World Soil Day

5 December 2023

For #WorldSoilDay we’re looking back at a soil testing project completed earlier this year which gave 29 farmers an insight into the health of the soil on their farms.

The North Pennines National Landscape team worked with the Farm Carbon Toolkit on a project to look at soil health on farms across the North Pennines, funded through Defra’s Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme.

The project emerged following high levels of interest from local farmers who wanted to understand more about the soil on their land.

Beginning in October 2022, work began with interviews with farmers to help understand their current farm management and the wider farm context. This was followed by soil sampling across six fields on their farm to generate a baseline of existing carbon levels and soil quality from which any future changes can be measured. Each farm received a report detailing the soil test results and a plan with future management suggestions relating to soil health and carbon capture.

Molly Jones, Farming Support Officer for the North Pennines National Landscape team said: “Soil underpins the entire farm system. Healthy, well-managed soils support productive and resilient farm systems, and are some of the most important assets on a farm. A soil that can accumulate organic matter will sequester carbon, increase fertility and consequently improve productivity.”

Farm Carbon Toolkit looked at whether variations in management practices impacted the soil health and carbon content. Tests looked at the nutrient status, soil organic matter, soil carbon, aggregate stability, earthworm number and soil structure alongside vegetation scoring on a field-by-field basis.

Visit the Farming in Protected Landscapes web pages for more information on support available for farmers, landowners and land managers in the North Pennines National Landscape.