The Rise of Precision Agriculture in the UK: A Sustainable Future for Farming?

As part of our “Back to the Future” project, we’re asking Agri-TechE members to reflect on how the agri-tech industry has evolved over the past decade and to share their vision for the next ten years. By compiling these insights, we aim to create a powerful outlook on the future of agriculture, a compelling call to arms for the industry driven by the diverse perspectives of our community.

This submission is part of the collection of reflections and predictions from our members, offering unique perspectives on the industry’s past milestones and future directions. Each contribution adds to a broader dialogue about the innovations and challenges that will shape the next decade in agri-tech.

Ten years is a long time in agriculture. During the mid-2010s, many farmers were growing wheat and oilseed rape on short rotations that invariably involved significant soil inversions as they had many chemical options available to control pernicious weeds, pests and diseases.

Today, oilseed rape is grown on just over a third of the hectares of its peak due to the lack of pest control options, you can get SFI payments for not using an insecticide, and the use of the plough is less and less evident.

And the changes have not stopped there: UK agriculture is undergoing a remarkable transformation, with the noise of drones and the hum of laptops replacing some of the more traditional sounds on the farm, and while the core values of dedication, hard work, and experience remain, the methods employed are evolving rapidly.

Precision agriculture is at the forefront of this change, offering a vision of producing more food with less waste, all without expanding agricultural land. This technology and data-driven approach utilises tools like GPS for precision drilling and fertiliser application, while generating vast amounts of data to optimise farm operations. The benefits are clear: reduced environmental impact, increased efficiency and profitability and a boost towards achieving net-zero targets. Producing food and biomaterials to the highest quality standards rather than just exporting our environmental and carbon footprint and growing less.

However, the path to a high-tech future is not without its challenges. The adoption of these technologies comes with a hefty price tag and requires a new skillset and mindset for farmers to navigate. There is a need for government support whether through incentives, knowledge exchange, education, training and clear data protection regulations to encourage wider adoption, and the complexities of adoption may well act as a deterrent for some farmers.

The future of precision agriculture extends beyond hardware and software. The exciting field of genetics offers a glimpse of revolutionary advancements. The Precision Breeding Act, introduced in May 2023, paves the way for a new era in agricultural science. Imagine crops with greater resistance to disease, capable of enduring extremes of weather, high in vital vitamins and nutrition and delivering higher yields – such crops already work in the field but will require a pragmatic approach by regulators if the significant benefits for society that they offer are to be unlocked for use on UK farms.

Farming in the UK in ten years’ time will undoubtedly be at least as different as the previous ten years but there is much to be optimistic about. Better crop varieties grown in a better way, with a real understanding of what inputs are needed and where optimising land use for food, biomaterial and biodiversity production, combined with a better connection between those that produce food and those that eat it, will certainly result in a more sustainable approach and a better future.