Explore the funding data

Use the interactive charts below to explore the projects behind the SARI analysis. Click, hover and filter to look at the data from different angles.

What's included?

We analysed over £1.2 billion of publicly funded projects between 2022–26, which fell within our definition of agricultural research (see below). This represents the great majority of relevant public research funding over the period.

We gathered publicly available data, and are grateful to all the organisations who supplied data on projects including: AgriFood Charities Partnership; Anglia Ruskin University; Animal and Plant Health Agency; BBSRC; Defra; Gatsby Charitable Foundation; Harper Adams University; Hartpury University; Innovate UK; Northern Ireland Executive; Royal Agricultural University; Scottish Government; Sustainable Farm Networks project (HAU); University of Lincoln; University of Reading; Welsh Government.

The scope of SARI

We identified agricultural research projects using a large body of keywords relating to crops, livestock, soil, water and environment, pest and disease control, on-farm technology and robotics, rural social sciences, and food supply chains.

This included projects:

On topics that would be considered agricultural by some definitions but not others, such as engineering biology and ornamental horticulture. We therefore reviewed projects for ‘ambiguity’, distinguishing those that were ‘definitely agriculture’. Given the focus of SARI on UK agriculture, we also distinguish research that is exclusively focused on non-UK agriculture.
With a wider scope, for example in landscape ecology, food systems or basic bioscience, within which agriculture is one of several aspects or identified use cases. We reviewed projects for ‘breadth’, distinguishing those that were ‘mainly agriculture’.

Throughout SARI , we label projects that were ‘definitely’ AND ‘mainly’ agriculture as ‘most relevant projects’.