Leveraging generative-AI tools to deliver an innovative platform that helps farmers apply for Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) support.

Black Sheep Technology (BST) is a UK-based Agri-tech SME with a proven track record delivering award-winning technology that supports farmers across the UK.

Farming subsidies are transitioning away from the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to a new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme.

Many farmers make a net loss without subsidies, and the removal of them could lead to business collapse (Leeds University, 2023). The proportion of farms expected to produce a loss increases from 16% to 42% with the removal of BPS (Harper Adams, 2022).

Defra's ambition is for 70% of farmers to be supported by the new SFI scheme by 2028 (DEFRA, 2023). However, SFI is extremely complex to interpret and not all farmers possess the skills required to benefit from the scheme, necessitating the outsourcing of such activities to land agents, often incurring excessive costs (Leeds University, 2023).

To address this challenge Black Sheep Technology will develop an innovative platform specifically designed to help farmers gain access to SFI subsidy support.

The platform will standardise the application process, breaking down the complex SFI guidance into a user-friendly questionnaire. Utilising the latest advances in Generative AI (Gen-AI) and Large Language Models (LLM), the platform will identify relevant SFI schemes, provide guidance, and help generate the documentation required to apply.