot sprayer has been quietly revolutionizing how the Straeten family tackles one of farming's oldest challenges: weeds. "The autonomous robot works well," Christoph tells us with characteristic German understatement. But the numbers tell a more dramatic story.
Here's where it gets interesting. The Kilter saves 90% on herbicides and replaces difficult and less enjoyable work. Think about that for a moment; nine out of every ten litres of herbicide that would typically be sprayed across entire fields can now stay in the tank.
How? The AX-1 uses pictures of crops and AI analysis to apply microdroplets of pelargonic acid onto individual weeds. It's like having a sniper instead of a shotgun-precise, targeted, and devastatingly effective!
Beyond the Tech
For European farmers facing ever-tightening regulations around chemical use, mounting environmental pressures, and labor shortages, the Kilter represents something bigger: a pathway to farming that's both economically viable and environmentally responsible.
The robot works day and night, doesn't call in sick, and never gets bored of the repetitive work that many farmhands find tedious. Meanwhile, farmers can focus on higher-value tasks that actually require human judgment and creativity.
The Straeten family's success with Norwegian technology on German soil tells a broader European story. As small- to medium-sized farms across the continent grapple with similar challenges, autonomous precision agriculture is becoming essential.
The question isn't whether robots will transform European agriculture. The question is: will you be leading the charge or playing catch-up?
The DayaTani Model: How Seeds Fund AgTech Innovation
While European AgTech investors have grown cautious about funding pure-play technology startups, a Singapore-based company is proving there's a smarter path forward. DayaTani's ingenious approach—using profitable seed sales to fund AI development—offers a compelling blueprint for sustainable AgTech innovation that European entrepreneurs should study closely.
From Technology Dreams to Market Reality
Founded in 2023 by Ankit Gupta and Deryl Lu, Daya Tani initially followed the familiar AgTech playbook: build sophisticated technology first, worry about monetization later. After experimenting with contract farming models that proved unsustainable, the founders made a crucial pivot. "We discovered a huge gap in the supply of high-quality, certified seeds. About 97% to 98% of the market is completely unorganised," explains Gupta.
This revelation transformed their business model. Instead of chasing venture capital to fund technology development, they began supplying watermelon seeds and potato tubers directly to Indonesian farmers and traders. The results speak for themselves: watermelon yields can be anywhere between 30% to 50% higher, while there about 10% to 20% improvement for potatoes compared to traditional seeds.
The Anti-Fundraising Strategy
What makes DayaTani's approach particularly relevant for European AgTech is how it addresses the sector's funding crisis. "The sector has been under a lot of pressure in the last couple of years which has made it difficult for fundraising," Co-founder Lu. Rather than becoming another casualty of investor skepticism, they created their own funding mechanism.
The potato seed tuber market alone presents a 300 to 400 million market opportunity, with DayaTani targeting 10-50% market share over the next five to seven years. This cash-generating foundation enables them to invest in their core technology—an AI-powered chatbot called Pak Dayat that provides farmers with soil health assessments, weather predictions, and plant health diagnostics.
Photo by RDNE Stock project
Technology as Competitive Advantage, Not Revenue Driver
The genius lies in positioning technology as a competitive moat rather than a direct revenue stream. "Selling seeds is a means to an end. We cannot monetise technology, but the technology helps us farmer better and brings us revenue today," Gupta explains candidly.
Their AI chatbot, accessible through WhatsApp, has already reached over 4,000 farmers across West Java through NGO partnerships. But rather than charging for the technology, they use it to optimize their seed production and build farmer relationships that drive seed sales.
The chance in Europe
For us in the European AgTech scene, feeling the pinch of funding challenges, DayaTani's approach has some valuable insights to share. Rather than just focusing on tech companies that rely heavily on ongoing venture capital, entrepreneurs might want to look for agricultural products or services that could really thrive with some tech improvements.
This approach is particularly relevant as Europe increasingly emphasises agricultural sovereignty and sustainable farming practices. Companies might focus on creating premium seed varieties, organic fertilisers, or specialised equipment, leveraging AI and data analytics as their edge instead of just standalone products.
DayaTani is aiming for profitability by next year, which is a timeline that would definitely make a lot of AgTech VCs green with envy. It's pretty clear that their recent pick for ClimAccelerator's 2025 cohort shows how investors are leaning more towards sustainable business models rather than just tech-focused ventures.
European AgTech has a straightforward message: often, the best way to innovate is by revitalising the old, using cutting-edge technology to enhance the core principles of modern agriculture.
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In 1990, a person is 15 years old. In 1995, that same person is 10 years old. How can this be?
A Smarter Response to Pests & Diseases
Tar spot has quickly become one of the most dreaded corn diseases across the Midwestern Unites States and beyond. The fungal infection thrives in warm, humid conditions, leaving black lesions on leaves and, more importantly, stripping away yield potential. For farmers, spotting it too late often means costly losses and tough decisions about fungicide applications.
Data and Disease Management
This is where Golden Harvest's digital platform, GHX Mobile, is showing its worth. GHX Mobile is more than simply an app; it also has tools for choosing hybrids, tracking yields, and getting weather and scouting information. All of these traits work together to help farmers fight illnesses like tar spot.
Scouting help: The software tells farmers when and where to scout so they may find early indicators of tar spot before the damage gets worse.
Tracking the weather: Farmers can use the built-in weather data to predict the warm, wet conditions that lead to tar spot outbreaks.
Hybrid recommendations: GHX Mobile uses MaxScript™ to identify corn hybrids that are better at fighting disease, which gives farmers a head start in preventing it.
One Step Ahead
The best thing about GHX Mobile is that it can connect what farmers already know with data-driven insights. Instead of reacting when tar spot reduces crops, farmers may make proactive decisions—whether it’s using fungicide at the proper time or picking hybrids with built-in protection.
Golden Harvest is also working on hybrid genetics to make plants more resistant to tar spot and other diseases. This means that farmers get not only products but also a system that works with them throughout the growing season, together with GHX Mobile's digital support.
Tar spot isn't going to go away any time soon. But farmers have a fighting chance to safeguard their crops, lower their stress, and stay one step ahead using technologies like GHX Mobile.
📢 Digital Pasture
🌍 Fields & Frontiers
Precision Spraying Revolution: Ecorobotix has officially released its ground-breaking 2026 precision spraying algorithms, which will revolutionise vegetable growing with unsurpassed accuracy. This cutting-edge technology now allows for the safe use of non-selective herbicides directly in vegetable fields, transforming crop pest and weed management. Unlike old approaches, Ecorobotix's improved system employs advanced AI and machine vision to precisely identify and target undesired plants without damaging the crop, resulting in far lower chemical usage and environmental effect.
For AgTech developers and farmers, this implies better crop health, higher yields, and more environmentally friendly methods. The 2026 upgrade improves the robot's ability to distinguish between crops and weeds, especially in complicated and diverse vegetable plots, making automation more accessible and effective where it was before constrained. Smart spraying allows farming operations to save money and labour while also embracing environmentally friendly options. Discover how these innovative algorithms are redefining crop security and the future of AgTech innovation. Learn more about this.
Whatsapp Translate?: WhatsApp is revolutionizing cross-language communication by rolling out a new feature that allows users to translate messages directly within the app on both iOS and Android devices. With just a long-press and a tap on 'Translate,' users can convert texts into their preferred language, supporting numerous languages on iPhone and six core languages on Android. Android users also benefit from an automatic translation option for entire chats, making conversations smoother and more accessible than ever. Importantly, all translations happen on the user’s device, ensuring messages stay encrypted and private. This update underscores WhatsApp’s commitment to breaking down language barriers for its billions of users worldwide, enhancing connectivity while respecting privacy. Currently available in one-on-one chats, groups, and Channel updates, WhatsApp’s translation feature is set to transform global conversations, although it is not yet available on web or desktop versions. TechCrunch further crunches the details.
Day-Zero Droughts: Many parts of the world are on the brink of unprecedented water scarcity, facing what scientists call "day-zero droughts". These are moments when water demand will outstrip supply, and taps run dry. A striking new study warns that within the next 15 years, up to 35% of drought-prone regions, including hotspots like the Mediterranean, southern Africa, and parts of North America, could face these severe water crises. The research highlights how climate change, driven by fossil fuel emissions, is disrupting the global water cycle, with prolonged droughts and soaring water demands threatening agriculture, ecosystems, and urban populations. Cities such as Cape Town and Chennai have already narrowly averted such crises, illustrating the fragile balance. Without urgent action to reduce emissions and improve water management, the coming decades could see hundreds of millions globally confronting extreme water shortages that were once unimaginable. The time to act is now. CNN gives us the glimpse to the future.
Photo by YODA Adaman on Unsplash
AMAZONE’s Next-Gen Fertilizer Spreaders: AMAZONE has just rolled out their newest spreader range, and it's all about boosting capacity, precision, and versatility. Models like the ZA-V come with hopper sizes ranging from 1,400 to 4,200 L, and they can work at speeds of up to 30 km/h, delivering impressive spreading rates of around 390 kg/min. The ZA-TS high-output line can spread up to 54 m wide and comes with handy automatic features like AutoTS, ArgusTwin, and WindControl, which help keep things consistent even when it’s a bit breezy out. The new ZG-TX combi spreader is pretty cool because it lets you spread both granular fertiliser and lime all in one machine. Plus, you can switch between modes in about 30 minutes, and it can work with widths up to 54 m! These advancements really make AMAZONE spreaders a great fit for the big fields in Europe and the precision-focused farming operations. Farmer Phil shares a review of this new toy.
Ancient Enigma: A groundbreaking discovery has emerged from the ancient site of Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey—a rare 12,000-year-old human statue was found embedded horizontally within a wall between two monumental enclosures. This life-size limestone figure, missing its feet but with a clearly identifiable head and torso, is believed to have been placed as a ritual offering, shedding new light on Neolithic spiritual practices. The find challenges previous notions about the site's symbolic life, dominated by animal carvings, hinting at a more complex belief system involving human representation. But what secret might this ancient statue still hold inside the walls of history? Read the full story on arkeonews.
From "Nice-to-Have" to Mission-Critical:The CEO of Singapore-based Lambdai Space, Antonio Tinto, observed the transition firsthand and is wagering that Southeast Asia's perspective on climate technology has essentially changed from one of curiosity to necessity: "Back then when there were just a few weather events, it wasn't a big deal... Today, the number of events is growing, and it has affected the bottom line." The company uses AI and open-source satellite imagery to democratize climate impact data for insurance and agriculture, solving what was once a costly, complex challenge. Recent studies indicate that events such as the heatwave in April 2025 were 4°C above the 30-year averages, and that Asia is warming at nearly twice the global average. This data suggests that the region's previously "good-to-have" mentality has shifted to an urgent demand for action. The shift represents a broader climate tech maturation: "If you cannot prove that you deliver bottom-line value to your clients, it will be very challenging". This turns climate solutions from idealistic ventures into business imperatives. This study by BCG further explores this phenomenon.
💡 A Thought For Friday
When Prison Bars Couldn't Break a Farmer's Dreams
Some of the most beautiful works of art come from the most damaged crayons. In 2023, many were moved by Petrus Maduna's story of how he went from a tough childhood to a successful agricultural entrepreneur. Maduna grew up on a potato farm in the Western Cape. When his father got sick, he had to drop out of school to help his family.
Life dealt him blow after blow. Despite setbacks, including a prison sentence, Maduna's vision crystallized into something remarkable. Witnessing the hardships of female farmworkers fueled his passion to lighten their load, transforming personal pain into purpose.
From the ashes of his broken circumstances, Maduna created the Nkoetona Multi-dome Project, a portable solution empowering women and youth in farming.
Photo by Ron Lach
What started as a schoolboy's interrupted education evolved into an innovation that would change lives across South Africa.
His story proves that resilience, empathy, and innovative solutions can emerge from the darkest chapters. When the world told him he was finished, Maduna colored outside the lines and painted a new future—not just for himself, but for countless others who needed hope.
The broken crayon still colored. And it colored beautifully.
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The person was born in 2005 B.C.
