“Our role as scientists is to provide the evidence that reduces risk and increases confidence, while recognising that real‑world decisions must be made long before perfect knowledge is available.” Prof Cristobal Uauy, Director, John Innes Centre

This tension sits at the heart of agri‑tech. Different people in the ecosystem – farmers, researchers, investors, funders – all make decisions under uncertainty, but the level of evidence they need varies dramatically. And that raises the question we’re exploring at this year’s REAP conference: how good is “good enough”?

We all know the so-called “80-20” rule, where 80% of outcomes are said to be influenced by 20% of inputs, and at this year’s REAP conference, we’re exploring how this applies in agriculture and technology adoption.

Originally coined by economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population, the ‘Pareto Principle’ has become a useful shorthand for recognising the point of diminishing return – that pushing for 100% perfection can demand disproportionate effort for marginal gain.

In other words, big outputs often come from a small number of factors.

This tension between “good enough” and “not enough” is something the agricultural sector knows well.

“Agriculture has always operated in a world of uncertainty, from weather and pests to markets and policy. Farmers, breeders, researchers and investors all make decisions under uncertainty every day.” Prof Cristobal Uauy, Director, John Innes Centre

Decisions only need to work on a real farm

Humans are constantly assessing their personal or corporate tolerance of the levels of acceptability. Farmers are no exception, but they also face high stakes, especially when it comes to adoption of new technologies, tools or services.

Similarly, researchers and tech developers need to judge “how good is good enough” when gathering data for a high-profile research paper or presenting their new innovations to potential investors or customers.

And from the investor perspective, the threshold for “good enough” is different again:

“Investors aren’t looking for perfect; they’re looking for proof that innovation delivers at scale. In agritech, that means demonstrating real-world outcomes: higher yields, lower costs, and more sustainable production. Judging when the evidence is “good enough” is often what separates an interesting pilot from an investable, scalable solution.”

Nicole Sadd, CEO, Rothamsted Enterprises