The Agrifood sector can be divided into two main categories: AgriTech, making up 60% of the total count, and FoodTech, accounting for 40% (Figure 2.1). With over 3.5 million Agrifood inventions (patent families) published over the past 20 years, Agrifood can be considered to be a super-domain.
Due to the vast size of the overall Agrifood super-domain, the following sections of this report focus on foreign-oriented patent families – also referred to as international patent families or extended patent families – from domestic-only ones.
International patent families are a reliable and neutral proxy for inventive activity because they represent inventions that applicants deem important enough to seek international protection. This serves to highlight innovations with universal application, control for the difference in the propensity to file multiple patent applications for a single invention between patent offices and excludes singletons of very low value while including high-value domestic inventions. (1)Dechezleprêtre, Antoine & Ménière, Yann & Mohnen, Myra, 2017. International patent families: from application strategies to statistical indicators, LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 69486, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
Analysis of the share of international patent families in the Agrifood super-domain shows that only 12% of Agrifood patent families have been extended beyond their original location of first filing. A significant number of non-international patent families originate from Asia, with 82% of the total coming from this region, and the majority of them, 65%, are from China, as illustrated in Figure 2.2.
Utility models have been excluded from the patent analysis in this report because the regional differences and lower inventive threshold for utility models can affect the accuracy and relevance of the analysis. (2)See https://www.wipo.int/web/patents/topics/utility_models Utility models are not available in all countries and regions, so including them can create inconsistencies in global studies, such as this report, where comparability across countries and regions is essential. The requirements for obtaining a utility model are also less stringent than for a patent and they often cover incremental improvements rather than significant innovations, so including them can dilute the focus on more substantial technological advancements.
Agrifood
The 450,000 Agrifood international patent families can be split by 66% on AgriTech (294,281 international patent families) and 34% on FoodTech domains (153,127 international patent families). An examination of the patent publication trend reveals that both AgriTech and FoodTech industries are experiencing a moderate to steady compound annual growth rate (CAGR). AgriTech has a CAGR of 6.9% while FoodTech has a growth rate of 3.3% from 2017 to 2021 (Figure 2.4).
Publication countries associated to each patent family is a common metric for patent activity because it identifies the geographical area of interest for protection of an invention (Figure 2.5).
In terms of patent filing, Asia leads as the continent with the highest number, with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and India being the main contributors. Specifically, in the AgriTech sector, China leads with 137,035 international patent families, followed by Japan with 107,709, the Republic of Korea with 64,099 and India with 53,766. In the FoodTech sector, China also leads with 69,023 international patent families, followed by Japan with 53,480, the Republic of Korea with 30,559 and India with 22,434. (3)The total number of patents published in each country is much higher than the number of international patent families counted. This is because, when counting international patent families, we count each patent family only once, regardless of how many jurisdictions the patents are published in.
Following Asia, North America ranks second in patent filings, with the United States and Canada being the main contributors. In the AgriTech sector, the United States leads with 220,270 international patent families, followed by Canada with 80,414. In the FoodTech sector, the United States leads with 97,596 international patent families, followed by Canada with 37,166.
Europe ranks third in patent filing, with the European Patent Office (EPO), Spain and Germany being the main contributors. In the AgriTech sector, the EPO leads with 156,843 international patent families, followed by Spain with 29,630, and Germany with 27,957. In the FoodTech sector, EPO leads with 79,172 international patent families, followed by Spain with 19,513, and Germany with 16,747.
The filing of patent applications in multiple jurisdictions through the WIPO Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) pathway (4)See www.wipo.int/pct/en/. has become mainstream. In the AgriTech sector, 73.8% of international patent families, totaling 217,409, were filed through the PCT process. Similarly, in FoodTech, 70.5% of international patent families, amounting to 107,966, were PCT applications.
In patent data, the jurisdiction where the first patent application of each patent family was filed can be used as a proxy for the location of R&D, known as the “first priority jurisdiction” (Figure 2.6).
North America, and specifically the United States, has a long history of involvement in the Agrifood super-domain. It has consistently been the main location for R&D in this field over the past decade, with 159,810 international patent families originating from this region. More recently, Japan and China have increased their R&D investments, with 49,679 and 35,091 international patent families respectively. It is important to note that only international patent families were considered in this analysis, which diminishes the impact of regional jurisdictions in Asia.
Asia is experiencing rapid growth in this sector, with India and China showing impressive CAGRs of +11.2% and +8.5% respectively from 2017 to 2021. This growth is supported by the ability of Asian authorities to extend their patents globally, with Asia experiencing a CAGR of +3.6% during the same time period.
In contrast, Europe is seeing a modestly negative trend, with the average CAGR for the top 5 jurisdictions being -2.2%. Similarly, North America is also experiencing a decline in growth, with a combined CAGR of -4.1% for the United States and Canada from 2017 to 2021.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, there are a total of 2,388 international patent families related to Agrifood. Among these, 2,056 are from Brazil and 332 from Mexico. The international patent families from this region have been experiencing steady growth, with a CAGR of 3.1% from 2017 to 2021.
After careful analysis, we were able to identify the key players driving innovation in the Agrifood sector (Figure 2.7). The ranking of patent applicants revealed that the top 10 applicants accounted for a significant 40% of total filings in both AgriTech and FoodTech domains.
In the AgriTech field, innovation is primarily spearheaded by agrochemical companies such as BASF and Bayer from Germany, and Sinochem from China. Additionally, technology giants like Sony, LG and Samsung from Asia, as well as Ericsson from Europe, play a crucial role in driving innovation. Manufacturers of agricultural machinery, including Deere from the United States and CNH Industrial from Europe, are also important contributors to the sector.
On the other hand, the FoodTech sector is heavily dominated by European industries, particularly food and food chemistry companies from Switzerland/Netherlands (Nestlé, DSM-Firmenich), Germany (BASF) and the United Kingdom (Unilever). Major players in the United States such as Mondelez also play a significant role in driving innovation in this sector. Industrial machinery manufacturers from Europe, such as SEB and Robert Bosch Stiftung, and Asia, including Kotobuki Realty and Samsung, are also actively involved in shaping the future of FoodTech.
MEAPLANT is a new crop cultivation system developed by inventors Dr. Caterina Allera and Enrico Masella. MEAPLANT bridges the gap between traditional soil-based cultivation and advanced soilless techniques.
Dr. Allera, a seasoned researcher at the Italian Council for Research in Agriculture (CREA), embarked on a mission to simplify soilless cultivation. Her journey led her to a critical realization: the complexity of existing systems stemmed from the interaction between cultivation substrates and nutrient solutions. The challenge lay in creating a substrate that could retain water without absorbing it – a delicate balance that is set to revolutionize soilless agriculture.
Nature often holds the key to innovation. Dr. Allera drew inspiration from dewdrops suspended on spider webs, water captured on cactus spines and droplets moving along plant fibers. These natural phenomena, studied for various applications, inspired the birth of MEAPLANT.
MEAPLANT’s substrate consists of a mesh of hydrophobic, chemically inert threads. Unlike traditional porous substrates, it doesn’t absorb water; instead, it suspends droplets of nutrient solution. The balance between surface tension and gravity keeps these droplets in place, ensuring optimal hydration for plant roots. This water-saving system minimizes evaporation, promotes energy-efficient growth and prevents root asphyxiation. MEAPLANT’s recyclable substrate contributes to a negative carbon footprint, making it a sustainable solution for nourishing communities worldwide.
The Italian inventors used WIPO's PCT system (WO2017/195009) to protect their idea globally and they have won a couple of international awards, including the Grand Prix awarded by the French Federation of Inventors (FFI) and the Gold Medal with Special Prize awarded by the Italian Delegation of the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva in 2024.
AgriTech
Analyzing the volume of patenting activity related to the individual AgriTech sub-domains reveals that over the last two decades, the sub-domains within AgriTech that has seen the most research and investigation is Pest/disease management. Following closely behind are Crop adaptation and genetics, Livestock management, and IoT-related sub-domains such as Connectivity/sensors/smart farming, Precision agriculture and Mapping/imagery.
Additionally, the areas of Planting/harvesting/storage, Robotics and drones, and Soil and fertilizer management have also seen a plethora of innovations since 2004. This general observation makes it difficult to directly detect any specific trends regarding the dynamic of AgriTech sub-domains by simply looking at the overall volume of innovations (Figure 2.9).
Upon conducting a thorough analysis of patent publications, it becomes evident that each of the 17 AgriTech sub-domains possesses a unique profile. Specifically, the sub-domains of Investment/exchange platform and Economic management/whole farm management software both exhibit a CAGR of +21%. In contrast, both Robotics and drones and Mapping/imagery experienced a slightly lower CAGR of +15% during the same period. then Automation and Precision agriculture are up to +12% for a CAGR calculated in the same period. The growth rates of the above-mentioned sub-domains are quite significant when compared to the overall average CAGR of 6.9% across the broader AgriTech domain. This significant growth trend can be attributed to the increasing interest in IoT technologies that are designed to automate various tasks throughout the agricultural value chain (Figure 2.10).
From the comparison of top priority jurisdictions and top protection jurisdictions across AgriTech's 17 sub-domains, it is evident that the international patent families related to these technologies primarily originate from the United States, Europe, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. International patent families from these five regions account for 67–89% of all international patent families in the various AgriTech sub-domains. Conversely, patents granted in these regions constitute 30–55% of all granted patents in the field globally. This indicates that while innovation predominantly originates in these five regions, patents are subsequently secured in a broader range of markets worldwide (Figure 2.11).
In all AgriTech sub-domains, the United States is the main location regarding each sub-domain, with more than 30% of patent corpuses associated as first priority, being up to 50% for Precision agriculture, Mapping/imagery, Investment/exchange platform.
Asia, including China, Japan or the Republic of Korea, are found second regarding the majority of the AgriTech sub-domains.
Japan is the second inventor location for IoT-related technologies, including:
Mapping/imagery
Precision agriculture
Robotics and drones
Connectivity/sensors/smart farming
Economic management/whole farm management software
Livestock management
Carbon farming.
China is second worldwide for:
Automation
Education and training
Investment/exchange platform
Waste management
Water management.
The Republic of Korea is second worldwide for its impact on innovation related to:
Compliance/trackability.
The European Patent Office (EPO) and Germany are also key jurisdictions for AgriTech innovations, being second worldwide for sub-domains related to fields historically related to agriculture, including Crop adaptation and genetics, Pest/disease management, Planting/Harvesting/Storage, Soil and fertilizer management.
It is crucial to analyze the top filing authorities in order to gain a deeper understanding of the key markets associated with AgriTech sub-domains (Figure 2.12).
Upon examination, it becomes clear that the main filing authorities share similar profiles, with Pest/disease management and Crop adaptation and genetics being the two major areas represented in each jurisdiction. However, Germany stands out as having a distinct profile, focusing on Connectivity/sensors/smart farming innovations. This particular sub-domain ranks third in top authorities worldwide, with the exception of Canada, Australia, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan Province of China, Poland and Denmark, which are primarily targeted by innovations in Livestock management. These jurisdictions are major meat exporters globally, highlighting the specific market demands within each region.
Breaking down the AgriTech domain into 17 sub-domains allows for a more precise identification of the specific areas of interest for key players in this industry. By examining the top 5 patent applicants in each sub-domain, we can see that each sub-domain has its own unique characteristics and leading companies (Figure 2.13).
Industrial manufacturers of agricultural machines from the United States (Deere, CLAAS), Japan (Kubota) and Europe (CNH Industrials) are leading most of the sub-domains, being within the top 5 categories as follows:
Automation, Connectivity/sensors/smart farming (Deere, CLAAS, CNH Industrials)
Mapping/imagery (Deere only)
Pest/disease management, Planting/harvesting/storage, Precision agriculture (Deere only)
Soil and fertilizer management (Deere, Kubota, CNH Industrials)
Education and training (excluding CNH Industrials)
Economic management/whole farm management software (excluding CNH Industrials).
Agrochemical companies from Germany (BASF, Bayer), China (Sinochem) and Japan (Sumitomo) lead in the related Agrochemical sub-domains, including:
Crop adaptation and genetics
Pest/disease management
Water management, and
Economic management/whole farm management software (excluding Sinochem and Sumitomo).
Asian Companies from the tech domain (Sony, LG Electronics, Samsung, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nvidia) are usually found within the top 5 of IoT-related sub-domains, such as:
Connectivity/sensors/smart farming (Sony and LG Electronics)
Mapping/imagery (Sony, Qualcomm, Samsung)
Precision agriculture (Sony, Qualcomm, Ericsson)
Robotics and drones (Nvidia, LG Electronics and Qualcomm).
Finally, Carbon farming and Livestock management encompass distinct top players specialized in this field.
FoodTech
An analysis of patent volumes within various sub-domains of FoodTech over the past 20 years shows that Supply chain has been the most extensively researched area with more than 60,000 international patent families already filed internationally. This is followed by Food chemistry encompassing close to 50,000 international patent families. Food technology and Consumer technology are both close to 30,000 international patent families. Food services have nearly 15,000 international patent families. Furthermore, Delivery services complete our ranking with nearly 2,500 international patent families (Figure 2.14).
In contrast to the rapid growth seen in AgriTech, the sub-domains within FoodTech have experienced relatively stagnant growth over the past decade. The CAGR for the industry as a whole has been close to 3% from 2017 to 2021, indicating a lack of significant investment in these areas (Figure 2.15). However, it is worth noting that certain sub-domains, such as Food chemistry and Food services, have shown a stronger growth trajectory. These specific areas have achieved a CAGR of +5% and +6% respectively during the same period. This trend aligns with the current focus of food companies on developing alternative nutrient sources for human food, a topic that will be explored in more detail in a subsequent paragraph.
R&D locations for each sub-domain within the FoodTech industry can be identified through an analysis of the number of international patent families in first priority jurisdictions (Figure 2.16). The United States is seen as the primary location for sub-domains such as Food services, and Delivery services. However, its dominance is less pronounced in Food chemistry, Food technology, and Consumer technology sub-domains.
Asian countries including Japan, China and the Republic of Korea emerge as the second most important locations for the majority of FoodTech sub-domains.
The EPO and Germany also play a significant role in FoodTech innovation.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of the key markets within the FoodTech sub-domains, it is essential to analyze the top filing authorities (Figure 2.17). When examining the main filing authorities, it becomes evident that they share similar profiles, with Supply chain, Food chemistry and Food technology being the most prevalent in each jurisdiction.
However, Food chemistry is ranked first for Asian jurisdictions including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan Province of China. This result is in line with the current position of Asia as key bio-ingredient production base worldwide. (5)Will Asia Play a Central Role in Sustainable Agrifood Biotech? (https://milkeninstitute.org/article/asia-sustainable-agrifood-biotech-play-central-role). Additionally, it is of note that Food chemistry also ranked first for Israel, which is currently developing new alternative nutrient sources for human food. This specific topic will be further explored in chapter 5.
By breaking down the FoodTech domain into six sub-domains, we are able to more accurately pinpoint the specific areas of interest for key players within the industry. When analyzing the top 5 patent applicants within each sub-domain, we can observe that each sub-domain possesses its own distinct characteristics and is led by different companies (Figure 2.18).
For instance, the Food chemistry sub-domain is primarily controlled by major multinational food and nutrition corporations such as Nestlé from Switzerland, DSM-Firmenich from Switzerland/Netherlands, International Flavors & Fragrances from the United States, as well as Consumer Goods companies such as Kotobuki Realty from Japan and Unilever from the United Kingdom.
On the other hand, the Food services sub-domain is dominated by technology companies from the United States (such as Microsoft, Alphabet – owner of Google, and Apple) and the Republic of Korea (such as Samsung).
Interestingly, Nestlé emerges as a significant player in the FoodTech industry, leading in all sub-domains except for Food services.
Patents and plant varieties represent distinct forms of intellectual property that both play crucial roles in fostering innovation within the Agrifood sector. While patents provide protection for novel inventions and technological advancements, granting exclusive rights to inventors for a specific period, plant variety protection provide rights to breeders of new, distinct, uniform, and stable plant varieties, during the term of protection. This patent landscape report on Agrifood focuses exclusively on patents, highlighting technological progress, yet it is essential to recognize that plant variety protection also significantly contribute to agricultural innovation by encouraging the development of new plant breeds, which are vital for food security, sustainability, and adaptation to changing environmental conditions.
New plant varieties: delivering solutions to farmers, growers and society
New, improved varieties of plants are an important and sustainable means of achieving food security in the context of population growth and climate change. New varieties that are adapted to the environment in which they are grown increase the choice of healthy, tasty and nutritious food while generating a viable income for farmers.
Promoting the development of new plant varieties: the UPOV system
The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is an intergovernmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. UPOV was established in 1961 by the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (the “UPOV Convention”). The mission of UPOV is to provide and promote an effective system of plant variety protection, with the aim of encouraging the development of new varieties of plants, for the benefit of society.
Most countries and intergovernmental organizations which have introduced a plant variety protection (PVP) system have chosen to base their system on the UPOV Convention to provide an effective, internationally recognized system. (6)See www.upov.int/members/en/. As of February 2, 2024, (i) UPOV has 79 members, (ii) 18 States and 1 intergovernmental organization have initiated the procedure for acceding to the UPOV Convention, and (iii) 25 States and 1 intergovernmental organization have been in contact with the Office of the Union for assistance in the development of laws based on the UPOV Convention.
Filing applications for PVP
The UPOV Convention provides the basis for UPOV members to encourage plant breeding by granting breeders of new plant varieties an intellectual property right: the breeder’s right. In order to obtain protection, the breeder needs to file individual applications with the authorities of UPOV members entrusted with the task of granting breeders' rights. (7)See www.upov.int/members/en/pvp_offices.html.
The UPOV Convention specifies the acts that require the breeder’s authorization in respect of the propagating material of a protected variety and, under certain conditions, in respect of the harvested material. Under the UPOV Convention, the breeder’s right is only granted where the variety is (i) new, (ii) distinct, (iii) uniform, (iv) stable and has a suitable denomination. The breeder’s right does not extend to acts done (i) privately and for non-commercial purposes, (ii) for experimental purposes and (iii) for the purpose of breeding other varieties. Under the UPOV Convention, acts done for the purpose of breeding other varieties are not subject to any restriction by the breeder of a protected variety.
Becoming a UPOV member
A state or intergovernmental organization that wishes to become a UPOV member needs to seek the advice of the UPOV Council in respect of the conformity of its laws with the provisions of the UPOV Convention. This procedure leads, in itself, to a high degree of harmony in those laws, thus facilitating cooperation between members in the implementation of the system. Guidance documents on how to develop legislation and become a UPOV member can be found on the UPOV website. (8)See www.upov.int/members/en/upov_membership.html. The legislation of UPOV members can be consulted in UPOV Lex. (9)See https://upovlex.upov.int/en/legislation.
Trends and statistics
The number of applications for PVP in UPOV members has been steadily increasing over the past years. Figure 2.19 indicates trends in applications filed (over 27,000 in 2022) and total number of titles in force (over 160,000 worldwide). Information is also provided on the top 10 UPOV members receiving the largest number of applications in 2012, 2021 and 2022 (Figure 2.20) and an analysis of applications by residence of applicants for the same years (Figure 2.21).
Information and training
The PLUTO Plant Variety Database (10)See www.upov.int/pluto/en/. contains information on plant varieties from UPOV members and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), including variety denominations. The database also features a similarity search tool for preliminary check on variety denominations.
In 2024, UPOV has launched the UPOV PVP Certificate program to promote the acquisition of knowledge and recognition of expertise, as well as opportunities for continuous learning on PVP matters. The UPOV PVP Certificate provides international recognition of expertise in PVP matters. Further information is available at www.upov.int.
Emerging domains within Agrifood
Based on calculating the CAGR across various sub-domains within the Agrifood super-domain, the data reveals significant trends. In the AgriTech domain, IoT-related technologies, such as Connectivity/sensors/smart farming, Mapping/imagery, Precision agriculture, and Robotics and drones exhibit an impressive average CAGR of 8%. Similarly, in the FoodTech domain, Food chemistry and Food services also show comparable growth rates. Furthermore, other areas of AgriTech such as Planting/harvesting/storage and Soil and fertilizer management demonstrate notable CAGRs.
Drawing from previous research and expert interviews, the report has selected five highly regarded technology areas in the Agrifood super-domain for in-depth analysis, to be discussed extensively as case studies in the following chapters:
Soil and fertilizer management: this includes solutions aimed at improving soil health and fertility, such as crop rotations, cover cropping, organic fertilizer usage and minimizing the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides.
Non-pesticide pest and disease management: this area focuses on alternative solutions to traditional pesticides, including the use of microbes in fertilizer formulations for biocontrol.
Alternative nutrient sources for human food: addressing the development and promotion of alternative nutritional sources to traditional foods, such as cultured meat and plant-based proteins, to tackle challenges posed by population growth and resource constraints.
Predictive models in precision agriculture: this involves the development of predictive models using AI and software to help farmers forecast market demands and optimize planting and irrigation plans, thereby enhancing agricultural production accuracy and efficiency.
Autonomous devices in precision agriculture: exploring the application of autonomous machinery and robotics technology in agriculture to improve efficiency in crop planting, management and harvesting.