Low Carbon Farming Project and FCAT
Contributing approximately 7% to total greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, the agricultural industry has been set an emission reduction target of 11% by 2020. Farmers and growers therefore face a significant double challenge: they must work to meet the ambitious GHG emissions targets set by the government and to adapt their production methods to suit a more variable climate. In a response to this ever-growing issue the Soil Association, in partnership with Campden BRI, has launched the Low Carbon Farming project – running until June 2012 the project aims to support farmers in understanding their farm’s carbon footprint and adapting their management to reduce on-farm greenhouse gas emissions.
The Low Carbon Farming project will be working with farmers and growers to provide expert advice and technical guidance on carbon footprinting and low carbon farming practices as well as energy production and efficient resource use. Reducing your carbon footprint goes hand in hand with improving efficiency and careful farm management which carries not only environmental benefits but financial ones too. The project is here to support and guide farmers in tackling the challenging task of reducing carbon emissions and improving the sustainability of farm businesses.
The Low Carbon Project is funded until June 2013 by the South West Rural Development Programme for England. It is one of three sub projects within the South West Agricultural Resource Management (SWARM) Knowledge Hub – a new RDPE funded web information service dedicated to south west farmers and growers coordinated by Duchy College. The project will be carried out in the South West in partnership with Campden BRI.
Thanks to generous additional funding from the Ashden Trust the Soil Association will also be able to deliver the Low Carbon Farming project on a wider basis across the rest of the UK.
For more information to become involved in the project please contact Sam Adams, Low Carbon Farming advisor on 07564 360 914 or at lowcarbon@soilassociation.org
Sam's presentation from the Low Carbon Farming Conference, December 2012