TOBY GROGAN, HEAD OF NATURAL CAPITAL & ADVISORY
Asset managers have a reputation for wanting everything cheap, cheaper, or free. It’s not entirely fair, but we’re not an open chequebook either.
The business case has to stack up, whether we’re advising on a farm acquisition, investing in capital improvements, or evaluating an agtech tool.
We’re asking: ‘Does it deliver value today?’ And perhaps more importantly, ‘Does it set us up for a more productive, profitable tomorrow?’
DIGITAL TWINS HAVE ALWAYS LOOKED GOOD. NOW THEY DO GOOD.
I first came across Agronomeye’s digital twin technology about five years ago. Using LiDAR, a kind of MRI for the land, their flyovers capture terrain, canopy height, water flows and infrastructure in near-cinematic detail. You can even spot individual cattle.
It’s impressive technology. But at the time, it felt more “SimFarm” than decision support for natural capital managers. The tech wasn’t the problem. The use case just hadn’t arrived.
THE VALUE WAS ALWAYS THERE. THE CONTEXT WASN’T.
Back then, integrating a digital twin into natural capital management felt premature. It was still early days in the nature-positive conversation; carbon markets had some maturing to do; ESG wasn’t yet a compliance trigger; and Australia’s nature repair agenda was still over the horizon.
That’s changed.
Land condition now has both direct and implied financial value. Investors increasingly expect insight into how land is performing, not just from the production side, but ecologically, too. And that’s created a clearer role for tools that connect landscape function with business performance.
DIGITAL TWIN = DECISION TWIN.
Agronomeye’s platform now functions as a strategic interface for our team. One example is their integration with FarmLab, which allows us to link high definition vegetation analysis at a 5cm pixel to verified soil data from that same location.
Another is the ability to assess forest extent and structure using LiDAR-derived, tree-specific detail, categorised to align with Clean Energy Regulator definitions. That lets us establish accurate baselines for environmental plantings and identify where regeneration efforts will deliver the strongest ecological and financial return.
A TOUCHPOINT, AND A TEACHING TOOL.
One of the challenges in managing farmland assets at scale is how remote the relationship can be between the investor and the land they own. The digital twin offers a tangible connection to place, giving investors, no matter which part of the world they log in from, a touchpoint to their property.
It also supports a shared understanding of what ‘good’ looks like. Not just for operators, but for service providers, boards, and capital partners.
FUTURE PROOFING OUR NATURAL CAPITAL PROJECTS
Current regulatory frameworks like the ACCU Scheme, mandatory climate reporting, or the Nature Repair Market don’t require visual records of natural capital condition. But one day, they might.
My theory is that early adopters of visual reporting platforms are laying down the groundwork for faster compliance, more transparent reporting, and stronger positioning in ecosystem service markets, green finance, and insurance.
BUT IT COMES DOWN TO FIT.
Like any producer, asset managers will adopt agtech when it fits the task at hand: by aligning with operational realities, supporting compliance and opportunity, or making complexity easier to navigate.
For us, the turning point with Agronomeye wasn’t just the technology – it was the timing. Today, the platform does more than visualise land; it improves how we assess, manage, and monetise it. And as we move to capture more natural capital opportunities, that commercial edge is critical.
JOIN THE IMPACT AG AUSTRALIA JOURNEY
Follow Impact Ag Australia on LinkedIn for updates and insights, and subscribe to our newsletter to join us, as we accelerate agriculture – from the ground up.
