Looking Back on 2017: Our Favorite Insights

We at Gro Intelligence have spent 2017 carefully analyzing global agricultural trends. The year began, and now ends, with uncertainty regarding what a newly elected President Donald Trump would mean for NAFTA, the USDA, and American agriculture. Mega-mergers like Syngenta-ChemChina and Dow-DuPont were finalized, and Amazon bought Whole Foods. Brazilian beef and poultry exports survived a widespread scandal. China’s pork consumption may have plateaued, but the country’s insatiable appetite for soybeans nevertheless encouraged record production in Brazil and the US.

We’re excited to share some of our favorite Gro Insights and key takeaways from 2017. In each Insight, we use data within Gro to explore an upcoming food crisis, major trends that could impact two massive global markets, and blockchain—the latest technology with potential to revolutionize agriculture.

How Can We Avoid a Food Crisis That's Less Than a Decade Away

Takeaway: Focusing efforts on improving net import regions’ agricultural practices so that more calories come from local sources makes a lot of sense. A new form of commercialization can become the path forward to self-sufficiency for people who still toil in traditional, low-yielding agriculture.

Chinese Currency Debate: Will It Reorient Global Agriculture?

Takeaway: China’s critical role in global agricultural markets dictates that participants of all kinds must pay close attention to changes in supply, demand, trade flows, and inventories. Only by having a clear picture of the situation prior to a foreign-exchange upheaval can a player hope to be on the right side of events.

Indian Consumers Defy Convention With Milk and Meat Consumption

Takeaway: Indian consumers’ have strong preferences, and ignoring local attributes will make a firm’s venture into new territory difficult. Once they establish themselves in states using familiar, regional goods, companies can begin to introduce different flavors and foods in hopes of expanding choices and preferences.

Blockchain: Beyond Bitcoin to Agriculture

Takeaway: Blockchain could transform agriculture, but that outcome is very much in the future. The technology will receive plenty of chances to succeed as food security becomes an alarming challenge in the face of climate change. However, there are plenty of pitfalls that could stop blockchain adoption in its tracks.

Georgia: A Peachy State Turns Blue

Takeaway: With US peach production and consumption having both dropped by roughly a third in the past decade, the nation’s fruit preferences continue to shift away from peaches. Georgian farmers are now growing more blueberries than peaches.