The Soil Association Videos 15d ago

The Soil Association hosted event at Woodoaks Farm focusing on how agroforestry (planting trees on farmland) can help reduce flood risk and benefit water management. We welcomed farmers, land managers and interested people to the farm for a walk and presentation to learn more. Soil Association regularly hosts farm events to deep dive into topics relevant for farming in today's climate. For more information on our events visit our website: https://www.soilassociation.org/for-business/farmers-growers/farming-events/ Ambassador Liam McNulty was at the event to capture some content and to share his own experiences with agroforestry. Farm Advisor Josiah has been researching an agroforestry PhD and some key findings include: 1. To reduce run-off from storms, trees planted on shallow slopes near the river itself are significantly more effective. Modelling showed that even planting a whole site with trees (in this case a 40 fold increase in tree cover) only gives a 1.6 increase in run off mitigation. The "right tree in the right place" maxim is particularly true in this scenario. 2. The width of tree alleys in agroforestry systems influences how much benefit to the soil the trees provide to the crops in between. The optimal distance for nutrient benefit seems to be 12m. Perhaps counter-intuitively, tighter planting can be more beneficial. The farm walk was led by Rose and Steve from Woodoaks, looking at hedges, tree alleys in a silvoarable system and woodland management on the farm. The afternoon was an interactive workshop co-designing an Innovative Farmers study into how trees can help manage water on farms, using the attendant farmers' farms as hypothetical case studies. Key takeaways from the event * Participants identified surface runoff, nutrient loss, and soil water storage as key challenges, with interest in how trees can help slow flow and improve infiltration. * There is clear interest for practical evidence on agroforestry design, particularly on layouts, species, and approaches can deliver measurable water and soil benefits. * Current barriers to uptake include cost, confidence, and proving impact, highlighting the importance of farmer-led trials to test solutions in real farm systems.