Are We a "Well-Adapted UK" When It Comes to Climate Risk? 22 May 2026

Why It Matters

Targeted policy support and emerging agri‑tech solutions can accelerate the UK’s transition to climate‑resilient agriculture, protecting food security and rural economies.

Key Takeaways

• Fourth UK climate‑risk review urges targeted government aid for adaptive farms
• New agri‑tech members offer crop ROI tools, drone interoperability, effluent sterilisation
• Citrus and chickpea cultivation highlighted as emerging climate‑resilient crops
• Rothamsted Research launches five‑year plan to modernise agricultural science

Pulse Analysis

The latest independent review of the United Kingdom’s climate‑risk adaptation strategy underscores a growing consensus: agriculture must evolve to withstand a hotter, wetter future. By recommending direct government assistance for farmers transitioning to crops like citrus and chickpea, the report acknowledges both the economic and environmental stakes. These crops, traditionally grown in milder climates, are being trialed in the UK as part of a broader diversification effort that could reduce reliance on water‑intensive cereals and bolster regional supply chains.

Parallel to policy shifts, the agri‑tech ecosystem is delivering tools that make climate adaptation tangible. Mapmycrop’s platform promises real‑time ROI calculations across multiple crops, helping growers allocate resources efficiently. Roboverse Reply UK tackles a technical bottleneck by standardising communication between drones and robots from different manufacturers, unlocking precision‑farming at scale. Meanwhile, Astell Bio’s heat‑press decontamination technology offers a low‑carbon method for treating farm effluent, addressing both regulatory compliance and sustainability goals. These innovations collectively lower barriers for farmers to adopt resilient practices.

Rothamsted Research, a cornerstone of UK agricultural science, has unveiled a five‑year transformation agenda that will inject cutting‑edge data analytics, genomics, and field‑based experimentation into the sector. By aligning its research priorities with the government’s climate‑risk recommendations and the capabilities of emerging tech firms, Rothamsted aims to accelerate the diffusion of climate‑smart solutions across the supply chain. The synergy between policy, technology, and research positions the UK to become a benchmark for adaptive agriculture in a changing climate.

Original Description

Opening this week’s round-up with apologies to Gerry Rafferty (and to anyone too young to appreciate the appalling pastiche of a 1970s pop sone).

This week:

❓ Are we a "Well-Adapted UK" when it comes to climate risk? The 4th independent review landed this week with some stern recommendations as to how Government should support farmers as their farming models evolve. #citrus and #chickpea, anyone?

🙏 A big thank you to all involved in our "Introduction to Agri-tech" event, not least Agrii for hosting us, and the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) and GK Strategy for their support.

👋 A warm welcome to three of our latest new members:

@mapmycrop - an on-farm and supply chain platform to help manage multiple crops, platforms and on-farm interventions - AND help you calculate your ROI.

Roboverse Reply UK - cracking the inter-operability challenge around drones and robots from different manufacturers.

Astell Bio (by Astell Scientific Ltd.) - safe decontamination of effluent, using heat and pressure.

And I learn more about the 5-year transformation plan underway at @RothamstedResearch