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Land, Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry
Background:
Climate change & agriculture: The farming sector currently contributes about 7% of total UK Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions even though it contributes less than 1% of GDP. These are mainly of non-CO2 greenhouse gases, with agriculture accounting for 46% of methane and nearly 67% of nitrous oxide emissions in the UK in 2004. Mitigation of these emissions can make a valuable contribution to our climate goals, and farmers need to exploit every opportunity to reduce them. Farmers are also in the front line of climate change and could be seriously impacted by a changing climate, such as more frequent storms, heat stress, changing rainfall patterns, length of growing season or increased pest and disease risk. It is vital that farmers recognise the scale of the challenge they face. The way land is managed can contribute to reducing the likelihood of, and damage from, extreme flood events, and to halting the decline in soil carbon. Farmers also have important new opportunities to grow crops novel to the UK, and to expand the production of bioenergy and other non-food crops which can help to reduce overall UK carbon emissions .
Aims:
At the heart of the Seale-Hayne Climate Change Solutions Centre is a mixed farm which is ideally located to demonstrate a wide variety of sustainable production techniques in organic food and small scale forestry/biomass production.
The Land Use cluster will bring together the best practice in relation to agriculture and forestry and provide a How to response to the following questions:
How to produce food organically.
How to produce food using low-input farming methods.
How to increase biodiversity within food production systems.
How to reduce soil erosion/runoff/diffuse pollution due to changing weather patterns.
How to reduce pollution from farming systems e.g. through the use of methane digesters, timeliness of cultivation etc.
How to utilise small scale biomass production for heating glasshouses, domestic dwellings etc.
How to use agroforestry as part of a mixed farming system.
Outputs
Through the Seale Hayne agricultural unit, the Land Use cluster, will:
• Demonstrate both agricultural and horticultural crops and varieties grown to reflect changes in growing conditions e.g. changes in growing season, rainfall distribution, pests and diseases.
• Demonstrate growing systems designed to reduce loss of soil and organic matter from fields.
• Provide advice and training to those seeking to change their management systems.
• Provide a place for members of the public to learn about both food production and environmental matters in both formal and informal settings.
• Provide food and energy resources for the proposed low carbon community on the Seale-Hayne site (see the Built Environment Cluster)
• Provide a teaching resource for schools.
• Provide a research facility.
• Provide a mentoring service to train organic production techniques.
• Demonstrate ‘allotment’ sized food production including organic, permaculture and biodynamic systems.
• Investigate cooperative ventures with local producers.
• Research low input agriculture and horticulture that might not adhere to the Soil Association standards but is far more likely to be taken up by most farmers.
• Grow and process bio fuels to demonstrate small scale biomass production for heating glasshouses, domestic dwellings, vehicles etc.
• Provide accounts to show the viability of differing systems.
• Demonstrate the, probable, shift in eating habits away from meat and dairy products to a more grain, legume, nuts, fruit and vegetable based diet as livestock production becomes more expensive.
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