February 1, 2024

photo credit: Saga Robotics

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

As agtech steps up to develop and provide sustainable solutions for the future of agriculture, Norway-based Saga Robotics has successfully closed on $11.5 million in growth capital. 

This funding was committed by existing investors Nysnø Climate Investment, Aker, Rabo Ventures, Hatteland, Melesio Capital, and Sanden, along with new investors Songa Investments, and MP Pensjon.

With the parallel goals of addressing the growing labor shortage and making agriculture more sustainable and energy efficient, Saga Robotics is a tech company revolutionizing food production by replacing traditional tractors and manual labor with AI-powered robots. 

The company has developed an autonomous robot they call Thorvald – a self-propelled robot that uses algorithms to navigate challenging on-farm conditions that has shown a reduction in plant diseases, promotion of sustainable food production with lower CO2 emissions, and a 60-90 percent reduction in pesticides. 

First built in Norway in 2014, Thorvald is based on a modular design – allowing for widely different robots to be built based on the same basic module using common tools. These variations can be easily customized to a variety of tasks and production models from greenhouse, to tunnel, open field, or orchard production. 

“Robots are now capable of covering large areas and performing precision tasks that surpass conventional farming methods,” said  Anne Dingstad, CEO, Saga Robotics. 

“Thorvald is leading the way in this transformation. This year, nearly one in ten strawberries in the UK will be treated by Thorvald – and this is just the beginning of our global journey.”

Saga explained that this newly gained capital will be used to position it for an expansion into American vineyards; to continue to rapidly expand and strengthen its leadership in British strawberry production; and to develop new tools and data services.

In the UK the company has already secured contracts with major growers, significantly growing the treated acreage year-on-year. This success is a precursor for growth in the enormous U.S. wine market, where Thorvald is already being used by forward-thinking customers. 

Farmers – especially those growing labor-intensive specialty crops such as grapes, berries, and nursery crops –  are facing ever greater challenges throughout their production cycles. It is these farmers in particular, who are widely un-mechanized and employ 88 percent of the crop workers in the U.S., that are on the front lines of the ag labor shortage. 

However, due to the strenuous nature of the labor itself, tighter regulations, and rising wages, this workforce has declined by 40 percent over the past decade, driving growers to seek out technology-driven solutions such as automation and robotics. 

Scaling of Saga’s business to meet demand will be driven by Thorvald 3 – a new generation of robot designed for both scaled production and operation able to work across larger areas in a more efficient manner. It employs high-intensity UV-C light, an effective tool against the fungus powdery mildew without the need for pesticides. It also is equipped with cameras to collect images and information from each plant for crop insight. This data collection is already underway in the UK where Thorvald also performs the tasks of cutting runners and spreading predatory mites to benefit strawberry production. 

“We clearly see the value Saga Robotics is already creating for its customers in the UK and the U.S.” said Jacob Ziesler, investment director, Blystad Group, the parent company of investor Songa Investments. 
“The flexible, self-driving platform developed by Saga Robotics offers significant opportunities to continue supporting agriculture with efficiency, reducing the need for spraying, and making a substantial contribution to greenhouse gas reduction.”

Ziesler continued, “The use of Saga Robotics’ robot makes economic sense for farmers, and the global scaling potential is immense. We look forward to supporting Saga Robotics on their exciting journey in the US and with further global scaling.”

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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