How is agriculture adapting in an era marked by climate change, geopolitical unrest, and increasing uncertainty in global value chains? The question concerns farmers, buyers, entrepreneurs, technologists, and policymakers – and all of us who depend on stable food systems.
What were previously considered temporary disruptions, extreme weather, trade conflicts, new regulations and labor shortages have, in a matter of years, become structural conditions. Agriculture now operates in a landscape where predictability is in short supply, and where old management models fall short.
Adaptations must occur not only in the form of new technologies, but also through changed priorities and new ways of thinking about risk, planning and production. Here are five trends we believe will shape developments in agriculture going forward.
1. Secure access to raw materials becomes more important than the lowest possible price
Extreme weather, labor shortages, increasingly stringent regulations, and shocks to international trade have made agriculture far more vulnerable than before. In this reality, we see buyers increasingly prioritizing security of supply ( source ).
The cost of non-delivery is now explicitly factored into the decision-making process. Purchasing decisions can no longer be based solely on price, but must also take into account long-term access to raw materials, traceability and documentation, and the ability to maintain stable deliveries over time. Climate, geopolitics and logistics are considered before contracts are entered into, not after they are signed.
2. Real-time planning replaces fixed seasonal schedules
Increasing volatility in climate, markets and operations makes it increasingly difficult to adhere to the traditional seasonal calendar. Planning is therefore moving away from fixed annual and seasonal plans, and towards event-driven decision-making, where the course is adjusted continuously based on real-time data.
Agentic AI enables this shift by acting as an intelligent decision-making layer that understands overall goals and operational context, simulates different scenarios, and recommends the next best action across manufacturing, procurement, and field operations.
This development is reinforced by the increased use of digital twins and geospatial analyses based on satellite data. By simulating plant development, resource use and risk before implementing measures in the physical world, one can test options, assess crop outcomes and optimize the use of water, nutrients and crop protection with far greater precision than before.
Recently, news broke that PepsiCo is launching the industry's first AI and digital twin collaboration with Siemens and NVIDIA.
3. From fragmented tools to integrated systems
Many players are now moving away from purchasing stand-alone solutions and pilot projects, and are instead demanding holistic platforms that connect data, decisions and execution into one coherent system.
Automation is becoming essential in a sector struggling with labor shortages, rising costs, and stricter demands for precision and documentation. When decision-making systems are directly linked to execution, via robots, drones, and automated machines, chemical use can be reduced, efficiency increased, and the risk of human error limited.
4. Biological and biotechnical solutions gain greater importance
The traditional reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is increasingly being challenged by biological and biotechnological solutions. Biofertilizers help to enhance the soil's microbial life and make nutrients more available to plants. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.8 percent during the period 2025–2034, driven by increased demand for organic food, greater awareness of health and food safety, and growing political support for more sustainable agricultural practices ( source ).
Genetic breeding is used to develop plant varieties with better tolerance to drought, pests and diseases. The agricultural biotechnology market is in a period of steady growth, and is expected to increase by around 7 percent annually until 2030, mainly due to advances in gene editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 ( source ). Before Christmas, news came that the EU will prepare new regulations regulating the use of new genomic techniques in plants ( source ), which could have a major impact on the market's further growth.
5. Soil health at the center
Despite technological progress, one realization is inescapable: Without good soil health, there is no long-term productivity. According to UNESCO, up to 90 percent of the world's soils could be degraded by 2050 if current practices continue ( source ).
Regenerative agriculture seeks to reverse this trend through practices such as reduced tillage, cover crops, varied crop rotation and increased carbon sequestration in the soil. Historically, however, a lack of measurability and verifiable effects has limited the scalability of this type of agriculture. This is changing. Satellite data, sensor technology and AI make it possible to document effects on soil health and carbon, and thus make regenerative agriculture investable. This makes it relevant not only for farmers, but also for buyers, financial players and boards. Just before Christmas , the news came that the US government was launching a comprehensive pilot program for regenerative agriculture, a signal that regenerative and organic practices are moving from idealism to reality.
In 2025, significant capital was also invested in virtual fencing, a technology that enables more precise and regenerative pasture management. Halter raised around $100 million in a Series D round, while Norwegian Nofence secured a Series B round of 350 million kroner . By making rotational grazing easier, the technology contributes to better soil structure, increased carbon sequestration and less erosion.
The market for virtual fences is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 20 percent through 2030 ( source ), while the market for regenerative agriculture is expected to grow by around 16 percent annually through 2034, driven by climate policy guidelines, business commitments and a market that increasingly demands products with a lower environmental footprint ( source ). Carbon agriculture, which is based on many of the same principles as regenerative agriculture, is expected to grow by around 12 percent annually through 2028 ( source ).
Aggrator is a partner for growth and value creation within agrifoodtech and environmental technology
At Aggrator We collaborate with several agritech companies that develop solutions for more sustainable and efficient agriculture. Among them are Fieldmind , which uses artificial intelligence to simplify and improve the work of agricultural advisors, AgriSenze , which develops sensors that measure nitrate content in the soil and give farmers a better basis for precise fertilization, with lower resource use and more stable yields. Kilter , in turn, has developed an autonomous weeding robot that treats weeds with millimeter precision, without damaging the soil or useful plants.
Are you working on a new solution within agrifoodtech or environmental technology? Feel free to contact us for a short chat and take a look at our services here .