Congratulations to Biofonic for Winning the Farming Forward Innovation Challenge!

We are thrilled to announce that Biofonic has been named the winner of the Farming Forward Innovation Challenge, part of the Environmental Space Living Lab (ESLL) initiative.

Biofonic specialises in sonic soil intelligence, using acoustic sensors and machine learning to future-proof profitable net-zero farming. Their groundbreaking IoT-based solution is designed to monitor and analyse soil health with unparalleled precision, with the ultimate goal of augmenting farmer intuition, de-risking regenerative transitions, and enabling farmers to optimise crop yields while preserving the vital living soil biome.

With a focus on sustainability, Biofonic addresses critical challenges in agriculture, such as pest management, which costs UK farms nearly £1 billion annually while still resulting in a 20% crop loss. Traditional pesticides harm the soil biome, leading to reduced fertility and lower yields. Biofonic’s technology offers a transformative alternative, utilising acoustic sensing to monitor the soil biome in real time, delivering actionable insights to support sustainable pest and soil health management.

Biofonic’s sensors, designed for deployment in remote areas, leverage 4G/5G connectivity and cloud computing to enable real-time functionality and high-frequency data sampling. Their solution can scale flexibly across any size and type of farm, maximising labour savings and accessibility through autonomous features. With plans to expand their test sites and refine hardware and machine learning models, Biofonic is preparing for academic lab and field trials and a commercial research trial with Riverford Organic Farms in 2025.

At the forefront of agricultural innovation, Biofonic is developing cutting-edge solutions combining advanced environmental monitoring with data-driven insights to empower farmers and land managers. They are leveraging state-of-the-art algorithms and spatially dynamic, timely data to provide detailed soil health monitoring. This will enable users to make informed decisions that enhance productivity while promoting sustainable farming practices.

Winning the Farming Forward Innovation Challenge demonstrates the transformative potential of Biofonic’s work and its alignment with the mission of the ESLL to drive forward-thinking solutions for agriculture and environmental sustainability.

Alex reflected on winning the Farming Forward Innovation Challenge by stating: “The team at Biofonic is beyond thrilled for the opportunity to leverage the expertise and cutting-edge facilities offered through the Farming Forward Innovation Challenge program. The multi-pronged support offered will be game-changing to us as an early-stage SME and is perfectly aligned with our current technology development goals. We are deeply honoured and grateful to have been selected, and we look forward to seeing the high-impact innovation we will co-create alongside the Environmental Space Living Lab and its partners as we progress on our mission to accelerate soil-friendly agroecological research and know-how for UK farmers.”

The Farming Forward Innovation Challenge, inspired by a workshop at Pipers Farm, brings together farmers, innovators, and landowners to tackle the pressing challenges in the agriculture and food supply sectors. Winners like Biofonic gain access to up to £15,000 in funded support, including cutting-edge technology, prototyping facilities, and strategic industry networks. This initiative is designed to accelerate impactful solutions, and we are proud to see Biofonic leading the way in shaping the future of sustainable farming.

Congratulations to Biofonic on this well-deserved achievement! We look forward to seeing the impact of their innovative solutions on the agricultural industry and beyond.