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Farming Innovation Grant

provided by Anglian Water

Overview

This grant from Anglian Water supports innovation towards finding local solutions to local water quality challenges in key priority catchments across the Anglian Water region.

Land to water connectivity influences raw water quality so slowing or breaking those pathways for losses helps reduce risks at source. See the priority areas map for local challenge details which include losses of: pesticides, soil and nutrients (which can also contribute to algal concern).

In 2023 the grant supported 66 farmers, across 30,000ha within the Anglian region, to deliver projects with a total value of over £1.4 million.

2024 represents the fourth round of this grant being offered in target catchments – read more below.

About the Farming Innovation Grant 2024

Improving water quality: Pesticides, nutrients, and soil erosion all affect raw water quality. If these risks can be reduced at source, we can use a wider range of sources and minimise the carbon cost of treatment to help meet demand. From our shared understanding of catchments and the evidence from previous trials, we know that land and water connectivity is key.

How much is available? There will be a maximum grant rate of £7,500/holding to help support farmers and share some of the risk associated to trialling new approaches, changing practices and/or scaling up ideas to be incorporated into business as usual.

Key dates:

Application form available online: 24th June 2024
Applications will need to be submitted by 31st July 2024.
Assessments will be made and decisions confirmed in August 2024.
A payment schedule can be agreed which is appropriate for the project and where evidence has been received. The earliest payment window will be from mid-October 2024 and, subject to discussion with your local Catchment Advisor, final payments should ideally be by the end of January 2025.

Unlike other grants, there are no set options, so if you are considering anything which could help protect raw water quality from pesticides, nutrients or soil loss we want to hear from you. Land connectivity is key and by working and learning together we hope to find innovative solutions to local challenges.

Delivered by:

More information

We would like to hear from you if you are trying a new approach or expanding an existing approach that helps protect raw water quality.

There are no fixed options so we are keen to hear your innovative and unique ideas.
As a starter, previous projects have fallen into the following categories:

Farm Trials
Soil Health and Resilience
Nutrient Management
Advanced Cultivation Equipment
Pesticide Management
Livestock Management
Farm Analytics
Precision Technology
Regenerative Farming Tools
Water Resource Management

Measures that we have successfully supported include:

On farm trials to reduce pesticide reliance
Second-hand straw rake to help reduce pesticide use (see video below)
Direct drill
Water bowser with integrated drinking trough
Low disturbance subsoiler
Fertiliser spreader with section control
Development of robotic weeding technology
Strip till cultivator
Precision fertiliser trial in field vegetables

Watch a brief video from one of the successful applicants last year:

Anglian Water Farming Innovation Grant successful applicant video

The grant will be competitive and to ensure fairness all applications will be assessed on potential raw water quality protection and the following criteria:

Location & connectivity to Anglian Water raw drinking water resources (priority areas)
Objectives/outputs being delivered in relation to local raw water quality challenges
Project/trial ability to meet local challenges and the scale of risk reduction
Learning opportunity and potential to expand
Funds requested vs farmer funding and any previous Anglian Water support received
Delivery timescale & length of benefit
Cost justification for both Anglian Water and applicant
Degree of innovation on your farm

If you have an idea which you feel could benefit Agriculture and Water sectors in protecting our soil and water resources but you are outside of a targeted area, please contact your nearest Catchment Advisor as shown in the further support and guidance section below.

As budget is limited, applications are invited from the currently prioritised Anglian Water drinking water catchments, with those from within focus areas (shown in purple within map) more likely to be successful.

See the map showing the focus areas

Open the map below and scroll/zoom to your location. If you are within a highlighted area of interest (Catchment) you can click on this area to see the local challenges to which we are seeking solutions.