Seedling Sessions: Agriculture Innovation Agri-EPI - Accelerating Agriculture Innovation

With mounting pressures to improve on-farm biodiversity, farmers will want to ensure their businesses are secure and that they see financial benefits from this work. In the final episode of this mini-series, Tom and Emily explore potential funding mechanisms that allow farmers to make biodiversity investments viable and rewarding, and reflect on the future of biodiversity on UK farms.
They ask:
How are subsidy programs and incentives shifting to motivate nature-friendly farming practices?
Can emerging biodiversity credit markets offer farmers new revenue streams for conservation and restoration efforts?
How might supply chain stakeholders and consumers help fund biodiversity-positive agriculture through product pricing and premiums?
Guests:
Rob Addicott - Farmer, Stratton FarmsSophie Alexander - Farmer, Hemsworth FarmPeter Cheek - Farmer, Godminster FarmProfessor Louise Manning - Professor of Sustainable Agri-food Systems, Lincoln UniversityAlex Godfrey - Co-head of Natural Capital, SavillsNatalie Duffus - PhD student, University of OxfordAndy Cato - Co-founder, WildFarmedLinks and resources:
Monitoring biodiversity 24/7 Project at Hemsworth Farm case study video.
Hemsworth Farm Soil Association profile.
Learn more about the Agri-EPI Centre
Learn about the UK Agri-Tech Centres


Biodiversity Agri-Tech we work with:
Listen to our episode with Pollenize here or learn more about them here.
Listen to our episode with AgriSound here or learn more about them here.
Learn more about Chirrip and DawnChorus here.
Learn more about NatureMetrics
Learn more about NatureBound


Uk Agri-Tech Centres:
Learn more about the Agri-EPI Centre
Learn about the UK Agri-Tech Centres
Thanks to Cofruition for consulting on and producing the show.

If farmers are going to improve biodiversity on their land, they need to be able to measure it. Emerging technologies offer new promise for monitoring this in ways that are more affordable and comprehensive than ever before, addressing a major barrier to management and improvement. In this episode, Tom and Emily explore some of these innovations.
They ask:
Why do we need to monitor biodiversity levels on farm?
Why do traditional monitoring techniques sometimes fall short?
What technologies can help identify on-farm species abundance and diversity, and how do these technologies differ in the strengths and use cases?
What are the main obstacles to farmer adoption of new biodiversity monitoring tools, and what support do they have available to them?
Guests:
Sophie Alexander - Farmer, Hemsworth FarmTom Ludwig - Sales Manager (Onshore Industries), Nature MetricsRoss Robertson - Head of Mixed Farming (Agri-Tech), Agri-EPI CentreMarianna Herold - CEO, NatureBoundLinks and resources:
Monitoring biodiversity 24/7 Project at Hemsworth Farm case study video.
Hemsworth Farm Soil Association profile.
Learn more about the Agri-EPI Centre
Learn about the UK Agri-Tech Centres


Biodiversity Agri-Tech we work with:
Listen to our episode with Pollenize here or learn more about them here.
Listen to our episode with AgriSound here or learn more about them here.
Learn more about Chirrip and DawnChorus here.
Learn more about NatureMetrics
Learn more about NatureBound


Thanks to Cofruition for consulting on and producing the show.

Biodiversity plays a critical role in the health and function of farms, yet it has declined significantly in recent decades. In this episode, hosts Thomas Slattery and Emily Laskin explore the complex relationship between biodiversity and agriculture.
They ask:
Why does biodiversity matter, and what functions does it serve on farms?
How did we end up deprioritising biodiversity?
What farming practices can help to enhance biodiversity, and will these differ across different farms?
Should improving on-farm biodiversity fall solely on farmers' shoulders or is it a shared responsibility?
Can enhancing biodiversity also benefit farmers directly beyond its environmental benefits?


Guests:
Rob Addicott - Farmer, Stratton FarmsNatalie Duffus - PhD student, University of OxfordSophie Alexander - Farmer, Hemsworth FarmProfessor Louise Manning - Professor of Sustainable Agri-food Systems, Lincoln UniversityLinks and resources:
Monitoring biodiversity 24/7 Project at Hemsworth Farm case study video.
Hemsworth Farm Soil Association profile.
Learn more about the Agri-EPI Centre
Learn about the UK Agri-Tech Centres


Biodiversity Agri-Tech we work with:
Listen to our episode with Pollenize here or learn more about them here.
Listen to our episode with AgriSound here or learn more about them here.
Learn more about Chirrip and DawnChorus here.
Learn more about NatureMetrics
Learn more about NatureBound


Thanks to Cofruition for consulting on and producing the show.

Dive deep into the heart of sustainable agriculture with our new series where we explore the world of biodiversity in farming. Each episode is a journey through innovative technology, challenges, and the future of nature-friendly farming. 
🔍 Episode 1: We kick off with the intricate and complex relationship between biodiversity and farming, delving into its importance and the role it plays in sustainable agriculture. 
🌾 Episode 2: Explore the practical aspects - how farmers can use technology to help measure, monitor, and enhance biodiversity on the land the steward. 
💡 Episode 3: We address the critical question - how can these biodiversity-friendly practices support business sustainability? Uncover insights into financial support, market dynamics, and the real cost of food. 
Join us as we meet tech innovators, farmers and industry folks at the forefront. 🌍

Learn more about the Agri-EPI Centre
Learn about the UK Agri-Tech Centres

In this episode of Seedling Sessions, host Thomas Slattery welcomes Eoghan Finneran co-founder of Farmeye, a company that has developed a digital measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) platform for natural capital in agriculture.

They discuss the origin story of Farmeye, the importance of ground truth data, and the role of technology in driving sustainable and regenerative farming practices. The guest shares their background in agricultural research, education, and advisory services, and how Farmeye was initially a university-funded project focused on digitizing soil health. They explain how the company pivoted to provide value to both farmers and the agri-food supply chain, including food processing companies and retailers.

Farmeye's platform now covers soil health, farm carbon, water quality, and biodiversity, providing valuable insights to farmers, agronomists, and the wider agri-food sector. The guest emphasizes the importance of verification and ground truth data in ensuring the authenticity of regenerative food production claims.

The conversation also touches on the challenges of interoperability and adoption of agri-tech solutions, the role of agronomists as technical advisors, and the potential benefits of insetting over offsetting in the carbon market.

Farmeye Website
Agri-EPI Website
Tenacious Ventures Article

In this episode of Seedling Sessions host Thomas Slattery is joined by Johannes Scheibe, the co-founder of Ruumi, to discuss the progress Ruumi has made since their last conversation on the podcast in October of last year.

Ruumi is a technology company on a mission to build a future where farming enriches the Earth, and they're doing this by creating infrastructure for the global sustainable farming transition. In their previous conversation, they learned about Ruumi's origins in Berlin, where the founders were inspired by farmer protests to explore opportunities in the agriculture and farming sector. They eventually focused on grass, the world's largest crop, and developed a free-to-use grazing management app that helps farms improve their grazing practices, soil health, and profitability. A significant bonus of using Ruumi is the potential eligibility for carbon credits.

Since the last episode, Ruumi has secured a sizable investment, grown their team, and undergone a significant rebrand. They now have over 1500 farmers signed up on the Grazing app, predominantly in the UK and Ireland, and have started working with their first corporate insetting customers.

In this episode, they discuss the challenges of scaling an agtech startup, the importance of listening to farmers, and the future of insetting and offsetting in sustainable agriculture. Join them as they catch up with Johannes and learn about the exciting developments at Ruumi, their vision for a future where farming enriches the Earth, and the role of technology in driving this transformation.