Farmers need to plant more trees to reach net zero target says new research from Cranfield University
Research says agriculture is responsible for 10% of UK greenhouse gas
Research carried out at Cranfield University in Bedford shows that farmers will need to plant more trees in order to hit the net zero target by 2050.
A new report from the Woodland Trust shows that farming with trees in England, is essential if the country is to meet nature and climate targets.
The report draws on new research from Cranfield University and reveals trees could lock up eight tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year over 30 years – eight tonnes of CO2 is equivalent to the annual emissions of a UK citizen.
Agriculture is responsible for 10% of UK greenhouse gas
The research explains that agriculture is responsible for 10 per cent of UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions with the net effect of “land use, land use change and forestry” responsible for another one per cent.
Establishing agroforestry on 10 per cent of arable land and 30 per cent of grassland could enable agriculture-related emissions to reach net zero by 2050 whilst maintaining high levels of food production. Integrating trees into farming systems will enable farms to become more resilient both economically as well as environmentally.
What they hope the research will achieve:
Paul Burgess, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and Agroforestry at Cranfield University, conducted the research and hopes it will inspire farmers to monitor their greenhouse gas emission. He says, "I think increasingly there will be pressure on each business to record their emissions and understand how they will get to net zero by 2050...but there are limits to that and one way to compensate for your greenhouse emission is to plant an increasing area of trees on your farm".
What should farmers do?
Andy Allen from the Woodland Trust, and lead author on the report says "food producers and other businesses need to take account for the emissions that their supply chains are producing so were arguing for closer relationships between businesses and farmers, particularly within food so you're trying to decarbonise your supply chain if you're a business."
He goes to explain the key things that need to be done to encourage farmers to contribute to hitting the net zero target by 2050, "there's two things that need to happen, if you do things on your farm which are good for the climate you should get paid for that. The second thing is the skills and knowledge that you need to do that".
What can we all do?
Paul Burgess, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and Agroforestry at Cranfield University, conducted the research and says everyone has a role to play in reaching the net zero target. He says, "Minimising our use of unnecessary car journeys, through our consideration of the flights we make, through our consideration of the food we eat, particularly the level of food we waste".
The report also shows that agroforestry would help address the biodiversity crisis by increasing the abundance and richness of farmland species, and birds and invertebrates in particular. It is estimated that the total number of breeding birds in the UK fell by 44 million between 1967 and 2009, and many once-common farmland birds are continuing to decline
Agroforestry is not only good for supporting wildlife but enhances soil health by improving soil structure and microbial diversity. It may also lead to passive benefits in other ecosystems services such as pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling and decomposition, all of which are essential for long-term sustainable food production.
The report, a culmination of ten months’ work, is timely given the Government is anticipated to outline its plans for the future of farming and land management policy on November 7. Speculation has arisen in recent weeks on the future of its post-EU policy, Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS), which is designed to pay farmers and landowners for public goods such as carbon mitigation and habitat restoration. This is essential as it provides the payments and support needed to implement agroforestry and support long term investment and wide scale implementation.
The report shows data which provides evidence for the necessity for the widescale uptake of agroforestry.