New trends in sustainable farming

Since its launch, Defra has expanded the SFI scheme and made it more flexible in response to farmers’ feedback. As a result, as of 19 April 2024, Defra has received more than 20,000 applications for SFI actions. It can also reward qualifying sustainable actions you are already carrying out on your farm.

This article explains sustainable farming and why it is important for farm businesses and the environment. We'll show you how to find more information so you can start using sustainable practices in your business. If you are already doing this, we can help you take it to the next level.

 

What is sustainable farming?

Some of the confusion around sustainable farming is that different people sometimes use the expression to mean different things.

Other terms, such as regenerative farming, nature friendly farming, conservation agriculture and agroecology can add to the confusion. In truth, these have similar but slightly different meanings and aims. In fact, many of the actions promoted as part of sustainable farming will already be familiar to farmers and growers. But often they have been known by other names, such as Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), best practice, or simply 'farming well'.

For any activity to be sustainable, it needs to be able to continue to be carried out without depleting or destroying natural, economic or social resources in the medium- or short-term. For example, it is not sustainable for a business to lose money year after year. Similarly, an arable farm cannot deplete its soils without restoring fertility and soil structure.

It's often said that farms can’t be green if they are in the red. As such, sustainable farming is as much about ensuring financial strength as protecting and restoring nature and the environment. If implementing environmental measures comes at the cost of profit, then that is not sustainable. Such measures are also not sustainable if they result in the loss of food security or a reduction in UK food self-sufficiency.

The importance of sustainable farming

It stands to reason that any business that is unsustainable has no medium- to long-term future. This is at odds with the values of most farm businesses, many of which have been in the same family and on the same land for generations.

Many see farming and growing as a cause of climate change and biodiversity loss - but it's also as an industry which suffers from their effects. However, we also have access to tools and techniques to reduce, mitigate and adapt to these issues. Implementing these tools is at the heart of sustainable farming.

Such measures can help reduce farming’s environmental impact and the effects climate change and extreme weather events have on farms.

For example, healthy, well-structured soils and those with grass or cover crops will have a greater water-holding ability. This allows faster water infiltration and drainage compared to compacted bare soil.

This reduces the farm's risk of flooding and the risk of pesticide and fertiliser loss. This can extend the time the farm can operate because fields can be worked on sooner than those that are flooded.

Sustainable farming can make farms more financially stable and profitable in the long run by increasing resilience and cutting costs.

Similarly, new techniques and technologies, such as soil mapping, variable-rate fertiliser application, robotics and spot spraying, can help reduce inputs and labour costs and improve production efficiency. Again this helps to ensure profitability during challenging economic periods.

Under the SFI, payments are available for carrying out sustainable actions on farm. With the continued phasing out of BPS, these actions can provide practical on-farm and environmental benefits, often for little or no net cost to the business.

 

Finally, many of agriculture’s customers are looking for their ingredients and products to be produced in a sustainable way. McCain, Waitrose and Warburtons are just some of the companies that expect their suppliers to adopt sustainable production techniques. They are also actively communicating these initiatives in the media and via their consumer advertising.

It starts with soil

Healthy functioning soils underpin all farming systems. These are also of wider importance to society as they can sequester carbon, manage water flows and aid biodiversity. However, 60-70% of soils in Europe are classed as unhealthy. Almost a third of the world’s arable land has also been lost to soil erosion over the last 40 years.

In the UK, soils can be lost to flash flooding, water erosion, wind blow and even the movement of crops and machinery.

As well as making sure soils are not lost through erosion, sustainable farming practices can increase soil health. They can boost the population of microbial organisms which help plant production by providing nutrients, improving stress resistance, degrading toxins and destroy pathogens.

Making sure soil stays healthy, fertile and full of life is a key aspect of sustainable farming. To keep soil healthy, use cover crops, add compost and manure, limit soil disturbance, improve drainage, and manage compaction. These actions help maintain and enhance soil health.

New technologies such as the use of biostimulants and endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria can improve the nutrient assimilation and use of some crops. Many manufacturers are working hard to reduce the carbon footprint of their fertiliser products.

Paul Brown, an arable farmer from Newbury, Berkshire, used SFI funding to plant a two-year legume fallow without grass.

Speaking to Defra, he says: “Anybody who wants to help soil fertility and save nitrogen inputs, I think this option is really going to be very useful. SFI can actually go onto a farm without actually taking any land out of production. SFI allows us to stack options on top of food production and help support the environment at the same time.”

 

Sustainable farming isn’t just relevant for arable farms. Dairy farmers William and Tracey Langton of Crowfields Farm, Derbyshire, reviewed their soil health and then planted a herbal ley. Both of which are recognised under the SFI.

Speaking to Defra, Tracey says: “It makes us more resilient to the crazy weather we’re having."

The SFI also supported the production of a nutrient management plan and integrated pest management to reduce pesticide inputs.

“SFI 23 helps us balance the books. It helps us run farming alongside the environment and its good for cashflow because we get paid every three months,” she says.

 

Starting your sustainable farming journey

Most farms in the UK are likely carrying out some of the actions and techniques associated with sustainable farming.

Like most things, you need to measure before you can manage. As such it's crucial to understand your soil, topography and any restrictions you face, such as those around Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.

TIAH's Learning Hub offers many simple guides for testing and analysing soil structure and health. 

You can find more information about the SFI and its options in the handbook on GOV.UK. Application for SFI funding is also through a straightforward online system.

 

You can learn more about a host of sustainable techniques in the TIAH Learning Hub, as well as the Defra Farming blog and the SFI campaign website.

Additionally, you can find out more about the range of funding options available to you and your farm by using the Find funding for land or farms tool from Defra and the Rural Payments Agency.

Lastly, there are plenty of groups and associations which can provide help and advice. From local farm clusters to the Nature Friendly Farmers Network and LEAF, there are plenty of people happy to give you guidance.