Millions of pounds in funding have been secured in the government’s bid to drive farm innovation in England.
At least £21.5m in funding will back 15 innovation projects across England, delivered through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme in partnership with Innovate UK, with the aim of helping farmers make their operations more sustainable and resilient.
The projects were selected through competitions launched in April 2025, under the programme’s Farming Futures Fund, with one focused on precision breeding and the other on low-emissions farming.
“Innovation is central to a more productive, resilient farming sector,” said farming minister Angela Eagle. “This funding will back new ideas farmers can use on the ground to cut methane and fertiliser-related emissions, strengthen crop resilience, and improve nutrition.”
The successful projects include, but are not limited to, using precision breeding to create a tomato – dubbed the Sunshine Tomato – enriched with provitamin D3; making low-emission fertilisers for dairy through replacing 50% of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser with biological alternatives; and developing climate-resilient industrial hemp.
“Working alongside Defra, Innovate UK is ensuring precision breeding and low-emission technologies move swiftly from research into real‑world use, enabling farmers and agri businesses to grow, compete, and unlock new economic opportunities across the UK’s food and farming sector,” said Dr Stella Peace, Innovate UK MD.
It builds on nearly £2.3m awarded to 30 projects announced in December through the first round of the government’s ADOPT Fund. The trials are testing new ideas on working farms – from lower-emission machinery to digital tools that support day-to-day farm management.
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