Category: Blogs

Ananda Scherner is the CEO of Agrobiomics, a biotech company advancing sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture. With a background in science and regulatory affairs, she combines technical expertise with strategic leadership to drive innovation from research to commercialization. She began her career at FMC Corporation, managing regulatory affairs across the Nordic and Baltic countries, where she…

Agriculture is an industry built on resilience, innovation, and stewardship of the land. At every level—whether in boardrooms guiding strategy, in laboratories pushing the frontiers of science, or on farms ensuring food security—women have long been central to that story. Today, as agriculture undergoes one of its most profound transformations toward more sustainable and biological…

Innovation has always come from the edges. In agriculture, it is not the established giants who push boundaries, but the startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs who take bold risks in pursuit of new solutions. They are the ones developing the tools and technologies that can transform farming into something truly sustainable with increased ROI, productivity, and…

ACFI Urges Policy Reforms to Strengthen India’s Agrochemical Sector The Agro Chem Federation of India (ACFI) has called on the Government of India to introduce a comprehensive set of policy measures to boost domestic agrochemical manufacturing and reduce reliance on imported technical ingredients. The appeal comes at a time when India has emerged as the…

Government Takes Action to Protect Bees from Pesticides — What It Means The UK government has published new guidance aimed at making emergency use authorisations for pesticides safer for pollinators such as bees. As of 11 September 2025, applications for emergency authorisation will now have to fully account for the risk posed to bees and…

Overview: CIMMYT is integrating artificial intelligence, computer vision, and mobile devices to make phenotyping—measuring plant traits—faster, more scalable, and more objective for dryland staple crops across Africa. This approach reduces labor, boosts consistency, and accelerates breeding timelines from field data capture to decision-making. What’s new: Smartphone-first phenotyping: Breeders capture geo-referenced field images on phones/tablets; AI…

India Cuts GST on 12 Bio-Pesticides to 5%: A Boost for Sustainable Agriculture Introduction In a landmark decision, the Government of India has reduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on twelve key bio-pesticides from the existing rate (typically 18%) down to 5%. This move is expected to significantly lower the cost of bio-pesticides for…