Soil Association – Trees on Farms
Soil Association’s Trees on Farms programme is supporting farmers across the UK to integrate trees into their farming systems to achieve their environmental, animal welfare, and business goals.
Over 70% of UK land is farmland, holding one-third of the nation’s woodland and 500,000 miles of hedgerows, making it a major opportunity for landscape-scale nature recovery. However, much of this farm woodland is neglected and there remain swathes of land bereft of trees.
Trees and hedgerows can provide vital habitats and improve carbon sequestration, soil health and water regulation, while offering shelter and fodder for livestock. They can also produce crops, creating new financial opportunities for farm businesses. There is growing interest and increasing policy support, and what farmers now need is practical, locally relevant advice and evidence to make these systems work for their farms.
Supported by the Elgol Fund for Nature over two years, Trees on Farms combines practical delivery with applied research and knowledge exchange through:
- Farmer learning networks, visits, and bespoke advice will help farmers gain and share essential knowledge.
- Farmer-led trials and economic case studies will strengthen the evidence for agroforestry’s benefits and improve understanding of best practice.
- Webinars, films and online resources will make this learning more accessible to farmers across geographies and in years to come.
- The Soil Association will continue to work with policymakers across the UK to strengthen funding, advice and policy support for trees on farms.
The ambition is not simply to plant more trees, but to integrate them into productive farming systems. The project will build farmers’ skills and confidence, increase uptake of agroforestry and demonstrate its environmental and economic benefits.
In the longer term, it aims to make agroforestry and the sustainable management of farm woodlands and hedgerows mainstream farming practice, contributing to more connected, biodiverse and resilient landscapes, and a stronger farmed woodland economy.
Elgol Fund for Nature has committed support to the Trees on Farms programme, subject to the Soil Association securing the remaining funding needed to deliver the programme in full. The Soil Association is therefore currently seeking match funding from other funders to complete the project budget. Please contact sarahwilliams@soilassociation.org for more information.
Elgol Fund for Nature is very supportive of the programme and its ambition to help make agroforestry, farm woodland and hedgerow management a more practical and widespread part of UK farming.
To find out more please visit Agroforestry | Soil Association
All photos courtesy of the Soil Association
