The Duchess of Edinburgh joined leading voices from across the UK’s farming research and innovation landscape at Groundswell 2026, taking part in a high-level insight session aimed at accelerating collaboration and driving meaningful change across the sector.
Held on 1 July in the Root and Reason tent at Lannock Farm, Hertfordshire, the session brought together representatives from 15 organisations to explore four key themes shaping the future of agriculture: technology and remote sensing, novel crop development, productivity and business insights, and knowledge exchange.
The gathering was designed to forge new partnerships and spotlight solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing global food production.
Harriet Cherry of the Groundswell team, who organised the event alongside Judith Batchelar OBE, Chair of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), highlighted the significance of the Duchess’s involvement.
“The Duchess of Edinburgh is committed to shining a positive spotlight upon agriculture and farming innovations, and has a strong desire to highlight STEM opportunities for young people,” she said. “This gathering marks a significant moment for an industry facing some of its greatest challenges – the urgent need to produce more nutritious food for a growing global population, while simultaneously restoring and improving the natural environment.”
Across the four themed discussions, contributors included organisations such as Innovate UK, Defra, Rothamsted Research, the UK Agri-Tech Centre and the Sustainable Soil Alliance, reflecting the breadth of expertise driving innovation in the sector.
Technological advances were a central focus, with examples ranging from AgriSound’s use of acoustic sensing and AI to monitor pollinators in real time, to PES Technologies’ rapid soil testing device capable of delivering multiple soil health indicators in under 10 minutes using a single sample.
At Pollybell Farms, trials are underway for CLAWS (Concentrated Light Autonomous Weeding and Scouting), a robotic weeder developed by farm owner James Brown. The system can reportedly eliminate up to 60 weeds per second using targeted light, offering the potential to significantly reduce reliance on herbicides.
Climate resilience and crop innovation also featured prominently. Richard Pywell of UKCEH outlined research into future crop viability, noting the need to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
“There are large areas of land less suitable for growing crops in the future because of climate change, so the need to understand new, novel crops is essential,” he said. “We’ve scanned 160 crops in the ‘Top of the Crops’ research, enabling farmers to explore options such as citrus, chickpeas and rice.”
Meanwhile, the Productivity and Business Insights session explored the environmental impact of agricultural practices. Fleur Delany of Oxford University presented findings from the HESTIA project, an open-access platform analysing data from more than 135,000 farms globally.
“The UK wine sector has expanded six-fold in the last 20 years,” she said. “While vineyard soils can capture carbon, our research shows English vineyards are, on average, net carbon emitters. However, where they are established on converted crop land, they can become net carbon sinks.”
A recurring message throughout the session was the need for adaptation in the face of climate and economic pressures.
“We have to build a more resilient sector so that we can cope with these shocks and the disruption that brings,” organisers noted. “Adaptation requires us to do things differently.”
The Duchess of Edinburgh echoed the importance of collaboration and communication in advancing the sector, stating: “It’s clear we don’t just need one technology, and studying all of this together makes the most wonderful story for agriculture – and it needs to be told more widely.”
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Judith Batchelar OBE described the event as a milestone moment for the industry.
“For the first time, we brought together individuals and organisations from across the whole farming research and innovation ecosystem,” she said. “I am confident that new relationships will be formed and experiences shared, because that is what the farming sector is especially good at.”
Organisers hope the session will become a regular feature at Groundswell, which is held annually by the Cherry farming family and has become a key platform for regenerative agriculture and knowledge exchange in the UK.
