Soil Association

This webinar (part of the 2021 Northern Real Farming Conference and hosted by the Soil Association) explores growing a low growing permanent cover crop such as small white clover to help shade out weeds and provide fertility for the rotation.

Video footage of a session that formed part of the Organic Growers Alliance's Organic Matters conference held in October 2021. It focuses on improving soil health and reducing tillage using compost, manures and woodchip.

This film, created by the Soil Association through the FABulous Farmers project, explores some of the many benefits that can be experienced from different agroforestry systems.

Interest among UK farmers in planting trees on their land has skyrocketed recently. Only ten years ago a survey indicated that very few farmers know what the term “agroforestry” means. One conducted least year showed that almost all farmers are familiar with it now.

OK-Net EcoFeed (Organic Knowledge Network on Monogastric Animal Feed) is a 3-year project coordinated by IFOAM EU and funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme that aims to help organic pig and poultry farmers achieve the goal of 100% use of organic and regional feed.

There is huge potential for farmers to be incentivised and rewarded for protecting and sequestering carbon in their soils. Government initiatives and carbon offsetting schemes in the private sector provide promising funding avenues for farmers who adopt agroecological practices that promote soil health and increase soil carbon.

Mulching trees is one great way to give them a good start and ensure they remain alive. Traditionally mulches have been seen to provide two main benefits; weed control, moisture retention. My belief is that in the medium term improving the soil health around a tree is also a crucial component.

This is part 1 and 2 of a collaborative 2-part series of virtual events exploring establishment, management, soil health, grazing and ensiling in relation to herbal leys.

A group of farmers on the Isle of Arran, sometimes called ‘Scotland in miniature’ because of the range of farming it hosts, have begun to reduce their own carbon footprint to help create a blueprint for Scottish agriculture, and give themselves a commercial advantage in the process.

Charley and Andrea Walker take a holistic approach to farm management by carefully considering the social, ecological and financial impacts of every decision. They aim to find a balance between running a successful business, creating a healthy environment and ensuring a good quality of life for themselves and their family.

This project is trialling adding uncomposted versus composted woodchip from on-farm woody resources as a soil improver. By linking management of farm hedges and trees with the improvement of soils for agricultural production and providing an additional economic incentive for management of hedges and on-farm woody resources, it aims to increase the sustainability of the system as a whole.

Assess the potential business benefits of agroforestry for your farm or client and understand the possible benefits to the wider environment with this invaluable handbook.