Across Europe, farms are being offered funding for investments in technology. Learn more about where farms can access subsidies and loans to reduce the cost of technology.
Farms have an increasing amount of choice in technology that is available for them to test-drive. Making the right choice can be overwhelming and feel risky when the upfront cost is high. With a wave of new legislation hitting farms in Europe, a baseline level of digitization will become mandatory. To make this easier, farms can reduce the cost of new technology products with a variety of financial aid programs. We’ve created a list of some of the most popular schemes across Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany and the UK. This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you know of a farm innovation grant that we should know about, feel free to share it with us.
European technology grants for your farm:
1. Spain
The government launched the ‘Digital Kit’ in Spain, which supports SMEs, including farms. The aim is to support the implementation of digital solutions for small businesses; typical reimbursement is between 3,000 and 29,000 EUR, depending on the size of your business. Software used by a farm is eligible for reimbursement, so if you are looking to test a new solution on your farm, you should apply to be reimbursed.
Value: 3,000 and 29,000 EUR
Format: Reimbursement
Deadline: December 31st, 2024
Santander has also written a helpful summary and provides resources for the Digital Kit.
2. France
In France, the Competitiveness and Adaptation Plan for Agricultural Farms ( PCAE ), opened on June 17, 2024. Farms of all crop types can apply for investment support. The objective is to promote economic performance and the preservation of the environment in agriculture, through the modernization of farms.
An application must address one of the PCAE’s strategic objectives:
- Promote sustainable development and efficient management of natural resources such as water, soil and air
- Contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as sustainable energy
- Strengthen market orientation and increase competitiveness, notably through increased attention to research, technology and digitalization
Value: 10,000 and 150,000 EUR
Format: 30-40% subsidy of investment (40% in the case of young farmers)
Deadline: September 13, 2024
3. Switzerland
In Switzerland, there is current funding available for Producer Organisations (POs) or producing partnerships (2+ producers). There are four opportunities each year to submit applications for innovation projects. The objective is to leverage innovation to improve (or develop new) products and processes. More information is available through the Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG .
Value: Up to 20,000 CHF
Format: 50% subsidy of investment
Deadline: July 31, 2024 and October 31, 2024
4. Germany
In Germany, the Agricultural Investment Program has already allocated 493 million Euros to 14,000 applications from agricultural businesses. With a total of 800 million Euros available to be distributed, German farms still looking for a subsidy should act quickly. The main objective of the investment program is to improve the following scenarios through the use of technology:
reduce emissions,
preserve biodiversity
significantly increase resource efficiency
Typical investments are machinery and equipment for precision application of fertilisers and plant protection products. Note that these investments (and relevant grants) are in conjunction with a loan from Rentenbank: application and eligibility details.
Value: Up to 250,000 EUR
Format: 40% subsidy of investment
Deadline: December 31, 2024
5. UK
In the UK, the Rural Payments Agency has led the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF), which has offered farms up to 60% subsidies on a wide range of technology investments. In May 2024, applications for this popular program closed but may re-open if more funding becomes available.
In the meantime, a second round of funding has opened up for a grant to Improving Farm Productivity (IFP), which offers subsidies for robotics and automation equipment for farms and horticulturalists. Investments must meet one of the following priorities:
- improve productivity
- improve the environment
- introduce innovation
- introduce technology to address labour shortage
Value: Between 1,000 and 50,000 for FETF and 25,000 and 500,000 GBP for IFP.
Format: Approximately 50% subsidy of investment, though it can vary
Deadline: Ongoing
Start simplifying data management with Farmable Pro
Learn about Farmable ProWhy offer farmers grants for technology?
Farms can struggle with the investment in technology for a variety of reasons:
Overwhelmed by choice
Uncertain of the return on investment
General lack of time to research and implement new technology
This makes funding for technology a welcome catalyst to support farmers to prioritise new ways of working. While making time for new projects is difficult, the return on investment is growing. Did you know 25% of the EU’s €387 billion in CAP funding will be allocated to eco-schemes? Demonstrating innovative initiatives for sustainable farming practices will be core to receiving funding. That means farms not only receive direct support for their investment in technology now but they will benefit from reserved CAP funds which are positioned to reward farms for more sustainable farming.
If you are a farm manager and not sure where to start on the technology journey, you can find some ideas in an earlier article on Unglamourous Farm Tech. The short of it is that if you are early-on in taking your farm digital, start with:
Good processes for data management
Precision weather data to support decision making
A farm management software to organize data
Farmable is one of your choices for farm management software. If you are growing fruit and vegetables on a farm between 10ha and 500ha, Farmable is worth checking out.
You can download the app and get started simplifying data management on farm for 99 EUR/year per farm. Plus you can likely get that reimbursed along with other technology your farm is ready to try.
Take the opportunities available to your farm to lower the cost of technology and prepare for a more efficient way of working.
