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- February 2011 (11)
- January 2011 (12)
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Why a blog?
The Farming Futures blog is for farmers, land managers and their advisers to discuss and debate the issue of climate change and sustainability in agriculture.
We’re interested in how you think we can produce more food for a growing population in the context of Government targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, hotter, drier summers, higher energy and input prices, and the increased consumer interest in 'low carbon' food.
This is your place to take part in the debate. Find out why we think a blog is important by clicking here.
Blogs marked with our weak signals logo explore ideas, trends, technologies or behaviour changes that are as yet unrecognised by the mainstream farming industry. They might have a big impact on future farm practices or they might disappear. They help us to challenge assumptions about the future, navigate risk and seize new opportunities. If you spot a weak signal, get in touch and we'll get it on the site.
Want to contribute? Contact Tamsin: farmingfutures@niab.com (01223 342329).
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Blog: Crops
Until very recently, the notion that the UK could join the ranks of olive oil producing countries was considered madness. Yet the prospect of home grown British Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is increasing arousing curiosity and attracting attention....
Neil Davy, Huggits Farm~Friday, 20 January, 2012 - 11:14 | 0 comments
Pinning down whether something is sustainable or environmentally friendly is often complicated. At first glance it seems to be a relatively straightforward process: belching factories bad, green fields good. I guess that is right in some cases but th...
Rob Burtonshaw~Friday, 18 November, 2011 - 17:01 | 0 comments
LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) is a farming charity at the forefront of sustainable agriculture promoting Integrated Farm Management.
Water, together with soil, are the underpinning assets of any land based business. Access to water is beco...
Dr Louise Manning, LEAF~Monday, 31 October, 2011 - 13:05 | 0 comments
Reducing the requirements of biodiversity into simple farm guidelines
can be difficult. Someone with experience can suggest the most
effective measures taking into account the specific location and
landscape features of the farm. However, th...
Jim Orson, NIAB TAG~Wednesday, 5 October, 2011 - 14:04 | 0 comments
So, it’s happened.
Farming Futures, like the iconic friendly local corner shop, is “under new management”.
OK, so you’ve just got used to it as a handy place to find a wealth of helpful information, chat about new ideas, and...
Farming Futures~Monday, 26 September, 2011 - 12:38 | 0 comments
We have found that when we make changes to help the environment on our farm, they often save us money too...writes LEAF Board Member and LEAF Marque farmer, Matthew Naylor.
There were a few years when oil and water were unrealistically cheap and this...
LEAF Board Member and LEAF Marque farmer, Matthew Naylor~Wednesday, 14 September, 2011 - 16:37 | 0 comments
Researchers at the University of Sussex - Science and Technology Policy Research Unit are studying how community energy can spread and grow and are looking for groups to take part in an online survey of community energy projects. The results wi...
Jin Park, University of Sussex~Wednesday, 24 August, 2011 - 12:36 | 0 comments
Defra has published a plan to create better habitats and join up the homes of some of England’s most iconic wildlife.
‘Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services’ aims to halt the loss of Engla...
Defra~Tuesday, 23 August, 2011 - 13:15 | 0 comments
Farming Futures enters a new phase this month. As you know, we were looking for a new host after our five-year Defra funding came to a close. So we're very pleased to announce that the project has a new home! The Centre of Excellence for UK Farming (...
Madeleine Lewis~Wednesday, 15 June, 2011 - 13:57 | 0 comments
She grew up on a dairy farm, bought her first cow when she was seven, and her husband's a dairy nutritionist. So when Michele Payn-Knoper was stumped by her Holstein dairy calf not weaning, she did what any self-respecting 21st-century farmer would:...
Madeleine Lewis~Tuesday, 29 March, 2011 - 15:10 | 0 comments
Farming Futures has scored a hattrick and won the Climate Week award for the 'Best Campaign'.
Having recently won a Global Green Award and voted the best website for climate change and agricuture information by Farmers Weekly, we wanted to go one str...
Claire Wyatt~Wednesday, 23 March, 2011 - 11:47 | 1 comments
Farming Futures has been shortlisted for the inaugural Climate Week Awards! Having recently won a Global Green Award and voted the best website for climate change and agricuture information, we're hoping to romp home with a hattrick next week.
Climat...
Claire Wyatt~Wednesday, 16 March, 2011 - 17:33 | 0 comments
A new heat and power box stores CO2 in tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers while delivering electricity to nearby homes. A British company, Alfagy Ltd., is launching a new heat and power plant in a box. Aptly named ‘The Green Box’, the d...
Claire Wyatt~Monday, 7 March, 2011 - 09:44 | 0 comments
Imagine you are a community energy entrepreneur in the UK. How will you be feeling after the government’s action to tackle the “solar farm threat”?You’ve said no to going to the pub at weekends more times than you can remember...
Will Dawson~Friday, 4 March, 2011 - 09:44 | 0 comments
Here at Cottage Farm we have demonstrated that it is perfectly possible to farm sustainably and in a resilient manner, that is organically, without using fossil fuels but still utilising machinery and energy.
The best place to find out what else we a...
Paul Sousek~Tuesday, 1 March, 2011 - 18:20 | 0 comments
It’s challenging, inspiring, and very tiring, and I always find the Soil Association conference ‘re-fuels’ me for the rest of the year. On the way home I got to thinking about the journey I had been on over nearly 40 years working i...
Phil Stocker~Monday, 28 February, 2011 - 09:00 | 0 comments
Climate News and Knowledge is our fortnightly round up of some of the main stories covering climate change and sustainable farming. This time there is talk of the power of the people, the fallout from the FIT review and climate change winners and los...
Will Frazer~Friday, 25 February, 2011 - 17:32 | 0 comments
UK Farmers – straw hat, grass chewing folk who throw a few seeds about, keep a few animals and ride about on a tractor slowing car drivers down? Or highly skilled business men and women who look upon any new technological, social or econ...
Matt Redman~Thursday, 24 February, 2011 - 13:44 | 1 comments
A combination of history, modern science and childhood memories, can provide important insight into how we can work towards a more sustainable future. This mixture of information is also a great way of raising the awareness of non-farming resid...
Chris Stoate~Monday, 21 February, 2011 - 11:57 | 0 comments
I feel the recent announcement of a comprehensive review of the Feed in Tariff (FIT) system will bring welcome news to farmers and those involved in the development of farm-based Anaerobic Digestion (AD) technology.
Chris Huhne the Secretary of Sta...
Mark Newton~Wednesday, 16 February, 2011 - 09:05 | 0 comments