Satellite farm imaging start-up Messium lands £3.3m to seed growth

A British outer imaging start-up which uses artificial quality to assistance farmers chopped costs and boost harvest yields, volition this week unveil a multimillion lb backing circular backed by the UK Space Agency.

Sky News understands that Messium, an agritech institution moving with 75 farms successful the UK and Europe, volition denote connected Wednesday that it has secured £3.3m successful effect backing successful a circular jointly led by the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S), which is managed by Future Planet Capital.

Messium uses hyperspectral outer imaging and AI analytics to amended the ratio of farmers' harvest absorption by detecting however overmuch nitrogen is contiguous successful each portion of a field.

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This information is past analysed alongside accusation astir upwind patterns, ungraded and workplace absorption to measure harvest wellness and nutrient needs much precisely.

The contented is becoming much acute amid the challenges posed by the interaction of clime alteration successful planetary agriculture.

The start-up's fundraising included backing from UKI2S's Space portfolio, arsenic good arsenic funds specified arsenic Expansion Aerospace Ventures, Mudcake, Laconia, GRDC GrainInnovate, and existing capitalist SuperSeed.

Messium's caller backing volition substance its rollout successful the UK, Europe and Australia, according to the company.

Additional pilots are underway successful Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US.

Trials conducted by Messium past twelvemonth recovered that implicit fractional of fields were incorrectly fertilised, triggering wasted outgo and unnecessary emissions by farmers.

George Marangos-Gilks, Messium's co-founder and main executive, said: "Feeding the satellite sustainably is 1 of the defining challenges of our time.

"Today, much than fractional of each farmland is either over- oregon under-fertilised - a occupation that wastes billions, drives emissions, and holds backmost planetary nutrient security.

"We judge the reply lies successful harnessing the champion of outer exertion and AI to present field-specific recommendations astatine monolithic standard - week in, week out, for each husbandman connected the planet."

A larger Series A backing circular is present being planned by the company.

"Messium represents a leap guardant for planetary agriculture, harnessing hyperspectral outer imaging, cutting-edge harvest science, and innovative analytics each successful 1 offering to code 1 of the world's astir urgent assets challenges," said Shruti Iyengar, abstraction concern pb astatine Future Planet Capital-managed UKI2S.

"The interaction is important - from reducing agri-input usage and associated h2o pollution, to expanding output per hectare for immoderate of the astir wide consumed crops."