1/ "We are living in a world that is unprecedented in the rate of change...grand challenges in weather, climate change, reaching net zero, new Brexit environment, market volatility..." @timgbenton on @BBCFarmingToday

2/ "Farmers still regarded as consumers of research rather than collaborators...most money for research is distributed in a top down fashion. If entirely left to the market then you only get innovation in things it feels it can make a profit from" @timgbenton Suboptimal for all.

3/ Farmers want/need innovations that are relevant, practical and effective; researchers and developers want their innovations to be useful and adopted; funders want money spent to have great impact and transformation. All, ultimately, want the same thing

4/ We have world leading R&D capability, well-educated farmers, accessible knowledge, a wealthy nation. UK spends a hefty ca. £400m/yr on R&D (ONS, 2020). Innovations can genuinely benefit productivity, sustainability, farm livelihoods and global competitiveness.

5/ So why is overall return on recent public/private R&D investment in UK agriculture questionable? e.g. total factor prod. lagging behind competitors, yields flatlining despite better varieties, enviro performance off-target, low connectivity between on-farm/funding priorities.

6/ The APWG calls for research to be better aligned with farmers’ needs, and to address the disjointed connections between farm practice and R&D. Our dedicated initiative focuses on this. There is much to do, but ensuring research is relevant in the first place is a good start.

7/ We have brought together leading innovation adoption researchers working at increasing the relevance to farmers and public of agricultural R&D, and therefore the short and long-term effectiveness of investment in farming innovation. Get in touch to find out more/work with us.