Research project library

Building English Shelterbelt Trials for Productivity (BEST) is an ADOPT-funded, farmer-led trial investigating the benefits to livestock systems from the presence of improved hedgerow/windbreaks.

ORC will work with Gowbarrow Hall Farm in Cumbria to adapt and demonstrate an upland agroforestry model that integrates fruit and nut trees into cattle grazing systems to improve farm resilience, biodiversity and water management.

This project evaluates ten candidate soil health indicators for their suitability, evidence base and practical application to monitor soil health changes in UK farming systems. An interpretation framework for the top ranked indicators will be created

In this project ORC are working with the pioneering Wakelyns in Suffolk to achieve significant impact in the adoption of agroforestry at scale.

This project as part of a wider body of work funded by Farming the Future addresses market access barriers in agroforestry

The project explores Living Mulches, a promising arable farming system in which a legume understorey is sown under an arable crop and kept in situ for multiple years. The impacts of mulch species on crop performance, weeds and soil will be assessed.

The 'Farmer Action for Tree Resilience' project aims to understand what drives or limits farmers in managing tree health and resilience on their land.

Researchers from the ORC and the University of Portsmouth have been commissioned to undertake an economic evaluation of 10 pilot studies participating in Sustain’s Bridging the Gap programme.

The GreenGrass project will work with conventional dairy farmers who are striving to minimise their carbon footprint and improve efficiency through reduced use of N fertilisers.

Investigating the value of natural protection from browsable shrubs to establish new trees as wood pasture.

This project aims to promote the use of silvopasture to build resilience in the livestock sector of Ghana and Nigeria, by networking with stakeholders in these African countries, UK and Brazil.

The Optimum Shelterbelts project has delivered a suite of production and landscape protocols which will create knowledge of agroforestry systems in UK. These data are designed to be collected in the same timeframe, offering insights into how shelterbelts impact farming and nature over time.

The Joining the Dots project will lay the groundwork to develop a collaborative distribution network to catalyse growth of an agroecological food system in Cornwall.

The Feed the Soil project will build the knowledge base and develop practical advice for UK land managers on the best way to compost organic wastes and apply it (or its products) to produce a biologically active product to feed the soil.

ORC pilot study assessing the results and outcomes of a mini-grant scheme supporting tree planting activities as part of Defra’s Trees Outside Woodlands programme.

This Rapid Evidence Assessment will map the actors working within the Regenerative Agriculture community in the UK. The final discussion paper will be presented at a plant and soil science conference in March 2024 that will set the scene for future research activities in regenerative agriculture.

This project explores how the government’s targets of creating or restoring 30,000 miles of hedgerow by 2037 and 45,000 by 2050 can become a reality, looking at the opportunities and also potential barriers to achieving this goal.

Building on the recently completed Agroforestry Test 106, this project led by the Woodland Trust will develop different advice and guidance offers to farmers embarking on agroforestry and test their effectiveness in supporting successful design of agroforestry systems

This project aims to prove that connecting patches of woodlands together by hedgerows has a beneficial effect on the woodland ecology by providing a migratory bridge for species from one area to another.

The Organic Hop Varieties Field Lab is a participatory approach to variety testing and evaluation including the whole supply chain. The aim is to secure and improve availability and choice of UK grown organic hops to tackle the rapid decline in UK hop production since the 1960’s.

The goal is to ensure that produce traded through the Food Data Collaboration enables the vision of agroecology, food system fairness and nutrition for all.

The Marketing of Organics Project is a three-year ORC research programme, looking to identify clearer routes to growth in organic food supply chains and a better understanding of consumer perceptions of organic produce.

FOODLEVERS is a three-years research project (2020-2023) that aims to identify key leverage points to further develop and scale up existing innovative organic and sustainable food systems.

A six-month development project to scope a joined-up approach that would allow farmers and land-owners/managers to easily and simultaneously access relevant carbon markets for woodland, peatland, agroforestry and hedgerows.

LIVESEEDING aims to foster the growth of the organic sector and transition towards more sustainable local food systems by delivering high quality organic seed of diverse cultivars adjusted to organic farming for a wide range of crops.

The project explored the potential for the carbon captured and stored by trees in agroforestry systems to be quantified and potentially used to support the net zero strategies of farmers, land managers and their partners and funders.

H2021 European project OPER8 will share guidance and advice on effective alternative methods of weed control to herbicides, such as biological. cultural and mechanical techniques which are proven to be effective on farm against key weeds.

This project explores the potential of direct drilling cash crops into established stands of clover, also known as a living mulch and expanding our understanding and benefits of a living mulch.

REFOREST – was a 4 year-long Horizon Europe project, bringing together 14 institutions from 10 European countries with extensive expertise in this field. The consortium, which included ORC, will focused on supporting agroforestry in Europe and removing the barriers preventing its wider use. The project coordinator was the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, represented by the Department of Forest Management. Funded by the European Union. Views ...

The Public Goods Tool was designed to capture data about farm practices and represent the sustainability and produce of public goods. The PG Tool offers a simple way of visualising the state of a farm in relation to 12 indicators

The Re-Livestock project aims to promote best practice and resilience in livestock systems in the face of climate change.

The Organic at the Heart project aims to build communities around environmentally friendly farming through the development and demonstration of local hubs that embody the Organic Principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care.

Sharing knowledge and evidence of the value of agroforestry through a network of farms and initiatives across the UK working to balance the objectives of simultaneously and sustainably growing food, transition to the new ELM Scheme and contribute to ‘public goods.’

ORC is supporting Dartmoor National Park Authority Officers and the Voluntary Advisory Team in the development of a scorecard as part of their Dartmoor Environmental Land Management (ELMs) test and trial

Are you a farmer practicing or interested in agroforestry? Click here to receive project email updates or become more involved with this project.  *NEW* Agroforestry ELM test project blog can be viewed here *NEW* Project Leaders and Partners Project Aims The project investigates two factors, payment incentives and advice and guidance, that are significant barriers to increased uptake of agroforestry by UK farmers. Project findings will inform design of the UK Governments Environmental Land Management ...

The project investigates the opportunities given by mixed farming and agroforestry systems for carbon balance and climate change mitigation and adaptation

The study is looking at improving organic trade data statistics in the UK

WOOFS is a new EU-funded EIP Operational Group of researchers, farmers and foresters from the UK. The group is led byORC and formed to investigate the role of woodchip in soil health.

This EIP operational group compares alternative soil assessment methods specifically for organic dairy systems (Albrecht method, Soil Respiration, etc.), working with the farmers David Wilson, Lyndon Edwards and Wil Armitage in 3-year field trials.

DIVERSIFOOD will evaluate and enrich the diversity of cultivated plants within diverse agroecosystems so as to increase the performance and resilience of those systems while simultaneously increasing the range and quality of the produce for consumers.

Livewheat will establish a network of farmers and researchers, with broad stakeholders’ support, able to undertake on-farm experimentation and data collection to enable informed decision making for sustainable organic and low-input wheat production

the table of projects on the relevant team page.] The project aims to assess the public goods that are being delivered through agricultural practices, across two landscape areas using the Public Goods (PG) tool.

Minimising the use of contentious inputs in certified organic agriculture in Europe by providing research based decision support for actors in the organic sector, including policy makers, and thus reach the next level of the organic success story

This project uses participatory approaches to work with the established network of example farms in the UK, Germany and Austria to jointly develop a set of criteria (a) for farm health measurement and (b) for practical knowledge multiplication.

The project will help to provide an evidence base for future policy direction of organic agriculture in the UK following EU exit as well as exploring the issues surrounding the potential implications of introducing an independent organic labelling system.

The project aims to evaluate the ecological, agronomic, economic and social impacts of the pasture fed livestock approach to grazing management and its potential as the basis of a sustainable GB-wide system.

The project aims to help farmers, breeders and the organic feed processing industry achieve the goal of 100% use of organic and regional feed for monogastrics

Crop diversification systems for the delivery of food, feed, industrial products and ecosystems services - from farm benefits to value-chain organisation.

The Horizon 2020-funded DIVERSify project aims to optimise the performance of crop species mixtures (‘plant teams’) as a means to improve yield stability, reduce pest and disease damage, and enhance stress resilience in agricultural systems. ​

This project investigates marketing and communication strategies by which organic farmers try to include higher ethical values in their production, looking at which have proved most promising from the consumers’ view point in different countries.

EU H2020 research project boosting organic seed and plant breeding across Europe. 35 partners - 18 countries

AFINET will promote innovation in agroforestry through the development of a network, based on successful sharing of practical experiences and existing research knowledge, applied to different contexts, climates and agricultural sectors.

A study of the motivations, attitudes and experiences of farmers who have adopted agroecological farming, based on in-depth interviews with 14 farmers in England, Scotland and Wales and compared with two relevant models

The project will promote innovation through diversity-based ‘alternative’ cereal food systems in Europe through knowledge exchange and communities of practice adopting a bottom-up approach in multi-actor network.

The main objective of SustainFARM is to enhance agronomic, environmental and economic performance of integrated food and non-food production systems (IFNS) by optimizing productivity and valorizing woody components, residual wastes and co-products.

Innovation for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production in Europe (iSAGE) is making the European Sheep and Goat sectors more sustainable, competitive and resilient. These improvements come from strong collaboration between industry and research institutions.

Innovative Farmers is a not-for-profit network that gives farmers research support and funding on their own terms.

This project, part of SOLID, is investigating the potential of integrating bioenergy production from short rotation coppice with dairy systems for alternative feed resources, improved animal welfare, enhanced productivity and environmental benefits.

The study aims to identify and analyse the distribution of added value in the organic supply chain in the European Union.

Growing Resilient Efficient And Thriving Soils

Agricology was established by ORC with the aim of providing farmers and growers with trusted, practical information to support the transition to more sustainable and resilient farming systems.

OK-NET Arable aims to improve the exchange of innovative and traditional knowledge among farmers, farm advisers and scientists to increase productivity and quality in organic arable cropping all over Europe, in order to satisfy future market demand.

The Greenhouse Gas Research Platform is a Defra and devolved administration funded research programme that seeks to improve the accuracy and resolution of our greenhouse gas reporting system for UK agriculture

Developing an international network of producers, advisors, scientists and other stakeholders, to jointly elaborate new and interdisciplinary approaches to health measurement and health research in ecological agriculture.

This project assesses the question ‘How can the traditional method of grazing winter wheat with sheep optimised to control black-grass populations?’

The aim of ICOPP is to produce economically profitable feeding strategies based on 100% organic feed across Europe, which will supply poultry and pigs the required level of nutrients throughout their lives while supporting high animal health and welfare.

In the TILMAN-ORG project the ORC is collaborating with 15 partners across 10 European countries to investigate the effects of reduced tillage and green manures on organic farms.

Develop specific and novel breeding approaches integrated with management practices to improve performance, quality, sustainability and stability of crops adapted to organic and low-input systems in Europe and small-scale farms in Africa.

Report on on the contribution that agro-ecological systems and strategies can make to sustainable intensification in the UK and European context.

The aim of the WHEALBI project is to apply genomic, genetic and agronomic approaches to improve European wheat and barley production in competitive and sustainable cropping systems.

Working with 26 partners from across 23 European countries, this project aims to promote agroforestry practices in Europe that will advance sustainable rural development, i.e. improved competitiveness and social and environmental enhancement.

COBRA involves 41 partners from 18 European countries which will focus on coordinating, linking and expanding on-going organic breeding activities in cereals and grain legumes across Europe, drawing together experts from previously fragmented areas.

Working with the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) we are pooling our expertise to further develop methods for sustainability assessment and monitoring for organic farms.

Realising the economic potential of using biomass from landscape elements for local energy or heat production with respect for the current ecological, cultural and social functions that these landscape elements fulfil.

The aim is to evaluate Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 (Organic products) and implementing rules with respect to achieving its objectives and side effects, considering rules on organic production, control, labelling and trade with Third Countries.

The Duchy Future Farming programme supports innovation in sustainable agriculture. The programme will help British farmers identify and adopt practices that improve their productivity in an environmentally responsible way.

To improve and disseminate knowledge for new and better production strategies, methods and technologies to support sustainable and productive organic greenhouse/protected horticulture in the EU

OSCAR studies key factors influencing the success of cover cropping, incl. cultivation methods, machinery and suitable plant genotypes. It develops targeted systems for varied conditions in Europe and assesses them in organic and conventional agriculture.

The project aims to critically review current health concepts in agriculture, to develop new, comprehensive and consistent health concepts for ecological agriculture.

The project aims to increase the transparency of the European organic food market through better availability of market intelligence about the sector to meet the needs of policy makers and actors involved in organic markets.

The project aims to develop innovative methods, tools and concepts for the replacement of copper in European organic and low input fruit, grapevine, potato, and tomato production systems.

The work proposed will be a policy-focussed series of papers exploring the theme of a large-scale conversion to organic agriculture within the UK and the sector’s relative environmental and economic performance to non-organic/conventional farming.

Assist with the identification of cost of production for specific organic enterprises and environmental indicators using farm accountancy data (FADN)

Improving the technical performance and economic competitiveness of organic and low input dairy systems in Europe while maximising their potential to deliver environmental goods and enhance biodiversity. Includes a large component of farmer participation.

The publicataion provides up-to-date information on likely yields, prices and costs of production and relevant grants for organic farmers and advisors.

The project analyses public support measures addressing organic farming in relation to impact on number of organic farms, organic land area, market development and policy coherence.

The Programme for Organic Agriculture (BÖL) was set up in 2001 by the German Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (then BMVEL); the relevance, effectiveness and resource efficiency of its research component was evaluated in this project.

Analysis of financial performance of organic farming in terms of profitablity and enterprise persformance relative to previous years and in comparison to conventional based on the FBS/Defra Data Archive for 2009/10

Desk study exploring the potential to extend farm-level financial and technical benchmarking to cover the areas of energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, animal welfare and agri-environment and management practices.

This PhD aims: (i) to identify which goods and services agroforestry systems can deliver, (ii) to quantify the values of these services (ecologically and economically), and (iii) to inform the process of how policy can support these activities.

The OCIS public goods project produced a tool which is designed to provide a simple, measurable and accessible way to show the ‘Public Goods’ that accrue through organic farming systems and the addition of an OELS agreement.

The Eco-Agroforestry Network aims to bring the sustainable agroforestry approach into the mainstream of UK food, fuel, timber, and fibre production, through research, dissemination, and policy change.

MSc research project investigating the distribution of pests and diseases, and microclimatic differences, within a silvoarable system and arable control system.

A comprehensive review of research activities in temperate agroforestry systems was carried out to provide a basis for identifying the potential of agroforestry as a land use system that balances productivity with environmental protection.

The project conducts a monitoring programme for Potato virus Y and its vectors in Northern Finland in order to design viable virus control options for seed potato production.

The three year collaborative project aims to improve soil fertility building in leys by developing targeted species mixtures of green manures, in particular nitrogen-fixing legumes.

The main project objective is to generate research based knowledge on how to improve the organic food certification system in terms of efficiency, transparency and cost effectiveness.

The project tests weed control within the inter-row spacing of oilseed rape using various techniques. This includes positioning systems (e.g. vision-guided) and weed control methods (e.g. chemical and mechanical).