Future of Food & Farming - Q1 2026

Future of Food & Farming

“Technologies

Dame Angela Eagle, Minister for Farming Page 02

“Creating

Tom Bradshaw, President, NFU Page 04

Why data can be a game changer – from farm to fork

Farming is changing fast. As climate pressures grow and supply chains demand more transparency, the information generated on farms is becoming as important as soil and seed.

From livestock records to soil carbon measurements, farms already hold vast amounts of data, but it often sits in disconnected systems that create more burden than benefit. Many farmers are required to enter the same data repeatedly for audits, environmental schemes, processors or government reporting.

Dorset organic dairy farmer

Sophie Gregory has been involved in a farm data exchange pilot, led by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). She said, “I think having it all in one place is something we need to look at. I am hoping longer term (a system like the Farm Data Exchange) will get rid of some of that duplication, so I’m not having to go through invoices looking for certain things. Things will be on there, ready to go, and I can use it for compliance.”

Value in aggregating data

Sophie’s experience reflects a wider challenge. When valuable information sits in separate systems, much of its potential is lost. Yet when data is joined up and used well, it has enormous public value. Reliable farm data can help track emissions, support biodiversity recovery, improve animal health and strengthen resilience across the food system. It underpins the transparency consumers increasingly expect and supports the sustainability of the food on our plates.

As AHDB’s pilot draws to a close, we’ll soon be able to publish the results and get a view on the level of support for a system like the Farm Data Exchange.

Next steps in farmer-led data systems

If support across the industry is strong, the next steps will be to take it into full production later this year. The first version will likely transfer environmental data, with the farmer’s permission, and make the results easy to share under their control.

Building trusted, farmer-led data systems is essential if we want a food future that is productive, transparent and resilient for farmers and consumers alike.

From fields to futures: backing technology to boost farm profits

From productivity to profit, innovation is transforming British farming and strengthening our food system and rural economy.

Innovation must be at the heart of food and farming, providing a boost for productivity, creating profitable farms and forming the backbone of a stronger rural economy. This helps farm businesses thrive and protect food security, and also delivers for nature.

That’s why we’re investing record amounts in technology and ideas to shape the next generation of British agriculture, from automation to low-carbon production.

I’ve seen this work firsthand at the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s Midlands Innovation Hub at Harper Adams University, which brings together partners and organisations to test, trial and commercialise innovation, including developments in automation and robotics, data and sensors and engineering biology.

With partnership, technology and productivity at its core, we’re building a stronger, more competitive future for British agriculture.

Putting innovation in farmers’ hands

As part of the groundbreaking Farming Innovation Programme, we’ve put innovation directly into the hands of farmers, helping

to ensure it works in real-world conditions and delivers a return on investment.

In West Sussex, firms are harnessing LED lighting, renewable heat and energy storage in hightech glasshouses to grow British strawberries commercially through winter. Another project: precision breeding to create a tomato enriched with provitamin D3, to improve nutrition and help tackle vitamin D deficiency. Elsewhere, scientists are turning the humble dandelion into a homegrown source of natural rubber, helping cut dependence on overseas supplies and boosting domestic production.

Turning innovation into income

Our investment is putting Britain at the cutting edge of farming technology. Whether it’s growers extending the British fruit season or livestock farmers adopting digital tools to improve efficiency. Just this month, we launched a free online nutrient management tool to make it easier for farmers and land managers to cut pollution and boost productivity. These technologies help farmers cut costs, boost yields and increase profits.

We’re also cutting red tape and consulting on planning reform so farmers can build the infrastructure they need, from reservoirs and greenhouses to polytunnels and farm shops, without being unnecessarily held back.

With partnership, technology and productivity at its core, we’re building a stronger, more competitive future for British agriculture.

Biopesticides are the future of sustainable crop production

The third agricultural revolution delivered astonishing yield and productivity gains for farmers globally. High-yielding varieties, chemical fertiliser and synthetic pesticides have been cornerstones of our farming systems since the 1960s. Arguably, it’s the main reason the planet has sustained a population of 8.3 billion and counting.1

But times are changing. Regulation, resistance and price pressure are making a 50-year-old farming system increasingly unfeasible, and there’s more to come. In March 2025, the Government’s National Pesticides Action Plan was published, aiming for a further 10% reduction in pesticide use over the next five years.

Fourth agricultural revolution

This is where the fourth agricultural revolution steps in, argues Gemma Nokes, Head of Marketing for UPL. Precision agriculture and biological alternatives to synthetic pesticides will bridge the gap between the high productivity of the green revolution and modern sustainability goals.

“UPL has been on a journey to be more sustainable over the last five years,” explains Gemma.

“We developed the Natural Plant Protection (NPP) brand to promote the biosolutions we bring to the market.”

Integrating biopesticides into conventional crop protection programmes gives farmers the ability to overcome resistance and regulatory challenges without compromising yield.

Dyson Farming in Lincolnshire, Albanwise in Yorkshire and Raby Estates in County Durham took part. They used fields of winter wheat for the ‘25 in 2025’ trial, two of which were grown for animal feed and one for milling.

“The farms were chosen because they were already utilising more sustainable growing practices to enhance their profitability, so we weren’t starting from a standing start when looking to increase the amount of biological products in their programmes to 25%,” says Gemma.

With alternative herbicide options limited, UPL focused on altering the crop’s nutrient and disease control programmes to account for 25% of the inputs. Nitrogen rates were reduced, with nutrient requirements met by biostimulants and products that can fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it available to the plant.

Precision agriculture and biological alternatives to synthetic pesticides will bridge the gap between the green revolution and modern sustainability goals.

“The most successful products in our NPP portfolio are Iodus (laminarin) and Thiopron (sulphur), which are bio-fungicides. These are both registered fungicides, which is crucial because it means they’ve been fully approved for disease control, just like a conventional pesticide.”

“We don’t see these replacing conventional chemistry. We want biological and chemical crop protection to work together in appropriate programmes. This will create a sustainable approach which maintains what we already have and develops exciting new solutions.”

Real-world evidence

To demonstrate that this approach can improve sustainability without compromising yield or profits for farmers, not just in the future but now, UPL established an initiative last year called ‘25 in 2025.’ Three large estates in England were supported to replace 25% of their input programmes in a wheat field with biological alternatives.

Similarly, the farmers used fewer conventional fungicides, replacing them with biological plant health elicitors to stimulate the crop’s own defence mechanisms against disease. Gemma believes some products used in the ‘25 in 2025’ trial can deliver gains beyond what synthetic chemistry offers. “Biosolutions like the biostimulant Vitalroot encourage rooting. It helps to alleviate the effects of a less-than-ideal crop establishment and drought stress, as does additional foliar nutrition,” she says.

“We want to marry sustainability with productivity”

The farms found no measurable difference in yield between the parts of the field treated with the ‘25 in 2025’ programme and the rest of the field, which received their usual farm programme. For UPL, that’s the outcome that helps prove farmers can look forward to a future less reliant on chemical solutions by utilising more sustainable alternatives.

“We want to marry sustainability with productivity, which ‘25 in 2025’ demonstrated we can achieve. It shows farmers can phase out some practices without worrying about compromising their profits.”

“It’s an exciting vision for the future,” concludes Gemma.

References: 1. Worldometer. World population - current world population.

Why investing in women farmers pays off

From production, processing and trade, women farmers sustain agrifood systems worldwide. The International Year of the Woman Farmer puts their leadership in focus.

Women are essential to agrifood systems, working across farming, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, forestry, food processing and research.

Backbone of agrifood systems

Globally, women make up 41% of the agrifood force,1 yet their work is often informal, underpaid and overlooked. In regions such as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the proportion of women in agrifood systems is as high as 70%.1

Despite their vital contribution, women farmers continue to face structural barriers. Limited access to and control over land, credit, training, technology and services undermines their productivity and earnings, while unpaid care work further restricts their opportunities. For example, when men and women farm a plot of the same size, women’s output is on average 24% lower2, and these same systemic barriers are reflected in wages: women working in agrifood systems earn just 78 cents for every dollar3 earned by men.

Empowered women, transforming agrifood systems Addressing these gender inequalities through responsive policies, better access to services and finance and targeted training could deliver enormous social and economic gains, reduce hunger, improve dietary diversity and boost resilience.

The scale of what inclusive and genderresponsive agrifood systems can achieve is stark. Recent FAO estimates show that if we were able to close gender gaps in farm productivity and wages, we could raise global GDP by 1 trillion dollars and lift 45 million people out of food insecurity. Meanwhile, development interventions focused on empowering rural women could lift the incomes of 58 million people and strengthen resilience for 235 million. In 2026, the International Year of the Woman Farmer offers a unique opportunity to put women at the centre of agrifood systems transformation. By listening to women farmers and investing in their empowerment, we can collectively build more inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems that benefit everyone. The future of agrifood systems hinges on women being able to reach their full potential and on systems that finally recognise, value and support their work and leadership.

References:

1. Costa, V. et al. (2026). Global estimates of women’s and men’s employment in agrifood systems from 2000 to 2021. Global Food Security.

2. Anríquez, G., Quiñónez, F., & Foster, W. (2025). Levelling

3.

The future of farming

The resilience of British farming remains the bedrock upon which our national food security is built.

After being pushed to the absolute limit by global geopolitical shocks, price volatility, extreme weather and the threat of changes to inheritance tax, our sector proved it can stand firm against even the most punishing conditions.

But for true resilience to take root, we need more than just survival; we need a policy environment that fosters growth and long-term investment and allows us to farm smarter, not harder, to feed the nation.

British farming underpins the nation’s largest manufacturing sector, food and drink, worth £153 billion to the UK economy.1

Working towards profitable farming businesses

We’re working closely with Government to implement recommendations from the recent Farm Profitability Review to help drive competitiveness and create a more collaborative and equitable marketplace. Creating an enabling planning system will allow farmers to diversify and start investing in on-farm infrastructure such as slurry stores, poultry sheds and reservoirs to support efficient and innovative farming operations.

We need to ensure supply chains are transparent and provide fairer returns for farmers. Our ‘alternating’ climate — from flooding to drought — underlines the urgent need for investment in water management and energy resilience to protect British food production.

Further clarity on the future of environmental schemes is vital so farming businesses can help deliver ambitious biodiversity targets. Globally, growing exports for British food abroad and ensuring imported products meet our own high production standards will ensure we can compete on a level playing field.

Food system resilience must be a genuine political priority

Critical questions remain about whether food system resilience will be a genuine political priority. Hopefully, we’ll see answers within Defra’s 25-year Farming Roadmap and the UK’s Food Strategy. British agriculture can be a driving force behind the country’s economic renewal. With the right priorities and a genuine partnership between Government and industry, and with the public’s continued support, we can shift towards a more resilient, thriving and profitable farming industry. One where our farmers continue to produce great-tasting and nutritious food while protecting and enhancing our precious landscapes.

Reference: 1. NFU. (2025). Report right to recognise reform is needed – farm profitability review published. https://tinyurl.com/2u2e2py2.

Turning sustainability targets into farm-level action

With 2030 fast approaching, sustainability is being stress-tested. The real question is no longer what targets say, but whether supply chains can deliver change on the ground.

As 2030 sustainability targets approach, the focus is shifting from ambition to delivery — particularly at a farm level, where increasing demands for data are proving complex.

Sustainability is not just about carbon

For farmers and stakeholders, sustainability now spans biodiversity, water, nutrient cycles and resilience, creating a more holistic — but more challenging — framework for farmers to navigate. Much of this demand is driven by the private sector, with supply chains seeking detailed, multi-metric reporting.

“Carbon has been useful to bridge the gap because we can link it to on-farm efficiency,” says Hattie McFadzean, senior sustainability consultant at food and agriculture consultancy Promar International. “But when you move into areas like biodiversity or [carbon] sequestration, the data requirements become harder to meet and significantly increase the audit burden on farmers.”

This complexity is compounded by the structure of supply chains. Farms rarely supply a single buyer, meaning they’re often asked for different data by different organisations. Alongside this, the industry is confronting the limitations of how sustainability targets have been set. Many 2030 commitments are binary and fixed, despite being created in a different operating environment.

“Targets are often too black and white,” says David Eudall, managing director at Promar International. “They don’t reflect the volatility farmers are dealing with — from weather to market pressures — which makes it difficult to align them with real-world farming systems.”

2030: test phase, not endpoint

Early adopters are already learning valuable lessons about what works and what doesn’t.

“Those who have embedded sustainability into their strategy have a clear story to tell, even if they miss the target,” Hattie explains. “The risk is greater for those who have treated sustainability as a tick-box exercise.”

Looking beyond 2030, this pressure is unlikely to ease. Climate impacts, geopolitical instability and evolving frameworks will continue to reshape expectations.

Supply chains must focus on what’s materially achievable, and support farmers with the tools, incentives and clarity needed to deliver meaningful, long-term change.