Millions of pounds are to be invested in research to see if farming can be intensified while benefiting the environment at the same time.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have awarded £4.5 million for a series of projects to investigate ways to increase farm productivity while reducing negative environmental impacts – known as sustainable intensification.
The University of Exeter’s Centre for Rural Policy Research and BBSRC Rothamsted Research, working with a consortium of 22 organisations, are to lead one of three Sustainable Intensification Research Platform (SIP) projects.
The £2 million scheme is tasked improving understanding of how farmers can get more from their land while also enhancing flora and fauna, and alleviating flood risk.