England’s farming sector is set to benefit from a fresh wave of innovation support after the UK Government confirmed a £21.5 million investment to accelerate practical technologies and crop developments designed to cut emissions, build resilience and boost productivity on working farms.
Delivered through the Farming Innovation Programme — Defra’s flagship initiative — and in partnership with Innovate UK, the funding will support 15 projects spanning precision breeding, low-emission farming techniques and novel agritech solutions that are ready to transition from research into everyday use.
From Precision Bred Crops to Low-Carbon Tools
Among the initiatives backed by this latest round of funding are:
- Sunshine Tomato – Leveraging precision breeding to develop a tomato enriched with provitamin D₃. This builds on earlier field trials and aims to improve nutritional outcomes and tackle vitamin D deficiency through horticultural innovation.
- Low-Emissions Fertilisers for Dairy – Replacing up to 50 per cent of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser with biological alternatives to cut nitrous oxide emissions, improve soil health and enhance nutrient management.
- Climate-Resilient Industrial Hemp – Developing high-value hemp varieties that are better able to cope with a changing climate. Because hemp can thrive on poorer soils, it offers the potential for new income streams from marginal land, spanning food, fibre and biomaterials.
Beyond these headline projects, the funding package includes schemes targeting methane abatement in dairy systems, biochar-based fertilisers for cereals, advanced manure management technologies and regenerative carbon-negative fertiliser pathways.
Bridging Research and Farm-Ready Solutions
Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle said innovation was crucial to securing a more productive and resilient farming future. The investment is designed to help growers and producers adopt technologies and practices that deliver real environmental and economic benefits on the ground.
Dr Stella Peace, Managing Director at Innovate UK, added that the partnership with Defra aimed to ensure that precision breeding and low-emission solutions transition rapidly from the lab to commercial deployment, helping UK farmers compete and unlock new opportunities.
A Long-Term Vision for Agri-Innovation
This funding forms part of a broader commitment to invest at least £200 million in agricultural innovation by 2030, underpinning the Government’s Plan for Change strategy to support rural growth and long-term food security.
It also builds on nearly £2.3 million awarded in December to 30 projects through the first round of the ADOPT Fund, which has been trialling ideas on working farms, from low-emission machinery to digital decision-support tools.
