AFN Network+

What AFN Network+ does

AFN Network+ is a UK-based research and policy network dedicated to accelerating the transition of agri-food systems to net zero. Established in 2022 and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through four research councils (EPSRC, BBSRC, NERC, ESRC), the network convenes more than 3,000 members spanning academia, industry, policy, and civil society, and has engaged nearly 20,000 people through its activities. It is co-led by researchers at the University of York (Sarah Bridle), University of East Anglia (Neil Ward), University of the West of England (Angelina Sanderson Bellamy), University of Leeds (Stefan Kepinski), and other institutions including Tim Benton as a co-lead, with Jez Fredenburgh serving as Knowledge Exchange Fellow. The network has 22 employees and operates with a small core team distributing over £2M across 56+ funded projects between 2022 and 2026.

The network's core products are research- and evidence-based knowledge artefacts rather than commercial software. These include the Future Food Calculator, a quantitative tool for assessing food system impacts; a Roadmap for Resilience, published in 2025 as a strategic output for the sector; and a Scenarios Report setting out plausible futures for UK food systems. Its business model is grant-funded and non-commercial: it distributes research funding to project teams, produces open knowledge outputs, and convenes stakeholders at no cost to members. In January 2026 the network converted to a Community Interest Company (CIC) and rebranded to Root and Reason, structural changes intended to enable a broader range of mission-aligned activities beyond the original UKRI grant remit. The network is partnered with programmes such as FixOurFood and collaborates across multiple UK universities, positioning it as a central convening node in the UK agri-food net zero research ecosystem.

Name

AFN Network+

Legal name

AFN Network+

Website

https://agrifood4netzero.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. UKRI Research Council Funding: The network is funded by UK Research and Innovation through four research councils: EPSRC, BBSRC, NERC, and ESRC. Funding has supported the establishment and operation of the network since 2022, with over £1 million allocated to dozens of projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AFN Network+ is a UK research coordination network that convenes over 3,000 researchers, farmers, policymakers, industry professionals, and third sector organisations to shape research and policy for the UK agri-food system transition to net zero. Funded by UK Research and Innovation, it operates free membership, seed-funds research projects through Scoping Study and FlexFund grants, publishes flagship evidence-based reports (Roadmap for Resilience, Scenarios Report, Priorities for Research and Policy), and hosts an annual Big Tent conference plus monthly webinars and a podcast.

Product overview

AFN Network+ (UKRI Agri-food for Net Zero Network+) is a research coordination network, not a software product company. It operates as a collaborative platform bringing together over 3,000 researchers, farmers, policymakers, and industry professionals across UK agri-food. The organization's core offerings include the AFN Network+ Website and Member Platform providing resource access and networking, the Future Food Calculator (a quantitative modeling tool for exploring policy impacts on emissions, land use, and self-sufficiency), and flagship publications including the Roadmap for Resilience: A UK Food Plan for 2050, the UK Agri-Food System Scenarios Report 2050, and the Priorities for Research and Policy Report. Additional offerings include the Resource Hub (webinars, briefings, podcasts, newsletters), Big Tent Annual Event, Scoping Study Grants (up to £50,000 for multidisciplinary research teams), Stakeholder FlexFund Grants (£1,000-£5,000 for practitioner activities), and the Champions Program. The network is funded by UKRI and has awarded over £1 million to more than 50 projects since 2022.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AFN Network+ Member Platform Collaborative network platform providing member directory, resource hub, event listings, and funding information for stakeholders across UK agri-food working toward net zero. Includes webinars, podcasts, newsletters, and project showcases.
• Future Food Calculator Quantitative modeling tool developed with FixOurFood under the Transforming UK Food Systems Programme that lets users explore system-wide implications of policy choices on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and UK food self-sufficiency through an interactive dashboard with adjustable sliders.
• Roadmap for Resilience: A UK Food Plan for 2050 Comprehensive policy roadmap published in October 2025 calling for radical transformation of UK agri-food across three core areas: Resilient Agriculture, Smarter Land Use, and Healthier Diets, based on quantitative modeling and the four future scenarios developed in 2023.
• UK Agri-Food System Scenarios Report 2050 Published November 2023, describes four possible futures for UK agri-food in 2050 and identifies the policy planning and research needed under each to move the system toward net zero. Scenarios include Build Back Fast Again, Circular Worlds, Self-Sufficiency, and The Right to Food.
• Priorities for Research and Policy Report Published March 2024, sets out suggested research and policy priorities across six themes (Healthy and Sustainable Diets, Land Productivity, Food Security and Trade, Land Use Change, Circular Food Systems, and Behaviour Change) plus cross-cutting issues, arising from the Network's first 18 months of activities.
• Resource Hub Curated online library of webinars, briefings, digests, reports, podcasts, and newsletters covering UK food system transformation and net zero topics. Includes recordings of the monthly webinar programme, Champions' contributions, and essential research reports.
• Big Tent Annual Event Flagship annual two-day conference bringing together researchers, farmers, policymakers, and industry professionals. Features panel sessions, workshops, networking, and knowledge exchange focused on agri-food system transformation toward net zero.
• Scoping Study Grants Research grants of up to £50,000 awarded to multidisciplinary teams with academic and non-academic partners addressing net zero through agri-food. Two funding rounds were conducted in 2023 and 2024.
• Stakeholder FlexFund Grants Small-scale grants of £1,000 to £5,000 awarded four times yearly to non-academic Network members for engagement and knowledge exchange activities exploring solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in UK agri-food.
• Champions Program Annual cohorts of Champions who run engagement activities, synthesise ideas across the Network, and identify research priorities and policy innovations needed for a sustainable, economically viable, socially just, and secure food system. Three cohorts appointed across 2022-2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £1 million in research funding distributed to 56+ projects
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FixOurFoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Future Food Calculator was developed in collaboration with FixOurFood under the Transforming UK Food Systems Programme. The Calculator enables system-wide modelling of food system interventions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming: UK alliance of ~100 organisations working on food and farming sustainability. Directly comparable as a membership-based network convening NGOs, academics, and practitioners around UK food policy, with similar convening events and policy outputs.
• Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP): Brussels-based environmental policy research institute producing evidence-based analysis for EU and UK governments. Comparable as a research-to-policy organisation with academic roots, addressing agricultural and food sustainability, and contributing to policy events alongside AFN Network+.
• Food Foundation: UK food policy think tank producing research, data, and advocacy on healthy and sustainable diets. Highly comparable as a UK-focused food systems research and convening organisation with policy impact and a similar funder base (charities, foundations, government).
• Eating Better: UK alliance of 60+ organisations promoting sustainable, healthy diets with lower meat consumption. Comparable as a UK food sustainability convening network, focused on diet-shift policy with research outputs and member-driven events.

Broad incumbents

• Soil Association: Larger, longer-established UK organisation promoting organic and sustainable farming, food certification, and policy advocacy. Comparable mission around UK agri-food sustainability and similar multi-stakeholder convening role, but with broader commercial certification activities.
• Green Alliance: UK environmental think tank producing policy analysis across climate, resources, and land use. Comparable as a UK-focused research and policy convening organisation with government and foundation funding, but with broader environmental scope beyond agri-food.
• WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme): UK-based sustainability charity working on resources, food waste, and sustainable supply chains. Comparable as a UK research-to-policy organisation with government funding, but with a much broader mandate across resources and waste.
• Chatham House Food programme: Global food policy research programme within the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Comparable as a research-driven food systems convening organisation producing policy reports and convening stakeholders, but operating globally with a more traditional think-tank structure.
• EAT: Global non-profit working to transform food systems through science-based targets and the EAT-Lancet Commission. Comparable as a research-driven food sustainability convening organisation with global policy influence, but operating internationally rather than UK-only.

Regional players

• Compassion in World Farming: International agri-food sustainability NGO focused on farm animal welfare and sustainable food systems. Comparable mission around UK and global food system transformation, with research outputs and policy advocacy, though anchored in animal welfare rather than net zero.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wearerootandreason
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afnnetwork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AFN Network+