Farm of the future: Journey to net zero
Read the full reportThe report highlights the vital role of soil health in achieving net zero emissions in agriculture, highlighting that adopting regenerative farming and agroforestry can significantly enhance soil carbon sequestration, boost biodiversity, and reduce reliance on fossil fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides. Key practices include minimising soil disturbance, maintaining soil cover and living roots, promoting plant diversity, and reintroducing livestock.
The report emphasises the critical role of soil health in achieving net zero emissions in agriculture.
Each section of the ‘Farm of the Future: Journey to Net Zero’ report puts forward a vision of how farming across the UK might adapt to the challenges posed by climate change. Section 4 focuses on: Farm and land resource management: soils, water and biodiversity.
This section highlights that increased adoption of nature-friendly practices such as regenerative farming and agroforestry can improve soil carbon sequestration, increase pollinator numbers, follow a trend in improvement in plant, fungal and animal biodiversity and reduction in fossil fertilisers (reducing agricultural emissions), herbicides and pesticides.
It outlines practices for improving soil carbon content. Five key principles for building and maintaining a healthy soil:
- Minimise disturbance of the soil (physical or chemical)
- Keep the soil covered (avoids exposure to extremes or sunlight, temperature, rainfall and wind
- Maintain living roots in the soil
- Maintain as much plant diversity
- Reintroduce livestock
Detailed analysis is provided on the economic and environmental benefits of soil carbon sequestration.
Recommendations for policy implementation
- Support for farmers through education and incentives to adopt sustainable practices.
- Government policies should focus on promoting regenerative agriculture and nature-friendly farming methods.
- The importance of aligning agricultural policies with climate change goals is highlighted.