Almost all UK farmers are aware of the concept of sustainable soil management (SSM), while a majority are applying methods on their farms, according to a study.
Researchers carried out an online survey of 297 farmers and land managers about SSM, which involves techniques to improve soil biology, nutrients and structure such as reduced soil disturbance, soil cover and crop diversity. They then followed up with more detailed interviews with industry stakeholders and experts.
Over 95% of respondents reported familiarity with SSM techniques, which collectively are also known as ‘carbon farming’. Additionally, over half said they were already practicing such approaches.
However, there were some caveats.
The researchers noted that not all the combinations of practices the farmers testified to carrying out were consistent with the principles of SSM — a finding which ties into their further observation that messaging around regenerative practices is fragmented, and often not featured in information shared by existing knowledge networks.
“Interestingly, our analysis showed that the group scoring highest on all five SSM principles [accepted by experts] was also the most connected and engaged in formal and informal farmers networks, showing the value of such networks to SSM adoption,” the scientists wrote in the journal Pro Terra.
The survey also revealed that farmers are active in experimenting with new soil management practices. 48% reported ongoing testing of a new technique, while 27% were trialing more than one approach at a time.
Further progress can be made by connecting farmers’ own experiments with wider work being carried out by the scientific community, the authors added.