A step change in compelling evidence on water quality impacts of agricultural practice
Lead Research Organisation:
Rothamsted Research
Department Name: Net Zero and Resilient Farming
Abstract
Runoff from agricultural land carries pollution which continues to cause problems for water quality nationally. Recent assessments suggest that the proportion of rivers in England meeting the necessary quality for 'good ecological status' has plateaued at 14%. Over 100 rivers in England have been assessed as being in 'bad' status. The water quality problems in our rivers have many serious implications including those for freshwater biology, water treatment costs and the quality of coastal bathing waters. Although the chemical quality and biological status of our rivers is monitored using a national network of river sites, which provides data for official reporting purposes, these sites are typically located at river catchment scales encompassing many kilometres squared meaning that the inputs from numerous upstream sources including farming and domestic septic systems are mixed.
Modern intensive farming has been identified as one key cause of water quality deterioration in conjunction with, for example, nutrient applications. Accordingly, current agricultural policy uses a mix of regulation, financial support (e.g. through agri-environment schemes) and on-farm advice to encourage farmers to enact best management practices designed to reduce water pollution. A key challenge here is that existing data on the impact of specific agricultural practices on the quality of water emitted from farmed land is sparse. Instead, existing monitoring capability provides evidence for the amalgamated impacts of different practices. The uptake of best management practices can therefore be resisted since stakeholders expect to see robust evidence for specific management options as an incentive for increased uptake of best practice. Replicated experimental platforms can be used to provide robust evidence on the links between farming practices and land cover and the chemical quality of runoff.
This proposal will use capital funding to improve (15 new state-of-the-art sensors) an existing National Capability research and engagement platform - the North Wyke Farm Platform in SW England, designed to test the sustainability of the two most spatially important farming systems (lowland grazing livestock and arable) across England. The capital funding will be used to procure and deliver a step change in the current water quality monitoring capability of the open access North Wyke Farm Platform to address an important strategic research need for robust evidence linking specific farming systems and best management practices therein to water quality impacts. All land management and monitoring data from the North Wyke Farm Platform are publicly available via a data portal and the platform is open to external researchers and stakeholders. The capital investment will therefore support a step change in the capability of multiple stakeholders to engage with or enact work on improving the collection of compelling evidence linking land cover or management to water quality.
Modern intensive farming has been identified as one key cause of water quality deterioration in conjunction with, for example, nutrient applications. Accordingly, current agricultural policy uses a mix of regulation, financial support (e.g. through agri-environment schemes) and on-farm advice to encourage farmers to enact best management practices designed to reduce water pollution. A key challenge here is that existing data on the impact of specific agricultural practices on the quality of water emitted from farmed land is sparse. Instead, existing monitoring capability provides evidence for the amalgamated impacts of different practices. The uptake of best management practices can therefore be resisted since stakeholders expect to see robust evidence for specific management options as an incentive for increased uptake of best practice. Replicated experimental platforms can be used to provide robust evidence on the links between farming practices and land cover and the chemical quality of runoff.
This proposal will use capital funding to improve (15 new state-of-the-art sensors) an existing National Capability research and engagement platform - the North Wyke Farm Platform in SW England, designed to test the sustainability of the two most spatially important farming systems (lowland grazing livestock and arable) across England. The capital funding will be used to procure and deliver a step change in the current water quality monitoring capability of the open access North Wyke Farm Platform to address an important strategic research need for robust evidence linking specific farming systems and best management practices therein to water quality impacts. All land management and monitoring data from the North Wyke Farm Platform are publicly available via a data portal and the platform is open to external researchers and stakeholders. The capital investment will therefore support a step change in the capability of multiple stakeholders to engage with or enact work on improving the collection of compelling evidence linking land cover or management to water quality.
