Celebrating 10 years of farmer-led research
In the last decade, Innovative Farmers has launched over 120 field labs and awarded over £450,000 in grants to groups of farmers supporting them to research the issues that matter to them. When we began, our concept of ’field labs’ – on-farm trials – was not well understood. But now the model is firmly entering the mainstream.
Field labs have increased farmers’ confidence in on-farm experimentation and innovation. They have also highlighted to the research community the benefits of collaboration with farmers. We have nurtured a culture of sharing across the farming industry and seen an increased recognition of the value of on-farm trials.
