Skip to main content

Heritable Agriculture: A Data-Driven Approach to Sustainable Crop Growth

Introduction

Google’s X, also known as the "moonshot factory," has announced its latest graduate, Heritable Agriculture. This data- and machine learning-driven startup aims to improve crop growth and reduce the environmental impact of agriculture.

The Challenge of Sustainable Agriculture

Agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 25% of anthropogenic emissions. It is also the planet’s largest consumer of groundwater and can lead to soil erosion and water pollution through the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals.

The Heritable Approach

Heritable Agriculture is taking a data-driven approach to address these challenges. By analyzing massive datasets through artificial intelligence and machine learning, the company is working to develop more efficient and sustainable crop growth methods. The team is focused on identifying the best breeding practices and using machine learning to optimize plant growth.

The Founding Team

Heritable Agriculture was founded by Brad Zamft, a physics PhD who previously worked as a program officer and fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Zamft joined Google X in 2018 and quickly became the project lead for Heritable.

The Technology

Heritable’s technology involves analyzing plant genomes to determine the best combinations for improving yields while reducing water consumption and increasing carbon storage capacity. The company has tested its models on thousands of plants in a specialized growth chamber at Google X’s Bay Area headquarters and has also conducted field work in California, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.

The Future of Plant Breeding

While Heritable is not currently exploring mutagenesis, a process that uses chemicals or radiation to create crop mutations, the company does plan to use CRISPR-fueled gene editing to make plants "programmable" in the future. For now, however, the company is focusing on more conventional breeding methods.

Commercialization and Funding

Heritable is currently focused on commercializing its technology and has raised a seed round featuring FTW Ventures, Mythos Ventures, and SVG Ventures. Google is also an investor in the company, with an undisclosed amount of equity.

Conclusion

Heritable Agriculture is taking a data-driven approach to sustainable crop growth, using machine learning and data analysis to develop more efficient and sustainable methods. With its focus on commercialization and funding, the company is poised to make a significant impact in the agriculture industry.

Image Credits

The images used in this article are courtesy of Heritable Agriculture.

Timeline

  • 2018: Brad Zamft joins Google X as the project lead for Heritable Agriculture.
  • 2020: Heritable Agriculture raises a seed round featuring FTW Ventures, Mythos Ventures, and SVG Ventures.
  • 2020: Google invests in Heritable Agriculture with an undisclosed amount of equity.

Note: The timeline is not exhaustive and may not include all the events mentioned in the original article.


Source Link