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Are Bio-Inputs And Cultivated Meat The Future of Food & Ag?

Are Bio-Inputs And Cultivated Meat The Future of Food & Ag?

Also: AI for smallholders, $200M for regen ag, and ramping up biomanufacturing capacity are some of this week’s hard signals

June 25, 2025

The signals from the past couple of weeks point clearly in two directions for Food & Ag:

Bio-inputs are going mainstream. Once fragmented, they’re now part of input strategies, funding pipelines, and the scaling up of manufacturing capacity
Cultivated meat is regaining momentum. Approvals and infrastructure moves suggest a serious second wave for a category many had written off

What’s inside this week:

🧬 Integrated biological + synthetic solutions gain traction

🤖 Smallholders get free AI platform to boost yield and profits

💰 Regen Ag is attracting capital, but only with scale, data, and fundamentals

🇻🇳 Vietnam’s $200M fund reappears in a more accessible version

🌏 Japan, Korea, and China ramp up biomanufacturing capacity

💀 A new study confirms: trade wars carry dire consequences for biodiversity

And don’t forget to let us know what you think about this week’s edition by simply replying to this email. Have a good rest of the week!

Renato

💡Featured Stories

Synthetic and biological inputs becoming increasingly integrated

India’s agri-biological surge signals the scaling of a hybrid model for crop inputs

AgFunder | Input | Biological | Synthetic | BioPrime

AI closes yield gaps with free localized crop insights

AgWise boosts smallholder profits by delivering hyperlocal advice at no cost

CGIAR | AI | Insights | Smallholder | AgWise

What makes regenerative agritech attractive to VCs

Biologicals and precision tools win favor, and strong business fundamentals are still key

Sifted | Regen Ag | VC | Funding

Australia approves cultivated meat for the first time

Vow’s quail-based product gets regulatory green light in major Asia-Pacific milestone

New Tech Foods | Alt-Protein | Australia | Vow

⏰ Other News

More on Vietnam’s $200M agri fund. This time, paywall-free

Mekong Capital targets large regen ag tech fund in Southeast Asia by 2026

Tech in Asia | Private Equity | Regenerative Agriculture | Agtech | Southeast Asia

Asia expands biomanufacturing as Japan backs UK alt-fat startup

Japan, Korea, and China push bioeconomy; Mitsui joins Hoxton to scale infrastructure

Corteva partners with Micropep on next-gen biocontrols

New RNA-based crop protection aims to replace chemicals with precise biologicals

Millets bring drylands back to life in southern India

3,000+ farmers revive parched lands in Karnataka using hardy, climate-resilient crops

Vietnam adopts first rice variety bred from wild relatives

New strain offers higher yields, salt tolerance, and climate resilience for Mekong farmers

Thailand pushes global cassava sustainability agenda

2025 forum spotlights climate-smart practices and market access for smallholders

Bangkok Post | Cassava | Sustainability | Regional Leadership

Indonesia, Russia eye sugar investment and palm oil trade

Controversial talks center on boosting bilateral flows in CPO exports and sugar production

It is confirmed: food trade wars have biodiversity costs, shows study 🔒

Shifting tariffs reshape ecosystems - partial access, full study behind paywall

Nature | Trade | Environment | Deforestation | Biodiversity Loss

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