Regenerative Agriculture

Science for Sustainable Agriculture aims to ensure the positive contribution of scientific innovation in agriculture and food production is recognised in public life and policy making.

Bringing the real food and farming movement together. Every January the Oxford Real Farming Conference connects people in the UK and around the globe who want to transform our food and farming system

In 2021 Defra commissioned an ADAS led consortium to look at the environmental and productivity benefits of mob grazing systems in the UK. 

Project objectives To quantify the impact of contrasting cover crop mixes and destruction techniques on over winter nitrate leaching, soil nitrogen supply (and hence crop nitrogen fertiliser requirements) and performance of the following cash crop. In particular to determine the: effect of cover crop species mix on the quantity and timing of nitrogen returned to the soil effect of cover crop destruction method e.g. glyphosate & min till/direct drill vs mechanical destruction & min till/direct drill To determine the timing of nitrogen release from cover crops and potential legacy (year 2) effects on nitrate leaching and crop performance

Soilmentor helps you learn what healthy soils and flourishing biodiversity look like on your farm. Understand changes on your land above & below ground, make informed decisions and keep everyone in the loop.

Introduction   Climate change will significantly impact agriculture, forestry and the food industry, and the impact will change over time. The change in local and global climate conditions will impact the life cycle process of the agriculture and food industry, including the quality of seeds, growing seasons, crop maturity, livestock productivity, forest productivity, etc. The most critical impacts are the increased CO2 emissions due to growth in agricultural activities, the changing rainfall patterns, increased evaporative demand, reduced water availability for irrigation threatening all agricultural production, extended or repeated periods of drought, tree deaths, increased flooding, including that caused by sea-level rise, substantial losses in crop production in low-lying agricultural areas, soil compaction, waterlogging and soil erosion, and pests and diseases threatening the production.    Climate change will affect the range and quality of the ecosystem services that agriculture and forestry provide and rely on. They provide climate control, flood regulation, biodiversity, pollination and nutrient cycling. These sectors play a critical role in adapting to the change by introducing new healthy and resilient genotypes, varieties, breeds and management practices.    As the impact of climate change continues to be severe, there is a need for more anticipatory adaptation measures. Agriculture and forestry are components of larger biophysical, social and economic systems, reacting and adapting to climate change in different ways, resulting in complex global changes whose impacts at the local level are not easy to predict.   Conversely, the demand for agriculture and the food industry is growing, including to achieve the ‘No Hunger’ SDG 2 target, universal access to safe and nutritious food, end all forms of malnutrition, double the productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices, maintain the genetic diversity in food production, invest in rural infrastructure, agricultural research, technology and gene banks, preventing agricultural trade restrictions, market distortions and export subsidies, and ensuring stable food commodity markets and timely access to information.   Thus, achieving food and nutritional security by increasing crop productivity while limiting carbon emissions is of utmost priority for every nation. This includes strengthening sustainable agri-food value chains, scaling up agri-food systems resilience, improving food security, and generating employment. While doing this, we must increase innovative practices and the creative and entrepreneurial skills of farmers worldwide to do their jobs and businesses effectively, foresee future scenarios and be prepared and resilient to climate and economic shocks.   This highlights an urgent need to identify an eco-friendly/cleaner consumption and production system that is more productive, profitable, resource-efficient (i.e. efficient use of energy, water, and carbon-based inputs), environmentally safer, balanced gender, accessible and inclusive of everyone, and resilient. Communities Carbon Calculator (CCC) Pilot Our proposal, Communities Carbon Calculator, is about designing eco-friendly and carbon-cum energy efficient, resilient and sustainable production and consumption systems for the diverse agroecosystems worldwide.   The primary concept is to have meaningful, interrelated, inter-sectoral collaborative four (4) Carbon Interventions: Carbon budgeting includes carbon reduction, using embodied carbon and reducing carbon waste for positive impact. Carbon mobilisation includes understanding the carbon dynamics throughout the processes, practices and products and applying technologies (natural, bio, chemical, mechanical, etc.) and fixing it for positive impact. Carbon literacy includes increasing the understanding and knowledge of the use of technologies (digital), theories and practices for a sustainable and resilient low-carbon sector. Carbon Sustainability includes developing local and global ecosystems for sustainable and resilient sectors.   CCC Pilot will focus on 1 region and four countries in this Pilot. However, we are open to more countries or regions joining the Pilot. We have started collecting interest from the global community, and if we get 20 stakeholders from a country, it will be included in the pilot.   For now, we have committed interest from: Region: The Congo Basin Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ouganda, Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan, Nigeria, Zambia, and Mongolia   The Global Sustainable Futures Progress through Partnerships Network calls partners/collaborators/individuals to join the optimised integrated COMMUNITIES CALCULATOR CARBON (CCC) Pilot. For Africa, our foremost partner is Actions for the Development of Africa - ADA, led by Bernard K. Mulenda. He is closely working with Professor Dr Mylor Ngoie on the interventions from the Universities over the region.   Country Carbon Calculator (CCC) Pilot will drive total transformation in systems at the country level. It will impact many other interrelated sectors, such as agriculture, water, waste, transport, energy, health, etc., developing in-country projects and integrating strategies for technology, subject expertise, innovation and commercialisation, including: Identifying and connecting with relevant stakeholders physically, socially and virtually, both at local, national and regional levels Advocating, encouraging, and negotiating with stakeholders to get involved in the program for managing carbon emission, business and innovative commodities, adopting an integrated approach and multi-area agreements Creating local, national and regional forums to attract all stakeholders (start-ups, technicians, experts) associated with business Facilitating carbon calculator development in-country, partnering with subject matter experts, academia, and technology experts The Carbon Calculator will be an online tool enabling every business manager detailing and supply chain actors to calculate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon storage into soil and biomass on the land area they are footprinting. It will account for all types of agriculture, food production and land use, producing a carbon balance detailing emissions into Scopes 1,2,3 emissions and carbon storage. A noticeable difference will be reflected in the quality of services, commercialisation, certification, carbon credits, crop diversity and inclusion of farmers, women and youth A scalable and innovative approach to connecting the countries as low-carbon, resilient and sustainable environmental, agriculture and food suppliers, health, manufacturing, etc. Seven WorkPlans WP1: To map the current resources in your country to create a farm carbon calculator WP2: To build a working model for piloting the carbon calculator WP3: To evaluate the CCC Pilot quarterly for its delivery of services/products/processes WP4: To measure the changes in the sector due to the innovative practices developed through CCC Pilot WP5: To measure the changes in related sectors such as agriculture, water, energy, transport, health nutrition, soil quality, housing, etc. through CCC Pilot WP6: To develop the learning/skill development/innovative practices knowledge exchange gathered through CCC Pilot WP7: To work with the stakeholders to improve decision-making for a resilient and sustainable industry   Please complete this form to express your interest: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpkme0WNS-th6QGNcTTJ6d9vMZa2myFBixszOD4YYDLRq9Mg/viewform?usp=share_link Contact Dr Renuka Thakore, Founder and CEO, Global Sustainable Futures Network CIC, UK [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/rbthakore/  

Direct Driller is a new farming magazine, designed by farmers for farmers to educate and inform the industry about direct drilling and no-till techniques, soil regeneration and soil conservation in arable and mixed farming situations. Direct Driller Magazine is available free to all farmers and agronomists who register with us and can be received in the post or via email depending on your preference. The key aim of Direct Driller is to help farmers to take back control of their farms and businesses and find a way of growing healthy crops using minimal effort and the correct inputs. It will be content put on by farmers, for farmers. We will showcase all the latest machinery and techniques, but the core of the Magazine is all about the soil and how you can use machinery, inputs and biology to improve it.

Devon silvopasture 12-year on-farm trial including site at Rothamsted's North Wyke

‘Healthy soil, Healthy food and Healthy people’

Series of videos exploring agroecology produced by a partnership funded by Scottish Government. 

Physical and online conference at Harper Adams Soil & Water Management Centre on 7th December.

Recording from session at Groundswell 2022 with summary below from Agricology

Follow the regen ag journey and learn how current research and trials are leading through to practical application and agronomy in this free webinar from CHAP.

The SMI Agribusiness Task force makes clear what the private sector can do to make regenerative agriculture a 'no-brainer' for farmers and accellerate its adoption worldwide. 

Prompted by conversations on twitter this page is to explore where rates of nitrogen on-farm can be reduced whilst soil organic matter levels and yields are increased, using regenerative agriculture practices.

  The Public Goods Tool (PG Tool) has been in constant use since its creation in 2011 (https://www.organicresearchcentre.com/our-research/research-project-library/public-goods-tool/)

The new field lab with Innovative Farmers is investigating bale grazing, a common practice in North America and Canada, where bales are put out in summer to feed cattle through winter.

Countryside COP, organised by CFEonline, provides a platform to hear how the UK farming can help tackle climate change and improve sustainability. From 20-24 November 2023, ADAS hosted a series of webinars exploring how to improve climate resilience in the agricultural sector.

Trinity's next generation global farm platform empowering everyone to learn, collaborate, and discover together

Reducing your Carbon Footprint: Integrated approaches to reduce emissions and increase carbon sequestration

This field lab's objective is to investigate the potential of living mulches, creating a permanent clover understory to suppress weeds, cycle nutrients, protect and enhance soil health, as a means to achieving organic and low-input no-till systems - that can be more sustainable than those systems they seek to replace.

Series of 20 videos from USA exploring Regenerative Agriculture and the "Future of Agriculture for Ecosystems and Human Health"

Regenerative Agriculture - Understanding the opportunities and challenges 25th - 26th April 2023 Hilton York in York city centre & Online

Agri-EPI invites you to attend an on-farm day at Newton Farm in Brecon, Wales on the 11th May 10AM-2PM. There are a limited number of tickets available, and we will be accepting registration on a first-come, first-serve basis This event will be hosted by Richard Roderick, Farmer at Newton Farm and will include an introduction to the farm, a farm walk, and a networking lunch for all attendees.

Pathways to Sustainability - Scaling the Transition of Global Agriculture

WHAT IS THE FARM FOR? Technology v Tradition The Future of Agricultural & Environmental Management

Join us at Woodland Valley Farm to explore how farming and biodiversity can support each other.

Cover crop establishment is affected by several factors, including species, soil type, weather and the rotation. Time of sowing, seed rates and establishment methods all need to be considered.

Would you like to learn how to create healthy soils and resilient fields while reducing reliance on inputs, even during droughts?

Silvopasture is a form of agroforestry where trees are deliberately planted to be part of a farms livestock system. Three tree planting designs are being trialled as part of a field lab investigating the benefits of agroforestry.

This is the final report detailing Innovative Farmers field lab trials which aimed to determine the impacts of living mulches on cash crop yields and weed composition.

The delicate balance between food production and biodiversity preservation is one of the most critical challenges facing humanity. As the global population keeps growing, demands for food have increased substantially, leading to intensifying agricultural practices to boost yields. However, as we outline in this Issue Brief, this intensification can massively impact biodiversity and the environment - negatively and positively.

The project aimed to utilise mob grazing methods to manage grasslands better, increase sward species diversity, and create biodiverse pastures.

The SEEGSLIP project sought to evidence the practices of a particular group of farmers, the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA) in terms of their social, ecological and economic sustainability. This video explains the project, the pasture-fed concept and some of our research findings.

Carbon Calling CIC is a farmer-led movement founded in 2019 by Liz Genever and Nic Renison.   It is aimed at farmers who are just on the turn - they know what they are doing isn't quite working but not sure what to do next.   We are want to empower all livestock farmers in the UK to develop their systems to ensure they are profitable, environmentally aware and improving well-being.

Cover crops are usually planted within arable rotations between cash crops. They provide a multitude of benefits including building soil fertility, improving soil health and enhancing above and below ground biodiversity.  They provide a multitude of benefits including building soil fertility, improving soil health and enhancing above and below ground biodiversity.  

Balancing food production and ecosystem function.

Join this online broadcast with Sean Cameron to learn about soil preservation techniques, carbon capture in agriculture, leadership and more.

The ADAS soils and nutrients team will share and discuss results from our recent cover crop research with Affinity Water, Anglian Water, and Portsmouth Water.

Thinking about agroforestry? Then we have the event for "ewe."

Join us from 7pm until 8pm to explore the evidence behind whether regeneratively farmed food is more nutritious.

During this online workshop we aim to review existing knowledge gaps and identify key areas where future research efforts should be focused.

The discussions at COP28 highlight the critical role of agricultural innovations in achieving food security and climate goals sustainably.

Tree-planting is a key part of the UK government’s plan to reach net zero by 2050, with a commitment to plant 30,000 hectares of new woodland every year. But where will all these trees go, and how can we ensure food production is maintained?

Exploring how cover crops can be incorporated into rotations 

A Practical Manual

Agroforestry systems, where productive trees are integrated into agricultural land, can deliver benefits to biodiversity, natural pest control, and pollination.

This report reviews the economic benefits that can be achieved from reduced tillage.

The Policy Brief, written by Colin Tosh, is based on evidence presented in, and feedback to the online workshop held 20/10/2021.

SCI invites you to join leading experts and change-makers to explore the potential of regenerative agriculture, a revolutionary approach to farming that goes beyond sustainability.

Every farm and field is different, with a wide interplay of different factors impacting on optimum soil management between them.

Applying soil health principles at scale is a challenge, with many farmers looking to stop ploughing but still relying on chemical weed killers and those unwilling to use chemical weed killers still relying on ploughing.

In this surgery LEAF will be considering how economic, practical and cultural factors could influence wide-scale agroforestry across the UK farming landscape.

Technical Guide

Combining regenerative farming with a drive for home-grown cattle feed is increasing sustainability and profitability on a challenging, northern farm.

Do pigs fit into a regenerative farming system? Can their diet be sustainable? Can they be pastured?

Join us for a morning tour and chat with Nuffield Scholar Toby, as we explore the benefits of cover cropping for climate-friendly farming.

Through Innovative Farmers, a group of organic and conventional farmers have teamed up with the Organic Research Centre and AHDB to investigate how to grow living mulches.

Pastured poultry can be a great regenerative enterprise. Hear from the farmers making it work!

A practical guide to soil and system improvement

The UK’s carbon market

Written for farmers and advisors this book will help you assess the potential business benefits of agroforestry for your farm or client and to understand the possible benefits to the wider environment.

Join us, in partnership with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and The Farmer Scientist Network, as we tap into the expertise and experience of our speakers to find the answers that you need to take your business forward.

The phrase “Non-Inversion Tillage” (NI) as used in this review first requires definition. Any system which does not seek to substantially invert the soil profile is regarded as NI.

Produced as part of the BEESPOKE Project, aimed at increasing levels of pollinators at local and landscape scales.

Join us on a farm walk to explore how silvopasture has been incorporated onto this Biodynamic and organic mixed farm.

This recording from the Oxford Real Farming Conference is of a discussion between farmers involved in the Innovative Farmers Bale grazing project.

Transition Live will build upon the initiative from Farmers Weekly aimed at securing a sustainable future for your farm business.

Across the UK, many farmers are working to reduce their dependence on soya.

 In a recent RASE Farm of the Future webinar, three farmers shared their experiences of putting regenerative farming theory into practice.

Root crops present a particular challenge to farmers who are trying to adopt regenerative practices. 

Stephen is a first generation farmer who has been farming organically for over two decades. This resource is from Agricology.

A mixed farming system, based around livestock and cropping, is a fundamental part of organic, agroecological and regenerative farming.

Delve deeper into the economic and environmental risks and rewards of regenerative farming

Six Pasture for Life member farms have come together in an Innovative Farmers Field Lab to undertake a four year study to explore the impacts of bale grazing on soil and forage.

Value chains with close collaboration between actors, both from the supply chain and wider society, enable direct, dynamic and innovative, relationships that better facilitate management and sales of smaller volumes of diverse products.

Investigating whether lupin can become a sustainable alternative for imported soya is being explored in a collaborative project, part of the sustainable farm-based protein competition funded by Defra and delivered by Innovate UK. This two-year feasibility study is being led the UK Agri-Tech Centre in partnership with Phytoform Labs and Soya UK. 

The objective of this farmer-led research trial was to investigate a new approach to winter feed provision for livestock that considers the overall health of the farm system, including soil health, biodiversity, animal welfare, farmer welfare and economic sustainability.

We are delighted to be able to invite you to attend this Farm Walk to hear from the team at Lockerley Estate about how they are working to reduce farm-based emissions whilst storing more carbon into soils and non-crop biomass.