Farming in a greener way generally involves increasing efficiencies in pursuit of the goal for crops to produce more from less. Tech Farmer explores some novel technologies that use energy from the sun to enhance crop production. Written by Lucy de la Pasture About 93 million miles away the sun powers all of life on …
Farmers are no strangers to innovation. For generations new ways have been found to improve efficiency and productivity. Farming innovation has always been key to staying ahead. Protecting innovation in agriculture can be crucial to maintain an advantage, and perhaps more importantly, key to monetising or commercialising your ideas. Patents are one way in which …
Mycorrhiza and specifically ‘arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi’ (AMF) and Ectomycorrhiza (EcM) are important symbiotic fungi involved in the successful growth of the vast majority of plant species across the world. We have previously discussed their roles and strategies impacting their activities in an introductory article. The following article aims to expand on this by discussing the …
The Allerton Project, as a research and demonstration farm, has been in operation since 1992. We are, however, a part of the wider Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), a membership organisation who have been conducting conservation science to enhance the British countryside for over 90 years. Today, the GWCT’s Farmland Ecology Unit carries out …
Restoring farmland biodiversity: The Allerton Project Read More »
We are the premier organisation, dedicated to promoting independent, farmer led, regenerative agricultural knowledge across the UK. Our mission is to enhance soil health, increase biodiversity, and support businesses by embracing sustainable farming practices that benefit both farmers and the environment. BASE-UK are pleased to announce the sponsorship of Joe Collins and the Harper Adams …
Senior Knowledge Transfer Manager Henny Lowth introduces the nitrogen trials at AHDB Strategic Cereal Farms, ahead of the release of this year’s results in November. How nitrogen behaves in farming systems is often variable and hard to pin down. With nitrogen prices stuck above pre-Ukraine-war and pre-energy-crisis levels, there is an emphasis on the nutrient …
A summary of the paper published in One Earth, Volume 7, Issue 9, 20 September 2024, Pages 1638-1654 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2024.07.008 Agriculture faces increasing challenges from unpredictable weather. Diversifying crops over space and time can help maintain productivity and enhance the resilience of agroecosystems by enabling farmers to adapt to environmental risks. We quantified crop output under …
Rotational complexity increases cropping system output Read More »
The Regenerative Agriculture Conference 2024, organised by the Green Farm Collective, brought together industry experts, Nuffield scholars, and innovative growers at Church Farm near Wolverhampton. Hosted by Michael Kavanagh, the event on 22 May 2024, was a landmark gathering focused on sustainable agricultural practices, attracting around 200 participants. Soil Health and Sustainable Practices Neil Fuller’s …
Green Farm Collective Regenerative Agriculture Conference 2024 Read More »
Written by Dr David Cutress: IBERS, Aberystwyth University. Why working with nature and encouraging its recovery is important? Agriculture represents the single biggest use of land area worldwide, as such it inherently has a large role to play in human interactions with natural systems. With an ever-growing population of mouths to feed, following our historic …
Land sparing and land sharing – considerations for farming with nature Read More »
Where do we stand? • The development of synthetic nitrogen production allowed a boom in agricultural yields and population growth worldwide• Whilst N is growth limiting it is regularly applied at levels where less than half is used by the plants, wasting input costs and causing theexcess to harm the environment• Whilst N efficiency losses …
