Who we are
AGROFOOD TECHIS, Lda. is a multi-disciplinary biotech operation based in Santo António da Serra, on Madeira island. We combine applied research, lab analysis, biotech production and agronomic consulting under one roof - we're not a generalist consultancy, nor a stand-alone lab: we're an agricultural R&D operation that commercializes its own science.
Our mission
Replace generic fertilization with plans specialized to each farm's microbiome. Reduce reliance on external inputs. Give farmers back scientific control over their soil.
The team
AGROFOOD TECHIS is led by a multidisciplinary team of doctoral researchers and specialized technicians, with more than 50 combined international peer-reviewed publications (across the entire team) in biochemistry, biotechnology and chemistry applied to agriculture and agri-food.
Core members include:
- Pedro Silva, PhD - Founder & Managing Partner; strategy, R&D and the Digital Fertilization Plan
- Jorge Freitas, PhD - Biotechnology; biofertilizer formulation and native rhizobacteria
- Cátia Ornelas, PhD - Chemistry; physicochemical characterization and formulations
Infrastructure
17,000 m² featuring:
- Modern R&D laboratory (analytical chemistry, microbiology, biotechnology)
- Experimental greenhouse for controlled-environment trials
- Warehouse for biofertilizer formulation and shipping
- On-site farming area for field validation
Institutional partners
- ISOPLEXIS / University of Madeira - Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Technology; scientific partner in the SOLO PLUS, BIO_VALOR, FertiSOLO and AGRO.IA projects
- PHYTOALGAE - research on microbial algae and bioactives; R&D partner in the SOLO PLUS and BIO_VALOR projects
- ARDITI - Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation; partner in the BIO_VALOR project (AGROECORAM operational group)
- DENDRIWAVE - sensing, IoT and edaphoclimatic monitoring solutions for precision agriculture
- ACOESTE - Association of Farmers of Western Madeira; sector partner in the BIO_VALOR project
How the Digital Fertilization Plan was born
AGROFOOD TECHIS was founded in 2019 by Pedro Silva. Within a few years, the team realized that the core problem wasn't a lack of fertilizers - it was the mismatch between generic formulas and the real profile of each soil and crop. The Digital Fertilization Plan concept was born from that insight: commercializing our own scientific know-how as a subscribed plan, with tailor-made biofertilizers and continuous edaphoclimatic monitoring. The FertiSOLO project (No. 10.837, completed on 30/06/2026) was funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) - NextGenerationEU, through the Startup Vouchers - New Green and Digital Products programme (IAPMEI), and gave rise to the Digital Fertilization Plan and the Agronomic Database.