Women in Food and Farming: Exploring Agricultural Innovation

Women in Food and Farming hosted a fantastic panel session at the Low Carbon Show, a few weeks ago. It was my first panel experience, and I was very grateful to share it with three inspiring women leading the way in the agricultural innovation space!

· Laura Beaumont works at the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) as their Head of Projects. She comes from a farming background, with her family being mixed farmers in Herefordshire.

· Alex Simmons is co-founder of Oko, a conversational AI platform helping farmers navigate through agri-environmental schemes.

· Natalia Franco Taketani is Head of Scientific Operations at FA Bio. FA Bio works on discovering microbial active ingredients with disease control, plant growth promotion and fertiliser activities that can help growers produce more with less inputs.

Dr Emma Chapelhow facilitated the discussion and kicked off by asking Laura and Alex about the opportunities in tech and innovation in agriculture. Laura ran us through some projects that BOFIN farmers are currently involved in and it was brilliant to hear how BOFIN is leading the way in getting farmers involved in on-farm trials and testing innovative farm practices. For instance, some farmers are part of a sustainability project looking at growing more British beans to displace imports of soya used in livestock feed and therefore reduce related emissions.

Alex explained how Oko is a tool that farmers can use to help navigate the very complex agri-environmental schemes landscape. Although there are lots of funding opportunities out there to support farmers to be more innovative and adopt sustainable practices, they can be overwhelmed with information and often don't know where to start or what is available for their farm. Oko is a conversational AI platform aiming to direct farmers, land managers and advisors towards what options are accessible to them.

Funding through agri-environmental schemes is key in supporting farmers in adopting sustainable practices on their farms, which ultimately also supports food production. However, with the modest profit the average farmer makes, it is a financial risk for them to trial new practices, be innovative and deliver on 'public goods' without third-party funding.

We then covered the challenges surrounding tech and innovation on farm. I talked about a project we worked on with the UK Agri-Tech Centre which focused on exploring where farmers are at in their tech and innovation adoption journey. We spoke to over 120 farmers as part of the research, and our findings highlighted that farmers want to

embrace tech and innovation, especially if it makes their business more sustainable, but it needs to align with business performance. A quarter of farmers we spoke to have already adopted what they considered to be environmentally focused practices (i.e. increasing cover cropping in their rotations, switching to less intense cultivation systems such as min till).

The main challenges that farmers face when it comes to adopting tech and innovation are:

1. Cost

2. Market availability

3. Lack of skills to implement the technology

4. Infrastructure challenges (i.e. lack of broadband reliability)

Natalia highlighted that as a start-up in the agri-tech sector, cost was a big barrier to farmers adopting their product. They also need to go through distributors, which means that they have little control over pricing. Bridging the gap between scientific research and on-farm implementation must be supported by government, as research costs are high. Unless supported by external funding, it is difficult to make innovative sustainable products available to farmers at a low cost without risking the health of the start-up.

To address these barriers, farmers need:

· Financial support - government grants such as Defra's Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, green bank loans, water company schemes such as Severn Trent's STEP scheme.

· Professional development and training opportunities – to expand their skill base and learn how to implement tech successfully on farm.

· Knowledge sharing events – on-farm demonstrations or discussion groups are perfect environments for peer-to-peer learning.

Most importantly, any tech developer or innovator must think about creating real solutions to real problems that farmers encounter in their day-to-day operations.

The Future of Agri-Tech in Sustainable Farming

The convergence of agricultural technology and sustainable farming practices presents a promising pathway to reducing on-farm emissions whilst maintaining productivity. Agri-tech solutions such as precision agriculture tools, AI-driven decision support systems like Oko, and biological alternatives to chemical inputs as developed by FA Bio are transforming how farmers can approach sustainability. These innovations enable more targeted resource application, reducing waste and environmental impact whilst potentially improving yields. As climate change intensifies and regulatory pressures mount, these technologies will become increasingly vital. However, their successful implementation depends on continued government support, collaborative research networks like BOFIN, and greater industry investment in making these solutions both accessible and affordable. By creating this supportive ecosystem around agri-tech adoption, we can help farmers transition to lower-emission practices without compromising their livelihoods—ultimately benefiting both agricultural communities and the planet.

Marie Charles, FAAV

WiFF member and Ops Team

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