“What lessons can we learn from Ukraine and apply to British agriculture?”

It is not a question many people would expect to hear in a discussion about farming, food production and rural innovation. Yet for Dr Scott Linfoot, CEO of Lincolnshire-based research consultancy Tekh, the answer could help shape the future of British agriculture.

The war in Ukraine has accelerated innovation in drones, remote sensing, data analytics, autonomy and predictive technologies at an unprecedented rate. While these developments have emerged from military necessity, many of the same capabilities are proving highly relevant to some of agriculture's most pressing challenges. From managing water and improving soil intelligence to predicting equipment failures and reducing waste across supply chains, technologies originally designed to support military operations are finding new relevance in the fields of Lincolnshire.

For Scott, this is the essence of dual-use technology: innovations that solve problems across multiple sectors.

“What we realised a couple of years ago is there's massive synergies between what's happening in defence and what's happening in agriculture and manufacturing.”

Tekh, which has spent almost seven years working across defence, security, policing and public sector innovation, increasingly sees agriculture as a natural extension of its work. Rather than describing itself as an AI company, the business positions itself as a data-driven solutions consultancy, bringing together expertise, partners and technologies to solve complex operational challenges.

“We do very good AI, software engineering and innovation,” says Scott, “but we're not the experts in every domain, which is why we build consortiums of excellence.”

That collaborative approach has been strengthened through membership of both the Greater Lincolnshire Regional Defence and Security Cluster (GLRDSC), and the UK Fresh Produce Network (UKFPN). Through the defence cluster, Tekh has been able to build relationships with defence stakeholders, SMEs, government innovation programmes and major contractors. Through UKFPN and the UK Food Valley, the company has gained access to growers, producers, logistics operators and decision-makers across the fresh produce sector.

“The cluster has been really, really, helpful. The majority of our ingress into agriculture has come through organisations like the Fresh Produce Network and the UK Food Valley.”

Scott believes these networks are crucial because they help businesses understand genuine industry problems rather than developing technology in isolation. In his experience, successful innovation happens when specialists collaborate rather than compete.

One example currently being developed sits at the intersection of agriculture, environmental management and defence. Tekh is working alongside Thetford Farms, the University of Lincoln and Cranfield University on a project focused on one of Lincolnshire's biggest challenges: water.

“We have two main problems,” says Scott. “We either have too much water or we don't have enough.”

For farmers across South Lincolnshire, understanding soil moisture, groundwater movement and future weather conditions has become increasingly important. Climate variability means growers need far greater visibility of what is happening both above and below the ground if they are to make effective decisions about drainage, irrigation and crop management.

The project aims to combine drone technology, environmental sensing, weather forecasting and advanced analytics to create a much more accurate picture of water conditions across agricultural land. Instead of relying solely on physical sensors that must be installed and removed from fields, researchers are exploring ways of using drones equipped with advanced sensing technology to gather information more efficiently.

“This is where Lincoln and Cranfield are coming in,” Scott explains. “They're developing technologies that can help us understand what's happening underground without physically placing equipment throughout the field.”

What makes the project particularly interesting is that the agricultural challenge mirrors one currently facing military planners.

One of the most widely discussed operational lessons from the early stages of the Ukraine war was the impact of waterlogged ground conditions during the spring thaw. Images of military vehicles becoming trapped in saturated farmland demonstrated how critical terrain intelligence can be during military operations.

The same question facing military engineers is also faced by farmers: can heavy equipment safely move across a field?

“The Army and the engineers have exactly the same problem that the farmers have.”

Understanding underground water, soil conditions and ground stability therefore becomes a shared challenge.

Another area where defence innovation is beginning to influence agriculture is predictive maintenance.

“The same problems that keep our Typhoons up in the air is the same data set that keeps our tractors moving in the field.”

Within defence aviation, predictive maintenance has existed for decades. Aircraft continuously generate huge quantities of data relating to temperature, vibration, wear and performance. These systems allow engineers to identify potential failures before they occur, improving reliability while reducing downtime.

Scott believes similar approaches could provide significant benefits for farmers, logistics businesses and food manufacturers.

“If I know that tractor is on its way out before it actually goes out of service, that's hugely valuable.”

The same principle applies throughout the food chain.

“If I've got 15 tonnes of potatoes in a refrigeration unit, I need to know that refrigeration unit is going to fail ahead of time.”

As summers become warmer and refrigeration systems come under increasing pressure, being able to forecast maintenance requirements before a breakdown occurs could save businesses thousands of pounds in lost produce while reducing food waste and improving operational efficiency.

The opportunity is particularly important in agriculture because margins remain exceptionally tight.

“Sometimes we're talking single-digit margins.”

This focus on affordability is one reason Scott believes agriculture can benefit from another lesson emerging from Ukraine: low-cost autonomy.

“What Ukraine has shown is the power of low-cost drones, multi-purpose drones and drones designed to do one job.”

Rather than relying on a handful of expensive systems, military forces have increasingly adopted swarms of affordable, adaptable technologies. Similar thinking could transform agriculture.

Scott envisages a future where large numbers of inexpensive drones collaborate to monitor crops, assess soil conditions, gather environmental data and support farm decision-making.

Instead of deploying a single expensive platform, farmers could use fleets of affordable sensors and drones working together to gather intelligence at scale, both in the air, and under water.

The same concept extends beyond agriculture. Similar technologies could support fisheries, monitor shellfish stocks, identify environmental changes and improve sustainability across a range of food production sectors.

For Lincolnshire, these developments present a unique opportunity.

“I think we are already leading in dual-use technology.”

The county possesses an unusually powerful combination of assets. It is home to one of the UK's largest concentrations of defence facilities, major RAF stations, world-class agricultural production, extensive logistics networks, and leading research institutions. Meanwhile, 30% of the UK's fresh produce is handled through Lincolnshire, creating a natural environment for collaboration between food production and technology innovation.

“We live in RAF Lincolnshire,” says Scott. “We've got the biggest concentration of farms, huge logistics capability and the infrastructure to support it.”

He believes this combination places Lincolnshire in a prime position to become the UK's leading centre for dual-use technology development.

However, he also argues that innovation must remain connected to the realities of farming businesses. Large-scale innovation programmes often showcase impressive technologies, but many are difficult for smaller operators to adopt.

Reflecting on some of the cutting-edge developments taking place at major agricultural businesses, Scott notes that scale can sometimes create barriers.

“It's great if you're James Dyson. It's no good if you're a small farming unit outside Langtoft. This works for an enormous site where a closed circular ecosystem is viable. But for small producers, de-scaling doesn’t work - the numbers just don't add up.”

The challenge, therefore, is not simply developing technology. It is creating solutions that are affordable, scalable and capable of delivering measurable returns for ordinary farmers.

For businesses considering opportunities in the dual-use technology space, Linfoot's advice is straightforward: be patient, understand the industry you are entering and focus relentlessly on return on investment.

“If you're trying to move from defence into agriculture, you've got to be patient.”

He points out that agriculture operates very differently from defence. Farmers are managing seasonal pressures, tight margins and long-established ways of working, meaning trust and practical value are far more important than technological novelty.

Scott also encourages businesses to immerse themselves in the sector, learn its language and build relationships. Success, he says, comes from understanding the realities facing growers, producers and logistics operators rather than simply trying to sell technology.

“The problems farmers have in Britain are the same problems farmers have in Africa, America, Australia and New Zealand. The market opportunity is enormous, but you've got to understand the market first.”

For SMEs in particular, collaboration is critical. Rather than competing with larger organisations, Scott believes smaller businesses should form partnerships and specialist consortiums that combine expertise, innovation and agility.

“There is a place for small businesses, but we need to form cooperatives and consortiums of excellence. We're cheaper, we're more agile and we're more focused on solving those specific problems.”

Ultimately, that is where organisations such as the UK Food Valley and the Greater Lincolnshire Regional Defence and Security Cluster play such an important role. By bringing together researchers, producers, defence specialists, growers, universities and technology businesses, they are helping create the partnerships required to turn innovative ideas into practical solutions.

As Scott puts it, the future lies not in defence technology or agricultural technology alone, but in the space where the two meet.

“The military and agriculture have exactly the same problems. Different sectors. Same challenges. Shared solutions.”

And perhaps the most remarkable thing about the innovations emerging from the Ukraine war is that some of them may ultimately help British farmers produce food more efficiently, manage resources more sustainably and build a more resilient agricultural sector for the future.

“We've gone from Russia invading Ukraine to improving our farming community. That's what I'm fascinated by.”

Scott Linfood was interviewed by Kate Storey at the UK Food Valley, managed and funded by Lincolnshire County Council