An Indoor Farming Comeback?

Key Takeaways

• New funding rounds, partnerships, patents, and expansions signal continued activity across AgTech and CEA.
• Data from the iGrow Dashboard suggests an Indoor Farming Rebound concentrated in automation, robotics, and greenhouse infrastructure.
• Operators such as GoodLeaf Farms, SAIA Agrobotics, DJI Agriculture, and Origin Agritech announced significant developments.
• A surge in partnerships—Product Integrations, MoUs, Joint Ventures—defines the collaboration-driven nature of 2025.
• The Middle East Indoor Farming Report 2025 is now fully available, supporting data-driven insights on the Indoor Farming Rebound.

Data & Market Signals: Where the Indoor Farming Rebound Is (and Isn’t) Happening

A review of the 2025 iGrow Intelligence Dashboard suggests that the Indoor Farming Rebound is real but selective. Funding momentum has returned, though primarily in greenhouse infrastructure and enabling technologies such as automation, robotics, AI-driven crop optimisation, substrates, and advanced lighting. Companies including SAIA Agrobotics, Source.ag, Voltiris, AISPRID, and 4AG Robotics secured new capital, though many rounds were smaller than previous financings.

Large individual projects — such as Harvest Singularity’s US$66M greenhouse investment — highlight investor optimism, but these remain isolated signals rather than evidence of a uniform sector-wide acceleration. Meanwhile, the dashboard continues to record bankruptcies, restructurings, and distressed M&A transactions across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Investor activity reflects selectivity. Farm Credit Canada has participated in three deals this year, making it one of the most active investors, followed by repeat participation from Cibus Capital. Other notable investors include Power Sustainable Lios, McCain Foods, Astanor Ventures, Raiven Capital, AgFunder, and Ingka Investments.

A defining 2025 trend is the rise of collaboration-driven growth. The dataset shows high volumes of Product Integration, Strategic Partnership, MoU, Joint Venture, Project, Education, Manufacturing Partnership, and Distribution Agreement announcements. These partnerships are contributing to the ongoing Indoor Farming Rebound by building interoperability across supply chains and technology systems.

Discover our dashboard.

The Middle East Indoor Farming Report 2025 is now available for full access. It includes regional crop trends, technology adoption, investment patterns, and a Grow-tec case study on automation for fruiting crops.
📄 Download here: https://igrownews.com/agtech-report/indoor-farming/middle-east/

Top News Highlights: The 10–12 Updates That Matter Most

AgTech

• Syngenta launched the Cropwise Open Platform, expanding digital agriculture tools across 70+ million hectares.
• Doktar partnered with Trapview to integrate automated pest monitoring into its platform.
• DJI Agriculture released the Agras T100, T70P, and T25P drones, with global showcases ahead of Agritechnica 2025.
• CLAAS launched the JAGUAR 1000 forage harvester series, with its flagship model setting a Guinness World Record.

Plant Science

• Origin Agritech signed a licensing deal with Shunfeng Biotechnology to advance Cas-SF01 gene-editing applications.
• IBI Ag raised $10M Series A led by Corteva Catalyst.
• Bindwell secured a $6M Seed Round to accelerate AI-powered pesticide discovery.
• NitroScope, a Europe-wide nitrogen monitoring initiative, launched at Ghent University.
• Genvor received a U.S. patent for antifungal transgenic corn developed with USDA scientists.

Interview Spotlight

• InnerPlant CCO Gary Schaefer discussed CropVoice™, a plant-signal communication platform scaling from 50,000 acres in 2025 to 500,000 in 2026. Read the interview.

CEA & Vertical Farming

• Agroz Inc. announced expansion into the GCC and Southeast Asia with its AI-driven CEA platform.
• GoodLeaf Farms completed a $52M equity financing to expand its farms in Alberta and Quebec and build a new R&D centre.
• Harvest Singularity confirmed a $66M hydroponic greenhouse development in Florida.
• SAIA Agrobotics raised €10M, bringing its total funding to €20M, to commercialize its “plants-to-robot” system.

Other Global Updates

• The Gates Foundation committed $1.4B over four years to climate adaptation programs.
• Emirates Rawabi PSC and ReFarm Global Investments announced a UAE-focused regenerative agriculture partnership.
• Cropcision, Qorium, and Casterra–Fantini announced new funding and strategic collaborations across fertilizers, cultivated materials, and mechanized castor systems.

Upcoming Events: Key Dates for AgTech & CEA Stakeholders

Major Global Events

• World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit Dubai — December 8–9, 2025
• Agri Expo International Exhibition & Conference for Agriculture Supplies — Multiple Dates
• Indoor Ag-Con — February 11–12, 2026 (Las Vegas)

Discover other events here.

🎧 Prefer audio?
This week’s full recap is available on the AgTech Digest Podcast via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

Directory Spotlight: Companies Featured in the iGrow Network