How can agriculture decarbonise supply chains - 24 October 2025

This event is being co-hosted by Niab and the Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping. It is part of the annual Agri-Tech Week, organised by Agri-TechE. The aim of Agri-Tech Week is to showcase innovate technology that is being developed and used in agriculture. The series of events create opportunity to meet those adopting cutting-edge technology and increase multi-disciplinary collaboration.

Niab's event will showcase novel ways the agricultural sector is working with major industries to reduce carbon emissions and work towards Net Zero. The sectors that will be highlighted during the event are food, textiles, transport, construction and energy.

To demonstrate the role agriculture plays we will have speakers from agritech businesses who are using crops to decarbonise industries. We will also discuss the crops that can be grown to support innovative ways to reduce pre- and post-farm gate emissions for a wide variety crops including hemp, flax and miscanthus.

Aims for the day

• To explore the role alternative crops can play in a range of industries including agriculture in meeting Net zero targets.
• To discuss challenges to implementing these crops at a wide scale and their associated infrastructure.
• To explore the role that regenerative agriculture systems can play in meeting Net Zero targets
• To review the implications for all cropping systems (not just combinable crops) and consider whether changes in the underlying principles might be needed

Agenda

9.00 – Coffee and registration

9.30 – Welcome and housekeeping

9.45 – CHCx3 project update

10.00 – Seminars that will cover how different cropping options can provide benefits to different industries

12.30 - Lunch

13.30 – Workshop

14.30 - Finish

Speakers

CHCx3 project update – Confirmed

Project Lead, Dr Lydia Smith with give an overview of what has been achieved in the project so far, this will include:

• Findings from cover crop trials at Niab
• Findings from hemp and flax trials at Niab
• Where people can find all the information
• Upcoming dissemination events

Andrew Jones, Fibra 

From Field to Factory: Decarbonising the UK Supply Chain with Hemp

Following his banking career, Andrew pursued his passion for sustainable agriculture, acquiring a farm in North Wiltshire and attending the Royal Agricultural University. His studies revealed challenges farmers face with break crops and the potential of industrial hemp as a solution. In 2020, he founded Fibra, a company dedicated to transforming the UK hemp industry. After extensive research and development, Andrew designed and commissioned a bespoke decortication line, operational since 2024.

Florian Ilias, Terravesta 

CLICC in Action: Industry perspectives on opportunities, progress, and challenges of locally sourced biomass

Florian is the Managing Director of Terravesta. Terravesta is a Lincolnshire-based company and specialise in growing Miscanthus, a sustainable renewable energy crop. Terravesta work with growers from crop establishment to end markets which includes support for crop monitoring and harvesting. The presentation will highlight environmental benefits for growers, demand and supply differences as bio-renewable energy increases, multiple end-uses that are developing for miscanthus, how miscanthus can compliment food production and current policy for perennial biomass crops.

David Prior- Hope, Fibe 

Fibe: Making sustainable clothing from agricultural crop waste

David is the CTO and Co-Founder of Fibe, he leads the development of the technology.

Before founding Fibe, David worked at numerous biomaterial and innovation start-ups including Notpla, MX3D and Studio Samira Boon.

He studied Design Engineering at Imperial College London.

Fibe make sustainable textile fibres from agricultural crop waste. The model enables both the agricultural and textile industry to meet their sustainability targets whilst making the harvest more profitable. Fibe's flagship product is the world's first textile fibres from potato stems, the patent pending technology can valorise around 1 billion tonnes of biomass.

Chloe Donovan, Natural Building Systems 

The role of Agritecture: From Seed to System

As a Trustee of the Food Ethics Council and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Commerce, and Manufacturing, Chloe founded Natural Building Systems in 2019 because of her passion for holistic and systemised solutions to complex challenges. Managing Director, Chloe Donovan, will be giving an overview of the role of UK-grown hemp and other short-cycle crop-based materials within the built environment. The session will explore the potential carbon storage benefits of using biogenic materials and share real-world examples of their use in modular homes and buildings, illustrating how Agri-Tech innovation is driving a more sustainable built environment.

Richard Bowe, Re-generation Earth

Decarbonising the agricultural supply chain through the use of biochar

Richard Bowe is the founder of Re-generation Earth, a UK-based initiative focused on transforming agriculture through regenerative practices—especially using biochar to improve soil health and reduce carbon emissions. With an extensive background in agriculture, soil health and regenerative agricultural techniques.

Re-generation Earth Ltd, promotes regenerative sustainable farming by replacing synthetic fertilisers with organic alternatives, using biochar, a carbon-rich material made from biomass, which retain both water and nutrients in soil, can lock away carbon for decades, it also supports microbial life and improve crop yields.

Partners with research institutions like the University of Kent and Growing Kent & Medway to run field trials and long-term studies.

Robert Jackson, Niab

Precision Orcharding: How Drone Technology is Reducing Inputs and Boosting Profits

As Deputy Programme Leader for Crop Phenotyping at Niab’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Sciences group, Rob leads research that harnesses AI-driven technologies to transform how we measure and understand crop performance. Rob’s work spans the full range of phenotyping approaches, from drones in the field to high-throughput glasshouse imaging and hyperspectral laboratory analysis. Rob specialises in drone-based remote sensing to monitor crop health, growth, and resilience under real-world conditions. Working with an interdisciplinary team, we integrate crop, genetic, and environmental data to create open-source tools that tackle yield, quality, and disease challenges in the UK’s most important crops.

POME is a £4.5 million project developing precision orchard management systems for UK apple and pear growers. Drones equipped with advanced sensors and machine learning algorithms can automatically detect and count individual trees and blossoms, enabling targeted application of fertilizers and pesticides only where needed. This precision approach helps farmers dramatically reduce chemical inputs, cut costs, and boost sustainability while maintaining optimal yields.