Organic standards organisation The Soil Association has launched a low-carbon farming project to help growers and farmers reduce carbon emissions and improve the resource efficiency of their farms.
The aim of the initiative is to identify user-friendly carbon foot-printing tools and provide a benchmarking facility along with information, advice, and detailed case studies. The association is offering low-carbon workshops and on-farm training events to interested growers and is asking them to get involved in its benchmarking process by providing carbon-footprinting data from their own businesses.
Poppy Johnson, low-carbon farming adviser at the Soil Association, said: “There is a growing urgency for farms to reduce their carbon footprint. This kind of work is essential if we are going to reach government targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 per cent by 2050. Farming has a vital role to play when it comes to our impact on climate and is responsible for 30 per cent of UK greenhouse gas emissions.
“We hope to encourage adoption of best practice by enabling growers and farmers to learn from each other, make assessments of their activities and identify areas where improvements could be made. I look forward to hearing from farmers keen to get involved in the initial carbon footprinting exercise.”
