How can agriculture learn from other sectors to solve some of its biggest challenges?

Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-TechE, speaks with Niall Mottram, VP of Energy and Carbon Dioxide Removal at Cambridge Consultants about how technologies and ideas developed in other industries can help solve some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges and bridging the “missing middle” between research and commercialisation in agri-tech.

Drawing on experience across the energy, telecommunications and infrastructure sectors, Niall explains how cross-sector innovation can help tackle major agricultural challenges around water management, energy resilience and productivity. He shares one example of a precision irrigation system developed with Netafim, where fibre-optic communications technology is being used to improve water efficiency while supporting crop growth at a time when water scarcity and climate resilience are rising concerns.

The conversation also explores whether agriculture could benefit from a funding model similar to the UK’s energy sector – the UK’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) which supports the development and commercialisation of emerging technologies, and suggests that a comparable approach could help agri-tech innovations move beyond research projects and into widespread adoption on farm.

Niall discusses why agriculture should be recognised as critical national infrastructure with the growing importance of cyber security, post-quantum cryptography and the potential implications of quantum computing, highlighting why the agricultural sector should start preparing now for future security and infrastructure challenges.

Watch the whole interview: