With the global population projected to exceed 10 billion by 2050, the challenge of producing enough food while using fewer resources has never been greater.
A new technology insight report and technology platform from the Observatory on Patents and Technology at the European Patent Office (EPO) highlight the potential of digital technologies to help meet this demand sustainably.
The report was created in co-operation with European and Latin American national patent offices. Its findings consider information from some 270,000 patent families covering 400,000 different patent applications. Finally, the Deep Tech Finder has been updated with the profiles of over 300 startups and universities active in the field.
Inventions in artificial intelligence (AI), sensing and automation are reshaping farming worldwide, with patent filings in digital agriculture growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4% over the past decade—three times faster than the average across all technical fields. The report reflects a global shift towards data-driven precision farming aimed at boosting productivity and reducing environmental impact.
