The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) is heading a new five-year research program to aid the UK’s movement towards locally produced food that is, “sustainable, carbon-neutral and has a positive effect on nature,” shared a release by UKCEH.
Rothamsted Research, the British Geological Survey, the National Centre for Earth Observation and Plymouth Marine Laboratory joined forces with UKCEH to lead the ¬£13.8 million program called “AgZero+”.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, the NFU, the Agricultural Industries Confederation, RSPB, National Trust, Natural England and Defra are additional partners.
Researchers and farmers will come together to analyze innovative farming systems at scale through AgZero+. The program will balance the urgency to produce nutritious food with scaling back greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. AgZero+ will simultaneously work to enhance biodiversity and soil health.
The program offers “data from national sensor networks, satellites and a network of commercial study farms and study catchments,” stated the release. This information will be available to researchers and stakeholders via data portals and digital tools to further environmental planning and management.
“We’ll be working with farmers to test ‘smart farming’ ideas for reducing emissions, such as targeted fertilizer application, nature-based solutions, such as agroforestry, and new innovations, such as how biochar can affect carbon storage,” said professor Richard Pywell, leader of the AgZero+ project on behalf of UKCEH.
AgZero+ follows the ¬£12 million ASSIST (Achieving Sustainable Agricultural Systems) project that tackled how to feed a growing population by creating a way for food production to be more efficient and resilient in the face of climate change. The project also addressed how to reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint.
“AgZero+ will continue the ASSIST model of uniting research institutes supported by NERC and BBSRC, but with an expanded consortium, which will strengthen our capabilities and expertise. Our network of commercial study farms, data and tools will play an important part in delivering the recommendations of the recently announced National Food Strategy,” added Pywell. “Agriculture is responsible for 10 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, but it has also caused issues in the past for biodiversity loss, pollution from pesticides and soil degradation. Our challenge will be to find a balance between meeting the government’s 2050 net zero target, but in a less polluting way, while at the same time enhancing biodiversity.”
AgZero+ is one of six research plans announced by NERC. The £47million investment hopes to address large-scale environmental science issues facing the UK. UKCEH is collaborating on four additional programs led by NERC: BIOPOLE, CANARI, CHAMFER and TerraFIRMA.
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