Agri-TechE’s February Newsletter
When weather extremes make growing conditions difficult, the chance to farm indoors becomes more appealing, and this month we are taking a deep dive into this vibrant sector. We are also looking outwards to Central Europe and forward into the future. Following our Members’ Exclusive event about planning for Net Zero, we are considering if and how regulation drives innovation – the topic of this month’s blog.
This month:
- Controlled Environment Agriculture is at a cross-roads – join a timely discussion
- How will new regulations impact the industry? Hear more in Agri-Tech Express
- Agri-tech innovators and farmer collaborators discuss learning points – REAP 2020 report launched
- Meet “V4” producers and tech developers looking for partners
- “Meet a Member” from across the Agri-TechE network
Top News and Upcoming Events
“Controlled Environment Agriculture – The Industry is Growing Up”
25th February, Online
The potential of controlled environments to provide sustainable food production in arid areas is driving significant investment in the technologies and supporting the scale-up of facilities.
Interest in the sector is intensifying and creating diversity in business models, including significant commercial opportunities through improved efficiencies in under cover and field production. Inspirational speakers include a keynote by Luuk Graamens of Wageningen UR about findings from its vertical farming research facility with integration into urban energy networks.
4 BASIS points available for attendees and we’re inviting members to take an exhibition stand at the event.
Agri-Tech Express – “Trade issues facing agri-tech"
16th February, 10.30am Online
The UK’s Agri-Tech sector has all of the ingredients to become world-leading, from drones to autonomous vehicles to ways of making our crops more resilient – but is the political and regulatory landscape holding the sector back? Lexington Communications will be putting the case for change and stimulating a lively discussion.
Free for Agri-TechE members to attend, small charge for non-members.
REAP 2020 – "From Micro-scape to Landscape" report launched
Read the interactive report – with video excerpts
A new era of decision support tools enables unprecedented insights into the complexities of food production and land management. Finally, we can begin to see how changes at every level of the system can provide both incremental improvements and disruptive change. Speakers at REAP discussed the developments in tech and on farm that are moving us closer towards a future that is productive, profitable and sustainable.
The REAP report gives an insight into the discussions and aims to capture some of the energy within the Agri-TechE innovation ecosystem.
Agri-Tech missions - producers in V4 countries looking for partners
18th March, 9am-5pm Online
The recent Western Growers Association meeting was highly productive, now we have an opportunity to look to Central Europe. We are proud to be welcoming an inward mission of farmers and agri-tech companies from Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia who are keen to meet technologists and potential partners.
Exhibition booths are available, and opportunities for extensive networking and introductions via our digital event platform.
Meet Our Members!
New and Returning Members
New and Returning Members
New Members: Abacus Bio | Cell Capital Partners | ORASC | Richardson Milling | Suffolk New College | Verdesian Life Science | Zayndu
Renewing Members: AgRecruit | Agricompas | Agrimetrics | Arlabion | Austrade | Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing | Hummingbird Technologies | MMP Tax | PBD Biotech | Prime Agriculture | Smartbell | TWENTYFIFTEEN
Discover the network
Each month we will be showcasing 6 of our members. Click on their logo to find out more about them through their member pages.
Private investor network in East of England backing best innovation in the region
Designers of instruments to measure and monitor the environment
Research and knowledge exchange for the UK sugar beet industry
Design and build cloud base databases for potato and vegetable growers
IoT and AI data solution for livestock rearing and management
Weather forecasting, weather consulting and weather analytics SME
Other News and Events
Funding success for ADAS to develop YEN and new knowledge exchange platform
ADAS has recently been successful with Innovate UK funding to pursue two exciting new projects to support knowledge exchange in agriculture, in light of the challenges brought by the pandemic.
One of the projects seeks to evaluate the impact of Covid-19 on knowledge exchange in the industry and to develop a new digital solution, the Farm Performance Enhancement Platform – Farm-PEP. Agri-TechE is excited to be involved as one of the project partners.
The other project will focus on developing ‘Dynamic Benchmarking’ to improve data exchange between growers in the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) and develop YEN-Zero.
Agri-Tech accelerator programme
The University of Lincoln and Barclays Eagle Labs are welcoming applications to join their new fully-funded, 10 week agri-tech accelerator programme. More information and application details.
Funding latest – Are you a food systems thinker?
The UKRI is inviting expressions of interest for its Food Systems SPF programme. Increasingly it is recognised that the UK needs to move away from a ‘calories per hectare’ approach to one that considers the ‘number of people fed healthily and sustainably per hectare’. This interplay between production and demand, and environment and health, is the type of whole systems research that the UKRI is looking to support through its Food Systems SPF programme.
BASIS points for members and newsletter readers
Many of our events attract BASIS points. If you are BASIS registered, you can also collect 2 points (up to a maximum of 8/yr) for receiving our newsletter and all staff in our member organisations can claim 2 points/yr for membership.
To claim your BASIS points for the newsletter, use reference CP/91546/1920/g on the BASIS website.
