Growing global population have pushed agricultural demand to an all-time high. Thus, realities of the food security dilemma have brought agricultural scarcity to the forefront of policy making. Through effective resource management the aims of producing ever increasing yields on par with environmentally conscious international norms will be realized, but at what cost? China, the second largest economy and home to 1.4 billion people faces the impact of food security issues on a scale not seen by any other nation member of the international community. In this position China, looks to become a global trend setter in adapting to the complex agricultural expectations thrust upon it. The question then becomes, what steps are needed to build efficient and integrated systems that will increase yield without triggering environmental degradation?

Per China’s 13th 5-year plan, improving the environment and ecosystems are paramount in the advancement of China into a moderately prosperous society. Thus agricultural innovation and green solutions to agricultural production in Chinese markets could prove to be the best means to reach China’s environmental and socioeconomic goals. This SIGNAL note will address how increased agricultural demands have brought about innovative and pragmatic solutions to resource management in the Israeli Startup community has gained vast international recognition. 

Through a profile of FieldIn, a startup which integrates equipment and resource management with cutting edge science and professional insights to increase agricultural yield, this SIGNAL note will detail how Israeli innovative techniques and production systems are impacting farming on a global scale. In bringing together a variety of disciplines to address the complex solutions needed for a growing world, this SIGNAL Note will illustrate how Israeli innovation and field tested experience have led to real progress in crop production and resource management.

What does FieldIn Do?

FieldIn “provides an end-to-end solution to special crop growers that follows our clients in all the process, allowing our customers to use pesticide in a smarter and more efficient way, reducing waste and spray mistakes” said Eyal Amit, VP business development. In terms of large scale agricultural production this translates into a cohesive system to manage irrigation, pesticides and yield with a simple user interface. In centralizing the data and application for resource management systems the FieldIn approach facilitates a coordinated strategy to increase crop yields while distributing pesticides and nutrients at optimum levels.

In its efforts to form integrated management systems for monitoring and applying the vital elements of crop maintenance FieldIn has received funding for the Chief Scientists of Israel’s office. FieldIn’s methods go beyond expanding crop yields to form a tailored system to monitor and develop all levels of production. According to Eyal Amit, “The company has developed an analytics and business intelligence platform that combines in-the-field sensors, proprietary information, and third-party agronomic data to provide the agriculture industry with more accurate information about how their crops are performing — and, more specifically, how their pesticide programs are working”. 

FieldIn’s innovative techniques have generated interest for Venture Capitalist and the global agricultural entrepreneurial community alike. In recognition of this potential FieldIn recently won second prize in a startup competition at the International AgriVest Conference held at the Weizmann Institute of Science for technology which increases the efficiency of growing crops.

As China faces steep increased demand for agricultural output the opportunity to utilize Israeli innovation in agrtech becomes a very attractive solution. FieldIn’s specialized data driven systems increase yield and management nutrient enrichment processes. These could provide Chinese markets with a valuable tool to reach heightened levels of agricultural growth at reasonable cost. FieldIn is a startup in the early stages of growth. Therefore, FieldIn represents an opportunity for Chinese investors to enter the robust R&D community in Israel. As Israel stands as a beacon of innovation in agricultural advancement globally it is only logical China harness this capacity to best meet its growing agricultural needs. 

How Is this Relevant to China?

At the heart of China’s strategic interests is maintaining and building domestic agricultural production. Food security thus plays an increasingly valuable role in China’s diplomatic and economic inroads into the global market place. If Israel can act as a conduit to facilitate increased yields and a more comprehensive understanding of best methods in agriculture practices the Jewish State stands to benefit from increased Chinese investment. Both China and Israel could enjoy significant benefits if China works to incorporate an agricultural strategy utilizing any number of recent startup innovations into Chinese markets.

For Chinese investors, this opportunity enables a calibrated return on investment while forming vital bonds with the creative high tech pioneers driving the agritech market. For Israel, the scale and needs of the Chinese market presents a prime intersection to advance its tested developments while expanding the range and output of Israeli thinking and management strategies.

To meet the growing projection indicators of the CCP 13th 5-year plan domestic output of agricultural production must rapidly increase yield while decreasing cost and environmental impact. Israeli technology and management solutions could be used in concert to increase total production of agricultural yields. In bringing scientifically sound and field tested means to compartmentalize crop management and water systems usage, FieldIn presents a straightforward approach to difficult production realities. FieldIn represents early stage startup development potential, integrating a variety of systems into one fluid process for crop management. As China intends to build its capacity to domestically address yield and environmental demand shifts, FieldIn’s technology system could streamline agricultural production providing real savings to Chinese consumers and agricultural produces and State Owned Enterprises (SOE).

How does this Impact Sino-Israel Relations?

The integrated data systems and agricultural technology offer a vehicle to address structural concerns of the Middle Kingdom such as food security. By providing these, Israel stands assist China with a core concern. Success in the area would build trust and strengthen ties. Additionally, the BRI stresses the importance of policy coordination, unimpeded traded and peer-to-peer bonds to bring economic benefit to participating nations. In realizing the vitality of promoting trade and broader economic collaboration, greater Chinese investment and implementation of FieldIn’s technology could help form the foundation for strong bonds based on long term mutual interest in viable agricultural management and production R&D.

As Israel is a renowned international powerhouse in agricultural and technological development, the opportunity to implement its successes to address China’s growing food demands seems like a strategic and pragmatic inroad into Chinese markets. Case in point, FieldIn represents to nexus of environmental, water management and imaging technologies to produce real time data. It represents a microcosm of how Israeli innovations could address growing production and structural demands efficiently across many impactful core sectors in China. FieldIn could be just one of numerous Chinese in roads into Israeli based startups making significant impact on Chinese markets while enabling closer ties between The Jewish State and the Middle Kingdom.