Striking the Balance

Last week, RSPB’s Conservation Director, Martin Harper, invited Matthew Naylor, Allan Buckwell, Johann Tasker and myself to offer our views following his talk at the Oxford Farming Conference on Balancing Agricultural Production with Conservation on his RSPB blog. This was my post – Striking the Balance.

“Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.”

~ Letter from Thomas Jefferson to George Washington (1787)

The farming industry holds the cards for delivering sustainable food production.

No-one denies that land, water, biodiversity and natural habitats are under pressure from competing demands. Sustainable intensification is not about increasing the use of inputs, it is about wisely using knowledge and technologies, to grow production efficiency; to intensify natures’ interactions and benefits; and reconstruct the values and culture of our food system.

Farmers need to be recognised for how they have adapted to the radically changed demands placed on our food system and land requirements over the last 20 years. New management approaches, environmental stewardship, market demands, social and environmental responsibility, improved engagement with retailers and closer relationships with consumers are all starting to help re-design our food systems.

But we need to do more – more to increase our farm efficiency, food’s nutritional value and more to enhance the environment. However, it is alarming how little we know about the interactions between our use of land for food production, the environment and for society as a whole.

Increasing global trade threatens to diminish the range of species and cultivars that are traditionally used in most agri-ecosystems. Of some 270,000 known species of higher plants about 20,000 are edible, but only about 7,000 are used in agriculture. 14 animal species currently account for 90% of all livestock production, and only 20 crops dominate global cultivation, providing an estimated 90% of the dietary energy consumed by the world’s population (UNEP, 2007). Today 80% of the world’s population lives principally on four main crop species: maize; wheat; potatoes and rice. Perhaps there is more scope to use a wider variety of species in our food and crop and animal health strategies?

We rely on biodiversity in our daily lives, often without realising it. The bacteria and microbes that transform waste into useful products, insects that pollinate crops and flowers, and the biologically rich landscapes that provide enjoyment, are but a few examples.

Often we are tempted to solve problems by singling out issues such as pollution, water security, carbon footprint, local production, or inputs. Individual approaches, however, do not do justice to the interactions between them. An integrated approach has the potential to use nature in conjunction with technology to help address these areas.

Integrated Farm Management (IFM) provides the flexibility to deliver a highly productive agriculture with reduced environmental impact. Advocated by LEAF, IFM has been developed to combine economic, environmental, social and welfare issues with management practices and decisions across the whole farm in a balanced and considered way.

For some 20 years LEAF has been instrumental in developing and promoting IFM and to encourage a better public understanding of and engagement in farming and the countryside. Open Farm Sunday has welcomed some ¾ million people out on to farms over the last six years, over 20% of UK’s fresh produce are grown to LEAF Marque standards, with a growing range of grain and livestock products meeting the standard too.

The future is not doing more of the same, it is about increasing sustainability at all levels. The real element of change is about growing production, whilst enhancing environmental health, and societal well-being in a fully integrated approach.

Would love to hear what you think!

Can the EU afford CAP?

New for 2012, we are running a regular monthly feature, ‘LEAF asks’. We will be asking our readers a new question each month! To kick it all off, here’s the first question on the hot topic of CAP reform.

What do you think? Answer above and comment below to expand. You can also follow the question on twitter by searching for #LEAFasks. We will reveal the results of the poll in February, subscribe for updates!

The Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund

The Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund, also known as FRICH, is run by the Department for International Development (DFID) . The fund  helps bring UK retailers and African farmers together to help improve the longer term prosperity of their farms .

It’s all about innovation, new ways of doing things, looking at economic and social sustainability.  LEAF, in partnership with Waitrose , Green Shoots,  British & Brazilian, Blue Skies, Sunripe and Wealmoor have been working with sub-Saharan African farmers now for just over a year

Our project is all about  supporting  African farmers to learn more about sustainable farming , improve their yields and increase the income they earn from their crops.  We’ve been travelling to Kenya and offering practical training in soil and water management, energy use and crop protection.   We’re also encouraging them to become LEAF Marque certified which will help them secure valuable contracts with UK retailers.

One of the farmers we’ve been working with is Anthony Mucheke. Anthony is a green bean farmer in Kenya and it has been hard for him to to make enough money to support his family because of the fluctuations in the market

Green bean farming helps the community in lots of ways. In the past, the produce buyers were only interested in the quality and safety of the beans. But now, through our involvement with FRICH,  we have a partnership with a European company and they’re really interested in the quality of the land and the life of the community, as well as the quality of the beans and peas.

- Anthony Mucheke, Green bean farmer, Kenya

The FRICH project really addresses these issues and helps farmers to farm in a more sustainable way, whilst giving them the credentials that will help them secure and maintain contracts with retailers, which in turn, brings much needed resources back into the local community. It’s a project that we’re really proud to be involved in.

New Videos!

If you were at our President’s event on the 2nd November, you will have probably seen a few cameras around. Well, the footage is now ready for you all to see! We have three videos, one of Jim Paice launching our new Water Management Tool and two interviews that you won’t have seen on the day. Enjoy!

---

---

President’s Event 2011 Round Up

LEAF’s President’s Event 2011 presented a fantastic line up of speakers from across the food and farming industry (even the brewing industry, actually!) and was attended by 130 delegates at HSBC Tower, Canary Wharf London.

Kicking off the day were the words of Allan Wilkinson, HSBC Head of Agriculture who spoke on CAP reform, “I have always been an admirer of LEAF – I think your time is now, particularly with CAP reform”.

LEAF Chairman, Stephen Fell (above), followed again on CAP reform but also spoke with real passion on taking LEAF forward. Keynote speaker Professor Sir David Baulcombe, then explained about the growing opportunities
for plant genetics to meet the needs of a growing population. His talk created quite a stir among the audience and questions were mainly focused on the topic of genetics during discussions. Sir David was clear in stating that “new genetics have a place in sustainable agriculture”.

Andrew Burgess, Director of Agriculture, Produce World, then gave an inspiring presentation on what LEAF means to his business. But it was the discussions between himself, Professor Sir David Baulcombe and Stephen Fell on the topic of genetics which created the most stir, with calls for boldness but rigorous testing going forward.

Following a short coffee break, Dr Chris Brown, Head of Ethical and Sustainable sourcing at Asda, took to the stage and gave a fascinating insight into consumer attitudes to sustainable food.

Paul Dove of Molson Coors, outlined the company’s commitments behind their slogan “without great water, we can’t make great beer”, which has led to a strong involvement in the development of LEAF’s Water Management Tool. The tool was then introduced in more detail by Dr Lousie Manning, and then formally launched by Farming Minister, Jim Paice MP.

Speaking on the tool, Mr Paice said, “We’ve now got, with the launch of this instrument, a practical and realistic tool available to farmers, which promotes more sustainable farming practices which is also at the heart of the government’s approach”.

The Rt Hon Michael Jack then gave closing remarks before lunch, which was introduced by Tamsin Gane of Sodexo.

We would like to say a huge thank you to our fantastic host and President, Baroness Hazel Byford, and thank all to everyone who spoke and attended the event. For those of you who did not, we will be releasing some videos (one below more to come on our YouTube channel) from the event over the coming weeks, and you can catch up with some of the photos from the day in the gallery below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

LEAF Marque in the Dairy Sector

This article from Mark Robins, Milk Pool Chairman, Marks and Spencer, originally appeared in ‘Dairy: A Green Future’, which is available online here.

Mark Robins ... "In dairying in particular, it is very easy to become a ‘busy fool’"

Dairy farming is a tough, relentless job which requires day-to-day commitment from those working on the farm with little time for a break, let alone time to reflect on where their business or dairy enterprise is going or why.

In dairying in particular, it is very easy to become a ‘busy fool’, tied to the cows and their need for daily routine without stopping to take stock.

The LEAF Audit offers you the chance to do just that: take stock. It gives the dairy farmer a usable template to review his business to discover what is being doing well and uncover what deserves attention and improvement. The LEAF Marque is a food label consumers and the food industry trusts.

As our consumers become more remote and distant from understanding how their food is produced, it is increasingly important to offer them reassurance that what we are doing is done with passion, is right and proper and something we do with pride.

LEAF has been championing the benefits of Integrated Farm Management for 20 years now. Traditionally viewed as an organistaion exclusively for arable or produce growers, it has been working hard to encourage livestock producers to get more involved. I urge you to do so.

---

About the Author

Mark Robins has been Estate Manager of the Farley Farms Estate (a privately owned 1,750 acre diversified rural Estate situated just south of Reading) since 2002. He has been representing Dairy Crest dairy producers since 1998 and has been M&S National Milk Pool Chair since April 2009, having previously been an M&S English Pool Rep for a number of years.

He sits on the Institute of Agricultural Management (IAgM) ‘Farm Management’ journal committee; is the Berkshire Local Director of the NFU Mutual and sits on various local committees representing farmers and the rural sector.

Farming Minister, Jim Paice MP, to Launch New Water Management Tool

With only a week to go until our President’s Event 2011: Valuing Resources, one of our biggest events of the year, we are pleased to announce Farming Minister, Jim Paice MP, will be launching our new Water Management Tool.

“Farmers need to meet the enormous challenge of producing almost 50 per cent more food by 2030. But alongside these pressures, urbanization, industrialization and climate change are all increasing the demands on limited water supplies. So to improve its water use and efficiency, agriculture will need to use innovative new methods such as LEAF’s Water Management Tool.”

- Jim Paice MP, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food.

LEAF’s Water Management Tool offers a complete health check for water use on farm. Split into 7 sections, it looks at better distribution and monitoring; improved irrigation; more efficient washing systems; protecting water quality; recycling and reuse. The practical, on-line tool helps farmers map their water use, assess risks, improve efficiency and, in turn, make significant savings on their water bills.

You can find out more about our Water Management Tool in our press release here and on Louise Manning’s blog here.

The Importance of Water Management

This post is by Louise Manning on LEAF’s Water Management Tool, which will be launched at our upcoming President’s Event next week

Water, together with soil, are the underpinning assets of any land based business. Access to water is becoming increasingly important for farmers especially when their farm businesses incorporate irrigated rather than rain-fed farm enterprises. The trend towards reducing diffuse water pollution and also adopting environmental schemes, such as the Higher Level Scheme, has also been a driver towards spring planting where soil moisture content is critical.

Louise Manning ... "Access to water is becoming increasingly important for farmers"

With this in mind, LEAF has developed its Water Management Tool to assist farmers to consider their current practices in managing water as a resource and whether there are opportunities to reduce their environmental footprint, drive business opportunities and save money at the same time. Many of these measures are simple, such as installing water meters or checking for leaks. Others are more complex so the tool is of use to businesses both at the start of considering their water use and those who already have more sophisticated controls in place.

LEAF’s Water Management Tool allows farmers, not only to measure their business water footprint in terms of water used per tonne of finished product, but also the colour spectrum of their water footprint in terms of rainwater stored in the soil as moisture (green water), surface and ground water (blue water) and reused or recycled water (grey water). The quality of the water the business is using in terms of chemical and microbiological standards will also affect the types of crops that can be grown on the farm and ultimately the productive and financial capacity of the business.

---

About the Author

Dr Louise Manning has a PhD in global food production and is a 2007 Nuffield Scholar. Her scholarship study was on global water policy and its impact on food production. Louise has worked in the food supply chain for twenty five years. Louise can be contacted at louise.manning@rac.ac.uk

---

Valuing Resources: why do we think it’s so important?

The team here at LEAF have been working hard over the last few months to organise our annual President’s Event. It’s all come together and we’ve got a fantastic line up of speakers. In fact, it’s come together so well that there are a limited number of spaces left already!

The theme of the event is ‘Valuing Resources’ and all the speakers will be talking around this theme. The ‘Valuing Resources’ theme has appeared a couple of times already this year with the launch of our ‘Simply Sustainable Soils’ guide and our new Water Management Tool , set to be launched at the event. It’s also been a recurring theme in Caroline Drummond’s blog posts and our “LEAF Talks…” events.

So, why do we think it’s so important? Ensuring world food security in light of changing demands and the impact of climate change may be some of the biggest challenges facing society this century, and we think the efficient use of the world’s resources are a big part of this. Through our popular ‘Simply Sustainable Soils‘ guide we’ve been helping many farmers manage their soil more efficiently and with the launch of our Water Management Tool happening in just a few weeks, we’re really helping farmers gear up to manage their resources more effectively.

Tackling these issues at our President’s Event on 2nd November will be; keynote speaker, Professor Sir David Baulcombe of the University of Cambridge, who will speak on the growing opportunity for plant genetics to address the challenges of sustainability. With other speakers including Allan Wilkinson, Head of Agriculture at HSBC Bank, Andrew Burgess, Director at Produce World, Chris Brown, Head of Ethical and Sustainable sourcing at Asda, Paul Dove, Technical Director at Molson Coors Brewing Company and the Rt Hon Michael Jack, Food and Agriculture Advisor to HSBC Bank.

If you would like to book one of the limited spaces for our President’s Event on the 2nd November 2011, Canary Wharf, London, please see our website here [Note: all places are now filled for LEAF's President's Event 2011 and we now have a waiting list, please get in touch with Evelyn See at LEAF for more information].

Trade-offs: we cannot have it all, or can we?

Image by Tim Daniels | Flickr

Meeting the food demands of a global population expected to increase to 9.1 billion by 2050, will require major changes in agricultural production systems. Future agricultural growth and food security will be driven by both demand and supply factors. On the demand side, demand for and prices of food, feed, fertilizer, energy, land and water; emissions mitigation and carbon sequestration; population growth, urbanization and ecosystem services will influence agricultural markets and food security.

From the supply side, climate change; water and land scarcity; science and technology policy; investment in agricultural research and management and governance reform that affect agricultural outputs, will be critical factors.

Any agricultural system which is going to address these increasing pressures must also take into account the following factors:

• Ecological – to enhance and use local ecosystem resources; develop and preserve biodiversity and valuable habitats; understand more effectively our relationship and interaction with nature; global commitments (Rio 20+, Nagoya); etc.
• Economic – to understand food prices and the value of the environment reflected in the price; integration of a green economy; economic perspectives on agricultural sustainability that value ecological assets; trading and offsetting resources; trade distorting subsidies; etc.
• Social and political – to identify the barriers and access to affordable food and water; the equity of technological change; engagement; group action and promotion of local institutions, culture and farming communities; political stability; etc.

The relative values that people place on different trade-offs between these three dimensions vary over time and place. Achieving a balance between them is one of the greatest challenges to achieving agricultural sustainability.

It is widely accepted that in seeking to address the need to produce more food from less resources, certain trade-offs will have to be made. How do we set the priorities and balance local needs, such as access to affordable food, safe and pleasant housing and access to nature, with the big global pressures of living beyond the ecological parameters of the world. As an industry, it is clear that we will have to think very hard about what these trade-offs are and how we assess them as well as our resulting decisions, how we make them, the timescales and their consequences.

Specifically:

• What are the wider issues that are influencing the decisions we make?
• What are the potential trade-offs?
• What factors need to be included in our assessment of trade-offs?
• What package of information and issues do farmers and landowners need to consider in making rational decisions?
• Where is the power?
• Who should make such decisions?
• What are the consequences of these decisions to wider society?

On Tuesday, we asked members of LEAF’s Policy and Strategic Development Committee to discuss these issues of Agricultural Trade-offs and Synergies. What are your thoughts? Comment below and let us know on twitter or facebook.