Farming is intricately connected to the environment in various ways. The relationship between agriculture and the environment is a critical aspect of modern farming practices. Please share information, resources, tools and experiences on the multifaceted dimensions of how farming intersects with the environment.
Quantifying environmental impact is becoming increasingly important for farm businesses. This public goods tool from the organic research centre is a useful resource for measuring the sustainability of farms.
Land sparing vs land sharing is an important discourse in modern farming. See our land sparing & land sharing topic page for more on this.
Content below is from across the PEP community and is not necessarily endorsed by Stewards or by PEP
There are around 3.2M ha of woodland in the UK. This is set to increase substantially over the coming years due to a range of policy, social, environmental and commercial drivers, including Net Zero, Biodiversity Net Gain, ELMs, Local nature recovery plans and carbon trading.
A free to use online data hub building on the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) data package providing spatially relevant local information to farmers, land managers and advisors.
The development of a forage network which will recommend a pathway to gaining optimum benefits from forages through realistic actions. This project, which runs from September 2023 for 6 months, will: Bring together a network of stakeholders to understand the best approach for improving forage systems, considering potential opportunities and barriers to uptake Create a roadmap, which can be used to achieve benefits for livestock sectors through changes in forage systems
The UK Government has set a Net Zero target for 2050. Land use and management has a key role to play in this, with the NFU setting an even earlier target of 2040.
Natural capital refers to the stock of natural resources and ecosystems that provide essential benefits and services to agriculture. In the context of farming, natural capital encompasses the fertile soil, clean water, biodiversity, pollinators, and healthy ecosystems that play a crucial role in sustaining crop and livestock production. These natural assets are the foundation of agricultural sustainability, productivity, and resilience.
This page is to connect organisations, projects and resources that have an interest in improving the quality of our water sources.
RSK is a global leader in the delivery of sustainable solutions. Our family of over 150 environmental, engineering and technical services businesses works together to provide practical solutions to some of the greatest challenges societies have ever faced.
The Voluntary Initiative is an industry led programme to promote the responsible use of plant protection products (PPP's) through schemes, tools and messages advocating an IPM-based approach to sustainable agriculture.
The Claydon Opti-Till® System, is a holistic approach to crop establishment which delivers consistent, high yielding crops at low cost, providing maximum profitability. At the centre of Opti-Till® Seed Drilling System is the Claydon direct strip Hybrid drill, with its unique leading tine technology.
Policy plays a critical role in shaping the agriculture industry in the UK and Europe. Government policies can have a major impact on the way that farmers operate, the crops they grow, and the prices they receive for their products. Policy has a major effect on how land is managed and environmental outcomes.
Although the term management implies direct manipulation, the practice of wildlife conservation and management includes efforts aimed at preserving or restoring rare species and their habitats and indirect manipulation of wildlife populations through modification of habitat or resources. From: Encyclopedia of Ecology, 2008
George Eustice presented the response to Henry Dimbleby's National Food Strategy on 13 June 2022. Read the full text at the link below, or the Executive summary
Lots of people and organisations take photos in agriculture, of people, landscapes, fields, buildings, machines, animals, crops, insects, plants, the natural environment or just the countryside.
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/)
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.
Scientific paper by Andrew Balmford & colleagues published in Nature Sustainability 2018:
Help us collate the knowledge sources, organisations and initiatives out there that are seeking to improve the farmed environment
Cambridge Environmental Assessments (CEA), part of RSK ADAS, provides novel solutions for an increasingly demanding regulatory world. Our team specialises in higher tier approaches to chemical risk assessment, including the design and conduct of higher tier studies tailored to address specific regulatory concerns. This encompasses agrochemicals, biocides, veterinary and human pharmaceuticals, food additives, novel foods, cosmetics and general chemicals.
This Topic doesn't yet have a Stewarded summary, but connected groups, content and organisations show below. Click the 'Ask to Join' button if you would like to be a Steward for this Topic and provide a summary of current knowledge and recommend useful resources, organisations, networks and projects.
This Topic doesn't yet have a Stewarded summary, but connected groups, content and organisations show below. Click the 'Ask to Join' button if you would like to be a Steward for this Topic and provide a summary of current knowledge and recommend useful resources, organisations, networks and projects.
Environment Digest is a quarterly publication that provides a synopsis of recent news, reports and other materials that are of interest to the farming community. With a particular focus on how agriculture links with the environment, each issue focusses on articles across sustainable food production, climate change, water and waste management, soils and biodiversity. Environment Digest principally focuses on stories and policy changes that are relevant to England and/or the UK with a slant towards the arable sector.
Initiative led by Jenny Phelps to bring together farm advisors to enable joined up discussions and collaborations farm advice.
As custodians of the landscape all farmers have responsibility to the wildlife and nature on their farms. There are many networks, organisations, advisors and initiatives seeking to help farmers enhance wildlife and biodiversity. Increasingly this is being supported by Defra through ELMS and Local Nature Recovery schemes
Environment Systems is an environmental and agricultural data consultancy. We are trusted providers of evidence and insight to governments and industry across the world.
WWF funded report by Stockholm Environment Institute at University of York and UK-CEH looking at issues around nitrogen use in the UK
A partnership of agricultural, environmental and governmental bodies, promoting good environmental management through productive farming practices.
The founder and chairman of Environment Bank, Professor David Hill, recently sat down with New Scientist to discuss the future of farming and food. The interview explores how changing approaches to agriculture are essential in preserving the ‘natural capital’ of global biodiversity and prosperity for farmers.
The Big Tent is the annual meeting of the Network and an opportunity for participants to hear from, and engage with, researchers, business leaders, policy-makers and voluntary organisations working for change in the agri-food system to meet the UK’s net zero 2050 goal.
As part of the Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Program, White Horse Energy are developing a transportable pelletiser to process agricultural residues and perennial energy crops behind the farmgate. This will provide farmers with a diversified and increased revenue stream without interfering with existing operations. For more information, read on.
We are pleased to announce a final LEAP conference on 16 April 2024 at Lady Margaret Hall. Registration is now open.
Our food system accounts for 1/3 of all global emissions - so why has it hardly been talked about at previous COPs? Will this ever change?
Pathways to Sustainability - Scaling the Transition of Global Agriculture
Concerns over the increasing cost and environmental impact of high inorganic nitrogen (N) inputs have led to a reappraisal of the role of legumes, particularly clover, in maintaining soil fertility in improved grasslands.
Join us at Woodland Valley Farm to explore how farming and biodiversity can support each other.
We need more woodland for people to enjoy, for nature, to sustain our timber security and to help reduce the impact of climate change.
The agricultural industry is heading toward a more sustainable, profitable, and efficient future. Future Farming Expo will bring together forward-thinking Scottish farmers, advisors, and rural businesses over two days for knowledge hubs, discussion, and networking across a busy exhibition hall.
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.
Increasing the amount of C stored in soil is beneficial from a climate change mitigation perspective.
CO2, CH4, GWP, N2O, CO2e? It’s not all about carbon – and the most important emission from agriculture isn’t carbon dioxide. See HERE AHDB's glossary of terms regarding carbon and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
Scientists are working to understand how plants engage with soil microorganisms, so we can reactivate them.
The Mitigation Options for Phosphorus and Sediment projects (MOPS) aims to determine the effectiveness of different treatments for controlling diffuse pollution from agriculure.
How rising competition for land threatens international and environmental stability, and how the risks can be mitigated.
During this online workshop we aim to review existing knowledge gaps and identify key areas where future research efforts should be focused.
Carbon footprints are presented within the contemporary media, commercial entities and frequently by government agencies as a proximate measure for sustainability.
Join LEAF and the University of Reading to explore how farmers and landowners can be supported to develop on-farm biodiversity monitoring.
The relationship between wetlands and livestock farming is complex and a subject of growing importance in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss.
The discussions at COP28 highlight the critical role of agricultural innovations in achieving food security and climate goals sustainably.
Powerful long-term drivers are increasing both the demand and supply of quantified environmental impact information in food systems.
Pathways to Sustainability - Scaling the Transition of Global Agriculture
Our farmers and consultants discuss how they have adapted to cope with drought and flooding on their farms and the practical changes made to withstand these weather events.
Water from farms may be contaminated to different degrees. The level of contamination will determine how they should be managed.
This webinar introduces the work of YEN Zero with the ADAS Climate Change and Sustainability team and Will Oliver, an arable farmer from Lincolnshire and YEN Zero member.
Transition Live will build upon the initiative from Farmers Weekly aimed at securing a sustainable future for your farm business.
Produced as part of the BEESPOKE Project, aimed at increasing levels of pollinators at local and landscape scales.
Rural Policy Centre Research Briefing.
We’re joined by James Robinson and Megan Gimber, who answer audience questions from our previous hedgerow and woodland panel discussion. They explore general hedgerow management from optimum hedge-laying cycle lengths and tree species selection to the best ways to repair existing hedgerows and what to do with coppiced brash.
Delve deeper into the economic and environmental risks and rewards of regenerative farming
Our climate is changing and on-farm action is urgently needed. As a farmer-led UK-wide network, we (NFFN) know business as usual is not an option.
About 57 percent of the soybeans imported by the UK for animal feed comes from Brazil.
Indirect causal links between soy and deforestation may exist that need further exploration.
The Guidebook to farmland biodiversity indicators which results of the EU FP7 research project “BioBio - Biodiversity indicators for organic and low-input farming systems”
A set of principles to support the implementation of integrated landscape approaches that emphasize adaptive management, stakeholder involvement, and multiple objectives
A unique college in and around the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Wales, to create a future where nature and humans thrive. BMC focuses on the challenge of our times: how to build a fair and just society within safe planetary boundaries. We believe in education that empowers people to build resilience in the face of the climate and ecological crisis. Our approach is built on rethinking traditional learning to foster the skills, creativity, and systems thinking needed for a more sustainable future. Our countryside-based campus is a living classroom, with access to biodiverse landscapes that inspire and challenge our students to connect deeply with nature.
