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Farming Today: Sustainability

Farming Today This Week

10/01/2015

Sustainability

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Sustainability

Anna Hill visits a farm that is testing the theory that you can farm profitably while also protecting the environment and wildlife.

Anna Hill visits a farm in Buckinghamshire where trials have been held to see if it's possible to farm profitably, while still protecting the environment and wildlife. A team at Home Farm in Hillesden have divided some traditionally unprofitable parts of the land - like field corners and edges - into three pockets: in the first the land has just been left alone. In the second low level environmental work has been carried out. And in the third intensive countryside stewardship work has been done.

The aim is to look at the science behind the government's environmental schemes for farmers:cross compliance, Entry Level stewardship and Higher Level Stewardship.

Experts from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have monitored the trials and found that in certain areas where wildlife, and especially pollinators, have increased, yields have also improved. In all areas there was a benefit for wildlife.

We also meet Marek Nowakowski from the Wildlife Farming Company. He acts as a bridge between the scientists and the farmers in the field, to help them put the theories into practice.

The producer is Sally Challoner.

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