Integrating trees into arable systems to improve soil health & provide resilience to climate change

Mitigating climate change and adapting to its impacts are two of the foremost challenges in agriculture. In the UK, increasing droughts and periods of heavy rain has significantly reduced arable production in recent years. This, in combination with policy changes and burgeoning carbon credit schemes (i.e. where farmers are paid to store carbon), has brought climate change to the forefront of farmers' minds, and there is growing interest in finding new ways to both mitigate and adapt to its impacts.
Agroforestry can contribute to climate change mitigation, and the practice of silvoarable farming (i.e. intercropping arable crops with trees) is gaining traction in the UK. Recent studies have shown that it can increase carbon sequestration, reduce net greenhouse gas emissions and support more biodiversity than traditional arable systems. In addition to helping to mitigate climate change, silvoarable systems may also be more resilient to the impacts of climate change. For example, they have more complex root structures, and this could help soils to maintain the water they need in times of drought or heavy rain. Despite this, silvoarable farming is rare in the UK, and many knowledge gaps remain. Very little is known about the impact of silvoarable farming on soil biodiversity and health, and as soils are the foundation of agricultural production, it is imperative that this knowledge gap is addressed.
this prjoject investigates the impact of silvoarable farming on soil health and experimentally test climate resilience using a drought experiment. As the impact of silvoarable farming may change as the trees mature, you will study this using a 22-year tree-planting gradient. We have partnered with five silvoarable farms across Southern England to conduct this experiment.
Objectives and hypotheses
1) Determine the impact of silvoarable farming on soil health by comparing arable fields with silvoarable fields along a 22-year tree-planting gradient. You will measure soil biodiversity, soil physical properties (e.g. soil porosity), and soil chemical properties (e.g. carbon).
2) Determine the extent to which silvoarable farming can increase the resilience of arable farming to climate change by conducting drought experiments using tents. You will compare soil properties and crop yield and quality between tented areas and open areas in silvoarable and arable sites to test which system is more resilient to drought.
3) Disseminate the findings to the scientific community, the agricultural sector and the public via conferences, publications, and wider media.
Outcomes
This study will provide the key evidence needed to assess the impact of silvoarable farming on soil health and climate resilience. Working with our industry stakeholders LEAF and the Woodland Trust, we will ensure that our findings are disseminated to farmers, thereby increasing the sustainability of UK farming.