Category: ADOPT

New ADOPT funding round opens for farmer-led innovation 

Farmers with an idea they would like to put to the test on farm have another opportunity to seek funding through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, with the latest round of ADOPT funding now open. 

Round 10 of the ADOPT full grant competition opened on 24 September, providing funding opportunities for farmer-led on-farm trials and experiments. 

ADOPT, the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies Fund, is designed to help farmers, growers and foresters test innovative ideas in real-world conditions, with projects addressing challenges or opportunities around productivity, resilience and sustainability. 

BOFIN is a registered ADOPT Project Facilitator and can work with farmers from the early stages of an idea through to developing and delivering a project. BOFIN’s Head of Projects and ADOPT Facilitator Laura Beaumont encourages prospective applicants to start with the problem they want to solve. 

“Start with a question that matters to your farming business, rather than trying to build a project around the funding,” she says. “What would you like to find out, how could you realistically test it on farm, and could the results help other farmers too?” 

A strong ADOPT idea should address a genuine on-farm challenge or opportunity and have relevance beyond one individual business. Applicants should also consider who else may need to be involved. 

For farmers interested in working with BOFIN, the process starts with an initial discussion with Laura to explore the idea, whether it fits the scope of ADOPT and what expertise or partners might be needed. 

“You don’t need to have a fully developed project before getting in touch,” Laura adds. “An initial conversation can help us explore your idea, identify the support you might need and work out the next steps together.” 

Where appropriate, the next step is to apply for an ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant. These grants provide £2,500 to engage an approved Project Facilitator, giving BOFIN dedicated time to work with the farmer to develop the initial idea into a well-designed project and prepare an application for a Full ADOPT Grant. 

Full ADOPT projects must be led by an active farming business in England and involve at least one other farmer, grower or forester. A registered Project Facilitator must also form part of the project team. Previous rounds have supported projects with total costs of between £50,000 and £200,000. 

Further ADOPT funding rounds are expected. 

Got an idea you would like to test on farm? Get in touch with Laura Beaumont to discuss whether it could become an ADOPT project. 

Farmers urged to consider FETF opportunities as applications open 

Innovative farmers are being encouraged to take advantage of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) which opens for applications on 17 March. 

Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and founder of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) said: “The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund is a fantastic opportunity for farmers to invest in kit that improves productivity of their business. I urge anyone wanting to innovate, to take time to look through the list to see what could work for your business. 

“If you’re thinking about applying it’s also worth asking whether it could form the basis of an ADOPT project. It’s a great way to test something out on your farm, see how it performs, and share the results with other farmers. As approved project facilitators BOFIN is always happy to discuss potential ADOPT applications with farmers who want to explore what’s involved.”    

Applications for the FETF fund, which includes three grants to help farmers buy items to improve productivity, manage slurry, or improve animal health and welfare, will be open from 17 March until midday on 28 April.  

Farmers can submit one application for each of the three grant ‘themes’ if they wish. Each application must be for between £1,000 and £25,000. For full details including how to apply are available online.  

BOFIN calls for clarity on Defra funding announcement 

The £345 million announced by Defra secretary Emma Reynolds at the NFU conference yesterday (24^th February 2026) is welcome news, but without further clarification it raises further questions.

Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and founder of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) Tom Allen-Stevens said: “It is good to see that Defra is continuing to fund the Farming Innovation Programme which supports farmer-led research and that there is a further £50 million for the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. The question is whether this is enough. 

“When Defra first announced plans to move away from direct support to the Environmental Land Management schemes, some 9-10% of the £2.4 billion farm transition budget was safeguarded for ‘Improving Farm Prosperity’ which included the innovation measures announced today.”

It is unclear how many years the £345m headline figure covers, he continued. “The £225m for capital measures for ELMs should sit outside that Farm Prosperity Fund. Paying for fences, hedges and pond restoration should not be branded as supporting innovation.

“But what farmers are crying out for is clarity on ADOPT. The scheme was originally backed by a commitment of £43m, yet only £20.6m has so far been allocated to a number of excellent farmer-led projects. Will Defra now commit to making the rest of this fund available? We have pioneer farmers queuing up ready to take up the opportunity.”

Mr Allen-Stevens also called on the Government to fully future-proof the FIP. “Defra has led the way on investing in farmer-led research, and the current FIP is ground-breaking. The funds announced today will take us to the end of this Parliament. It will be up to this government to take the strategy forward and propose the next stage of the programme. 

“Defra says it wants farm businesses that are productive, profitable, and resilient. FIP can deliver on that, but needs a long-term strategy beyond 2030, giving farmers and researchers the confidence to invest in innovation.”

Emma Reynold’s announcement, made to the NFU Conference today, can be found here.

ADOPT fund enables farmers to ‘harness innovation’

Farmers are invited to register for a webinar exploring the opportunities created by the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) Fund, which launches on 28^th April.

The funding is part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme which is delivered by Innovate. It aims to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge practices, from sustainable techniques to agri-tech solutions by providing grants of up to £100,000. Support grants of £2,500 are also available to kickstart applications.

The British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) is one of the programme’s approved project facilitators and is ready to encourage farmers to explore the opportunities through a free one-hour webinar on 1st May 2025, starting at 8.30am. It follows the official Innovate UK launch webinar the previous day.

The BOFIN webinar will include a panel discussion chaired by managing director Tom Allen-Stevens. Experts taking part are Kate Pressland of CEIA, Belinda Clarke of Agri-TechE, Becky Swinn of Innovative Farmers, Siwan Howatson of Farming Connect and Holly Shearman of Innovation for Agriculture.

They will discuss the details of the programme, opportunities for farmers, and give advice on how to develop ideas into projects.

“The long-awaited ADOPT Fund puts farmers in the driving seat of innovation, enabling them to harness the new technologies or innovations they believe could bring productivity gains,” said BOFIN’s Tom Allen-Stevens. “We want to make sure all farmers are aware of the opportunities this fund creates, which is why we are hosting this webinar. I encourage anyone interested to register to learn more and start developing their ideas.

“Going forward, our role as facilitators will be firstly to help farmers apply for grants. Then, for those that are successful, to ensure farmers can focus on what matters – running trials that boost productivity and sustainability for their own businesses and the wider industry – while we handle the paperwork, partnerships and project management.”

Register for the webinar at www.tinyurl.com/ADOPTwebinar or for information on working with BOFIN visit www.bofin.org.uk/adopt

Further information:

The ADOPT Fund is part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, with £20.6m allocated. For further information click HERE.

The ADOPT Support Hub is delivered by ADAS, UK Agri-Tech Centre and the Soil Association. Visit FarmPEP for more information.