When French AgriTech and FoodTech startups converge to make a better life
AgriTech and FoodTech can serve one another. On December the 7th I had the chance to lead a roundtable with two outstanding entrepreneurs.
The first one, Gaëtan Severac, brilliant example of startup leader in agritech who created Naïo Technologies, a leading technology startup in the conception and production of robots dedicated to the culture of vegetables and vine.
The second one, Thibault Lamarque, founded Castalie, a startup that gives a sustainable alternative to bottled mineral water.
Who would expect these guys to serve the same purpose ?
Historically, in France and in many developed countries, the suburban agricultural belts disappeared under the pressure of both Real Estate but also under the pressure on costs. We developed almost industrial agricultural facilities with the Green revolution help, boosting the yields, decreasing labour costs but also the nutritional value of our vegetables and as a consequence of our daily diet.
Phreatic tables’ pollution is another dramatic downside of this change of agricultural paradigm.
Technology can now help the new generation of farmers to settle back near the consumption endpoints, producing high quality vegetables and fruits. The drive for local food led by Chef is one of the levers that boost the resettlement of farmers in areas where they almost disappeared over the last decades.
Good news!
There is a great load of innovation in AgriTech, in the field of sensors, data analysis, decision making tools and robotisation helping farmers grow their crops more easily, at cheaper costs and with a decent impact on our environment.
Investing in AgriTech is a key lever for a country like France still seen at the forefront of the gastronomy in the World in order to preserve both the quality of our raw products, the dishes of our Gault&Millau or Michelin rewarded restaurants but also to preserve the quality of our soils with their microbiological life, so important for the earth to breathe and live but also to keep our phreatic tables clean.
Thank’s to these AgriTech innovations, the water that goes through Castalie filtration and gasification water solution is cleaner and even healthier, for the benefit of us all.
