GUEST COLUMN:
Dr Rhian Hayward
CEO
AberInnovation
Agriculture has always been at the heart of life in Mid and North Wales. It underpins not just our rural economy but also our culture and communities. What we are seeing now is the opportunity to build on that foundation through innovation, and to ensure that farming and food production remain both sustainable and prosperous for the decades ahead.
The Agri-tech and Food Technology Cluster offers us an opportunity to drive innovation in the agri-tech and food technology sectors across Mid and North Wales. It has come about because of the depth of expertise and creativity that already exists here.
It is a recognition of the work that has been going on in our region for some time, and it brings together a group of organisations that share the same ambition: to drive forward innovation in agriculture and food.
By working together, we can enhance sustainability and resource efficiency in farming, develop new food manufacturing techniques, and strengthen supply chains so that they are resilient and able to adapt to changing markets.
This effort is being supported by a powerful partnership. Growing Mid Wales and Ambition North Wales bring the strength of their two regional growth deals. AberInnovation and M-SParc provide the cluster management role, while the AMRC in North Wales and Food Centre Wales in Mid Wales bring technical and research expertise. Welsh Government and Innovate UK are also engaged, ensuring the work is connected to wider strategies and opportunities. The involvement of our universities, such as Aberystwyth and Bangor, is equally important, creating the knowledge base that businesses can tap into.
AberInnovation is leading the food technology strand of this work, and among other things are role is to have those first conversations with businesses. For many, particularly early-stage and micro firms, being able to talk through their ideas is the starting point to identifying what support might be most appropriate. The cluster launchpad provides one route, but there is a wide menu of support available in Wales and across the UK. Part of our role is to make sure companies are aware of what’s out there, whether that be funding programmes, research facilities, or specialist business support.
What excites me most is the range of projects already coming through the cluster. They reflect the creativity and diversity of innovation we are seeing across the UK, but they also show the strengths of this region. Some are focused on farm diversification, finding new ways to add value to traditional outputs, while others are about applying technologies such as biosciences or digital tools to food manufacturing. We have projects working on fruit harvesting technology, extracting valuable ingredients from food sector byproducts, and exploring precision fermentation. Others are looking at new food types, from mushrooms and insect protein to heritage crops and even improving the nutritional profile of ready meals. There is also work underway to add value to sheep fleeces.
Together, these projects illustrate two important strands of activity. One is the evolution of existing farming businesses, using innovation to diversify and future-proof. The other is the arrival of new entrants, often from technology backgrounds, who see Mid and North Wales as a place where they can establish and grow. Both strands are vital if we are to build a resilient and forward-looking agri-food sector.
In the short to mid-term, the aim is to help these businesses attract further public support until they are in a position to secure private investment and scale up. Innovation takes time, and developing a disruptive new product or service can mean creating a new market as well. It is essential that we continue to support companies along that journey, so that the jobs and growth that follow are realised here in Wales.
Looking further ahead, the ambition is broader. We want Mid and North Wales to keep building that knowledge economy, to make innovation part of the culture of this region. Agriculture is such a fundamental part of Wales, and the food supply chain that flows from it is critical. If we want this part of the economy to remain strong, we need to keep fuelling it with new ideas, new products, and new services.
This is about prosperity for the future, built on a sector that has always been central to our way of life.
Dr Rhian Hayward talks about this and more in the Unlocking Mid Wales podcast episode Nurturing Innovation in Agri-Tech and Food Technology. Listen to the podcast here.
To find out more about the Agri-tech and Food Technology Cluster for Mid and North Wales visit https://growingmidwales.co.uk/AgriTechFoodTech
