Innovative Farmers, as part of their involvement in the Horizon Europe LEGUMINOSE project we will be setting up trials with Reading University to look at the benefits of intercropping in arable rotations.
Growing two or more combinable crops at the same time has been shown to increase total crop yield per field – this trial will look at what crops, timings and mixtures work, and what impact this has on following crops.
We're looking for up to 20 farmers and others from the industry to work on these trials - if you’re interested in learning more or getting involved, please get in touch with Jerry at info@innovativefarmers.org
Innovative Farmers was established in 2012 by the Soil Association with the aim of bringing scientific rigour to on-farm trials co-designed by farmers and researchers. With a focus on sustainability and resilience, groups come together on discrete topics and on-farm trials addressing the topics that matter to them.
Farm-centric research generally involves On-Farm Experimentation and may be better described as 'Farm Action Research', i.e. research conducted at least in part by and for beneficiaries who also farm.
Intercropping is a method of planting two or more crops in close proximity to each other, either in alternate rows or in the same row. The goal of intercropping is to maximize the use of available space and resources, such as sunlight, water, and nutrients. It can also help to improve soil health and increase crop diversity, which can provide a range of benefits including increased resistance to pests and diseases, and a longer harvest season.
Legume is the commonly used name for the family of flowering plants, Fabaceae. Any plant in the Fabaceae family that has leaves, stems and pods are referred to as a Legume.
Field beans (vicia faba) are a widely grown break crop across the UK on around 170,000 ha.
Peas (pisum sativum) are grown either for combining dry seed (combining peas) or harvesting fresh as a vegetable or for freezing (vining peas).
A wide range of EU funded projects and networks contribute to the knowledge landscape in agriculture.
Sustainable agriculture through legume-cereal intercropping. The LEGUMINOSE project will provide science-based, farmer-led, and economically viable systems and techniques for legume-based intercropping. In the UK the Farm Living Labs will be run as an Innovative Farmers field lab [https://www.innovativefarmers.org/]. We are looking for 20 farms to take part in trials looking at yield and soil health benefits of intercrops from a range of crop mixes in organic, conventional and regenerative systems as well as in different locations across the UK. If you are interested contact Jerry jalford@soilassociation.org We'd also love to hear from farmers about their experiences of intercropping, or what prevents them from practicing it! Please help the project by completing this anonymous questionnaire (it takes about 15 minutes). Thankyou.
