*Global CA-CoP* *CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE*
*for sustainable agriculture and land management*
Dear Subscribers,
Please see the link herebelow to:
New videos launched to help farmers improve soil health, including one
on *Conservation
Agriculture *– farmer case studies showing how 4 farmers are improving
their soils
http://www.farmers-mart.co.uk/2018/06/28/new-videos-
launched-to-help-farmers-improve-soil-health/
A new series of practical videos to help farmers understand and improve
soil health has been launched today (Wednesday 27 June 2018) at the
Groundswell <https://groundswellag.com/> Show.
Working in partnership with Innovation for Agriculture
<http://www.innovationforagriculture.org.uk/about-us/> (IfA) and Ernest
Cook Trust, the Catchment Sensitive Farming
<https://www.gov.uk/guidance/catchment-sensitive-farming-reduce-agricultural-water-pollution>
(CSF) team have produced a series of ‘Learning from the Land’ videos.
These showcase easy-to-set-up soil demonstrations that can be carried out
by farmers and land managers in their own kitchens. The videos highlight
the importance of soil health and include practical techniques to help
improve the overall health of soils in the UK.
Farmers can easily see how soils work to improve crop productivity while
protecting the environment and reducing soil and nutrient losses.
*Farming Minister, George Eustice said: *
“Our 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition for all soils to be
managed sustainably by 2030. Boosting soil health has multiple benefits
including increased nutrient up-take, better crop production, reduced risk
of soil erosion and run-off. This all leads to improvements to water
quality and wildlife, as well as safeguarding the fertility of our soils
for producing food.
*2018 Soil Farmer of the Year, Simon Cowell commented:*
“These videos are a great way for farmers to understand and know their
soils. The farmers’ enthusiasm in the case studies; for looking after
their soil is obvious, and will inspire and give confidence to other
farmers to change their own ways of farming. In addition to improving their
soil’s biology; they have benefited the environment by reducing both water
and air pollution.”
*Andrew Lazenby, CEO of IfA said:*
“Through bringing together expertise from Innovation from Agriculture and
Catchment Sensitive Farming with funding from the Ernest Cook Trust, IfA
has produced these hands-on, practical videos to help farmers understand
their soil, improve its health and ultimately save money on the farm, as
well as achieving sustainable crop production.”
The quick, easy-to-follow videos feature experts Stephen Briggs, IfA’s Soil
and Water Manager and Natural England’s Soils Biologist, Dr Matthew
Shepherd. They also illustrate the aims of the recently formed ‘UK
Agricultural Soil Initiative’ launched earlier this month at the ‘Cereals
Show’ by showing demonstrations and case studies to improve our soils.
The series features episodes on:
1. *Collecting soil bugs*
2. *Extracting soil bugs*
3. *The Soil Slab *
4. *Sediment and nutrient loss from soils*
5. *Holding on to soil nutrients*
6. *Soil structural stability*
7. *Soil Health – *Stephen Briggs (IfA) explains the life beneath your
feet and how to improve soil health with techniques such as cover or
companion cropping
8. *Conservation Agriculture *– farmer case studies showing how 4
farmers are improving their soils
To view the videos on YouTube please click here: https://goo.gl/Vcujz3
*Amir Kassam *
*Moderator*
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: www.fao.org/ag/ca
*Conservation Agriculture is based on the practical application of three
interlinked principles of: (i) Continuous no or minimum mechanical soil
disturbance (no-till seeding/planting and no-till weeding); (ii) permanent
maintenance of soil much cover with biomass (crop biomass, stubble and
cover crops); and (iii) diversification of cropping system (rotations
and/or sequences and/or associations involving annuals and perennials
including legumes), along with other complementary good agricultural
production management practices* (more at: www.fao.org/ag/ca)
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