WHEAT FARMING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Technology has made wheat farming in the UK more productive. But production has to be sustainable. It's no good producing a lot of wheat today if it badly affects the land (and your production) tomorrow. 'Integrated farming' means managing crop production for profit as well as the environment.

Integrated farm management

Integrated farm management (IFM) incorporates natural processes into modern farming techniques, so there is good production but the environment is also looked after. Farmers have to demonstrate improvements to the quality of the soil, water, air, wildlife and the landscape. IFM involves:

Crop rotation: If crops are grown in the same place year after year, pests and diseases build up in the soil. 'Rotating' the crops – or planting a different crop in the same area each year – helps to keep the soil productive and improve the yield of the crop. A well-planned crop rotation can reduce the amount of fertilisers needed, and cut down pollution and soil erosion.

Soil management: The content of soil changes over the years as crops and products (e.g. fertilisers, pesticides) are added to it, and crops are removed during harvesting. Soil can also be eroded by water, especially if the ground is sloping or the soil is sandy. Good soil management improves soil structure and reduces environmental problems.

Planting: Choosing the right variety of seed, and when you sow it, can cut down crop protection costs.

Weed and pests: It is important to manage and not just control them. Pesticides are used on UK crops including wheat, but the amount used has fallen, as new products which can be used at lower doses become available. There has also been a big drop in the use of older, more environmentally-damaging pesticides. Today's farmers must balance using pesticides to ensure a good crop yield with protecting the environment.

Diseases: Good crop planning, choice and fungicides all help to cut down disease.

Fertilisers: Fertilisers are added to the soil to increase the yield of the crop. They work by providing one or more of the essential ingredients that plants need for growth: nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K). Farmers may use organic fertilisers (e.g. manure, waste crops) or inorganic products (e.g. ammonium nitrate). They have to be used carefully to avoid polluting the environment. The chart shows the amount of different fertilisers used on major crops over a year. Over the past 10 years, the use of nitrogen fertiliser has remained fairly constant. The use of phosphate and potassium fertilisers has gone down, as farmers try to keep costs down and protect the environment.

Other environmental initiatives

Encouraging biodiversity

All crops affect the biodiversity of an area, but farmers often take steps to reduce the impact of their crops. For example, leaving unsown patches in winter cereal fields helps birds such as skylarks use the fields to find food and raise more young later in the season. Also, 'beetle banks' (uncultivated strips of land which lie across the field) encourage beetles, providing food for birds.

Uncropped Land

Some farmers may choose not to cultivate part of the arable land they own. This may be because the land is unprofitable to produce arable crops on (for instance, if the soil involved is less suitable) or it may be because the farmer recognizes and wants to capture environmental benefits from leaving the land fallow. In 2009, Defra estimated that about 4% of total UK croppable area was left uncropped.

Environmentally sensitive areas (ESA)

There are currently 22 areas in the UK covering around 10% of agricultural land. Farmers are paid if they manage their land in ways that will conserve the traditional environment.

Environmental stewardship

This is a scheme which provides funding to farmers and other land managers in England to deliver effective environmental management on their land. Its main objectives are to:

• conserve wildlife (biodiversity)
• maintain and enhance landscape quality and character
• protect the historic environment and natural resources
• promote public access and understanding of the countryside.

Environmental stewardship has three elements:

• Entry Level Stewardship (ELS)
  Open to all farmers and landowners
  Simple and effective land management
• Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS)
  Organic strand of ELS
  Open to all farmers not receiving Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) aid
• Higher Level Stewardship (HLS)
  Targeted environmental management
  Capital work plans

English woodland grant scheme

Launched in 2005, the scheme gives farmers grants to help plant woodland trees or hedgerows on their land. Between 2000 and 2005, the Woodland Grant Scheme supported the creation of 28,262ha of new woodland in England (approximately 28 million new trees planted).

The creation of new woodlands and forests:

• provides economic returns, e.g. timber
• enhances the environment, e.g. the landscape
• provides new areas for recreation.

The Woodland Grant Scheme also aims to:

• encourage good management of forests and woodlands, including their regeneration, particularly looking after ancient and semi-natural woodlands
• provide jobs and improve the economy of rural areas and other areas with few other sources of economic activity
• provide a use for land instead of agriculture.

Cereal crops and greenhouse gases

Crops provide a 'sink' for carbon – photosynthesis 'fixes' carbon in plants and carbon is returned to the soil in plant residues. The greenhouse gases involved in global warming are nitrous oxides, methane and carbon dioxide. Less than 1% of UK carbon dioxide emissions come from agriculture.

Other uses for cereal crops

Sustainable development also involves finding new uses for cereal crops. There is a lot of potential for using cereal crops for non-food uses, e.g. to produce renewable fuel such as bio diesel and bio ethanol. The HGCA is one organisation which awards funding to companies looking to develop non-food uses for cereals. One company has used cereal crops to make sealants for the oil exploration industry. Another has used wheat flour to make packaging material.

Topics for 11-14 year olds

• Curriculum relevance for 11-14 year olds