About the Agri-Tech in China Newton Network
Innovating and supporting new UK-China agriculture partnerships
Why the network exists
The Agri-Tech in China Newton Network brings together researchers, growers, businesses and policy specialists from the United Kingdom and China who share a practical interest in how farming can become more productive, resilient and sustainable.
Agriculture faces common pressures on both sides of the partnership: changing climates, tighter water supplies, labour shortages and the need to feed growing populations with fewer losses. The network exists to turn shared pressures into joint work that can be tested in the field and adopted at scale.
Our approach
We work as a connector first. Our role is to help the right people meet at the right stage of a project, whether that is an early research idea, a pilot trial on a working farm or a plan for moving a proven technology into new markets.
- Match UK and Chinese partners with complementary expertise
- Support joint scoping, funding applications and project design
- Share lessons from trials so that results reach growers faster
What we focus on
Practical innovation
We favour technologies that can be installed, maintained and measured by working farmers, from soil sensing to low-energy irrigation and crop monitoring.
Two-way exchange
Knowledge moves in both directions. Lessons from British horticulture and livestock systems meet approaches developed across China's diverse growing regions.
Lasting relationships
Partnerships are built on trust and repeat contact. We aim to support collaborations that continue well beyond a single funded project.
Network in view
How the network has developed
Stage one
Scoping shared priorities
Early conversations identified soil health, water efficiency and crop protection as areas where UK and Chinese expertise could combine.
Stage two
Building partner networks
Universities, growers, technology firms and regional bodies were brought into working groups to test ideas together.
Stage three
Sharing results openly
Workshops and publications now help good practice travel between regions, so that successful trials inform the next round of work.
Agricultural progress depends on shared knowledge and patient collaboration. Get in touch with the network