New pilot facility in Stratford-upon-Avon aims to support sustainable farming

A new pilot facility from Warwick Agri-Tech has been launched at the University of Warwick’s Innovation Campus in Stratford-upon-Avon. The site aims to support the development of sustainable farming technologies, with a focus on productivity, emissions reduction, and food resilience.

The initiative is backed by the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, which earlier this year formally recognised agri-tech as a key sector within Advanced Manufacturing. This policy shift aligns with Defra’s new food strategy for England, which seeks to improve food resilience, strengthen supply chains, and protect biodiversity.

Founded in 2022, Warwick Agri-Tech brings together expertise from WMG and the University’s School of Life Sciences. The new pilot facility sits adjacent to the Warwick Crop Centre and will serve as a test site to scale agricultural technologies from lab-based development to commercial deployment.

The facility features robotics designed for agricultural environments and will host partnerships between researchers, government bodies and industry. These collaborations are intended to reduce the risk associated with innovation and help accelerate adoption among farmers and growers.

Several technologies are already in operation at the site. These include Crombot, a robot for detecting pests and diseases; AATOM, an autonomous platform for transporting produce; the Smart Tree Production System, which supports the UK’s tree planting efforts; and ASPA, a system designed to reduce herbicide use by more than 90%.

Last week, stakeholders including growers, developers, researchers, and representatives from Innovate UK and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult visited the facility to observe the technologies in action. Warwick Agri-Tech outlined its objectives to reduce dependency on manual labour, improve biodiversity, and expand the use of sustainable technologies across the agricultural sector.

Professor David Greenwood, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at WMG, said: “The emerging needs of the agriculture sector have provided a perfect opportunity for the University to bring together its expertise in manufacturing automation with its expertise in life sciences, to simultaneously develop robots suitable for use in greenhouses and fields, and focus on ways of growing crops which take advantage of the opportunities of automation. As the UK struggles with agricultural labour shortages and high food prices, this promises to unlock nutritious and affordable food for all.”

Professor Miriam Gifford, from the School of Life Sciences, added: “Warwick Agri-Tech will benefit from the entrepreneurship of WMG and the history of excellence in agricultural innovation at the Warwick Crop Centre, plus the combined stakeholder groups to inform and enable outputs. The fresh food industries need automation urgently, and Warwick Agri-Tech will rapidly expand research and innovation space to provide workable and precision solutions, taking advantage of substantial funding initiatives.”

Image source: Warwick Agri-tech