It was an absolute privilege to be invited to the UK House of Lords for the Tech Nation Climate Policy Forum. Thank you Sammy Fry and team for hosting such a thought-provoking event.

As a founder who has spun out academic research, I was motivated to make a specific point about the role of innovation during our roundtable discussion on agriculture.

We have a generational opportunity to leverage the UK’s leading science base to create technologies that support a strategy of climate resilience.

But as I hear different perspectives across the innovation spectrum, from academics and industry leaders to regulators, farmers, investors, supply chains, and consumers, it’s clear we’re not all speaking the same language yet. Terms like “regenerative agriculture” mean different things to different people. This fragmentation limits our ability to coordinate a sustained innovation effort.

So how do we align all those perspectives to drive a pipeline of innovation through to successful outcomes?

First, we need to agree on what success looks like for our agricultural system, focussing less on methodology and more on outcomes. More outputs with fewer inputs is a great place to start.

Next, we track towards those outcomes with robust metrics, both at the level of the farm and over the entire system. No outsourcing our environmental impacts abroad.

Finally, we must accelerate the development and deployment of technologies that help drive those metrics in the right direction.

In an era of increasing disillusionment with climate action, it’s vital that we do not lose sight of what is at stake. Let’s stay focused. Work together. And strive for a better future for people and for the planet.