The UK today (Tuesday, May 9) reaffirmed its role as a global leader in food productivity, sustainable farming and tackling climate change at the Summit on The Agricultural Innovation for Climate (AIM for Climate) mission, including the £3 million investment to further develop sustainable fertilizers.

Attending the summit in Washington DC, Indo-Pacific Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Agriculture Secretary Mark Spencer helped bring more than 20 countries together to achieve further global progress on Breakthrough Agriculture, a collaborative effort initiated under the UK’s COP26 President, aims to accelerate the development and implementation of clean technologies and sustainable solutions in the agricultural sector.

As part of this scheme, the UK announced it will join the US-led Global Fertilizer Challenge, investing £3 million to develop, test and scale new fertilizers. and alternatives can improve soil health, agricultural productivity and the sustainability of agriculture globally.

In partnership with the US, the UK investment will fund a new Efficient Fertilizer Consortium, led by the Food and Agriculture Research Fund, which will undertake research to improve management practices. management and fertilizer efficiency, environmental benefits and cost savings. This builds on a shared commitment to tackle food insecurity in low and middle income countries, and will go hand in hand with the UK’s efforts to support domestic farmers to cope. with increased input costs through offering direct payments and providing one-time subsidies to help farmers reduce fertilizer. use and increase productivity.

Unve hope, build partnerships and share knowledge on food system innovation and climate-smart agriculture. -Up to COP28. Breakthrough Agriculture is a UK-led partnership between governments to accelerate the development and deployment of clean technologies and sustainable solutions in the agricultural sector. Its goal is to “make sustainable, climate-resilient agriculture the most attractive and widely adopted option for farmers everywhere by 2030”. This is part of the Breakthrough Programme – an initiative of the UK COP President launched at the World Leaders Summit at COP26.

Agriculture Secretary, Mark Spencer said:

Innovation is key to ushering in a more sustainable, more profitable future for our farming and agriculture sectors. It is vital that we join together at the international table to share expertise and best practices, and to fund new research to catalyze pioneering solutions that support farmers across the globe. around the world to meet the challenges of food security while protecting our environment.

Along with today’s £3 million investment in the development of alternative fertilizers, we are investing hundreds of millions of pounds in ongoing support and a one-time annual subsidy for UK farmers to receive. the support they need to leverage cutting-edge technology and research that can increase productivity and help tackle climate change.

We must continue to drive this innovation not only domestically but around the world, and I encourage countries to join as we strive to create real breakthroughs in the agri-food sector. .

FCDO Minister for Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

Our global food system is under increasing pressure, from the devastating effects of climate change as well as from the turmoil caused by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We need collaboration, innovation and ambition to tackle these challenges, and today’s Breakthrough Ministerial Conference on Agriculture and the AIM4C Summit demonstrated those possibilities – we are now need to invest in research and development, as well as focus on deployment and delivery.

That’s why the UK has committed £3 million to the Global Fertilizer Challenge, which aims to develop new, more effective fertilizers to transform productivity and protect nature. With the United States and FFAR, we will accelerate the speed and scale of agricultural innovation and adoption of climate-resilient agricultural solutions.

The UK continues to invest to meet the global challenge of feeding the world’s population while responding to climate change and biodiversity loss, including threats to deep-rooted biodiversity. diseases and epidemics. A long-standing partnership with CGIAR, the world’s leading agricultural science and innovation organization, has helped millions of farmers increase the resilience of their crops to drought and disease, while contributing to food security for millions of people.

Meanwhile, at home, the UK has given more than £168m to farmers this year to drive innovation, support food production, improve animal health and welfare and protect environmental protection.

This includes £51 million grants to the Agricultural Innovation Program by 2023, bringing together farmers, growers, businesses and researchers in research and development projects. Developed to transform productivity, enhance environmental sustainability, and help achieve zero goals. Projects that have benefited from the Program include a hands-free solution to track wellbeing and productivity. cows, data-sharing solutions for farmers to support each other in measuring and monitoring soil health patterns, and a herd of farming robots in action.

In tandem with this, the Farm Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) provides farmers with specific equipment to enhance environmental sustainability, improve animal health and welfare, and at the same time reduce input usage to cut emissions and waste. This includes £34 million in sludge storage funding to help farmers reduce reliance on artificial fertilizers through better storage of organic nutrients while improving water and air quality.

The UAE announced its participation in Agricultural Breakthrough during the event, affirming the COP28 Chairman’s commitment to the Breakthrough Agenda. Canada and Kenya also announced their participation, bringing the total number of countries participating in international cooperation to 16.

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, United Arab Emirates Minister of Environment and Climate Change said:

I am pleased to announce the UAE’s participation in the UK’s Agricultural Disruption Initiative. This engagement underscores the UAE’s dedication to transforming the food system and developing innovative approaches that support innovation and R&D efforts in agriculture.

Our mission is to set ambitious targets for the Breakthrough Priority Actions in Agriculture 2024 to be unveiled at COP28 in the UAE later this year. We recognize the important role agricultural innovation plays in tackling climate change and are dedicated to promoting it at the local, regional and global levels.

The full list of participating countries is: Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Kenya, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sweden, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.