Greening agriculture is one of the main challenges in the fight against climate change. In line with the European Green Deal, the European Commission adopted a comprehensive new Biodiversity Strategy to bring nature back into our lives and a Farm to Fork Strategy for a healthy and environmentally friendly food system. Many pesticides and antibiotics are being banned to ensure healthier food, boost organic farming and privilege the use of eco-friendly solutions. Founded in 2018, the EIC-funded innovation developed by Agrosustain is a good example working on this domain. The Swiss start-up is trying to reduce food waste and promote sustainable agriculture with natural solutions for pest management.
The start-up AgroSustain specializes in identifying and treating multiple types of fungal pathogens. With a B2B approach all the way across the supply chain, from farm to consumer, it offers a natural way of detecting and eliminating fungi on vegetables and fruits. Their product, AgroShelf+, is an efficient, non-toxic plant-inspired solution, which is sprayed onto the crop and can extend the life of fruit and vegetables by a minimum of 4 to 7 days in a sustainable manner.
“Our solutions help food distributors and retailers to significantly extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by preventing the development of moulds. Plant inspired products, reduction of food waste and mitigation of CO2 emissions are three key benefits to drive a sustainable industry and promote healthy food”, explained the AgroSustain CEO, Dr. Olga Dubey.
Developed in association with Agroscope, the Swiss Center for Agricultural Research, AgroSustain, won numerous awards and grants in Switzerland and Europe, including Venture Kick Stage III, BRIDGE Proof Of Concept, Climate-KIC programs, among others. This year, in January, Silicon Valley-based Agroecology Capital has announced its first European investment in AgroSustain. Already mentioned in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Science & Health Care List for 2018, the company is using the capital from Agroecology Capital to support its ambition to achieve global scale.
The Swiss start-up received a Phase 1 grant from the European Innovation Council to optimize the product formulation and go through the first round of toxicity tests requested for the certification and regulative approval pathway.
Looking for more information on Green Innovations? If you are an EIC beneficiary developing eco-friendly solutions, an investor investing in sustainable projects or any member interested in green topics, the European Innovation Council invites you to join our group Green Innovations. In this dedicated group, you can post information on events, European policies, actions to support the Green Deal and any other info related to green activities.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.