Farming technologies from robotics to AI are to be funded with £50m of private and public investment, the Farming Minister has announced.

The funding could deliver up to 12 innovative tools to farms, helping farmers produce more while cutting labour, energy and fertiliser use, backed by £8m in government funding and £40m in private investment.

Several of the technologies focus on delivering practical, nature-based solutions for farmers, such as a “living” biopesticide that uses beneficial fungi to protect wheat and oilseed rape from destructive pests like aphids and cabbage stem flea beetle.

The investment could also back innovations to boost the resilience of trees and landscapes, such as identifying the most effective native fungi to help trees establish and thrive, improving survival rates in forestry and agroforestry while accelerating carbon capture and supporting woodland recovery.

Head of agrifood at Innovate UK, Chris Danks, said: “The success of this latest round shows how Investor Partnerships help high‑potential UK businesses grow and scale by combining public grant funding with private investment, turning great ideas into commercial success.”

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