Toni Bucci uses research and innovation to improve soil health and crop resilience
By Lauryl Gonzalez
connie
Toni Bucci has built her career around one through‑line: helping science move from the lab into practical tools that advance the future of food and agriculture. Over more than three decades in biotechnology and crop innovation, she has held leadership roles across research, product development, and commercialization.
She currently serves as Chair of the Executive Board at FA Bio, where she supports the organization’s development of microbial solutions designed to improve soil health and crop resilience. Bucci is also the Founder and CEO of Sable Fermentation, a pilot‑scale biomanufacturing company that helps startups and research teams scale precision‑fermentation products and prepare for commercial production.
Her career includes leadership roles across startups and global corporations. She co‑founded ActiveCross, a crop‑protection company launched in 2023, and previously served as Chief Operating Officer at AgBiome, overseeing the development of microbial crop‑protection technologies. Earlier in her career, she spent 23 years at BASF leading research, development, and commercialization efforts for new fungicides, insecticides, and agricultural technologies across international markets.
Bucci also contributes to the broader innovation ecosystem through board and advisory roles. She is a Board Member for the NC Ag and Life Science Research Foundation at North Carolina State University, where she evaluates proposals supporting agricultural research, and she serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for Entrepreneurial Development (CED). She holds a PhD and MS in Entomology from North Carolina State University and a BS in Biology from the University of Michigan.
Lauryl Gonzalez is pursuing her bachelor of science degree at California State University Monterey Bay, (CSUMB), in Business Administration concentrating in marketing, and minoring in Spanish. Lauryl is an intern at From Farms to Incubators.