Companies that produce pesticides , seeds and fertilisers will continue to re - think their strategies as farmers increasingly develop specialist technology that helps to maximise their harvests while at the same time eliminating the need for crop rotation ; this is a further blow to an industry that is already grappling with weak global agricultural markets . Market research firm AgFunder estimates that venture capital investments in food and agriculture technology nearly doubled to $ 650 in 2015 , with " precision agriculture " startups raising $ 661 m in 2015 , up 140 % from 2014 .
Companies that supply pesticides, seeds and fertilisers will need to re-think their strategies as farmers increasingly adopt specialist technology that helps to maximise their harvests while at the same time reducing the need for crop chemicals; this is a further blow to an industry that is already grappling with weak global agricultural markets. Market research firm AgFunder reveals that venture capital investments in food and agriculture technology nearly doubled to $4.6bn in 2015, with "precision agriculture" startups raising $661m in 2015, up 140% from 2014.