Five ways UK farmers are tackling climate change
This fascinating article helps explain how the UK is home to some of the most innovative and environmentally savvy farming practices in the world. It tells us:
Farmers are on the front line of climate change – vulnerable to changes in temperature and rainfall, as well as increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
They also face criticism, in particular over greenhouse gas emissions from the meat and dairy industry, with calls for a move to a more plant-based diet.
Agriculture is currently responsible for about 9% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from methane.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU), which represents 55,000 UK farmers, has set a target of net-zero emissions in British farming by 2040.
That is not enough for some environmentalists, who say a comprehensive overhaul of farming practices and a move to less intensive production is long overdue.
But some new and surprising changes are happening on the UK’s farms.
1. Scientists in Wiltshire are part of a growing group of experts around the world developing small battery-powered robots that could drastically cut tractor use.
2. Drones and tractor-mounted sensors are also being used to help farmers work out the exact patterns of moisture, weeds and pests.
3. Many environmental campaigners also believe applying new technology without fundamental change to intensive farming practices is not enough.
Nick Rau, of Friends of the Earth, says: “New technology is helpful – but simple, low-tech solutions, looking at whole farms over a number of seasons have been grossly neglected. “Nick believes there’s huge potential in a range of solutions and points, in particular, to tree planting.
4. Farmers who keep their animals outdoors for longer in the UK can help to cut emissions thousands of miles away.
5. Cutting methane emissions. Cows and sheep produce methane in their digestive systems. Methane produces 21 times as much warming in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Whilst carbon dioxide is the biggest concern for many other industries, in farming methane is a major worry.