TAFE, UK varsity collaboration to develop innovative agri-solutions

Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) has entered into a collaboration with the UK-based Harper Adams University (HAU) to develop advanced technological, agronomic and educational solutions for the delivery of sustainable food production around the world.

HAU is an agriculture university established in 1901. The Agriculture Engineering Precision and Innovation – Agri-EPI Centre - is one of the 4 national Centres for Agricultural Innovation in the UK. TAFE’s collaboration with HAU’s Agri-EPI Centre will include joint research projects and programmes, joint publications and staff exchanges. The areas of research will focus on agriculture, engineering and technology development programmes on autonomous farming and energy efficient implements, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems and sensor technologies, and the Handsfree hectare project to be implemented at JFarm India – TAFE’s adaptive agriculture research centre.

TAFE President & COO, T R Kesavan said, “The collaboration with Harper Adams Agri-EPI Centre is a reaffirmation of TAFE’s commitment to its vision of ‘Cultivating the World’ as it aims to combine integrated farming techniques with precision agriculture and engineering to develop sustainable farming models that work for both marginal and large farms. This collaboration will provide opportunities for developing a range of advanced training skills, learning and the promotion of international technology transfer and exchange.”

Engineers from TAFE have moved to the new Agri-EPI Centre on the HAU campus to work on the centre’s first major research and development project. On the team’s arrival, HAU Engineering Lecturer, Kit Franklin said, “We at Harper Adams have been building contacts with TAFE for the last 18 months. It’s great to have this young and enthusiastic team of engineers from TAFE’s Centre of Excellence here in the UK where we’re about to start our first collaborative engineering project. Along with the completion of the project, I hope the team will get a flavour of British agriculture, helping them to return with fresh new ideas.”