PhD opportunity. Tree species choice in agroforestry systems: do mycorrhizal associations affect soil microbiomes and crop yields?
26th Oct 2021
This project, at the Department of Biology, University of York, is part of the NERC ACCE Doctoral Training Partnership. About the Project Agroforestry systems have the potential to play an important part in maintaining ecosystem…
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Film: What farmers have learnt from the living mulch field lab
26th Oct 2021
Living mulches offer a way to build fertility without tillage or synthetic inputs, while sequestering more carbon and cutting costs. But can they be achieved without a significant yield penalty? Six farmers have been working with…
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Defra Future Farming Innovation Programme: applications open
26th Oct 2021
Defra and UKRI have released further details on their programme of long-term funding to support agricultural innovation. Bioeconomy and agroforestry is one of the themes In partnership with UKRI, Defra is encouraging farmers, growers, foresters and businesses to get involved in…
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Cultivating a healthy work culture on your farm
20th Oct 2021
Join the Landworkers' Alliance for a webinar and workshop looking at how to cultivate a healthy work culture on your farm. CULTURE ON YOUR FARM'. The LWA are delighted to be hosting Agricola Farm Co-operative…
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Mark Measures' dedication to organic farming celebrated at 40th anniversary event
11th Oct 2021
Mark Measures, who had been at the ORC since joining Elm Farm Research Centre as the Farm Manager in 1983, was commended on his dedication and support for organic farming, advice and research at ORC's…
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40 years of industry-leading organic research celebrated
11th Oct 2021
Originally established as the Elm Farm Research Centre in 1981, over the last forty years the organisation has delivered pioneering research that has helped transform the organic sector in the UK and beyond. During this…
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The future of organic farming and priorities for research
11th Oct 2021
Andrew Burgess (Chair of the NFU Organic Forum), Christine Watson (Professor at SRUC/ORC Trustee), Ian Wilkinson (Co-founder of FarmED) and Ashley Wheeler (YOFY 2021 award winner and grower) joined a panel discussion chaired by Janet…
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Winner of ORC's Young Organic Farmer/ Grower of the Year Award announced
11th Oct 2021
Ashley Wheeler and Kate Norman of Trill Farm Garden, Musbury, Devon, were announced as winners of ORC's first YOFY award at a special 40th anniversary event at FarmEd on 30th September 2021. YOFY winners Kate…
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NEW REPORT: The Promise of Agroforestry (LWA)
4th Oct 2021
The Landworkers' Alliance have released a new report which takes a close look at eight different agroforestry projects in the UK, highlighting the benefits of these agroforestry systems as well as teasing out some the lessons…
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Defra unveils 'plans to unlock power of gene editing'
29th Sep 2021
New plans to 'unlock the power of gene editing to help our farmers grow more resistant, more nutritious and more productive crops' have been published today as part of the UK Government response to the…
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Future Farming Resilience Webinar Series
27th Sep 2021
The Future Farming Resilience Programme, developed in partnership with the Landworkers' Alliance and the Pasture Fed Livestock Association, has launched with a programme of 20 webinars, designed to help farmers to identify what changes and…
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Defra-funded workshops to structure ELM policy for agroforestry – come and have your say
15th Sep 2021
The Agroforestry ELM Test is the principal project helping to structure post-Brexit Environmental Land Management (ELM) policy for agroforestry, and is led by the Organic Research Centre, with partners from the Woodland Trust, Soil Association,…
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Boosting hedgerows by 40% would create 25,000 jobs, new ORC research for CPRE reveals
6th Sep 2021
In this research, commissioned by CPRE, the countryside charity, and undertaken independently by the Organic Research Centre, we provide an evidence-based analysis of the environmental and economic benefits of hedgerows. The research investigates what 40%…
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Free farm resilience support and advice
26th Aug 2021
We’re pleased to be part of a successful collaborative bid to Defra's Future Farming Resilience Fund led by the Landworkers Alliance and partnering with the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA). This fund aims to support farmers…
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How can agroforestry contribute towards biodiversity conservation?
20th Aug 2021
In October this year, national representatives will gather for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15). During which they will work to review progress in the…
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Organic Matters
11th Aug 2021
Horticultural Conference hosted by the Organic Growers Alliance The OGA has announced their second Organic Matters conference. The conference will be a day long event for experienced horticulturalists and new entrants based at Stretford Public…
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OF&G's National Organic Combinable Crops 2021
2nd Aug 2021
Ambrogio Costanzo presenting at NOCC21. Photo: OF&G Now in its fourteenth year OF&G’s #NOCC21 was an amended version due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions still in place at the time. A full report…
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Growing the staples
26th Jul 2021
Join the OGA in this webinar exploring field-scale production. How can we grow the basic crops efficiently yet regeneratively? About this event While many new entrants are being drawn into growing vegetables on a small,…
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New paper on farm network field-scale, cultivar evaluation of organic wheat
23rd Jul 2021
A new open access paper on our work on organic wheat variety trialling, arising out of the LIVESEED project, has been published in Agronomy for Sustainable Development. Cultivar choice and post-emergence weed management strategies are…
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Historic reform to food system needed to protect the NHS, improve the health of the nation and save our environment
22nd Jul 2021
The National Food Strategy has called on the Government to commit to a historic package of reforms in order to build a better food system for a healthier nation. In a landmark report, food entrepreneur…
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Ten minutes with Lubna Arif-Schmidt
22nd Jul 2021
Would you like to get to know the ORC staff, learn more about what they are working on at the moment and find out what inspired them to pursue a career in organic research? To…
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The Case for Local Food
21st Jul 2021
Building better local food systems to benefit society and nature This report from Sustain presents a vision for a revival in localised, nature-friendly food systems, supported by investment in infrastructure, skills and co-ordination, alongside policies…
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'State of Seed' survey results and Seed Diversity and Resilience Exchange Opportunity
21st Jul 2021
'The State of Seed' survey results and report. In Spring 2021 the Landworkers’ Alliance and the Gaia Foundation Seed Sovereignty Programme worked together to survey farmers and growers across the UK to gather the views…
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Soil – the heart and soul of organic growing
21st Jul 2021
Growing in soil is vital for the integrity of organic production. Join the OGA for this evening webinar reaffirming the importance of soil. This session will explore the reasons why soil is so important to…
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