ASSIST Commercial Study Farm Network

The ASSIST programme aims to achieve sustainable agricultural systems. The purpose of the ASSIST Study Farm Network is to test innovative farming systems on commercial arable and grassland farms. A large-scale experiment across 20 farms aims to: (1) Sustainably reduce yield gaps; (2) Enhance natural processes underpinning food production; (3) Develop more profitable farming systems; (4) Increase longer term resilience of the agri-environmental system. UKCEH scientists assess multiple lines of evidence (biological, economic, agronomic) on system level viability, practicality and profitability. The resulting data and knowledge will inform agricultural industry practice through policy and grower decisions.
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Category
Field research platforms
Capabilities
The ASSIST Study Farm Network and experiment covers 10 arable farms and 10 grassland farms. Each arable farm provides three fields: Field 1: No intervention, business as usual; Field 2: Supporting ecosystem services (cover crops to enhance soils 2 yrs in 5 yrs), flower-rich field margins to enhance crop pest control/pollination; Field 3: Enhancing ecosystem services (cover crops and organic matter additions to enhance soils 2 yrs in 5 yrs), flower-rich field margins and in-field strips to enhance crop pest control/pollination. Each grassland farm tests sustainable livestock systems: replacing bagged fertilisers with native legumes; altered drainage to reduce emissions. Common scientific monitoring across arable and grassland farms includes: production; economics; soil health; biodiversity; pests; pollinators; plus CO2 emissions on selected farms. https://assist.ceh.ac.uk/content/testing-sustainable-solutions
Lifecycle
The ASSIST Study Farm Network was established in 2016 and will run until 2022 in the first phase. Funding has been secured for a further 5 years to 2027.
Uniqueness
The ASSIST Study Farm Network is nationally unique with data collected from a network of commercial farms across the UK.
Partners
Partners in the ASSIST experiment include: Rothamsted Research; British Geological Survey; Emorsgate Seeds; DLF Seeds Ltd; Precision Grazing Ltd; and 20 farms.
Access
The ASSIST Study Farm Network may be available for use by other research organisations, usually in collaboration with UKCEH: initial enquiries via Richard Pywell, UKCEH Wallingford. Users can access the data through the UKCEH ASSIST Data Catalogue.
Location
The ASSIST Study Farm Network and experiment includes 20 commercial farms located across central and eastern England.
Funding sources
The ASSIST Study Farm Network is primarily funded through the UKRI-NERC National Capability (LTSM): ASSIST programme.
Users
Users of the ASSIST Study Farm Network include: UKCEH researchers and PhD students; other UK and international researchers; Defra policy.
Keywords
Farm management, Wildlife, GHG, Greenhouse gases
Last updated
19 October 2022 12:48
Contact
Richard Pywell UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
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