PitchBook年三季度技术景观：挖掘土壤健康（英）

1PitchBook Data, Inc.Nizar Tarhuni Executive Vice President of Research and Market IntelligencePaul Condra Head of Emerging Technology ResearchInstitutional Research GroupAnalysisPublishingDesigned by Jenna O’MalleyContentsDataCollin Anderson Data Analystpbinstitutionalresearch@pitchbook.comPublished on September 25, 2024 Alex Frederick Senior Analyst, Emerging Technology alex.frederick@pitchbook.comBen Riccio Associate Analyst, Emerging Technology ben.riccio@pitchbook.comEMERGING TECH RESEARCHQ3 2024 Tech Landscape: Digging Into Soil HealthOverview of the technologies and companies enabling regenerative agriculture PitchBook is a Morningstar company providing the most comprehensive, most accurate, and hard-to-find data for professionals doing business in the private markets.Overview 1Background 2Soil health market map3Technologies and processes4Soil additives 4Soil monitoring5Regenerative agriculture enablement 5Soil carbon markets and emission tracking6Opportunities 7Financing regenerative agriculture 7Soil microbiome monitoring 8Risks and considerations 9Farmland ownership structure9Transparency in soil carbon MRV9Recent deal activity and market outlook10Recommended reading121: “Soil Health Economic Case Study Methods and Toolkit,” American Farmland Trust, n.d., accessed September 18, 2024.Overview Soil health refers to the soil’s ability to function as a living ecosystem, recycling organic content and increasing cropland biodiversity. Effective soil health management yields multiple benefits: It increases crop yields, reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, enhances crop resilience to climate variability, and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions. A comprehensive analysis of 24 farm case studies across the United States demonstrated the significant economic benefits of investing in soil health. The studies revealed an average return on investment of 158%, with soil health initiatives boosting income per acre by an average of $144.1 Despite these clear benefits, industrial farming practices such as monoculture cropping (monocropping) and heavy chemical use remain prevalent. These methods often neglect soil health, creating nutrient-depleted fields that compel farmers to intensify these harmful practices, thereby exacerbating negative outcomes such as soil erosion and reduced biodiversity. However, as the agriculture sector increasingly prioritizes sustainability, soil health initiatives are gaining momentum in both the public and private sectors. Improving soil health is a complex endeavor that relies on transforming farming practices, and VC-backed companies are introducing innovative solutions to facilitate this transition. New startups are providing farmers with tools to better improve and monitor soil health. For instance, Pivot Bio develops microbes to serve as an alternative fertilizer. Trace Genomics uses AI & machine learning to analyze soil biodiversity. These technological advancements not only assist farmers in ado