A special relationship
Plants depend on microbes and microbes depend on plants. Direct Driller explores this special relationship and asks whether novel biological amendments can supplement natural processes.
Biodiversity
Is regen farming producing more nutritious food?
Can how you grow crops impact on the nutrient and health value of food? It’s what farmer and doctor Hannah Fraser is trying to find out on a Nuffield Scholarship By Mike Abram For a long time there has been a suspicion that how you grow food will determine its nutrient status and ultimately impact …
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Unveiling the Hidden Heroes: The Ecosystem Services Provided by Aculeate Wasps
The natural world, spanning from individual organisms to entire ecosystems, offers a wide range of functions and benefits known as ecosystem services (ESs) that significantly contribute to human well-being. These services can be broadly categorized into four types: regulating services (e.g., ecosystem process regulation), provisioning services (e.g., material outputs from ecosystems), supporting services (e.g., maintenance …
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Allerton Project
Written by Joe Stanley, Head of Sustainable Farming, at The Allerton Project I was recently invited to speak at the North of England Farming Conference at Hexham in Northumbria, with a wide brief to cover anything forward-thinking which ticked the box for both environmental and financial sustainability. Weeks in advance I had submitted my presentation …
Is it time to make the most of the Sustainable Farming Incentive?
Knight Frank’s Mark Topliff writes why the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is now worth considering and consultant Andrew Martin provides an example of how arable land can make the most of the scheme. When the SFI was launched in 2022, it was generally met with a lukewarm reception by farmers and environmental organisations. English Basic …
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Organic and regenerative together at CropTec Show
Written by Jerry Alford from the Soil Association For Soil Association Certification, hosting the Regen Zone at this year’s CropTec Show was an opportunity to meet many of the farming community who are embracing regenerative farming and highlight similarities and the benefits farmers can learn from each other. Regenerative agriculture is an exciting grassroots movement, …
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Farmers unite over tree planting.
Planting trees in the right place at the right time can bring significant benefits to your farm including generating additional income through activities such as harvesting trees for timber, producing wood for fuel and other wood products, selling carbon units, and designing woodland for recreation and leisure use. Andy Gray, who farms at Elston Farm, …
SFI and Regenerative Farming
Written by Ian Gould and Ethan Powell from Oakbank Game and Conservation As we inch ever closer to knowing more detail regarding the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the new government portal for applications (possibly in September), many farmers are trying to make sense of what we do know. So far there has been little …
How Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is delivering alternative farm funding
With the farming landscape in the UK changing so dramatically in recent years, leaving many generational farmers facing reduced financial support as well as increased costs, the pressure is really on over how to make land generate a return. Many farmers today are facing the stark reality of dwindling subsidies, so it’s never been more …
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How can we scale regenerative farming?
Written by Belinda Clarke from Agri-Tech E How can we scale regenerative farming? Following the COP27 discussions in Egypt, this month we look at mindset, money and markets, and how to harness them to influence a more regenerative approach to food production. A recent report from the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) Task Force suggests a …