Greg Clark announces £90m of agri-tech funding

Business Secretary Greg Clark has announced £90 million of funding for developing AI, robotics and earth observation technologies in the UK’s agriculture and food sector. He said smarter technologies will […]

Business Secretary Greg Clark has announced £90 million of funding for developing AI, robotics and earth observation technologies in the UK’s agriculture and food sector.

He said smarter technologies will make the sector more efficient, more productive and more sustainable.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) also plans to encourage collaboration between businesses, farmers and academics and explore the commercial potential of new agri-tech ideas.

For example, Ordnance Survey have started using satellites, camera-equipped planes and drones to accurately map 232,342 miles of England’s farmland hedges, farms and green landscapes to track environmental changes.

Mr Clark said: “New technologies require new abilities and today’s modern British farmer is a Swiss-Army-Knife of skills.

“An engineer, an environmentalist, a data scientist, a biochemist, an energy producer, a tourism entrepreneur and an investor too.”

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