Italy-UK Partnership

PARTNERSHIP | Autumn 2020 12 Agritech: the future of Welsh farming? Investing in AI to make Wales a leader in agriculture technologies A gri-tech, the application of technology to improve the efficiency and output of agriculture, is becoming a key solution to help small farms using software, sensors, satellites and drones. These innovations could lead to a better way of farming, marked by more sustainable processes: for example, automated irrigation systems or soil management systems could save time and money for agricultural professionals and, in the meanwhile, could help with water waste. In July 2013, the UK Government launched a long-term £160m agri-tech strategy. A key part of the project was the Agri-Tech Catalyst, which promoted synergic research between experts and businesses to find sustainable solutions and advanced mechanisms that could be easily translated from the lab to the marketplace and could benefit society and the economy by increasing the level of green innovation. In 2015, the Agri-Tech Catalyst funded a project led by Terravesta Assured Energy Crops, where a team of Aberystwyth University scientists studied how to optimise conditions to cultivate seeds for the production of green fuel. The goal of the study was to improve the current method for planting miscanthus. Dr John Clifton Brown led the project, aimed at improving the agricultural industry and the ambition of reducing CO2 emissions. In April 2020, Dr Brown, along with Anita Shepherd and Astley Hastings from the University of Aberdeen and with Jason Kam and Sam Buckby from Terravesta, published an Article in GCB Bioenergy, called “Commercial experience with Miscanthus crops: establishment, yields and environmental observations”, about their research. THE PROJECT’S RESULTS In early July 2020, the Agri-Tech Catalyst interim impact evaluation was published, underlining how the programme had been successful at stimulating new and advanced R&D and innovation in the British agri-tech sector. The report, which was carried out by SQW Consulting in partnership with Martin Collison and BMG Research, also concluded that new collaborative partnerships were created between businesses and scientists, leading to brand-new products being brought to the marketplace, which could increase the productivity and sustainability level in the agricultural field. Furthermore, a new funding competition opened on 20th July 2020, the 10th stage in the Agri-tech Catalyst plan. British organisations can apply for a share of up to £2.5m of funding to develop new projects on agri-tech and food chain innovations in eligible African countries. MORE ACTIVITIES INWALES Last June, the Aberystwyth-based agri-tech firm Agxio, which develops an advanced automated machine to create agri-tech solutions, secured £750,000 in an investment round from the Development Bank of Wales and other investors. The funds are aimed at supporting the development of advanced data science and artificial intelligence solutions. Overall, in the past few years, because of public and private investments, Wales’ firms and academia have been developing cutting edge solutions that allowed the country to become a world leader in agricultural innovations and technologies. Thanks to these new machineries, the UK is making a step forward to a more sustainable way of producing food and energy and is getting closer to the crucial Net-zero target. ·