14 March

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have announced that they are no longer accepting new applicants to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the subsidy scheme which pays farmers for environmental actions, including actions for soil health. Farmers will be facing a funding gap as a result of the decision, described as a ‘shattering blow’ by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).

Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy, has been visiting a number of farms and water sites across the UK to better understand how nature-based solutions could help build flood resilience in the UK. Defra’s ‘Things Can Only Get Cleaner Tour’ has in part focused on enhanced soil management as a solution to reducing water pollution and improving flood resilience.

Waitrose have unveiled a £500,000 fund to support British farmers in reducing their carbon emissions. The initiative comes as part of the retailer’s goal to ensure all British suppliers achieve net-zero emissions by 2035 and will reward suppliers for a variety of regenerative practices, including multiple actions for improved soil health and soil carbon sequestration.

The Sustainable Nitrogen Alliance’s evidence submission to the Environment and Climate Change Select Committee’s Nitrogen Inquiry has detailed how the nitrogen being lost to the environment through poor soil management is currently costing British farmers more than the government’s annual farming budget. Regenerative soil management is outlined as a key factor to reverse the causes of nitrogen loss.

The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation’s (FAO) Experts of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils is convening for three days in Rome to discuss global soil issues, including, the urban soil degradation, desertification, and soil’s role in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Microplastics in the soils are significantly damaging the ability of plants to photosynthesise, according to a new study. This may have severe effects on food security, as the study estimates that between 4% and 14% of the world’s staple crops are being lost due to microplastic contamination in the soil and atmosphere.

New research calculating the contribution of ditches and canals to greenhouse gases suggest that ditches contribute to up to 9% of all emissions for human activities. By draining wetlands, ditches and canals often create the low-oxygen, high-nutrient soil conditions which are ideal for the production of greenhouse gases.