£45 Million Tech Boost Aims to Help Farmers Increase Profits and Productivity

Farmers across the UK could soon benefit from a major new investment in agricultural technology, with the government announcing £45.6 million in funding to support innovations that boost food production, improve profitability, and protect the natural environment.

Announced on 14 April, the funding will support a wide range of technologies. These include fruit-picking robots, livestock health monitoring systems, and irrigation systems that maximise water use. The goal is to move these solutions from research labs to real farms, making them accessible and practical for everyday farming operations.

Support at every stage of development

The funding is spread across three special funds and will help at different stages of innovation, from early research to on-farm trials.

The first opportunity is the new Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) competition, opening on 28 April. This programme will commit up to £20.6 million in 2025-26 to help farmers test new technologies on their own farms. It’s aimed at bridging the gap between new ideas and real-world applications.

To support farmers through the process, the ADOPT Support Hub will provide guidance and a £2,500 support grant to help with applications and trial setup.

Two more competitions open in May

From 5 May, two further funding rounds will launch under the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP).

The first will provide £12.5 million for collaborative research into reducing emissions from farms, supporting sustainability and climate resilience. The second also offers £12.5 million and will fund research into precision-bred crops to improve yields, reduce the need for chemical inputs, and strengthen resistance to disease. This builds on the opportunities created by the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.

What this means for farmers

These funding opportunities could help farms of all sizes adopt technology that improves efficiency, reduces emissions, or opens up new income streams.

The ADOPT Support Hub can be found here.