£50m UK farming tech investment boosts smart agriculture innovation
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The funding will support the adoption of advanced agri-tech solutions, including robotics, precision farming systems, and data-driven tools designed to improve efficiency, sustainability, and food security across British farms. This initiative marks a significant step in strengthening the UK’s farming sector through modern technology and long-term innovation.
Nature-based farming innovations to reduce chemicals and strengthen crop and tree resilience
Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle has announced £50 million of public and private investment into the latest farming technology.
The funding will deliver up to 12 innovative tools to farms, helping farmers produce more whilst reducing labour, energy and fertiliser use.
A selection of farming technologies will provide practical, nature-based solutions, such as improved pest control and reduced chemical use. For example, FA Bio is developing a “living” biopesticide that uses beneficial fungi to protect wheat and oilseed rape from destructive pests such as aphids and the cabbage stem flea beetle. Applied at planting, the biopesticide could offer season-long protection and reduce the need for repeated chemical spraying, helping farmers reduce input costs and environmental impact.
The funding will back tools aiming to boost the resilience of trees and landscapes. Rhizocore identifies the most effective native fungi to help trees establish and thrive, improving survival rates in forestry and agroforestry, accelerating carbon capture, and supporting woodland recovery.
UK farming technology investment drives innovation and private sector growth in agri-tech sector
Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle said: “Farmers know the right tools can make all the difference.
This investment is about getting practical, proven technology into their hands faster – whether that’s improving animal health, cutting costs or making day-to-day jobs easier.
By backing innovation with both public and private funding, we’re supporting farm businesses to boost productivity, strengthen resilience and help secure the future of British agriculture.”
Head of Agrifood at Innovate UK, Chris Danks, said: “The success of this latest round shows how Investor Partnerships help high‑potential UK businesses grow and scale by combining public grant funding with private investment, turning great ideas into commercial success.
By launching a new round, we are continuing to back innovation that gives farmers access to practical, scalable technologies that improve productivity, resilience and sustainability, while also supporting long‑term economic growth.
This approach accelerates commercialisation, builds investable businesses, and helps crowd in private finance for the benefit of the UK economy.”
Rhizocore founder and CEO, Dr Toby Parkes, said: “The investor partnership grant will accelerate our data collection on the performance of different fungi in different soil environments.
This data will enable us to improve our products by selecting the right fungi for our customers’ sites, resulting in more trees surviving and growing faster, increasing the ROI we return to our customers and the benefit our products provide to the environment.”
CEO and Co-Founder of Fa Bio, Dr Angela de Manzanos, said: “The Investor Partnerships programme enables us to fast-track a biological alternative to chemical insecticides for two of the UK’s most important crops.
By aligning public funding with private investment, it supports the commercialisation of biological innovation that reduces reliance on synthetic inputs, protects yields, and improves farm sustainability.
This approach will strengthen UK food security while building a competitive, innovation-led agri-tech sector.”
