Agricultural land accounts for 40% of total EU. But the growing population and increasing urbanisation are slowing eating into the fertile agricultural lands. In recent decades, Europe has decreased the total area used for agriculture while increasing yields. This has led to increased adoption of intensive farming, which is unsustainable and detrimental to the environment.
According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report, agriculture is also an important contributor to climate change through emissions of GHGs and air pollutants. Non‑CO2GHG emissions from agriculture have declined since 1990; however, agriculture is still the largest contributor to total EU non‑CO2 GHG emissions. This is where agritech startups like iFarm come into play. Finland-based and Russia-born iFarm creates smart technologies for growing quality greens, berries, and vegetables sustainably in an urban setting, and it just raised €3.4 million ($4 million) in funding.