Written evidence submitted by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (IGF0019)

House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee Inquiry:

Innovation and Global Food Security

Introduction

1.      We welcome the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee’s inquiry into innovation and global food security, and we are writing to give the committee information on the role of UKRI in supporting the research and innovation system. 

2.      Launched in 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the largest public funder of research and innovation in the UK. UKRI is the primary organisation responsible for allocating a combined budget of more the £8 billion for research and innovation in the UK, across the seven research councils, Innovate UK, and Research England.

3.      UKRI invests in people, teams, places, and infrastructure to strengthen the skills, organisations, and collaborations needed to develop transformative ideas across disciplines, whilst investing in businesses to drive innovation to translate research outputs into real-world impact. We shape and manage a diverse portfolio of investments with aligned incentives to unlock the benefits of research and innovation for the UK, addressing major challenges such as climate change and healthy ageing, while harnessing emerging opportunities in areas like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and engineering biology (EB). Collaborating closely with our partners and stakeholders, UKRI is committed to building a dynamic, inclusive, and diverse research and innovation system, one that enables broad participation and delivers impact locally, nationally, and globally.

4.      Food-related research and innovation is coordinated through UKRI’s Global Food Security (GFS) Programme. We have a UKRI Food Champion who chairs the UKRI GFS Food Research and Innovation Strategy Group, bringing together senior-level representatives from across the councils. A key aim is to address the food security challenge through cutting-edge research and innovation, taking a coordinated and collaborative approach across UKRI in interdisciplinary areas. Our work spans the entire food system, from production, processing and manufacturing, to distribution, retail and consumption, considering key issues such as resilience, environmental sustainability and dietary health. In taking a holistic and big picture view, we recognise the interdependencies between activities, actors, drivers and outcomes across the whole food system.

5.      In relation to this inquiry, UKRI funds research and innovation across the agri-food system including bioscience in crops, microbes, and animals; agricultural technologies, the use of data, AI and modelling to increase efficiency and sustainability; the promotion of nature-positive agriculture; increasing the resilience of food production to climate change, and the translation of food-related research into commercial practice.

6.      This submission addresses the questions posed by the SIT committee on how scientific and technological innovations can support global food security; their impact on the global agricultural system; the UK’s role in achieving global food security; barriers to implementing these innovations; and the shape of an agricultural system that can achieve global food security.

Inquiry questions

1.      How scientific and technological innovations can be combined with low-technology practices to support global food security:

1. How emerging technologies developed outside agriculture, such as AI, can support this aim.

7.      UKRI supports research and innovation investigating the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and engineering biology (EB) across the agriculture and food system.[1] This includes projects focussing on the use of AI to monitor on-farm disease detection for livestock[2] and crop yield, disease and stress.[3] UKRI support for EB includes efforts to develop climate-resilient crops, alternative proteins[4],[5],[6], and biological inputs that reduce reliance on chemicals.[7] The integration of AI and EB across the food chain has potential to benefit farmers, producers, and consumers by creating a more resilient, productive, and sustainable global food system.[8] This is reflected in the National Engineering Biology Programme (NEBP) with food systems as one of the application-inspired themes. Additionally, UKRI recognises that, for AI to be of value, it is critically reliant upon access to high quality, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data, digital infrastructure, compute and capability.[9],[10],[11]

8.      Through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) Transforming Food Production (TFP) Challenge programme[12], BBSRC and Innovate UK have been supporting innovations to enable more efficient, sustainable and resilient food production. The TFP portfolio[13] includes projects across traditional food production systems and novel systems such as alternative proteins with applications in aquaculture and animal feed to displace reliance on imports of soy- and fishmeal.[14] Further TFP funding has supported the development of cultivated meat through an Investor Partnership competition which were taken forward by Roslin Technologies[15] and Uncommon.[16] Innovate UK are also delivering the Defra Farming Innovation Programme (FIP).[17] The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy announced that at least £200 million would be spent in this programme up to 2030, which will offer targeted funding to drive innovation in agriculture. It is focused on developing solutions to practical challenges faced by farmers and growers to help them increase productivity, sustainability and resilience across agricultural and horticultural systems.

9.      In addition, technological innovations around data can inform and support global food security. Smart Data Research UK (SDR UK)[18] is a UKRI-funded research programme dedicated to unlocking the potential of new forms of data – often termed ‘smart data’ – generated through digital systems, sensors, and platforms. The Healthy and Sustainable Places Data Service[19] is producing new ways of using smart data to understand food, lifestyle and mobility patterns and behaviours. In particular, the Priority Places for Food Index identifies areas in the UK that are vulnerable to food insecurity and inequalities.

10.  The Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK)[20] is a major ESRC investment to transform the wealth of public sector data into research assets and policy-relevant insights. ADR UK is working in partnership with a group of academic and government bodies to link de-identified data from across the UK to create the first UK-wide dataset focused on agriculture. The AD|ARC (Administrative Data | Agricultural Research Collection)[21] project aims to integrate the human dimension with data on farming activities.  This will provide insights into the demographic, health, education and farm businesses. To understand how farming fits in with the wider rural community.  These insights will help decision makers to improve policies and enhance the wellbeing of farmers, their households, and wider rural communities.

11.  Selected Case Studies:

AI-based monitoring aids on-farm disease detection[22]

This proof-of-concept project used computer vision, machine learning and artificial neural networks alongside low-cost video cameras to assess pig behaviours and predict future symptoms of disease. It proved possible to identify changes in drinking behaviour up to 8 days before symptoms of infectious disease appeared. In practice this would lead to a positive impact on the pig’s welfare, increased productivity and reduced risk of anti-microbial resistance and inter-species spread of disease.

RaDiCal: Rapid diagnosis of Calf Pneumonia[23]

A rapid, sensitive, cost-effective on-farm diagnostic test capable of detecting the organisms responsible for calf pneumonia to inform herd management and reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics. Early diagnosis of pneumonia will allow the farmer to administer treatment in a proportionate and timely way, increasing returns by saving money over the lifetime of a dairy heifer and reducing antibiotic usage.

Vision Detection for Early Signs of Digital Dermatitis Lesions and Lameness within Dairy Cattle[24]

Lameness is recognised as the primary animal welfare issue in dairy farming, having a wide-ranging impact, across quality and yield, animal fertility, and lifespan. Combined, this can result in a far higher environmental impact of milk production and an economic effect on farmers of around £300 per incidence of lameness.  The Hoofcount project secured funding through the FIP to develop a novel AI-led solution to more effectively identify and monitor early signs of digital dermatitis and similar diseases. Working alongside the UK Agri-Tech Centre and the Centre for Machine Vision at the University of the West of England, the project tested hoof-level cameras at footbath exits across four demonstration farms to capture multiple images that electronically identify affected hoofs. Following completion of the project, Hoofcount are combining further research and development with an expanding commercial effort. 

Opti-Oat: Optimising oat yield and quality to deliver sustainable production and economic impact[25],[26]

This Agri-Tech Catalyst project will provide UK oat growers with world leading agronomic ‘tools’ to maximise grower returns and capitalise on the increasing demand for food grade oats. Used by agricultural industry to predict yield of arable crops and for grain trade to predict supply. Results from this project have been incorporated into the winter and spring oat breeding programme at Aberystwyth and new lines developed will be further evaluated prior to entering independent national list trials. The Opti-Oat project developed the first UK Oat Growth Guide, which provides benchmarks and data-driven insights to improve oat crop management and sustainability, potentially increasing yields by 5-10%.

Slug Resistant Wheat Project[27]

Slugs are one of arable farming’s biggest pests and left uncontrolled would cost UK farmers around £100m in lost crops. The damage to winter-sown cereals is worst in the autumn, with newly planted seed often decimated at a crucial point in its growing cycle. The entire industry relies on just one form of control, molluscicide pellets, with thousands of tonnes of ferric phosphate pellets spread every year on UK soils at a cost of around £43m to UK farmers. Scientists at the John Innes Centre have identified a wheat variety, Watkins 788, that has not been grown for almost 100 years and has never been grown in the UK but had been observed through initial lab trials to be consistently spurned by slugs. Through a combination of further lab tests and field trials the aim is to confirm these observations and explore whether this represents a genetic solution to slug control for farmers.

3D multi-spectral imaging to track crop yield, disease, and stress[28]

In 2018, University of Manchester spin-out company Fotenix emerged to pioneer 3D multi-spectral imaging for agriculture. Co-founded by Professor Bruce Grieve and Dr Charles Veys, Fotenix developed the technology to mount on tractors, robotics, or handheld device offering real-time crop disease and stress identification as well as ripeness detection for soft fruits. Expanding their horizons, Fotenix now combines cameras with AI software and lighting to create a cutting-edge plant analysis platform and have ventured into real-time digital farm mapping and provide breeding services. Fotenix's journey was supported by various funding sources including the Agri-Tech Catalyst programme co-funded by BBSRC and Innovate UK.

GrassVision: Automated application of herbicides in grass crops[29]

GrassVision will use imaging and precision agriculture techniques to develop a novel spray apparatus for precision application of herbicides to broad-leaf weeds in grass crops. The primary focus will be to detect weeds using novel 3D machine vision techniques. Initially using off-the-shelf machinery to spray a targeted area around each weed, with an estimated aimed decrease in herbicide use of around 75%. The project will then look to refine the application area. Using this approach, it aims to achieve a target of 5x5cm spray area per-weed, providing potential reductions in herbicide use more than 90%.

Novel electrical weed control technology reducing reliance on crop protection chemicals[30]

Weed control in crops, vineyards and orchards is of key importance to the food sector. RootWave, an innovative SME receiving Innovate UK funding through the farming innovation programme, uses a weed’s natural resistance that turns applied electrical energy into heat, thereby boiling the plant from the root upwards in a targeted manner, without the need for chemical herbicides, which have high costs and increasing regulation.

Cosmic-ray soil moisture monitoring network[31]

The COSMOS-UK network is run by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and is part of a larger international network of stations that use cosmic-ray neutrons to measure soil moisture over a large area, typically several hundred meters in diameter. The data is used in agriculture to inform water resource management and to optimise irrigation. Funded by NERC, there are currently 44 sites across the UK that are capable of sensing soil moisture over approximately 30 acres.

2. The role of biotechnology (e.g., genetic engineering and gene editing techniques such as CRISPR) in increasing crop yields and resistance to climate change.

12.  In addition to investment into the use of emerging technologies in agriculture and food outlined above, UKRI recognises the transformative potential of genetic technologies across the agriculture and food system (both UK and global) [32]. UKRI invests in genetic technologies to improve fundamental understanding of biological systems but also to improve crops and farmed animals. The BBSRC Forward Look[33] states that ‘Advanced genetics and genomic approaches are revolutionising plant and animal breeding, driving gains in crop productivity and nutritional quality and increasing resilience and disease resistance’. Examples of UKRI investment in this area are below:

Revolutionising Wheat[34]

Wheat is an important global crop providing 20% of total calories consumed worldwide, BBSRC have been at the forefront of wheat research for over two decades. Delivering Sustainable Wheat[35] is an institute strategic programme led by the John Innes Centre in Norwich, aiming to address key challenges facing wheat production in the UK and globally. The programme seeks to enhance wheat yields, improve resilience and ensure sustainability while contributing significantly to tackling climate change’s impact on wheat production. The importance of wheat as a global staple crop is recognised in UKRI’s international partnerships and engagement through initiatives such as the Global Wheat Initiative and the International Wheat Yield Partnership (for more detail on international engagement see response to Q.5a).

Disease Resistant Pigs[36]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is the costliest infectious disease affecting pigs worldwide. Using their expertise in gene editing techniques a research group at The Roslin Institute have produced pigs that are resistant to the PRRS virus point. This genetic modification prevents the pigs from producing part of a protein required for the PRRS virus to establish an infection. The work will benefit pig breeders, farmers and will improve the sustainability of the pig industry, while lowering costs of pig products. 

Tackling Virus Yellows Disease in Sugar Beet[37]

The sugar beet industry, which contributes significantly to UK sugar production, is under existential threat from Virus Yellows, a disease spread by aphids that can cut yields by up to 50%. With neonicotinoid pesticide seed treatments banned and climate change increasing the risk of outbreaks, farmers face serious economic losses and lack sustainable control options. This Innovate UK funded Farming Innovation Programme project, led by British Sugar, Tropic, and the John Innes Centre, aims to develop virus yellows–resistant sugar beet through precision gene editing, securing long-term productivity, resilience, and sustainability for the sector.

Genetic Informed Breeding of Climate Resilient UK Hop Varieties[38] 

Disease is a major issue for UK hop production. The biggest challenge comes in the form of Verticillium wilt, a fungal disease that is currently untreatable and can lead to the death of entire hop gardens as it spreads unincumbered between plants. This project is funded by Innovate UK through the FIP and aims to tackle this issue by identifying and testing hop varieties for their ability to overcome disease and climate challenges. The project is led by Wye Hops with other research and industry partners.

Exploring Climate Resilience using a Targeted Gene Approach[39]

Barley is the fourth most important cereal crop grown globally, and Scotland's most important cereal crop. This project will explore how higher temperatures affect the physical traits of different varieties of barley. They aim to use genetic editing techniques to develop a barley that will be resilient to higher temperatures.

Gene editing sheep for pestivirus resistance[40]

Pestiviruses are a global economic burden for livestock production. They are closely related viruses which can display interspecies transmission, and it is suggested that cross-species transmission could impede control strategies. Some vaccines do exist, but they are not cross protective. This current project aims to build on existing research which demonstrated genome editing as a viable tool to introduce genetic resistance to disease.

Root2Res: Root phenotyping and genetic improvement for rotational crops resilient to environmental change[41]

Root2Res will use a combination of phenotyping, genetic and modelling tools, to allow breeders to evaluate, novel and existing genotypes of a range of crops (cereals, potatoes, legumes) as root ideotypes for different soil and climatic environments across Europe. Root2Res will also investigate the potential role of emerging crops (sweet potato & lentil) to enhance resilience to environmental change, by assessing their genotypic and phenotypic variation. The environments targeted include those predicted to suffer from the largest impact of climate change on yield in Europe.

Improved genetic resources for Tilapia breeding[42]

A partnership between the Earlham Institute, its National Capability in Genomics and Single Cell Analysis, the Roslin Institute (both BBSRC-funded), and WorldFish has developed new genetic resources to enhance breeding of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT). Tilapia is the world’s second most important freshwater aquaculture species, producing 4.6 million tonnes annually. As GIFT accounts for about 50% it is integral to food security in Asia and Africa. The project generated reference genome sequences for GIFT and another improved strain, Abbassa. These genomes help identify genes linked to traits like faster growth and saltwater tolerance, expanding farming potential.

Pasture to Plate (P2P): Realising the Enormous Potential of UK Grasslands[43]

This Transforming UK Food Systems initiative is developing innovative ways to convert UK pasture grass into nutritious, affordable alternative food ingredients using chemical and biotechnological processes. Grass, being more resilient to extreme weather than many crops, offers a sustainable agricultural resource. The project aims to extract edible fractions from grass to produce mycoprotein and a palm oil substitute, which can be used in alternative meat and dairy products, reducing reliance on imported ingredients. Waste from the process will be repurposed into nutrient-rich fertilisers, supporting a circular farming economy. Overall, the approach promotes UK-grown substitutes, reduces environmental impact, and cuts food miles.

3. The ethical concerns associated with high-tech solutions in agriculture.

13.  High-tech solutions in agriculture raise important ethical considerations, particularly around international collaboration, data security, and responsible AI use. UKRI addresses these through its Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) programme[44], which ensures that partnerships are open yet secure, and that funded projects adhere to strong ethical standards. Applicants must demonstrate how they will manage risks and uphold integrity in global collaborations. In addition, UKRI’s processes for investing in research and innovation include consideration of ethics and responsible research and innovation, including guidance for grant applicants and reviewers for considering such critical aspects.[45]

14.  AHRC has a six-year, £15.9 million investment in Bridging Responsible AI Divides, a UK-wide programme dedicated to bridging the divides between academic, industry, policy and regulatory work on responsible AI. Although current investment does not specifically look at agriculture, knowledge developed through this programme has the potential to ensure that AI interventions in global food security are driven by robust ethical principles. For example, through the project Human-Centred AI for the Equitable Smart Energy Grid[46], AI-assisted distribution and use of green energy has been proposed as a solution to energy poverty. Technical and ethical learnings from this work could potentially be transferrable to agricultural contexts, including and beyond the use of energy in farming.

15.  In 2022, BBSRC worked with The Nuffield Council on Bioethics and Sciencewise to convene a major public dialogue on Genome Editing in Farmed Animals (GEFA), to explore views on the role of GEFA in the future food and farming system in the UK.[47] Findings from this dialogue informed parliamentary debate for the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.[48]

4. The use of low-tech solutions that can be easily diffused

16.  The use of low-tech solutions that can easily be diffused and used are vital to support global food security, these might be through testing for disease in crops or animals, aiding farmer decision making or sharing knowledge within communities.

17.  UKRI recognises the challenges in translating research into practice and supports the development of low-cost, easy-to-use innovations to tackle agriculture and food challenges where appropriate, both in the UK and abroad. For example, Innovate UK is leading the delivery of Defra’s FIP that includes the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) scheme which has been designed specifically to support collaborative farmer-led, on-farm trials or experiments to generate, test and demonstrate innovative solutions to farming challenges.[49] Project outputs from the ADOPT programme will provide knowledge of new approaches which will be shared to the wider sector to give confidence for other farmers and growers to adopt solutions and innovations available to the market.

18.  UKRI, through BBSRC projects, supports research that delivers accessible low-tech solutions that are easily used around the world. In Ethiopia a compact field-kit with no need for a laboratory is being rolled out, which allows wheat pathogens to be detected by a real-time plant pathogen diagnosis device to protect harvests.[50] In Scotland a paper-based biosensor for on-site pathogen detection in aquaculture has been developed, allowing the rapid detection of Salmonella and two types of noroviruses to ensure consumer safety and protect the growth of sustainable aquaculture.[51] A collaboration has developed a lateral flow test that detects liver fluke in ruminants, reducing time to result from 1 week to 10 minutes, enabling faster and targeted treatment of livestock.[52] All enhancing animal and human health, food production and security.

19.  Effective and viable low-tech solutions are often derived through localised knowledge. Specialist knowledge across UKRI’s social sciences and humanities investments in co-creation methodologies are posed to ensure that these interventions are mapped and developed in a way which focuses on transferability and scalability, prioritising localised knowledge and amplifying it through broader networks (including policy). Accessible tools for farmers to understand and manage their farms are becoming important accessories to their decision making. Web or app-based tools[53] such as e-Surveyor and SOil funDamentals (SOD) developed by UKCEH with funding from NERC and BBSRC are supported by complex data made available in an easy-to-use technology.

20.  Through the FIP Research Starter competitions, funding is available for individual or groups of farmers to explore an idea that could improve farming and solve a long-term practical challenge.[54] Examples which have led to positive outcomes and impacts include the Cover Crop Guide project[55], which developed an on-line data base and selection guide for cover crops that are used as part of regenerative farming. The tool enables farmers to select plant species based on criteria such as soil type, season, rooting depth, nitrogen fixing, grazing etc. The tool has now been adopted by Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) for use by all farmers.

The Soil Benchmark project[56] developed a web-based service to enable farmers to monitor their soils and soil health. The tool takes inputs from national soil survey data plus on-farm soil samples and treatments and enables farmers to track their soil health and improvements, and to compare with other farmers. The project provides evidence for soil health monitoring to support Sustainable Farming Initiative, which is now offered as a commercial service with over 4000 farm users.

21.  Localised community knowledge can play a critical role in ensuring food security through low-technology interventions, and these innovations are at particular risk of being siloed or lost entirely, due to lack of documentation and an ageing population of knowledge holders. In ‘Learning from the past: Nubian traditional knowledge and agricultural resilience, crop choices and endangered cultural heritage’[57], ethnographic and co-creative methodologies were employed to produce a community-oriented book[58] which preserved oral histories containing localised ecological knowledge for future generations. This included developing irrigation practices, from the shaduf and saqia (commonly used from as early as 1500BCE until the 1970s) through to today’s diesel water pumps, which were introduced between 1950 and 1970, and tracing the changes in crop choices and yield against these innovations.

2.      The effects of these innovations on the global agricultural system:

1. Their effects on farmers and other agricultural workers, and on availability of land and other resources.

22.  The UKRI community has strong expertise in fostering equitable partnerships and amplifying under-represented voices both domestically and internationally. Providing a platform to understand the effects on farmers, agricultural workers and resource availability. Landscape Decisions grants have enhanced UK-wide capacity for researchers to engage inclusively with diverse stakeholders in land-use decision-making.[59] While programmes such as ‘Mobilising community assets to tackle health inequalities’ has developed valuable insights and methods for addressing mental and physical health challenges, which could be highly relevant for understanding and supporting the wellbeing of agricultural professionals through localised, embedded solutions.[60]

23.  Consultation with the next generation of farmers is also critical to understanding how scientific and technological innovations could impact the future of agriculture. In the project ‘Just Farming Futures’, arts and humanities methodologies are being used to co-design a vision of a sustainable and just future for farming in Wales with young farmers.[61] This project is specifically framed around existing inequalities and vulnerabilities, and so learnings will be especially well placed to shape progression of knowledge on this topic. Another example is the RuralEX project, funded through the Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA), which investigates how different forms of environmental knowledge are mobilised or marginalised during moments of rural change.[62] Centring on farming communities across England, France, and Germany, it highlights how rural expertise is shaped and contested amidst technological, ecological, and socio-economic transformation. This work offers valuable insights into how innovations affect knowledge hierarchies, land use decisions, and trust in agricultural expertise—critical for equitable and sustainable implementation of new practices.

24.  Cultured (laboratory-grown) meat could be seen as a threat to farmers. A Transforming UK Food Systems programme[63] grant explored farmer attitudes towards cultured meats. The project found that farmers’ concerns about cultured meat go beyond the impact on their bottom line. Factors such as business diversification, tenure, assets and contractual relationships affect farmers’ resilience or precarity to this potentially disruptive technology. Yet, under the right circumstances, cultured meat could present opportunities for some UK farmers by sharpening their competitive edge for selling high-value ‘real meat’, developing potential new markets such as supplying animal cells or raw material, and developing new, fairer supply chain relationships.

2. Whether technological dependence in agriculture could create new vulnerabilities.

25.  Technological dependence and reliance can impact and disrupt labour markets, displace traditional knowledge, and exacerbate inequalities if not managed inclusively. There is also a risk of shifts in land use that will affect ownership, tenure security and rural livelihoods. Centre for the Evaluation of Complexity Across the Nexus (CECAN) have developed tools to evaluate complex agri-environmental systems and policy impacts, to ensure a systems approach is considered, and the complexity of the agricultural system is considered holistically.[64]

26.  As the UK develops its strategy for AI in research and innovation, it is essential to consider the environmental impact of AI itself. The carbon footprint associated with training and deploying large-scale AI models, often requiring significant computational resources can be substantial.[65] Integrating sustainability into the national AI agenda means promoting energy-efficient algorithms, encouraging the use of low-carbon data centres, and supporting research into greener AI technologies. By embedding environmental responsibility into AI development, the UK can lead by example in aligning technological advancement with climate goals.

3.      The UK’s role in achieving global food security:

1. How the UK can contribute to advancing agricultural innovation and promoting global food security, including through policy, partnerships, trade, and overseas development assistance.

27.  International partnerships strengthen and maintain the vibrancy of the UK research base. Through which, researchers can collaborate with the best scientists overseas to complement their areas of expertise, work across nations to tackle global challenges and ensure that there is impact from our research, skills, and innovation for public good.

28.  UKRI is directly engaging in the coordination of agricultural R&I for development across government research and development (R&D) activity. UKRI works closely with DSIT, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and other Official Development Assistance (ODA) R&D spending departments to ensure coherence and strategic alignment of portfolios and share expertise and learning to improve programme delivery. UKRI is an active participant of the Gilbert Initiative which aims to enhance cross-government coordination in five priority areas: climate-resilient agriculture, scaling innovations, pest and disease response, sustainable diets, and resilience.[66]

29.  The UKRI-funded Transforming UK Food Systems programme aims to fundamentally transform the UK food system by addressing questions around what we should eat, produce and manufacture and what we should import. It also considers the complex interactions between health, environment and socioeconomic factors. The 16 projects funded in the programme are delivering coherent evidence to enable concerted action from policy, business, and civil society. This is being achieved by co-designing research and training across disciplines and stakeholders and joining up healthy and accessible consumption with sustainable food production and supply. Using the UK as a case study, the programme will show how a food system, from farm to form, can be transformed to increase a country’s security, sustainability, and health.

30.  The UK can contribute to advancing agricultural innovation and promoting global food security through three key routes:

i. Support the transfer of UK innovations to other countries, through collaborative projects and access to trade and export opportunities.

• Food security research partnerships with developing countries, supported through ODA funding. This is both on a bilateral basis, through Newton Fund programmes e.g. 2018 Enhancing Ruminant Livestock Productivity with Kenya, and the 2017 Swine and Poultry Initiative with the Philippines and Thailand; and multilaterally through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), e.g. the 2017 Sustainable Agriculture for Sub Saharan Africa programme. More recently UKRI launched a £12 million initiative to enhance sustainable aquaculture in south-east Asia, addressing climate change, food security and community resilience.[67]

• Innovate UK are leading the delivery of international activities that extend the reach of innovations beyond the UK to support more productive, sustainable and resilient food systems. This includes bilateral funding calls between the UK and Canada and the UK and China through the £90m Transforming Food Production Challenge Programme[68] and those focused on plant-based protein innovation with Canada through the bilateral partnership with Protein Industries Canada.[69]
• The Innovate UK Climate-Smart Agriculture Partnership, a UK-Brazil-Africa programme to date has funded 12 Scoping Projects identifying opportunities for collaborative projects and building networks. The UK is facilitating connections and south-south engagement between countries. The Scoping Projects looked at a broad range of opportunity areas for collaboration, including the use of bio-pesticides, cocoa systems, sustainable oil palm and agroforestry systems. A portfolio of 17 trilateral Innovation Awards (£100,000 per award) will develop technologies or practices to promote climate-smart agriculture.

ii. Enabling and/or funding collaboration and projects to strengthen the global innovation and research ecosystem

         BBSRC as part of UKRI, represents the UK in the Horizon Europe Cluster 6 programme committee on Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, alongside Defra.[70] The position enables direct influence on the future commission work programme.

         The Future-Proofing Plants research collaboration involving the UK, USA and Germany is looking to address the challenge of changing weather patterns.[71] This collaborative programme aims to enhance cross-border coordination, leverage diverse expertise, and develop innovative approaches to understand the genome-phenome-environment relationship across varied crops and environments in the context of climate change.

         NERC led the Fund for International Collaboration (FIC) programme Signals in the Soil[72], with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA). The programme is helping deliver sustainable, resilient and functional agricultural soils by using advances in low-cost sensor systems and modelling. One project in this programme used the latest graphene-based technology to develop a low-cost sensor capable of real-time monitoring of the phosphorus content in soil.[73] Understanding the variations of phosphate in soils and soil-water systems is important to address the global challenges of food production and regulating fertilizer applications for crops grown in various soil conditions and climate regimes. Development of such sensors has enabled farmers to choose the right amount of fertilizer to apply to fields.

iii. Building strategic international partnerships

         Participation in the Green Era-Hub (GEH) Coordination and Support Action under Horizon Europe, which brings together networks in the agrifood and biotechnology sectors including all relevant ERA-NET Cofunds and their predecessors, self-sustained networks, and European Joint Programs. The GEH also represents most of the relevant national funders in Europe in the agrifood and biotechnology sectors.[74]

         Membership of the Global Wheat Initiative, which provides a framework to establish strategic research and organisation priorities for wheat research at an international level.[75] The Wheat Initiative brings together 15 countries, two international research organisations and nine private companies. An associated programme of the Wheat Initiative is the International Wheat Yield Partnership[76] (IWYP), which is a global effort aimed at significantly increasing the genetic yield potential of wheat. Launched in 2012, IWYP seeks to boost wheat yields by 50% within 20 years, by fostering collaboration between public and private research organizations worldwide.

         In 2019, £18.1m was invested through GCRF into the One Health Poultry Club, with the aim of achieving sustainable global intensification of poultry meat and egg production, whilst reducing risks to human and animal health and welfare. Researchers are working across four rapidly expanding poultry sector countries (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and Vietnam), which each face their own challenges on the path to safer, more sustainable intensification.[77]

2. How UK universities and research institutions can contribute to global solutions.

31.  Universities and research institutions have a key role in developing solutions to global food security challenges, including through research and innovation programmes funded by UKRI. The UK is uniquely positioned to lead in fostering equitable global research collaborations that address agricultural and food system challenges. Through strategic programmes and policies, UKRI enables impactful partnerships between academia and industry across the UK and international countries, driving innovation, capacity building, and sustainable development.

Selected programmes and interventions in Africa

•                      African Agriculture Knowledge Transfer Partnerships: Connects UK and African academic institutions with businesses to co-develop solutions to agricultural challenges, enhancing innovation ecosystems, knowledge exchange and strengthening research capacity.[78]
•                      Agri-Tech Catalyst: Funds collaborative UK-Africa projects to accelerate Agri-food innovation, focusing on industry-academia partnerships for rapid technology development and adoption.[79]

Case Studies

•                      C-REAL Project (University of York & Ghanaian partners): Developed a fortified blended meal using local crops to combat malnutrition in Northern Ghana. The product is now distributed in schools, clinics, and shops.[80]
•                      Nematode-Resistant Potatoes (James Hutton Institute & IITA): Released two new potato cultivars tailored to East African farming needs, supporting food security and farmer resilience.[81]
•                                              Farmers' Perspectives Project: Ensured Tanzanian and Ghanaian farmers’ voices shaped research agendas.[82]
•                                              Coastal TALES Project: Explores heritage-led climate adaptation in Wales and its relevance to Indigenous fishing practices globally.[83]

UKRI’s Role in Equitable Partnerships

•                      UKRI’s International Co-lead Policy enables overseas researchers to be co-investigators on UK grants, promoting inclusive and long-term research networks.
•                      UKCEH’s West Africa Office supports scientific collaboration and stakeholder engagement across the region.

BBSRC Strategic Programme Grants

BBSRC strategically-supported institutes play a key role in addressing global food security through long-term strategic investment and international collaboration.

•                      Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS): ‘Resilient Crop’s is addressing the dual challenges of sustainable production and climate change through its work across four crops.[84]
•                      The John Innes Centre (JIC): ‘Delivery Sustainable Wheat’, ‘Advancing Plant Health’ & ‘Building Robustness in Crops’, are programmes that seek to optimise plant productivity in a changing climate.[85]
•                      The Pirbright Institute: ‘Virus Life Cycles at Multiple Scales’ & ‘Host Responses to Viral Infection’ focus on viruses that are potentially devastating for the economy, food security and the wellbeing of animals and humans.[86]
•                      The Roslin Institute: ‘Genes and Traits for Healthy Animals’ & ‘Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases’ aim to achieve sustainable agriculture, control diseases and enhance health through pioneering animal bioscience.[87]
•                      Rothamsted Research: ‘Resilient Farming Futures’ & ‘Green Engineering for Knowledge-Based Delivery of Sustainable Products in Plants’ undertake cutting-edge science that generates new knowledge with wide-ranging applications to meet current and future agricultural challenges.[88]

3. The implications of global food production on the UK, including around climate, health, migration, and security.

32.  The UK imports 46% of the food it consumes, including 84% of its fruit and just under half of its vegetables, meaning our food supply and dietary health are directly impacted by shocks abroad. Increasing domestic production may help to moderate this risk, however there is limited land and a limited range of foods that can be produced in the UK, and associated challenges with meeting nutritional needs, food preferences and social acceptability. For this reason, increasing domestic production alone is not the solution and instead the UK must consider resilience of its global food supply chains.

33.  Resilience in food systems is critical to ensuring long-term food security, sustainability, and adaptability to climate and market disruptions. It is underpinned by two key concepts,1) Functional Redundancy: Building spare capacity, such as food reserves and flexible supply systems; 2) Diversity: Promoting varied agricultural practices, food products, supply chains, and geographical sources.

34.  UKRI supports a range of programmes and research initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience across food supply chains, trade, and climate adaptation.

Strengthening the Resilience of the UK Food System[89]

This programme aimed to strengthen the resilience of the UK food system to cascading risks and systemic shocks through interventions in policy and practice.

Modelling UK Supply Chains as Complex Systems for Resilience Network Plus[90]
Brings together academia, industry, and government to identify and respond to supply chain disruptions through foresight workshops, advanced modelling, and rapid innovation funding.

Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP)[91]
Explores the intersection of policy, food production, and land use. A key project examines how finance can support a just transition in UK agriculture, offering recommendations for financial institutions.

TRADE Hub[92]
Analyses the impact of international trade in agricultural commodities on livelihoods, sustainability, and biodiversity, and models future trade scenarios.

Realigning UK Food Production and Trade for Transition to Healthy and Sustainable Diets (SPF Transforming UK Food Systems)[93]
Develops a blueprint for coordinated fiscal and trade policy interventions, structural changes in supply chains, and industry-led initiatives to support the transition to sustainable and healthy diets.

ATTENUATE (Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change Programme)[94]
Uses participatory approaches and storytelling to engage the private sector in climate adaptation. These methods improve communication of complex climate science, the real-world impact of climate change and are transferable to food and agriculture contexts.

4.      Barriers to implementing these innovations within the existing agricultural system:

1. The investment and infrastructure needed to support technological transition in agriculture globally
2. The steps to overcome these barriers

35.  Supporting the global transition to more sustainable and technologically advanced agriculture requires significant investment in infrastructure, innovation ecosystems, and financial mechanisms. A major challenge for innovators is accessing the resources and expertise needed to scale technologies and validate markets. The Innovate UK Catapult Network and the UK Agri-Tech Centre provide vital infrastructure, technical expertise, and testbeds to help businesses develop and deploy agri-tech innovations.

36.  Infrastructure plays a foundational role in enabling innovation. Alongside the previously mentioned strategically funded institutes, facilities like AberInnovation[95] and EMBL-EBI[96] offer state-of-the-art capabilities for bioscience and data-driven research, supporting product development and global data sharing. The Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo)[97] initiative will further enhance biodiversity monitoring through digitised scientific collections and advanced data tools, with global applicability from 2027.

37.  Taking innovations to market is a major challenge for SMEs in the agriculture sector due to limited access to capital for scaling and product deployment. UK SMEs are less competitive in securing private equity compared to international peers. To address this, Innovate UK launched the Series A Investor Partnership[98], blending grant funding with private investment to help SMEs secure deals between £1 million and £5 million. This supports the growth and market readiness of technologies such as robotic berry picking (DogTooth), AI for dairy fertility (Dyneval), and IoT pest monitoring (Spotta).[99] Further rounds of this scheme are being delivered through the Defra FIP[100], helping SMEs overcome financial barriers and accelerate innovation adoption.

Several projects funded by the SPF Transforming UK Food Systems programme use participatory approaches to ensure innovations are shaped by those most affected and deliver meaningful, inclusive outcomes. The FoodSEqual project[101] addresses the disconnect between communities and national food systems by using co-design and co-production to foster collaboration between major food businesses, community enterprises, and citizens. Its goal is to create a healthier, more sustainable, and socially just food system. Meanwhile, FixOurFood[102] explores regenerative farming in Yorkshire, identifying environmental, social, and economic barriers to scaling these practices. Through farmer-led plot trials and modelling, the project aims to demonstrate how regenerative farming can be both sustainable and financially viable at a national level.

5.      The shape of a future agricultural system that can achieve global food security:

1. How innovation across sectors such as energy, transportation, or infrastructure can support agriculture.

38.  Cross-sector innovation plays a vital role in enhancing agricultural sustainability, efficiency, and resilience. Infrastructure and landscape-scale research, such as the Plynlimon Research Catchments[103], provide long-term data to understand environmental impacts on food systems. Projects like Agroforestry Futures[104] integrate ecological, social, and cultural insights to promote land-use diversity and stakeholder-driven policy development.

Energy innovations are also transforming agriculture. For example, the Electric Berry[105] project uses transparent solar panels on polytunnels to generate sustainable energy without sacrificing growing space, powering irrigation and monitoring systems. Broader innovations in food production technologies, supported by BBSRC and Innovate UK, include vertical farming, fermentation-based proteins, and precision agriculture, which reduce environmental impact and improve food security.[106]

39.  The following case studies demonstrate how biotechnology, synthetic biology, and smart infrastructure can drive scalable, sustainable solutions for agriculture.

Scaling up fermentation-based production of meat alternatives[107]

‘Mycoprotein’ (protein from fungi) is a healthier meat alternative with huge potential due to its exciting taste and texture qualities similar to meat. Adamo Foods and the University of Nottingham are working on intelligent ways to boost nutritional content even further. By experimenting with the fungi’s naturally occurring processes during fermentation, they hope to further increase specific nutrients of interest for plant-based diets such as protein, vitamin B12 and iron.

Unlocking the next-generation protein expression systems for animal-free cheese production[108]

HERlab, a synthetic biology and AI start-up, is working with the University of Kent to develop novel and superior yeasts for scalable precision fermentation. There project is focused on Unlocking the next-generation protein expression systems for animal-free cheese production.

Scaling up vertical farming[109]

Stourgarden a family-owned business that have been growing onions for three generations since 1968 are collaborating with the University of Essex to evaluate the opportunity to improve allium production using the vertical farming container developed by LettUsGrow. They aim is for a full commercial roll-out which will increase profitability and reduce negative environmental impacts, leading to a more sustainable and secure source of alliums for the UK market.

2. The impact of technological solutions on inequality between or within countries.

40.  Technological solutions can either reduce or exacerbate inequality depending on how they are designed, implemented, and governed. Inclusive, participatory innovation models, where solutions are co-developed with affected communities are more likely to address inequality effectively, especially when supported by appropriate policy and institutional frameworks. The Resilience of the UK Food System in a Global Context programme[110] explored how global inequalities impact UK food security and highlighted the need for fairer, more resilient supply chains, supported by more recent funding to improve resilience.81 Domestically, UKRI-funded projects focus on low-tech, community-led innovations to improve access to healthy food.[111] Additionally, the AHRC ‘Cultures, Behaviours and Histories of Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition’ programme[112], produced a suite of research projects that focused on bottom-up approaches and making the case for indigenous and traditional knowledge as critical to establishing agricultural resilience. Learnings from this programme are relevant to this question, as methodologies for establishing equitable partnerships and trusted dialogue will be critical to fully understanding the potential of technological interventions to increase or decrease inequality across different geographical parameters.

Case study: Protecting pigs and people through collaboration in Southeast Asia[113]

This project was funded by BBSRC and GCRF and involved three UK Universities and two research centres in Thailand, with collaboration into Vietnam, Malaysia, Bulgaria and France. The project supported pig industries through pharmaceutical infrastructure in south-east Asia to benefit animal health e.g., PCV2 vaccine produced against pig disease (Porcine circovirus disease). This collaboration addresses inequalities through improving food security, protecting human and animal health, and building the capacity for biopharmaceutical production through knowledge exchange.

5 September 2025

About UKRI  

Launched in 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the largest public funder of research and innovation in the UK. UKRI is nine councils working individually and collectively across all disciplines and sectors. Together we connect discovery to prosperity and public good, enriching lives and enabling high productivity economic growth, job creation and high-quality public services across the UK.

UKRI invests in people, teams, places, and infrastructure, strengthening the skills, organisations, and collaborations needed to explore and develop game-changing ideas within and across disciplines. We build and tune a portfolio of investments with aligned incentives to capture the benefits of research and innovation for the UK, tackling challenges from climate change to healthy aging, and harnessing the opportunities from new technologies from AI to engineering biology. UKRI works with our many partners and stakeholders to shape a dynamic, diverse, and inclusive research and innovation system that gives everyone the opportunity to participate and to benefit.