Weed-killing robots and sensors that can reduce food waste are among the projects to have shared £16 million of funding for innovative food technologies
Hi-tech devices do not usually feature in discussions of sustainable food systems, which tend to advocate human-scale and traditional practices. But several of the winning projects in the latest round of the Agritech Catalyst award scheme have been designed with sustainability in mind.
Successful projects include the development of a robot that accurately eliminates weeds, reducing the use of herbicides in food production. Another project will look at why potato greening occurs and how to prevent it – helping to reduce the 100,000 tonnes of potatoes thrown away annually. Support has also been given to develop technology that will help fruit farmers monitor and control the storage of British apples – improving their availability across the year and reducing the need for imports. Another winning project uses video-linked software to alert farmers to the specific behaviour changes in pigs that are known to precede destructive episodes of tail-biting.
The Agri-Tech Catalyst offers funding for collaborative projects, taking innovative ideas from any sector or discipline with the potential to provide an economic boost to the UK agri-tech industry, by tackling challenges in agriculture.
Find out more about Sustain's plans and policies for food and farming here.
Published Friday 22 July 2016
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
