Cranfield University in collaboration with Rothamsted Research, NIAB, Newcastle University and University of East Anglia have received funding from Defra to cooperate in a multidisciplinary project entitled Knowledge gaps and research priorities to optimise the use of organic amendments for sustainable intensification of UK agricultural systems. As part of this project, two workshops will be organised in East Anglia and South West to cover the arable and livestock areas respectively. It is recognised that the processes and challenges are different for the two sectors, but there are also opportunities for overlaps in knowledge and opportunities, which can be optimised.
The overall goal of the project is to identify knowledge gaps that are limiting the efficient and effective use of organic amendments in UK agriculture and to rank and prioritise these gaps. The proposed project will devise a comprehensive and ambitious action plan to strengthen the evidence base, giving farmers and policy makers more confidence in the use of these materials in restoring and conserving the health of agricultural soils that underpin UK agribusinesses.
This is an invitation to farmers, policy makers, researchers, waste management companies, fertiliser companies and researchers to attend the workshop free of charge. Participants to this workshop are invited to share their practical experiences of using organic amendments in the arable sector. They are expected to benefit from interaction with others in the sector and gain new insights to opportunities that could become available in the near future. They can also influence in prioritising knowledge exchange activities and new research if needed to further advance use of organic amendments in the arable sector. There will also be discussions on possible interactions with the livestock sector to full embrace the circular economy approach. BASIS point are guaranteed for those who need to collect them.
