Innovation for Agriculture
Innovation for Agriculture is a UK charity and consortium of 17 English agricultural societies that connects farmers with agricultural researchers through workshops, farm walks, Communities of Practice, and pan-EU projects covering soil health, livestock welfare, and farm decarbonisation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersKenilworth, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Innovation for Agriculture does
Innovation for Agriculture (IfA) is a UK-registered charity (no. 1155563) founded in 2013 and headquartered at the RASE Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth. It is structured as a consortium of 17 English agricultural societies spanning Devon to Yorkshire and operates as an independent knowledge-exchange intermediary between academic/research communities and UK farmers. Its core function is to translate agricultural science into practical farm practice through on-farm demonstrations, workshops, farm walks, Communities of Practice, and the IfA Live virtual platform, with a thematic focus on soil health, livestock health and welfare, regenerative agriculture, and farm-level decarbonisation.
The organisation runs an extensive programme portfolio spanning award schemes (Soil Farmer of the Year since 2015, Water Quality Farmer of the Year launched April 2026 with five UK water utilities), pan-EU research projects (Climate Farm Demo, BIOFRAME, RUMINATE, RURALITIC, DECIDE, DISARM, FAIRshare, NEFERTITI, 4D4f), domestic initiatives (Farm Net Zero in Cornwall, Calf Action Network, Garfield Weston Community of Practice, Positive Sheep Welfare & Wool), and decision-support tools (Soil Testing Decision Support Toolkit, pilot Carbon Decision Support Tool, IfA Live platform). Technical delivery is led by a small team (~18 named staff) organised around heads of Livestock, Soil & Water, Policy, Technical Development, and Regenerative, plus communications, finance and fundraising functions.
IfA is funded through charitable donations, grants from foundations (Garfield Weston, Esmee Fairbairn, Linbury, Elizabeth Creak, Prince's Countryside Fund, Ashden, Dulverton, Swire, Ernest Cook and others), and project grants from statutory bodies including Horizon Europe, DEFRA and the EU Partnership on Animal Health & Welfare. Cumulative charitable support since founding exceeds £1 million. No pricing is charged to farmer beneficiaries; services, decision-support tools, and competitions are offered at no cost, consistent with its charitable remit and stated no-commercial-bias positioning.
Innovation for Agriculture firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Innovation for Agriculture
- Legal name
- Innovation for Agriculture
- Website
- https://i4agri.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Innovation for Agriculture is a UK charity and consortium of 17 English agricultural societies that connects farmers with agricultural researchers through workshops, farm walks, Communities of Practice, and pan-EU projects covering soil health, livestock welfare, and farm decarbonisation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Innovation for Agriculture industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Knowledge Exchange and Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Crop Production (111)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL), Farm Finance, Input Procurement & Risk Tools (Budgeting, Inventory, Insurance Links) (AFAAAFAO)
Keywords
Where Innovation for Agriculture is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kenilworth
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Innovation for Agriculture business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations and Fundraising: Innovation for Agriculture is a registered charity (number 1155563) that relies on charitable fundraising campaigns. Support from individuals, charitable trusts and foundations including Elizabeth Creak Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Linbury Trust, and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. They have raised well over £1 million in charitable support.
- Project Grants: Funding from statutory bodies, charitable trusts, public and private enterprise. Projects funded by Horizon Europe, EU Partnership on Animal Health & Welfare, DEFRA, and others for specific agricultural research and knowledge exchange initiatives.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Innovation for Agriculture product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Innovation for Agriculture is an independent UK charity that connects farmers with agricultural research through practical workshops, farm walks, on-farm demonstrations, European research projects, Communities of Practice, decision support tools, and national competitions/awards. It operates as a knowledge exchange intermediary, translating scientific research into practical farming practice for UK arable, livestock and mixed farmers focused on soil health, livestock welfare, regenerative agriculture and Net Zero.
Product overview
Innovation for Agriculture (IfA) is a consortium of 17 English agricultural societies that operates as a knowledge exchange organization rather than a single unified product or platform. The organization connects farmers with farming research through a portfolio of projects, programmes, competitions, awards, tools, and knowledge resources. The product portfolio includes: Soil Farmer of the Year Competition and Water Quality Farmer of the Year Award (annual award programmes); Climate Farm Demo, Farm Net Zero, and LUNZ Hub (climate and net zero initiatives); Calf Action Network, BIOFRAME, DECIDE, and DISARM (animal health and biosecurity projects); RURALITIC and RUMINATE (European Horizon projects); FAIRshare (digital tools for advisors); Soil Testing and Carbon Decision Support Tools (practical farming tools); IfA Live (virtual knowledge exchange platform); and various guides and reports on sustainable farming practices. These offerings are coordinated through workshops, farm walks, demonstrations, and Communities of Practice rather than a traditional software platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Soil Farmer of the Year Competition National competition run in partnership with Farm Carbon Toolkit to find, promote and champion UK farmers passionate about managing their soils, including farm walks and knowledge exchange activities.
- Water Quality Farmer of the Year Award Award celebrating practical work on commercial farms in England and Wales to protect and enhance water quality through nutrient management, runoff reduction, livestock management, or catchment-based approaches.
- BIOFRAME Project European research and innovation project developing a practical, farmer-centred biosecurity improvement framework tailored to non-intensive livestock farming systems.
- Climate Farm Demo 7-year Horizon Europe project establishing and facilitating a network of demonstration farms across Europe (including 130 in the UK) working towards decarbonisation and NetZero.
- Calf Action Network Collaborative initiative focused on improving health, welfare and management of calves across the UK, leading the GB Calf Strategy Right Start pillar.
- Farm Net Zero
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced diesel use by approximately 75% through cover cropping, mob grazing, and reduced cultivation practices
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Innovation for Agriculture
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Innovation for Agriculture technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Innovation for Agriculture partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Farm Carbon ToolkitcoreLong-standing partnership running the national Soil Farmer of the Year competition. Collaboration on Farm Net Zero project in Cornwall. Farm Carbon Toolkit provides carbon assessment expertise and technical support for soil health initiatives.
- HutchinsonsminorSponsor of Soil Farmer of the Year competition. Agricultural inputs and services company supporting soil health initiatives.
- Cotswold SeedsminorSponsor of Soil Farmer of the Year competition. Supplier of seeds for cover crops and herbal leys supporting regenerative agriculture.
- Duchy College Rural Business SchoolcorePartner in Farm Net Zero project. Provides research and academic support for the Cornwall-based Net Zero initiative.
- Westcountry Rivers TrustcorePartner in Farm Net Zero project focusing on water quality and catchment management in Cornwall.
- Innovative FarmerscorePartner in Farm Net Zero project. Field labs and farmer-led research network bringing practical innovation to farms.
- Just FarmerscorePartner in Farm Net Zero project. Organization connecting farmers with media and storytelling to share agricultural knowledge.
- Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH)coreCoordinator of RUMINATE Horizon Europe project. Greek research institution leading a multidisciplinary consortium across eight countries to develop climate-resilient livestock solutions.
- Ghent UniversitycoreCoordinator of BIOFRAME European research project. Belgian university leading development of biosecurity framework for non-intensive livestock farming systems.
- University of NottinghamcoreUK co-lead of BIOFRAME project alongside IfA. Leads behavioural insights research through focus groups and interviews, and facilitates on-farm pilot studies in the UK.
- Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE)coreIfA is a consortium member of RASE. Co-commissioned Farm of the Future: Journey to Net Zero report with IfA as key contributor.
- WWF/Tesco PartnershipcoreIfA produced The Go-to-guide for reducing GHG emissions on behalf of the WWF/Tesco partnership, providing practical guidance for farmers on reducing farm greenhouse gas footprints.
- DISARM CommunitycoreCollaboration between farmers, veterinarians, advisory services, academics and industry to reduce antibiotic resistance by focusing on disease prevention. IfA plays a key part in knowledge exchange.
- Portsmouth WatercoreSupporting Water Quality Farmer of the Year Award, recognizing practical action to improve water quality on commercial farms.
- Wessex WatercoreSupporting Water Quality Farmer of the Year Award, recognizing farmers delivering positive outcomes for water through practical action.
- Southern WatercoreSupporting Water Quality Farmer of the Year Award.
- Severn Trent WatercoreSupporting Water Quality Farmer of the Year Award.
- Anglian WatercoreSupporting Water Quality Farmer of the Year Award.
- HD WoolcorePartnership developing Positive Sheep Welfare & Wool Community of Practice and co-developed positive welfare framework.
- RUMAcoreResponsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance. IfA is a member, supporting responsible antimicrobial use in livestock.
- Farmer-Led Innovation Network (FLIN)coreNetwork supporting farmer-led innovation. IfA is a member contributing to agricultural knowledge exchange.
- Vet SustaincoreVeterinary sustainability network. IfA is a member working on sustainable farming practices.
- International Association of Facilitators (IAF)coreProfessional association. IfA team members use facilitation approaches for farmer workshops and knowledge exchange.
- ACTAcoreCoordinator of NEFERTITI Horizon 2020 project - EU-wide network of 32 partners from 17 countries for farm demonstration and innovation uptake.
- EU Livestock SectorcoreDISARM project connects innovative approaches across EU livestock sectors to share best practice and promote prudent antibiotic use.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Innovation for Agriculture competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Soil Association: UK charity focused on organic and sustainable farming, providing farmer training, certification, and knowledge exchange. Highly comparable mission and non-profit, knowledge-exchange-driven model targeting similar UK farmer audience.
- Farm Carbon Toolkit: UK charity delivering carbon assessment, soil health advisory, and farmer training—IfA's close partner on the Soil Farmer of the Year. Operates in nearly identical niche of soil carbon and regenerative practice knowledge exchange.
- Innovative Farmers: Farmer-led research network that runs field labs and on-farm trials across the UK. IfA partner on Farm Net Zero; very similar community-led, peer-to-peer knowledge-exchange model.
- LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming): UK charity promoting sustainable farming through Integrated Farm Management, demonstration farms, and farmer engagement. Directly comparable mission around sustainable farming practice and knowledge exchange.
- Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE): Consortium member of IfA, co-commissioning reports (Farm of the Future) and convening agricultural events. Highly overlapping UK agricultural knowledge-exchange mission and audience.
- Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust: UK charity conducting applied research and farmer-facing knowledge exchange on biodiversity-friendly farming. Comparable UK charity research-to-practice knowledge-exchange model.
Broad incumbents
- Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB): Statutory levy-funded body delivering research, knowledge exchange, and technical advice to UK farmers. Larger, broader scope than IfA but overlapping knowledge-exchange remit and farmer audience.
- ADAS: UK agricultural and environmental consultancy providing agronomy, soil, and policy advice. Comparable in soil and crop advisory work; commercial rather than charity-led model.
Emerging players
- NEFERTITI Network: EU Horizon 2020 network of 32 partners across 17 countries building demonstration farm networks. Directly comparable EU-funded agricultural knowledge-exchange platform that IfA participated in.
- Duchy College Rural Business School: UK academic institution delivering agricultural research and farmer training; IfA partner on Farm Net Zero. Comparable applied research-to-farmer knowledge-exchange role.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Innovation for Agriculture social profiles
Digital presenceInnovation for Agriculture compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Innovation for Agriculture financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Innovation for Agriculture leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles21 records
Innovation for Agriculture funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Innovation for Agriculture M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Innovation for Agriculture
What does Innovation for Agriculture do?
Innovation for Agriculture is an independent UK charity that connects farmers with agricultural research through practical workshops, farm walks, on-farm demonstrations, European research projects, Communities of Practice, decision support tools, and national competitions/awards. It operates as a knowledge exchange intermediary, translating scientific research into practical farming practice for UK arable, livestock and mixed farmers focused on soil health, livestock welfare, regenerative agriculture and Net Zero.
Is Innovation for Agriculture a public or private company?
Innovation for Agriculture is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Innovation for Agriculture founded?
Innovation for Agriculture was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Innovation for Agriculture based?
Innovation for Agriculture is headquartered in Kenilworth, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Innovation for Agriculture make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Charitable Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are project Grants.
Who are Innovation for Agriculture's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Soil Association, Farm Carbon Toolkit, Innovative Farmers, LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) and Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust. Broad incumbents are Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and ADAS. Emerging players are NEFERTITI Network and Duchy College Rural Business School.
Does Innovation for Agriculture have an API?
No public API is recorded for Innovation for Agriculture.
What industry is Innovation for Agriculture in?
Innovation for Agriculture's product category is Agricultural Knowledge Exchange and Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAOAOAO, Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices, with a secondary code of BPAGALAD, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative). Its NAICS code is 111 and its SIC code is 700.