Greenfield Robotics fleets of autonomous robots cut weeds between rows of broadacre crops. Credit: Chipotle Mexican Grill/PRNewswire.

American fast casual restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill is to invest in Greenfield Robotics and Nitricity to improve the future of farming.

Greenfield Robotics is focused on making regenerative farming more efficient with the latest advances in AI, robotics and sensing technologies.

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Nitricity aims to tackle greenhouse gas emissions by creating fertiliser products that are better for fields, farmers and the environment.

The investments were made through Chipotle’s $50m venture fund, Cultivate Next.

Cultivate Next was created to make early-stage investments in companies, which supports Chipotle’s mission “to cultivate a better world” and expedite the restaurant brand’s growth plans.

With its autonomous robot fleet, Greenfield Robotics provides regenerative agriculture solutions without the use of chemicals.

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The investment is part of the company’s efforts to build out its fleet of autonomous agricultural robots with additional capabilities such as micro-spraying, cover crop planting and soil testing.

Chipotle chief customer and technology officer Curt Garner stated: “The work of Greenfield Robotics to build out a tech-forward alternative to herbicides plays an important role in ensuring a more sustainable future for the agricultural industry.

“We will help Greenfield Robotics scale their robotic offerings and explore how their robots can be deployed on farms within our supply chain.”

Inspired by how nitrogen in the air is broken down by lightning and then transferred to the soil as nitrate by rainwater to create natural fertiliser, Nitricity has pioneered artificial lightning.

The investment from Cultivate Next will help the company to scale up its infrastructure and nitrogen production, as well as support the launch of its first commercial product by 2025.

Nitricity co-founder and CEO Nico Pinkowski stated: “Nitricity is committed to producing fertiliser that is optimised for farmers, not factory production or freight distribution.

“Partnering with Chipotle will unquestionably accelerate our path toward disrupting the industry with climate-smart technology.”