Devon Agri-Tech Accelerator (DATA)

Supporting the agriculture and agri-tech sector in Devon
Cows with sensor tags on their ears
Led by Devon County Council, the Devon Agri-Tech Accelerator (DATA) project provided research and support for regional farms and agri-tech businesses looking to make the most of future opportunities to build a sustainable farming community.
DATA was funded by the UK government under The Community Renewal Fund scheme, and partners included the University of Plymouth, Duchy College and West Devon Business Information Point. The project aimed to support the booming agri-tech sector whilst at the same time mapping opportunities and current activities in Devon, and subsequently developed into a partnership that will act in the sector’s interest – the Devon Agri-Tech Alliance.
The DATA team with the Robotriks RTU agri-tech

Project elements

The project consisted of four core elements, listed below, which were either led by one of the project partners or run as a collaboration:
  • Research and mapping – to understand how many farms currently utilise technology, what opportunities may be around the corner, and what agri-tech developers were currently established within Devon. This research element was run by the University of Plymouth.
  • Building an agri-tech alliance – to create a group for farmers, agri-tech developers and stakeholders, like academic institutions who are undertaking research. The Devon Agri-Tech Alliance is currently using findings from the research and mapping element to plan how to grow and support the sector in the future.
  • Knowledge exchange and voucher scheme pilot – a Knowledge Exchange Manager worked with 14 businesses across Devon to identify bespoke support, advice or services to develop agricultural technology and innovation to grow businesses.
  • Farm innovation pilot – to develop a ‘Farm Innovation Plan’ process and test with farm businesses in West Devon and Torridge, the CRF priority areas in Devon, including two agri-tech demonstration events for farmers and businesses. This element was run by Duchy College Rural Business School and Business Information Point.

Sector research and mapping

The farming sector has been facing serious challenges over the past two decades. Technology acceptance and adoption in farm businesses has been slow due to many factors, including rising costs, a declining labour force, and cheaper food imports straining operating margins... More recent events, such as the energy crisis and the rise of inflation, are forcing a re-think among agri-tech stakeholders, particularly in Devon, and bring an urgency to the need to design innovative approaches to unleash the potential of Devon farming.
Devon Agri-Tech Accelerator: Sector Research and Mapping Report, 2022
The University of Plymouth team, led by Plymouth Business School in collaboration with the Sustainable Earth Institute, produced a comprehensive report based on their detailed agri-tech sector research and mapping exercise.
Following a multi-perspective, multi-method approach, desk research combined with primary research in the form of surveys and in-depth interviews provided a contextual analysis of Devon agriculture, a review of emerging agricultural technologies, and data on technology adoption from the perspectives of farmers, agri-tech developers and farm business experts.
 
 
 
Findings from the report
The research element of the DATA project aimed to understand the current landscape, highlight opportunities for collaboration and markets, and understand the specific gaps, barriers and challenges in adopting agricultural technologies in Devon. Our team focused on emerging technologies (rather than traditional agriculture machineries) that can change the agricultural landscape in the years ahead.
Findings from the report showed that there are a wide range of emerging technologies readily available to farming, from drones, robots and satellite photography, to IoT-based networks, controlled environments and soil technology. Additionally, both farmers and agri-tech developers are largely positive about the potential benefits in all three pillars (economic, environmental and social) of using emerging technologies. 
Dr Nicola Mansfield with Medusa soil sensor
The Agri-TAM model from the DATA project. Flow chart with 'bridge the gap' at the top, two arrows point inward from boxes that say 'farm business' and 'agri-tech development'. Four more boxes are listed below, each with an arrow pointing to 'bridge the gap'. These four boxes read 'potential barriers, challenges and opportunities', 'perceived usefulness of the technology', 'perceived ease-of-use of the technology' and 'potential benefits: economical, environmental and social'.
Challenges and opportunities
Key challenges faced by farm businesses when adopting new technologies mostly relate to employees’ skills, knowledge and access to training. Perceived ease-of-use is another significant concern for farmers. It is hoped that these gaps can be bridged by knowledge sharing, technology demonstration, on-farm training and peer learning.
Despite the challenges, our research participants saw a range of opportunities for new agri-tech, such as in sustainable farming, attracting young farmers, land management and biodiversity, and organic farming. 
One of the main recommendations of our work was to create an integrated knowledge sharing platform that can bring together all groups of stakeholders in the sector.
The Devon Agri-Tech Alliance was created as a legacy of the DATA project and will continue to facilitate a community of research organisations, tech developers, farmers and other agricultural businesses so that those working on the ground can help shape future research and collaborate with developers to ensure that research and agri-tech solutions are practical and relevant. It also aims to facilitate collaborations and provide spaces for discussion and knowledge transfer.

Project team