24 June 2011

HGCA, the cereals and oilseeds division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, has launched a new 16-page practical guide to inform growers of measures they can introduce on farm to encourage biodiversity.

The guide looks at simple techniques to enhance on-farm biodiversity. It promotes the efficient use of land without significantly affecting farm management and profitability. HGCA explained, “Biodiversity is valuable for more than just environmental reasons: it underpins the biological processes associated with agricultural production.”

The guide is based on the findings of the five year HGCA and Defra-funded project Farm4bio, which set out to determine whether acceptable levels of biodiversity could be achieved on conventional arable farms through the management of uncropped land.

The free guide, Enhancing arable biodiversity through the management of uncropped land, is available in .pdf format here.