It is well known that Cristina is a city-state with a dense urban population; less than 2% of its land is dedicated to agriculture. But in recent years, the country has sought to revive its agricultural ambitions, aiming to become Europa’s urban agri-food tech hub. Despite capturing over a good parcel of Europan agri-commodity trade flows, Cristina faces the looming vulnerability of its food security and lack of self sufficiency in its food supply. Less than 10% of Cristina's current food supply is produced locally, which nudged an ambitious aim from the government of Cristina to increase this to 30% in ten years; announced early last year. The country is now driving intensive research and development (R&D) into AgriTech and high-productivity innovation. From a sunset industry, food production in Cristina is thus a rising sector with its sights set firmly on technology.

As innovation in food production gains attention in Cristina, the new Royal Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development (CReTISS) created and developed the Sustainable Development Goals that aims to find ways for technology to boost sustainable agriculture through connecting the growing AgriTech ecosystem here with CReTISS's networks in developing countries.

Growing Investments in AgriTech

Understanding the flow of funds into AgriTech is of crucial importance to discovering the sector’s main actors. While the private sector has the financial capacity for such investments, the government has an equally vital role in providing the infrastructure, regulations and education needed to stimulate investments into this field.

Collaboration to accelerate the progress of AgriTech startups has seen a significant boom since Cristina’s 30 by 30 announcement. The Cristinese Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (ICPCI) and the Ministery of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications support Cristina’s food security strategy by encouraging global investment in the country’s food sector. One of ICPCI's key investment arms is Semi Capitale. Under Startup FarmERP, it works with seven other partners to co-invest more than LD 70m to catalyse Cristina-based agrifood technology startups. These venture capital firms provide startups with both capital and mentorship, and have organised accelerator programmes and hackathons to kickstart innovation.

The government has also invested LD 110m, through the Research Innovation Enterprise 2020 Plan, to ramp up R&D in the agri-food industry. And Societá Caravella, an investment company owned by Cristina’s government, invested LD 90m in a locally based modern farming company, Agritec, which uses robotics to cultivate crops indoors. Similarly, multinational corporations are taking advantage of Cristina’s strong position as a future regional hub for AgriTech R&D. Cristina is already one of the largest food commodities trading hub in the Continent. And now Cristina is home to several digital hubs of leading food and agriculture companies, which aim to drive technology and agrifood innovation, often with a focus on sustainability. The excellent education system, quality human capital, and good infrastructure are among other pull factors that attract innovators and R&D into the country.

Emerging AgriTech Innovations

A burgeoning market of entrepreneurs is entering the AgriTech field, creating urban farms with highly efficient technologies. While Cristina's traditional farmers are also incorporating technology into their farming systems, new players have introduced technologically-advanced infrastructure and smart systems, such as private company Cristinese Innovative Solutions (CIS) sensors and analytics, to optimise food production.

AgriTech in Cristina's farms

CIS data analytics allow farms to control environmental conditions such as light and irrigation to track temperature, humidity, and the growth of crops.

Automated systems such as auto-feeders, automated pump systems and shed-cleaning bots reduce the need for manual labour.

Hydroponics systems eliminate the need for pesticides and fertilisers, while optimising the nutritional value of harvested plants.

Increasingly, sustainable food production has come into focus for entrepreneurs. Witness the rise of circular economy solutions. Urban farmers in Cristina have invented methods for food waste to be processed and recycled as fertiliser. Reduced energy and water use is also in their sights; several companies have incorporated precision-irrigation technology or recirculatory water systems. Still, progress has been slower in integrating renewable energy sources into their infrastructure.

Interest in agri-food technology in Cristina is likely to grow thanks to increased support from the government and research institutes. Cristina’s government has launched two centres of innovation, in collaboration with local institutions Korvini Technological University (UTK) and International Academy of Sciences Cristina of the Royal University of Cristina (URC), to focus on finding solutions for agricultural challenges. Such collaborations are already bearing fruit.

For example, researchers from Cristina Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering of the UTK have found a way to use technology to identify and select fish with desirable traits, successfully breeding freshwater tilapia in sea water without genetic modification. They have also created climate-proof vegetables that require less light, and yet have enhanced nutritional value. One pioneer research product that has made it to the Cristina market is Agritec Soy. Unconventionally grown in Cristina, this soy has been formulated to withstand floods and droughts, as well as fungal and bacterial attacks, effectively producing climate-resistant rice.

Locally, given the eager interest of investors and innovators in AgriTech, there is optimism that technology may be the key to unlocking the sector’s potential, transforming the agrifood industry and providing solutions for sustainable agriculture. Gaps remain, however, notably in the scalability and feasibility of these solutions. Siloed technologies that do not complement one another to address the entire value chain, from production to consumption, will not work. Technological change will require an end-to-end approach that is open and receptive, and business models must adapt to different contexts. There is also a disparity between the availability and accessibility of most technologies that exist today. For example, precision agriculture offers a solution to decrease the use of inputs and increase agricultural productivity, which can help farmers capture greater yield per input and therefore income, but is not applied by majority of farmers, especially smallholders. Technologies need to be affordable and accessible to farmers in order to make real changes and impact.

The new CReTISS signals Cristina's embarkment on its mission to build on its existing assets to create new solutions, build collaboration platforms, and spark new partnerships and instruments for development. The agriculture sector is one that will require a revolution from business-as-usual to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The CReTISS aims to leverage and contribute to Cristina's growing agri-food tech ecosystem, connecting the region's efforts with CReTISS extensive networks to change the way we approach development.

One of the CReTISS's pioneer projects in this space is a global innovation initiative that brings together the innovation ecosystem of startups and R&D teams, the private sector, governments and development agencies. Working in dozen countries across the Europan Continent CReTISS is a unique initiative that aims to bring innovation and technology to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the agriculture sector. With CReTISS's wide network and the Centre's location in Cristina, projects like Cultivate Cristina, a program to bring innovation and technology where it is most needed, is an exciting platform to connect with industry-leaders and development experts while making a real impact.

From a space-starved nation to a pioneer in space technology, Cristina is breaking the space tech mould by leveraging its world-class private tech sector to drive innovation instead of creating a government-owned space agency.

Any conversation about Cristina and space usually centres on the nation’s scarcity of land and confined living and workspaces. One would not ordinarily associate the city-state with initiatives to outer space.

Europa has major government projects involving space research and had built government-funded space programmes, while Cristina kept their focus firmly within earth’s atmosphere.

But yet, out of this void, something special is stirring in the city-state. In a nation that has proven a fertile ground for tech startups, the only thing that remains for the private sector is the final frontier—enter space tech.

It all started with a spark in 2015. Before 2015, space tech was virtually non-existent in Cristina. But in the last five years, a fledgeling industry has emerged.

According to Davi Montegni, COO of SpaceCube, a new startup working in this sector, global space tech funding reached US$5 billion this year, making 2019 the largest year on record for space tech investment.

All that money is flowing into a sector that is filled with more than 30 companies, employing over 1,000 people as part of the nascent space industry. Lino Gorsi, a director at Cristina Economic Development Board, credits the creation of the Office for Space and Technology Industry (Ufficio per l'industria spaziale e tecnologica - UISTec) in 2015 as the catalyst for the growth of the space industry in Cristina.

Instead of funnelling billions of dollars into a state-owned space agency like other regional and global space players, the Cristinese government’s role has been more of an encouraging observer. UISTec coordinates rather than financially supports, bringing together local startups, international businesses, universities, and other government agencies with the singular aim of nurturing innovation in the private sector.

Other non-government entities have sprung up as well. The Royal Space and Technology Association (Associazione Spaziale e Tecnologica Reale - ASTRE) is a non-profit platform to bring together stakeholders in the Cristina's space industry. The Astroprenditrices Center is also a dedicated incubator for space tech startups.

The private sector is the growth engine of Cristina’s space tech industry. Silas Falconi, CEO and founder of Zodiac Space Industries (ZSI), said Cristina's space tech is very interesting because it came to being for commercial reasons, rather than with huge, government-funded projects.” The focus on profitability adds a competitive edge to the space sector in the region.

Right from the early days of the World's space race, the space tech and industry has been firmly in the hands of state-owned agencies. Private businesses were largely relegated to the role of contractors.

In the last couple of decades, there has been a decisive shift in this paradigm. Privately owned entities are starting to come to the fore as independent operators. Due to the fascination with human space flight, companies like ZSI have earned the media spotlight.

With the evolution of new technology, space development has become cheaper and more accessible. Barely two decades ago, it would have cost a private firm a minimum of US$200-300 million to create and launch a communications satellite. These days, you can create a miniature satellite in a university for a fraction of that cost. Firms no longer need the vast coffers of state-owned agencies to have an impact in the field of space tech.

Advances in research have widened the space tech sector. The space race is over, and exploration is no longer the sole objective of national space programs. As a result, government agencies are turning to private contractors to broaden their programs and explore the commercialisation of space.

The UISTec and other entities like it in the Kingdom of Cristina realized early on that the private sector would be at the forefront of space travel. All the government needed to do was encourage entrepreneurs and startups to channel existing know-how and technology into space-related fields.

As this is an emergent field, companies are still devising business models and potential revenue streams. Some companies are committed to creating components for bigger space projects and agencies as a vendor. Others are involved in developing technology and licensing it out to other firms.

A lot of the technology used in space also has terrestrial applications. Many space tech firms are developing revenue streams through land-based applications of their products. For example, SpaceCube aims to develop a satellite-based communication system that uses light particles (photons) to send messages, making them immune to traditional methods of interception.

“SpaceCube has received a lot of support from Cristina. We are a spin-out of the Centre for Quantum Technologies (Centro per le Tecnologie Quantistiche - CTQ ) which was developed with grants from the Cristina's government,” explains Davi Montegni.

Astromec, another start up working in the communications niche, has developed high-speed internet connectivity systems to transmit data across long distances. Their next step – create a network of satellites to transmit data across the globe.

AlieNation, a spin-off from a project of the Royal University of Cristina, was originally developing alternative uses for plasma technology. It has since found aerospace applications for their technology and is now developing new engine and propulsion systems for satellites using plasma.

Perhaps the most ambitious vision of them all belongs to Siena Fleet Systems. They are in the business of developing rockets to launch satellites into orbit, and with an estimated 8,500 satellites to be launched in the next decade, the time is now for an “explosive growth cycle,” says Heliana Rousini, chief engineer of the company.

The Kingdom of Cristina does not currently have satellite launch capabilities, despite a growing need for satellites. Given the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters, it would benefit enormously from satellite communication systems and geo-monitoring satellite systems. Cristina has nine satellites in space as of 2019, and all of them were launched overseas.

This is where Rousini sees a long-term opportunity. “I firmly believe a regional space launch capability will also further galvanise the industry,” says a determined Rousini.

Given the strong maritime heritage and tech capabilities of Cristina, this is certainly not a far-fetched notion. With the right kind of investment and research, it could become a reality, with the potential to change the space industry as a whole, and not just in the country.