Yes, there is very much an agtech scene in SA!

Thanks to the Adelaide University Ag Students Association, I had the opportunity to present to a packed house at the rapidly expanding Adelaide AgTech Meetup (you can download my slides here). Though I was only in SA for two days, Oli Madgett- meetup founder, grower, and AgTech entrepreneur — took me on a whirlwind tour of all things AgTech.

Here’s what I learned:

Grass Roots AgTech Innovation

There’s some awesome innovation in agtech going on in SA. I heard and saw some really promising ideas, such as:

• Hop the Wall, a startup connecting premium Australian food brands to the Chinese market via social media
• Grape Brain, a startup out of the University of Adelaide working to measure and improve grape yields
• Platfarm, a startup creating growing environments that enable horticultural crops to be grown smartly and sustainably

Overall, I was impressed to find a budding startup scene in Adelaide. The event was at a tech-focused co-working space, Majoran, and I heard about tons of other emerging startups outside of AgTech, such as MealMates and Pop Up Picnics.

Room for Improvement at The Show

No visit to Adelaide in September would be complete without a stop at The Adelaide Royal Show. The Show, as it’s called, brings hundreds of thousands of people together for ten days each year to enjoy carnival rides, fried food, competitions, and more. Originally, the event, much like state fairs in the U.S., was focused on showcasing agricultural achievements and bringing regionally-based communities together.

But I was disappointed to find almost nothing on agtech at The Show. Don’t get me wrong- I thoroughly enjoyed my giant baked potato and the wood chopping competition. But with so much of the population there, and an inherent focus on agriculture, it would have been great to see the technology pavilion feature emerging agtech innovations. The pavilion had multiple booths on the latest defense and automotive tech advances, but nothing about the potential for drones, robotics, or big data in agriculture. I hope that in future years, The Show can become a stage to educate current and future generations of farmers and techies about the potential of digital technologies in agriculture.

Creating an Innovation Ecosystem in SA

My talk was focused on resources for foodtech and agtech innovation, so it was especially exciting to see so much work happening to build an ecosystem in SA. Active angel investors are collaborating to support agtech and foodtech startups. The Adelaide Uni agrifood eChallenge is sure to launch a few agtech startups. The Mass Challenge just announced they are coming to SA. And The Things Network is hard at work to bring new means of connectivity to SA, enabling developers and growers to experiment with sensor solutions such as smart irrigation and frost monitoring.

And of course the meetup itself was a testament to the growing excitement: the audience was filled with a diverse audience of growers, investors, developers, entrepreneurs, and students.

Challenges Remain for AgTech

Despite the impressive activities and progress, there are still significant challenges for agtech in SA, and Australia more broadly. For example, enabling infrastructure is necessary, but missing, to help agtech startups. The RDCs could be a huge leverage point here, for example by working collaboratively to create data access standards that make data securely available and simultaneously reduce administrative burdens for growers. When data can be stored securely yet accessed by all, growers can confidently try out new technologies, and both aspiring entrepreneurs and tech-savvy growers will have test data with which to experiment.

Also, the it still seems we are a long way away from the “fail fast” mentality that has helped places like Silicon Valley to succeed. Startups are frustrated that growers are not more open to trials, as they need to iteratively get feedback to improve their products. Of course, the fault is not just with conservative growers. Startups, too, need to communicate the financial and lifestyle benefits of their technologies. Like they have been for centuries, farmers are willing to adopt new techologies that have demonstrated value. Clearly communicating the cost savings, increased revenue potential, or even lifestyle benefits, like the ability to monitor your operations from your phone on a beach, will help hesitant potential users become champions.