Does TIME’s best invention list mark a shift in how the world views agtech?

These may be fluctuating times for venture capital investors​. But TIME’s list of best inventions for 2024​ shows that society in general believes that innovations in agriculture are needed more than ever, say the ag companies accoladed.

TIME’s annual list of best inventions features 200 “extraordinary innovations changing the world around us”. Winners were chosen on a number of key factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.

Of the new list, TIME’s editors write: “The result is a list of 200 groundbreaking inventions (and 50 special mention inventions) – including the world's largest computer chip, a humanoid robot joining the workforce, and a bioluminescent houseplant – that are changing how we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible.”

Agriculture included for first time​

This year's was the first to feature agriculture as a category. This marks a not insignificant shift in how agricultural innovation is perceived globally, say the ag companies in it.

To compile this year's list, the US magazine solicited nominations from TIME editors and correspondents around the world, and through an online application process, paying special attention to growing fields, such as health care, AI, and green energy. TIME then evaluated each contender on a number of key factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.

TIME magazine does not charge companies to be included in its best inventions list. Products are independently reviewed, but TIME does receive a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.

Which ag solutions made the cut?​

Six innovations were highlighted in the agriculture sector. It includes Windfall Bio’s methane eating microbes​ which are spread over soil by growers. The microbes eat up methane in the soil and also capture nitrogen from the air to produce organic fertiliser for a double sustainability win.

“There’s an incredible opportunity for the agriculture industry to tackle methane emissions in a way that makes a real climate impact quickly while making sense for businesses," says Windfall Bio co-founder and CEO Josh Silverman.

The solution enables its customers, including CPG companies and major food retailers, to reduce their methane footprint in an effort to decarbonize their supply chains while operating more efficiently. Methane reduction technologies, he believes, represent "some of the most beneficial and immediately impactful climate solutions available to us, and it’s encouraging to see technology development in this space start to take off more broadly".

Also featured is drone company Guardian Agriculture’s SC1 model​, seen as a significant step forward in agricultural aviation and precision farming thanks to its ability to cover large areas.

"This recognition signifies technologists refocusing on fundamental priorities like food security, domestic manufacturing, and human health,” says Adam Bercu, Guardian Agriculture’s founder and CEO. The SC1 addresses “real challenges farmers face by increasing productivity and offering consumers greater confidence in sustainable conventional and organic food production”.

The list highlights BeeHero’s Pollination Insight Platform, which has been developed to help growers pollinate more efficiently. Around 80% of crop rely on pollination, but pollinators face significant declines globally. BeeHero’s sensors are put inside beehives to collect data on various parameters to give growers actionable insights.

“At a time when growers face a growing demand for food and dwindling resources, effective pollination is essential to ensuring global food security,” says BeeHero CEO Omer Davidi.

The solution not only maximises pollination success but also strengthens pollinator and environmental resilience, he says, helping create “a more sustainable future for generations to come”.  

The future of vertical farming may be under the spotlight given some high profile failures​. But TIME mentions Eden Green Technology’s Eden Green Herb Program. This aims to provide a more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective method of growing and distributing a wide selection of fresh herbs year-round.

The company can deliver herbs farm-to-shelf in 48 hours, supplying customers like Walmart, restaurant chain Cava, and food-service giant Sysco.

Eden Green Technology CEO Eddy Badrina told us the herb initiative serves as a strong example for the immense potential of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) to transform the agricultural supply chain. “With a changing climate and fractured food system, we need new innovations in agriculture now more than ever,” he says. “CEA, is one solution that can expand access to fresh, reliable produce.”

A chatbot for regen ag farmers​

The inclusion of agriculture as a category for the first time “underscores the growing acknowledgment that tech solutions are essential to addressing some of our planet’s most pressing challenges, from food security to climate resilience”, says Alloysius Attah, co-founder CEO Farmerline Group, the company behind the Darli AI ‘chatbot for farmers’, which is also lauded by TIME’s list.

The chatbot aims to be a “regenerative farming mentor” for small farmers around the globe. It can interact with farmers in over 27 languages, including local African languages like Twi, Swahili, and Yoruba. Using WhatsApp, farmers can text or speak with a chatbot to learn about, say, fertiliser, harvesting, or crop rotations.

“TIME’s recognition of Darli AI is a milestone for Farmerline and agriculture worldwide,” adds Attah. “We believe Darli AI, represents the transformative impact tech can have in reaching underserved communities and advancing sustainable agriculture on a global scale.” 

Helping plants talk to farmers​

The TIME list also contains CropVoice, the insights platform from InnerPlant, the California-based start-up that uses genetically engineered seeds to create "talking" plants that communicate with farmers. Its technology uses fluorescents to emit a signal in the leaves when a plant is stressed. 

The signal can be detected from devices attached to satellites, drones, or tractors. Early alerts for the like of fungal stress can help farmers take early action to protect crop yields, reduce chemical use, and improve the resiliency of their farms. 

InnerPlant’s CEO and co-founder Shely Aronov agrees that TIME’s recognition of agriculture as a standalone category in this year’s list signals an important shift in how the world views the role of technology in farming and food production.

“The future of modern agriculture requires optimising every aspect of how we farm. This year’s list underscores a growing awareness that technology is critical to unlocking that potential,” she says.

“Today, tech-enabled solutions in agriculture aren’t just boosting yields; they’re creating a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable food system for everyone.”

Expect a longer list of agriculture innovations next year?