Professor Alex Dumbrell is an ecologist with a particular interest in spatial and temporal patterns of biodiversity in microbial systems.

“In which order should crops be rotated to get the best outcome, and why? The answers were hidden in the soil, but are finally being revealed with forensic technologies such as DNA Barcoding. It offers unprecedented insights into the fungi and bacterial communities that have such a huge impact on crop growth and yield. Now is the time to finally find out what is happening beneath your feet.”

Belinda has led the development and growth of Agri-TechE from its conception and brings significant experience of science and its translation into business opportunities. Originally trained as a plant scientist, Belinda is a Nuffield Scholar, an Associate of The Royal Agricultural Societies, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and a Chartered Biologist.

Belinda has held senior positions in a number of innovation driven organisations including the role of Lead Technologist for Biosciences at Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board). She is a council member for the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and a trustee of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association.

Her first degree was in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and her PhD was awarded from the John Innes Centre through the University of East Anglia.

Daniel Evans is 75th Anniversary Research Fellowship at Cranfield University, leading transformative research into the potential of weathered bedrock underlying rapidly eroding shallow soils to store and stabilize organic carbon, hold water and nutrients, and grow food. I am principally interested in the sustainability of soil systems, and engineering solutions to enhance ecosystem service delivery in environments with degraded, shallow, or near-absent soils, such as erosive hillslopes, areas of exposed bedrock, and urban areas.

“Recent headlines have suggested that the world’s topsoil could be gone in 60 years, but what is the evidence for these claims?”

David is a geologist and a globally renowned writer of popular science. He is professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he has studied the influence of geomorphological processes on ecosystems and human societies.

David’s early work showed how soil erosion heralded the demise of many classical agricultural civilisations, from ancient Greece to Central America. Latterly he has focussed on topsoil depletion in modern times and its causes, as well as how to prevent further erosion.

David is passionate about finding ways to regenerate soil through appropriate management practises:

“Humans have degraded about a third of the world’s viable cropland in the past 60 years, and we’re on track to degrade another third by the end of this century… however within that big picture there are many farmers that through minor changes are restoring soil quality and fertility and that’s why I’m so excited about [the ideas that we’re discussing at REAP2020].”

Duncan is Executive Chair of the National Environmental Research Council and an expert in large scale physical and environmental effects caused by global warming. Having lead the ESA CryoSat and CryoSat-2 satellite missions studying the Antarctic, his team discovered widespread mass loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, contributing hugely to understanding of the accelerating impacts of global warming. In his current role, Duncan is keen to promote research into environmental regeneration whilst acknowledging the need to maintain crop yields, filling a gap that has sometimes existed between those scientists concerned with crop production and those concerned with preventing destruction of the environment.

“If you ask what’s driving biodiversity loss, the answer is land use change, agricultural intensification, and to a degree pollution arising from agriculture… so the question of our time has to be: ‘How do we feed the world without destroying it?’”

Professor Giles Oldroyd studies the mechanisms by which plants form beneficial interactions with micro-organisms, both bacteria and fungi, that aid in the uptake of nutrients from the environment, including nitrogen and phosphorus.

A long-term aim of this research is to reduce agricultural reliance on inorganic fertilisers and he currently heads an international programme funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to engineer nitrogen-fixing cereals.

“We are entering a golden era of crop science – basic science has given us insights into how plants grow and defend themselves against disease and stress and we now have a tool box to improve these traits – the explosive next step in the journey will be to replace chemical inputs with biological solutions.”

Jane is an expert in using soil and environmental data for the sustainable use of natural resources in the UK and worldwide. Professor of Soil Erosion and Conservation at the Cranfield Soil and Agrifood Institute, her work includes research for Government and private sector clients investigating soil degradation and loss of the ecosystem goods and services delivered by soil (such as food production, clean water and climate change mitigation); soil quality indicators; and cost-effective soil conservation practices that can be adopted by farmers. Her recent work with the AHDB has used large datasets collected by farmers and growers to inform and improve soil management guidance. She is also involved in the training and teaching on postgraduate courses in Land Reclamation and Restoration, Environmental Engineering and Soil Management.

Jane has devoted her career to understanding how healthy soils are vital for sustainable agriculture and provide us with a whole variety of ecosystem services:

“Soil is so fundamental to our cultural being – it underpins our green and pleasant land in the UK – and that is determined by how we manage it … Topsoil quality determines our crop yields, but also the nutritional value of what we eat… good soil structure determines water retention and can therefore protect us against both flooding and droughts… all of these services are driven by soil microbiology, which is critical to the long-term health of the soil…”

Dr Joe Roberts is an applied insect chemical ecologist whose expertise lies at the interface of ecology, biology and chemistry. His research focuses on using insect and plant derived semiochemicals to develop novel tools for sustainable management of phytophagous insect pests in global agricultural environments.

“Could aromatherapy tools be used to kill pests such as peach-potato aphids that are resistant to pyrethroids?  Orange oil is an aromatic that has been shown to interfere with the basic metabolic, biochemical and physiological functions of insects. Could botanical pesticides have lethal effects and modify behaviour to lead to crop avoidance?”

John Barrett is the Business Manager of Sentry Norfolk, Mid Kent and Suffolk; and Director of Sentry Ltd. He has managed the Ditchingham Farms Estate in Norfolk since 2001, overseeing growth of the business to over 3,600 acres. He has been an active member of the Agri-TechE cluster, including Chairing the Emerging Agri-Tech session at REAP 2016 and joining the Stakeholder Group in 2017 – of which he was recently appointed Chairman.

His focus is on improving efficiency and innovation in Agriculture, but he’s also driven to seeing a greater diversity of cropping:

“To remain competitive farmers have to look to differentiate themselves, and growing alternative crops is an effective way of doing that – we’ve started with hemp and seed potatoes and are looking to explore other options.”

Jonathan is a Senior Research Scientist at Rothamsted Research, based in Harpenden. He is a plant ecologist working in agricultural systems, to expand the knowledge base of the functioning of arable plant communities to inform management strategies that reconcile crop production with the provision of ecosystem services and the conservation of biodiversity.

“Life used to be simple, farmers were paid to grow food – now they are also expected to store carbon and deliver biodiversity all against the background of an ever depleting armoury of chemical crop protection products. Could a systems based approach that integrates technology with nature be the solution?”

Megan Long is a post-graduate researcher at John Innes Centre. Her background is in astrophysics, and she conducted research into solar physics in Hawaii and she has brought insights from imaging the magnetic fields of the sun into plant pathology.

“Snap that rust. Scoring plants for diseases such as rust is time-consuming and needs the eye of a trained pathologist. Could machine learning be used to score images taken on a phone? Could this technology enable farmers to identify pathogens quickly in the field?” 

Mike has over 30 years’ experience working in the agriculture industry and is a champion of the need to balance profitable food production with a healthy farmed environment.

His experience ranges from being an agronomist for ADAS and the national Arable Specialist in Natural England, to his current role as the Agricultural Sustainability Manager in BASF UK & Ireland.

Mike is driven to promote a healthy farmland ecosystem whilst growing quality food in sufficient quantities to meet both local and global market needs. Part of his work involves running two demonstration farms that collate economic and ecological data to support this goal.

“I am interested in how new systems and innovations can maintain on-farm yields whilst improving the cultural and ecosystem services that farmland provides for us all. That requires a big picture view on long term profitability and sustainability, but reinforced by fine-scale monitoring and measurements.”

Richard is Group Leader of the Technology Algorithms Group at the Earlham Institute. His research interests include: the application of new sequencing technologies; development of methods for the analysis of metagenomes (mixed communities of microbes); creating new bioinformatics software tools.

“Airborne crop diseases are responsible for devastating loss of yield and over-reliance on pesticides. Current detection regimes often rely on expert identification of the pathogen from plant damage. Together with collaborators, we have developed Air-seq, a new approach that seeks to identify pathogens through sequencing of biological material present in the air.”

Simon Pearson is the Founding Director of LIAT, The Lincoln Institute of Agri Food Technology. His key research interests include agricultural robotics, digital technology to underpin the food supply chain, greenhouse engineering, sustainable farming systems, agri-food manufacturing and productivity.

“Are robot highways the future?  The COVID-19 crisis has shown the fragility of food supply chains. It has also accelerated the labour challenges for the agricultural industry predicted for the UK post-BREXIT. Both these elements have generated interest and a sense of urgency for new methods of automating agricultural processes – but how far is this from the farm-gate?”

Stuart, with a wealth of experience in agronomy, crop protection manufacturing and distribution, is developing the future linkage of Integrated Crop Management alongside productive and profitable farming. He also runs the Innovation Group at Hutchinson’s, trialling and developing new technologies to support farmers and provide a more predictive and justified approach to crop production and agronomy. His work transcends various scales, from data collection in the field to advice on a farm, catchment and regional scale.

Stuart’s focus has always been to ask what innovation can do to improve the life for the grower and for the agronomist:

“Understanding the grower and their business is the starting point. We are looking at interconnected systems at whatever scale we take. Whether this is soils or biodiversity across individual fields, individual farms to groups of growers or even regions – agri-tech can help us to see where interventions can be made to make a difference.”

Tom Wilkes has just completed his PhD at the University of Hertfordshire, investigating how non-till and conventional tillage impacts mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. He has developed a staining technique to provide a crisper image of the fungal components of the soil.

“Microscopic fungi provide the glue that helps to improve soil aggregates; a better understanding of the role of glycoproteins, the soil glue, could provide insights into improving soil resilience and structure, as well as reduce soil erosion. The question is, how does tillage impact this glue?”

The AF Group, the UK’s largest agricultural purchasing co-operative, is delighted to be supporting REAP with bursaries that allow farmers and growers to attend the conference for the discounted rate of £40 (+VAT) per delegate. Anyone in the UK who is a grower or farmer, or who is in full-time education in agriculture (or an agriculture-related discipline such as plant science, agri-engineering, environmental sciences etc) is eligible to apply. Complete and return this entry form by 12 October.

As farming businesses adopt more and more technology, AF is pleased to work closely with Agri-TechE to help them build a hub of global innovation in the east of England.

Tom Carter, Head of Membership & Marketing, said: “Agriculture stands at a crossroads as it navigates some of the most fundamental changes to the industry in a generation. Now, more than ever, collaboration and innovation is needed to help farmers adapt and thrive to these new changes. The REAP conference is a brilliant platform to gain insight into these changes and AF is proud to support the bursary once again.”

View more information at theafgroup.co.uk

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is a statutory levy board, funded by farmers, growers and the supply chain. Their role is to inspire and provide the tools for farmers, growers and industry to succeed in a rapidly changing world. AHDB works with six sectors including cereals and oilseeds, dairy, beef and lamb, pork, potatoes and horticulture to provide industry leading, independent information.

AHDB carries out extensive research and development programmes, provides market information and analysis, creates new markets and export opportunities, funds education programmes and delivers knowledge exchange work with levy payers aimed at improving on-farm efficiency, productivity and sustainability. Soil health, Integrated Pest Management and the environment, coupled with technical and business performance are current key areas of interest for AHDB. Visit the stand to discuss how you can get involved with, or benefit from this research … or to look in-depth at the biology that can be found in our soils through our live microscope.

For full information, please visit: ahdb.org.uk.

The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) is delighted to sponsor the Agri-TechE technology exhibition. Through its Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative, the CPCA can encourage the next generation of exciting, innovative projects that will influence and shape the future of Agri-Tech as we continue to recover from Covid-19.

As one of the most productive agricultural regions in the UK, CPCA knows that Agri-Tech is key to its goal to help businesses build resilience. It is passionately committed to supporting the Agri-Tech community as they develop new and thought-provoking ways to connect the agriculture industry to the ecosystems and micro-scapes that support our beautiful region.

Find out more at cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted. EIT Food is supported by the EIT, a body of the European Union that was formed to deliver innovation across Europe.

EIT Food’s unique network of 50+ partners, including key industry players, research centres and universities, and 50+ agri-food start-ups from across Europe, are collaborating together to deliver an innovative and entrepreneurial agri-food sector. In 2018 it invested €14.5m in innovation projects, supported over 90 start-ups and helped launch seven new products and services into the market.

The company is committed to UN Sustainability Goals related to six focus areas including alternative proteins, targeted nutrition, digital traceability and circular food systems. It also recognises the importance of agri-tech to drive sustainable agriculture and sustainable aquaculture to future-proof our food.

EIT Food supports agri-food start-ups through entrepreneurial programmes that help to launch, accelerate and scale their ideas and businesses to deliver new food innovations and businesses across Europe. The company has also created a community of 50K learners where we offer education programmes for students and professionals looking to gain the knowledge and skills needed to innovate the food sector.

To learn more about EIT Food visit: www.eitfood.eu

For further information on how EIT Food supports agri-food entrepreneurs and start-ups, visit: www.eitfood.eu/entrepreneurship and for information on its education programmes, please click here.

Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government.

It drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas, including those from the UK’s world-class research base. It is an organisation of around 300 staff, drawn mainly from business working across the UK, with a head office in Swindon.

With a strong business focus, Innovate UK drives growth by working with companies to de-risk, enable and support innovation by connecting businesses to the partners, customers and investors and funding business and research collaborations.

Since 2007 Innovate UK have committed over £1.8 billion to innovation and across all sectors, and this has been matched by a similar amount in partner and business funding. Innovate UK has helped some 8,000 organisations with projects estimated to add more than £16 billion to the UK economy and create nearly 70,000 jobs.

Calum Murray, Head of Agriculture and Food and Innovate UK, said: “Our support is available to businesses across all economic sectors, value chains and UK regions, including agriculture and food here in the East of England. We are therefore delighted to be supporting the AgriTechE and the REAP conference.”

For further information on Innovate UK visit the Innovate UK website.

Rothamsted Enterprises is at the heart of agricultural research and is located on the world-renowned Rothamsted Research campus. We’re a unique hub focused on promoting collaboration and innovation by partnering with commercial agricultural businesses and opening up the research process.

We are proud of our state-of-the-art conference facilities and our flexible, collaborative laboratory and office space. These are home to a vibrant community of growing agri-tech businesses including Agri-Tech East members Timac Agro, CHAP and Grow Biotech.

Nicole Sadd, CEO of Rothamsted Enterprises, said: “Sponsoring the Start-Up Showcase at the REAP conference is very important to us and we’re excited to see all that the event has to offer. As an organisation, Rothamsted Enterprises is committed to supporting innovation, collaboration and excellence in agri-tech research, particularly in the East of England and through our partners such as Agri-Tech East.”

See more at rothamstedenterprises.com

Savills was founded in 1855 as a land agency practice and rural remains at the very heart of its business. Today, the Rural, Energy and Projects Division is one of the largest Savills UK operating divisions. With a turnover of £70m, it has over 900 staff, operating across a UK network of 38 offices and a number of estate offices – from Fochabers in the North to Truro in the South-West.

The Division is regarded as the overall market leader in the rural sector with a strong brand reputation. Clients range from private individuals through to large institutions and corporates.

Its services cover: architecture, building consultancy, rural planning, estate management, forestry (investment and management), professional consultancy (tax, valuation, expert witness), farms and estate sales and purchasing, food and farming, renewable energy, energy brokerage and strategic projects.

These teams are all supported by the rural research team which is responsible for providing bespoke information for pitching, existing clients, PR and marketing.

Find out more at savills.co.uk