Newsletter – April 2026
27 April 2026
AFN Network+ is now Root and Reason
In 2022, UK Research and Innovation gave the Agri-food for Net Zero Network+ three years of funding to shape the next decade of research supporting the UK agri-food system’s journey to net zero.
We also published several landmark resources, including our 2050 Scenarios, Future Food Calculator, and ‘Roadmap for Resilience – a UK Food Plan for 2050,’ developed in collaboration with over 150 partners, including the NHS, National Farmers Union, DEFRA, UK Treasury, and Climate Change Committee.
Through our work, we discovered just how closely net zero goals align with healthy diets, food security, and economic prosperity for people as well as businesses.
As our funding came to a close, our team felt compelled to continue, with more focus on action than research alone. Root and Reason has been formed as a natural evolution of the UKRI Agri-food for Net Zero Network+.
Webinar: From Plans to Practice – Building Community Food Resilience in Bristol
Save the date – Thursday 14th May, 12:00–1:00 pm
We know the UK food system is vulnerable to shocks, but what does preparing for them actually look like at community level? In Bristol, a pioneering partnership between universities, food charities and community organisations has been developing a disaster risk plan for food security, drawing on lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic response and planning for future crises, including extreme weather, cyber-attacks, and supply chain disruptions.
Heloise Balme will share insights from Bristol’s work building a more resilient local food system through the Bristol Good Food 2030 partnership.
More Soon!
Proposal development workshop for National Lottery food call
Wednesday 6th May, 1:00–3:00 pm
Following our recent networking meeting on the National Lottery food call, we’re excited to help take your ideas to the next level.
In collaboration with Eating Better and Farming the Future, Root and Reason invites you to a facilitated workshop designed specifically to help you develop your proposals for the National Lottery Community Action Fund (Food Systems).
A view from the inside: Rethinking food poverty through lived experience
Coining the concept of “lived and living experience”, Dominic Watters is working to redefine how food poverty is understood, researched, and acted upon. Supported by the AFN Network+ Stakeholder FlexFund, this work moves beyond consultation-based models to centre knowledge produced within communities experiencing food insecurity in real time.
This work calls for deeper, more accountable engagement with what Dominic terms “living experience” — not as an addition to research, but as a foundational form of knowledge.
In case you missed them
Watch our April webinar – Leading the Way? Denmark’s Approach to Reforming Food and Farming Policy
We had another great turnout for our April webinar with more than 100 people joining us to hear Simone Højte and David Baldock discuss Denmark’s approach to reforming food and farming policy and how other countries might learn from it. You can watch the video to see Simone’s talk and hear Simone and David answering audience questions.
Digest: Supermarkets and food system transition
As policy gradually begins to show signs of joining up health, affordability, and food system change, in food retail, there are green shoots suggesting a parallel shift may also be underway.
Our latest digest examines retailer announcements and shifts over the last year, alongside the government policy that is prompting their methods and ambition.
Digest: The £2.6 billion question – what climate inaction could cost the UK food system
What would it cost the UK food system to do nothing about climate change? According to a landmark assessment by IGD, the answer is £2.6 billion a year by 2050, with a 15% increase in raw commodity costs from climate impacts alone, and the real cost to consumers likely to be significantly higher once supply chain costs are factored in. In a recent webinar, IGD’s Head of Resilience, Matthew Stoughton-Harris, set out the financial reality of climate risk across the food supply chain and why the industry’s current response, though growing, is not yet equal to the challenge.
News from the wider agri-food sector
Events:
Emergent Generation at Groundswell 2026
1-2 July Hertfordshire
Join Emergent Generation for two inspiring days at the renowned Groundswell Regenerative Agriculture Festival 2026,
Emergent Generation will have its own marquee for meet-ups, downloads, opportunity-sharing, mini-workshops, and youth-led sessions. They’re designing the area especially for young people passionate about food, farming, and the environment for two days of connection, inspiration, and knowledge sharing. Keep an eye out for Em Gen comms for further details as the sessions won’t be advertised in the main programme. Subsidised tickets and bursaries are available for members 18-35 yrs (tip: join Emergent Generation for free).
International Conference on Localised Agri-food Systems.
1st to 4th September, James Hutton Institute
This conference will bring together academics, practitioners, policymakers, and local producers to collectively explore and discuss
the current state- and future- of localised agri-food systems.
Attendees will come together from across the world to identify and discuss challenges and identify pathways forward so localised agri-food systems can flourishing and contribute to an increasingly uncertain world. The deadline for submitting abstracts is Thursday 30
April, and Early Bird Registration begins on Friday 1 May.
Opportunities:
Healthy Food, Healthy Planet are looking for a new participatory steering committee member
Healthy Food, Healthy Planet are looking for someone who understands the complexity of working across sectors and issues in the food space, champions collaboration, and is currently embedded in a civil society organisation working in one of three priority areas:
- Community engagement — particularly organisations that actively engage young people, farmers or rural communities in food systems advocacy, policy, or education.
- Strategic litigation — organisations using legal mechanisms to hold governments and corporations accountable for food-related public health and environmental harms.
- Narratives — organisations exploring how unifying stories of justice, power, belonging, and health can mobilise public and political will for food systems transformation.
Deadline for expressions of interest Thursday, 30 April 2026
Accelerating agri-tech manufacturing: Experimental development & Industrial Research grants
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £8 million for projects to accelerate Agri-tech manufacturing or a share of up to £5 million for projects to close product technology gaps that are preventing movement towards commercial acceptance, scale up and manufacture.
Application deadline for both opportunities is Wednesday, 3 June.
Find out more about the Experimental Development programme
Find out more about the Industrial Research programme
Full ADOPT grant: round seven
Farming, growing or forestry businesses based in England can apply for a share of up to £5 million for on-farm trial and demonstration projects, to improve adoption of new ideas or solutions in the agricultural sector.
The aim of this competition is to support innovative, on-farm trials or experiments to test ideas or solutions and demonstrate that they will address major on-farm or immediate post farmgate challenges or opportunities.
Application Deadline Wednesday, 3 June
ESRC Connect Awards (pilot)
Apply for funding to connect with other researchers to scope, seed and grow emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry.
This pilot funding opportunity will support researchers to collaborate on novel, exploratory and high-risk ideas, building the foundations for future research and innovation.
Application Deadline Wednesday, 10 June
Resources:
Five leading organisations launch partnership to transform school food
The Food Foundation have joined a groundbreaking partnership involving Chefs in Schools, Bite Back, School Food Matters and The Jamie Oliver Group to help transform school food!
The School Food Project aims to ensure delicious, nutritious meals are served to students up and down the country by providing practical, hands-on tailored support within budget.
New Agricology Tree Fodder Tech Guide – out now
Tree fodder is making a comeback as a practical, nature-based way to support livestock health and resilience
Agricology has just launched a brand-new Technical Guide and online Hub exploring how trees can be used as supplementary feed in modern farming systems.
The new Tech Guide, written by Dr Lindsay Whistance and Janie Caldbeck, brings together research and real-world experience to explore topics including: 
Nutritional & medicinal value of different tree species 
Livestock browsing behaviour 
Practical management techniques and design tips
The dedicated online Hub offers further case studies, tools & research to support your tree fodder learning journey.