IFM Quarterly - Summer 2021

IFM

QUARTERLY

SUMMER 2021

LEAF Marque

Driving sustainable global impacts

Regenerative Agriculture

Reducing your Carbon Footprint

What does it mean for us?

All the latest research, updates & news around Integrated Farm Management www.leafuk.org

@LEAF_Farming

LinkingEnvironmentAndFarming

Welcome to the

summer issue of the

IFM

Quarterly!

A warm welcome f rom LEAF’s Chief Executive,

Caroline Drummond MBE

F

armers are at the front line of addressing climate change. Reaching net zero is a cornerstone of new agricultural policy, with the UK farming industry as set by the NFU, committed to being net zero by 2040 - 10 years ahead of the government's 2050 target for the UK as a whole.

We strongly believe that farmers are up for this challenge, but it will require new innovations, improved efficiencies and changes in farm management.

More integrated, regenerative farming systems are key to helping farmers meet these crucial carbon reduction targets, while producing high quality food and maintaining profitability. This issue examines what regenerative farming means on the ground and how through Integrated Farm Management we are looking to drive forward real and lasting change to the world’s carbon problems.

We also highlight the successes of our LEAF Marque growers, following the launch of our ninth Global Impacts Report at the end of March. The report shows the strides our growers are making not only to reduce their carbon footprint but in more sustainable soil, water and waste management as well as enhancing biodiversity, monitoring animal welfare and building strong community connections. With some 45% of UK fruit and veg LEAF Marque certified, we are extremely proud of all that our members are achieving.

LEAF is about advancing better, smarter, more sustainable farming solutions.

We know that this cannot be delivered in isolation. It is a collective priority.

We are incredibly honoured to be involved in a growing number of projects with partners here in the UK to address shared sustainability challenges.

You will find updates on all of them in the following pages.

This is a critical time for sustainable farming, food and the environment. In England, we are transitioning away from the CAP to a new support structure.

The UN Food Systems Summit in July will examine the way the world produces and consumes food and of course, COP26 in November will see world leaders come together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

As an organisation, we have signed up for Race for Zero. A global campaign run by the COP26 Presidency and High-Level Climate Champions to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions and investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon world. We are now assessing areas where we can work with you to accelerate change as farming gears itself up to be part of the solution.

Finally, we hope to see many of you over the coming months – we are very much looking forward to getting out and about on farm and you will find us at Groundswell (23rd - 24th June) and Cereals (30th June – 1st July). Finally, we are extremely excited to be running a ticketed, socially distanced live Open Farm Sunday this year and hope that many of you will be getting involved on the 27th June.

Our growing Technical Team is made up of agricultural professionals with practical farming and research experience.

Together, they are driving forward LEAF’s farmer-led, ‘science into practice’ approach through our LEAF Network, technical resources, and events. The LEAF Marque team are focused on strengthening the opportunities in the marketplace, to reward farmers for their environmental commitments.

Each issue of the IFM Quarterly, you will be welcomed by a member of the Technical Team - so you can get to know the faces behind our new and updated team!

H

ello, I’m Emily Trivett. I joined LEAF in Autumn 2019 after a gap year living and working in Western Australia as a combine operator followed by working as a dairy assistant on a 2000 herd dairy farm outside of Christchurch in New Zealand. I have always had a love and passion for food and farming and you could say it’s in my blood as I come from a farming family in Warwickshire.

After studying a BSc in Agricultural and Crop Management at Harper Adams University, I knew I wanted my career in the agricultural industry to have a focus around the environment and sustainability and have always been inspired by the work carried out at LEAF, so I jumped at the chance to join the team and haven’t looked back!

My role at LEAF is the Technical Coordinator of European projects. Currently I manage and work on 8 European projects funded by the Horizon 2020 (H2020) funding framework.

The topics of the projects range from IPM, to Earth Observation, Intercropping, Carbon and Crop Diversification. All the projects share the core objectives of increasing awareness of sustainability and building a better future for the environment. Within these projects we are involved in a number of different activities, from test and trials to demonstration, communication and dissemination it really is a varied role and there is nothing more fulfilling than sharing project outcomes to our network and seeing the interest and uptake of new and exciting innovations!

One of the most rewarding parts I find about my work at LEAF and within European projects is the relationships we build across the whole value chain from farmers, agronomists, consultants, and organisations not only in the UK but right across Europe and further afield, where we share the same passion of building, inspiring and enabling sustainable farming.

To hear more about these exciting projects, check out the projects update section in this issue of the IFM Quarterly which will become a more regular feature as work develops.

If you are interested in any projects and collaborations, please do get in touch via email at emily.trivett@leafuk.org.

Contents Summer 2021 6

LEAF Marque - Driving sustainability global impacts

8

Regenerative Agriculture

14

A reflection on our 2021 Global Impacts Report

What is it & what does it mean for us?

Reducing your Carbon Footprint Integrated approaches to reduce emissions & increase carbon sequestration

18

LEAF ELM Update

22

LEAF Demonstration Farm Feature

23 24 28 32

Key f indings

Rainwater Harvesting at Church Farm with Jeremy Padf ield

LEAF Open Farm Sunday 2021 All the details about #LOFS21 & how to get involved

Project Updates A round-up of all our project activities

SolACE Project Update An overview of the project & the latest trials

News, Events & Catch Up LEAF’s Technical Webinars, shows we are attending & anything you might have missed

5

LEAF Marque certification

Driving global sustainability impacts Jess Corsair LEAF Technical Coordinator jessica.corsair@leafuk.org

Gaining insight into the impact of LEAF Marque certification is crucial for continuous improvement of our standards. Good monitoring and evaluation is needed to verify whether our system is delivering the impacts promised by the LEAF Marque logo.

LEAF Marque have a well-established monitoring and evaluation (M&E) programme where we provide information on impacts, growth, and the economic, environmental, and social benefits of achieving and maintaining LEAF Marque certification. LEAF Marque conducts the M&E programme through several means, including impacts reporting and independent evaluations to provide a transparent and impartial evaluation of LEAF’s effectiveness in delivering the mission and vision. Currently, LEAF are working on our next independent evaluation with Mike Read Associates (MRA) looking into “The Added Value of LEAF Marque Beyond Certification” which will build on the previous independent studies carried out by the Countryside and Community Research Institute on the “Effects and Impact of LEAF Marque”.

LEAF also presents a yearly impacts report which outline the achievements of LEAF Marque certified business’s over the year.

On Friday 26th March 2021, LEAF launched its ninth Global Impacts Report celebrating the impacts of LEAF Marque certified businesses as well as providing updates on a number of LEAF’s joint partnerships with the likes of Corteva, Jordans Farm Partnership and Vitacress Farm Excellence.

The launch event was the grand finale of the Zoom into LEAF Marque week which was five days of virtual ‘surgeries’ with LEAF Marque growers, supply chain partners, policy makers and the LEAF Marque team. A week of honest conversations about how we can address the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges and scale up what is working.

Biodiversity on LEAF Marque certified businesses: This year, there are LEAF Marque certified businesses in 21 countries across the world, with UK, Spain, France, Italy, and Egypt as the top 5 countries. There are 153,792ha of fruit and vegetables, 142,329ha of combinable crops, 3,015ha of flowers and ornamentals and 54,700 animals reared to the LEAF Marque Standard.

This is an incredible achievement from our farmers and shows the wide range of different LEAF Marque certified food available for people to buy and enjoy. This year 45% of UK grown fruit and vegetables are LEAF Marque certified, with this amount increasing year on year. Amazingly, 98% of leek, 95% of broccoli and celery and 90% of lettuce are LEAF Marque certified, so consumers buying these products in UK certified are most likely to be eating sustainably produced food.

Another significant achievement is how LEAF Marque growers are continuing to benefit biodiversity. Driving Nature-based Solutions has always been a key part of LEAF Marque and through implementing Integrated Farm Management, our farmers work with and for nature. They are consistently enhancing biodiversity year on year, with the range and diversity of different habitat areas increasing such as hedges, pond, trees, and habitat banks.

These habitats are helping to improve on-farm biodiversity and will provide habitats, food, water, shelter, nesting sites, and essential corridors for movement to a variety of species; including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, insects and pollinators.

In addition, LEAF Marque farmers are providing services to biodiversity under foot, with root systems improving soil structure and health, and promoting beneficial soil microbes, such as bacteria and fungi.

As we look to improve positive action for climate change, healthy crops, improved soil structure, trees and hedges are all part of the carbon cycle, absorbing atmospheric carbon and storing to aim to deliver Net Carbon Zero targets. This just proves the interrelated nature of farming and the environment to work together.

13% habitat area 7,228,444m of hedges (UK to Kenya) 1,062 ponds 221,860m of habitat banks (London to Sheff ield) 383,768 in-f ield trees 1,999,434m of non-hedge boundaries 629 reservoirs The LEAF Marque businesses are also showing fantastic achievements within the Energy Efficiency section with 278 farms monitoring energy, and 67% of farms having one or more types of renewable energy on farm. As our growers are increasing turning to systems that track their energy use, they are also focused on monitoring their Greenhouse Gas Emissions with 39% using a Carbon Footprint tool. By monitoring energy use and their carbon footprint, the farmers are able to identify key areas where savings can be made or energy use can be transferred to more sustainable sources such as solar, wind or hydro energy, as well as utilising on farm waste in anaerobic digester plants.

Read the full report here

Regenerative Agriculture - what does it mean for us?

Rebecca Davis LEAF Technical Assistant rebecca.davis@leafuk.org

New phrases and terms get introduced to our industry all the time, but only a select few stick and become the norm. More recently, “regenerative agriculture” has been having its turn in the spotlight, but what is it, and what does it mean for us?

As with many other agricultural systems, regenerative agriculture (RA) as first defined by a distinct movement in the USA in 1980s is based on its own set of 5 core principles (see below). Regenerative agriculture aims to revitalise and regenerate the soil and wider environment, not just minimise the impact of production.

5 core principles of regenerative agriculture: 1. Keep the soil surface covered, as much as possible 2. Try to limit the amount of physical and chemical disturbance of the soil, as much as possible 3. A wide diversity of plants is encouraged to increase soil biodiversity 4. Keep living roots in the soil, for as much of the year as possible 5. Integrate grazing livestock into the system

Since this movement emerged, a wide range of definitions combining practices and outcomes have been identified by both researchers and practitioners seeking to improve the health of land, soil, systems, and communities through farming ‘regeneratively’. Within this ever-widening conversation, the dominant themes remain reduced tillage, cultivating biodiversity, retention of organic matter and systemic crop health1.

Many of you will be thinking “well I have always considered these things, so what’s so new about regenerative agriculture?”. The principles that underpin regenerative agriculture align closely with the integrated approach to farming through LEAFs Integrated Farm Management (IFM) and as supporting practices within the LEAF Sustainable Farming Review. We are therefore confidently able to say that for over 30 years, LEAF has been developing and promoting regenerative agricultural practices and approaches through Integrated Farm Management (IFM).

Regenerative agriculture is not solely based on the outcomes, nor the practices and tools used – it is a mindset that takes you on a journey and involves generation as well as regeneration and as a consequence sits well with IFM and our work at LEAF; •

Regenerating the health of our soils

•

Generating knowledge, collaboration, and relationships

•

Generating healthy and resilient food and farming solutions

•

Regenerating land and ecosystems

•

Generating value

•

Generating carbon and wider climate change solutions

A recent workshop run by the Agri-tech Centre CHAP on Regenerative Agriculture asked, “What does Regenerative Agriculture mean to you?”.

Unsurprisingly, soil and carbon were the most popular answers with biodiversity, sustainable, restoration, sequestration, holistic and health following up behind. Improved soil health and carbon sequestration are two of the key focus areas from implementing regenerative practices and are many RA farmers goals.

1Newton et al, 2020

9

Why regenerative agriculture?

There is a clear case for climate action; rising temperatures are driving natural disasters, weather extremes, environmental degradation, food and water insecurity, economic disruption, terrorism, and conflict. With sea levels rising, the Arctic melting, coral reefs dying, forests burning, and oceans acidifying, it is clear that “business as usual” is not going to be enough. Now is the time to act. Agriculture has a unique opportunity to act as a carbon sink and contribute to the global collective action for change, with the goal not just being sustainability but positive redress of issues including net emissions, biodiversity loss and social inequality.

LEAF’s work to address all three areas of sustainability, namely economic, social, and environmental- through the development and demonstration of IFM continues to tackle these complex and interrelated issues. The LEAF Network of Innovation Centres and Demonstration Farms are part of the global movement to determine, implement and evidence regenerative agricultural solutions, including the development of Beacons of Excellence.

The farming industry will benefit as knowledge and understanding around the impacts of implementing regenerative practices moves forwards; Rothamsted Research have developed a new metric for assessing soil health2 and another study has found that soil carbon loss restricts pore size and connectivity3. Advocates claim that regenerative agricultural practices can have lower (and sometimes net positive) environmental and/or social impacts4, with potential to enhance the sustainability of food production and form part of a climate change mitigation strategy5.The scientific evidence in quantifying the benefits of regenerative practices is rapidly progressing, with data and modelling suggesting that the combination of no-till and cover crops work together to not only slow down soil carbon decomposition, but also increase carbon inputs into the soil. These findings build on evidence that biomass inputs from cover crops are critical to soil carbon sequestration6.

Regenerative agricultural practices also offer economic benefits. It has been found that although some approaches (e.g. reduced synthetic inputs) could reduce yields up to 29%, they increased profitability by 78%, largely due to the reduction in inputs and alternative markets/improved market prices7.

There is a need to prove and demonstrate tangible impacts of regenerative agriculture to drive adoption. This can be achieved through well-proven or locally translatable models that balance yield, resilience, and carbon sequestration.

2Prout et al, 2020 3Neal et al, 2020 4Rhodes, 2017

5Newton et al, 2020 6Huang et al, 2020 7LaCanne and Lundgren, 2018

What are the barriers to achieving and implementing regenerative agriculture and its practices?

Figure 2. 16 barriers to scaling regenerative agriculture. (Forum for the Future)

11

LEAF & Regenerative Agriculture: LEAF assessed the questions and supporting practices within the LEAF Sustainable Farming Review and control points within the LEAF Marque Standard for their relevance to the principles and general ethos of regenerative agriculture. The following practices are some examples of those that we believe are relevant:

• Include cover crops in our cropping • Incorporate cover crops into the soil • Use cover crops on areas prone to erosion, leaching and run-off • Graze our cover crops or leys with livestock • Use mob grazing to optimise livestock and pasture performance • Use minimum tillage at some point in the rotation • Use zero tillage at some point in the rotation • Protect and enhance forest cover • Seek to preserve carbon sinks, maintain forests and areas of vegetation which naturally absorb CO2 • Work with other local farmers and landowners

After analysing user data to identify the number of farmers implementing these practices, it became evident that LEAF farmers have been employing regenerative practices for years now through the implementation of IFM and the basis of continual improvement across the whole farm. The analysis showed that most members have either ‘fully achieved’ or are ‘showing considerable progress’ for RA practices in Landscape & Nature Conservation and Animal Husbandry. Half of the farmers use cover crops in their cropping, and over half of farmers with livestock use rotational paddock grazing.

Pollution Control & By-Product Management and Community Engagement practices are still a work in progress for the majority of the farmers. Figure 3 displays how many farmers are implementing the Soil Management and Fertility RA practices, showing that over half of LEAF Farmers have ‘fully achieved’ or have made ‘considerable progress’ in them. (Anything over 100% is representative of the “N/A” answers.)

LEAF is also involved in a new H2020 project, ‘AgriCaptureCO2’, looking at promoting the implementation of regenerative agricultural practices across Europe through the development of an European Regenerative Agriculture Network. One intended outcome of this project is development of a platform to quantify carbon sequestration within productive cropping systems. For more information on this project or the Network, please see Project Updates, or contact rebecca.davis@leafuk.org.

LEAF’s strategic vision is of a global farming system that delivers climate positive action, builds resilience, and supports the health, diversity and enrichment of our food, farms, the environment and society. In order to achieve this, LEAF will continue to drive collective action and deliver climate positive solutions through the development and dissemination of IFM and the advancement of whole farm systems. We will continue to embrace regenerative solutions that deliver Circular Agriculture.

It is clear that many farmers are on regenerative agricultural journeys, including LEAF farmers. Some may not even be aware of this. If you are implementing the practices advocated by LEAF and certified by LEAF Marque, then you are on your way. The concept of the regenerative agriculture journey is one that is here to stay, for the health of our soils, our planet, and our food system.

“Hope is what you cultivate. Anyone that puts a seed in the soil, anybody that cares for the soil, you are cultivating hope.”

(Dr Vandana Shiva, Soil Regen Summit 2021)

13

Reducing your Carbon Footprint

Integrated approaches to reduce emissions & increase carbon sequestration

F

armers hold a unique position

Carbon Footprints

to be an innovative part of the

Carbon footprints are the total amount of GHGs released into the atmosphere due to our actions. They measure the total amount of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions that are directly and indirectly caused by an activity (or is accumulated over the life stages of a product). Results are reported as units of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), to represent all GHGs, including methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) and not just CO2.

solution to climate change, with

farming having the potential to act as both a source and a sink for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Climate positive farming is a key guiding principle of LEAF’s 2021-2031 strategy through the adoption of the agro-ecological and regenerative benefits of the whole farm, site specific focus of Integrated Farm Management (IFM). Developing and advancing relevant, site specific and whole farm approaches underpins LEAF’s capability to deliver climate positive action.

Agriculture, Forestry, and other Land Use is responsible for around a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions as a result of human activity¹. Agricultural emissions from livestock, soil, nutrient management, and deforestation are an important contributor to this. GHGs are gases in the atmosphere that affect the earths energy balance by trapping heat and warming the planet. Although there are 7 main GHGs, there are 3 key GHGs within the agriculture sector: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).

There are over 65 GHG calculators available in the UK2; some are enterprise specific, some for the whole farm and others specific to market requirements. Choosing the one that is most appropriate to your business as a starting point is key.

We recommend that you do some research around what data they require, and then assess how easy it is for you to access that data, especially using information that is already available. Ideally, once you have picked a tool that works for you, stick with it. This helps map your progress.

The key part to a carbon footprint assessment is generating a baseline and then working with the same tool to find out where you can make improvements, reduce emissions, and assess your progress, year on year. Using a carbon footprint assessment can provide a focus on how to assess your efficiency, where you can save money, and reduce your GHG emissions. It evidences the improvements made and what steps and support are required to make further improvements.

The UK farming industry is committed to deliver a net carbon zero goal by 20403, which will require a strong baseline to build on.

“

Farmers hold a unique position to be an innovative part of the solution to climate change.”

LEAF & Integrated Farm Management For some 30 years LEAF has been developing and promoting Integrated Farm Management (IFM) driving efficiencies and attention to detail. As we look to reduce emissions and increase carbon sequestration such an approach could not be more critical. IFM is a site specific, whole farm approach, made up of nine sections, attention to detail and incremental improvements to each of which work together to address environmental, economic, and social sustainability across the entire farm business. An understanding of the importance of each section and the interactions between them is essential in reducing the carbon footprint of the farm and increasing carbon sequestration.

Through focusing on soil, water, energy, air and nature, the implementation of IFM offers a perfect opportunity to optimise the farms inputs and activities, in turn reducing emissions and environmental impact whilst also making productivity gains. Reference to the LEAF Sustainable Farming Review management tool and Control Points in the LEAF Marque Standard v.15.0 help LEAF farmers to reduce their carbon footprint as outlined below.

IFM supports a wide range of ecosystem services, all of which contribute to a healthy landscape and society. Our natural landscape offers simple and easy wins when it comes to carbon sequestration. LEAF Farmers: •

Complete a Landscape and Nature Conservation Audit including reference to semi-natural habitats (e.g. moorlands, wetlands, lowland heath, carbon sinks etc.) and linear features (e.g. hedgerows, fence lines, verges, field margins, ditches).

•

Seek to preserve and enhance carbon sinks, maintain forests and areas of vegetation which naturally absorb CO2.

•

Seek to preserve the ability of the soil to store carbon.

•

Retain all in-field trees.

Many decisions and actions will influence the farms carbon footprint and the level of carbon sequestration. LEAF Farmers: •

Complete the Integrated Farm Management Policy which includes a commitment to improving efficiency and justified resources (including energy) use, and minimising pollution.

•

Consider resource use and waste management in the purchasing and/or design of buildings and/or new equipment.

•

Consider incorporating renewable energy generation during the purchase and/ or design of buildings and/or new equipment.

1 IPCC, Special Report: Special Report on Climate Change and Land, 2019 2 Sykes et al, A comparison of farm-level greenhouse gas calculators in their application on beef production systems, 2017 3 NFU, Achieving Net Zero – Farming’s 2040 goal, September 2019

15

Protecting soil and enhancing its ability to store carbon is key to helping reduce emissions and improving levels of carbon sequestration. IFM advocates a range of soil management strategies such as crop rotations, maintaining cover, and appropriate cultivations to protect and enhance soil quality. LEAF Farmers: •

Complete the Soil Management Plan which includes identification of soils prone to erosion, targets to improve soil health, and control strategies to reduce possible risks to soil health.

•

Take measures to conserve and build up soil organic matter.

•

Test soils in all fields for soil organic matter and soil organic carbon.

•

Assess the risk of soil degradation prior to operations being carried out to ensure that field operations and/or grazing have minimum environmental impact.

•

Use cover crops on areas prone to erosion.

•

Use minimum tillage and zero tillage at some point in the rotation.

•

Implement a Nutrient Management Plan that places emphasis on reducing use (i.e. inorganic inputs and using other substitutes).

Within an IFM system, IPM takes a holistic approach to crop protection, with various practices promoting soil carbon sequestration and reducing emissions.

LEAF Farmers: •

Include cover crops in their cropping.

•

Aim to cover land with year-round vegetation.

•

Are aware of the loss in product quantity and quality which occurs during harvested product storage.

•

Improve transport efficiency by considering the distance between silage storage sites and operational sites.

IFM supports farmers in adopting a ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ approach to managing and minimising waste and on-farm pollution. LEAF Farmers: •

Complete a Pollution Risk Assessment that identifies pollution risks and records steps to reduce/avoid the impact of all pollutant risks to the environment (including the air).

•

Reduce, reuse and recycle where possible, participating in local recycling schemes.

•

Reuse their by-products effectively, including collecting and storing dirty water and silage effluent safely, selling or swapping surplus manure or slurry, and using home produced compost and digestate.

•

Actively consider ways to help reduce GHG emissions (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide).

•

Consider ways of carbon sequestration.

•

Actively source inorganic fertiliser from low carbon manufacturing systems.

•

Improve their nitrogen use efficiency to reduce nitrous oxide emissions.

•

Consider ways of minimising carbon dioxide emissions from fuel use.

Although farming systems that integrate livestock bring increased emissions, they also bring opportunity to upcycle carbon more effectively adding organic matter and improving soil condition. IFM additionally promotes consideration of the wider GHG emissions of bought in feed. LEAF Farmers: •

Implement an Action Plan based on the Animal Feed Audit including opportunities to reduce GHG emissions.

•

Consider ways of minimising methane emissions from their livestock.

•

Actively manage GHG emissions through livestock feed rations and cropping options.

•

Consider reducing GHG emissions in grazing management decisions.

•

Calculate stocking rate with regard for environmental requirements.

•

Breed replacement stock from the most optimal animals.

•

Plan housing and slurry stores to minimise emissions and the distance for slurry to travel.

•

Manage stocking densities appropriately.

•

Use rotational/paddock grazing, managed intensive rotational grazing, and/ or mob grazing to optimise livestock and pasture performance.

Being aware of the energy we use and how it influences emissions is essential to reducing our impact on the planet. LEAF Farmers: •

Complete an annual Energy Audit that records all source(s) of energy used and references both renewable and non-renewable energy.

•

Monitor their energy use by recording energy consumption at least quarterly.

•

Record CO2 emissions based on either energy consumption records or the completion of a carbon foot-printing tool.

•

Implement an Energy Action Plan that makes reference to and targets for reducing GHG emissions.

Climate Postive Farming Over the next 10 years, LEAF will continue to strengthen its Network of Demonstration Farms and Innovation Centres, creating a platform that supports Beacons of Excellence in farming, including Circular Agriculture farms, Net Zero Carbon Farms and Zero Plastic Waste Farms. Through focusing on soil, water, air and nature we will look to understand better the levers for change and support farmers in addressing Net Zero Carbon, environmental enhancement, and the reduction of Green House Gases and waste, including plastic. Creating a strong platform to drive cutting edge adoption of technology, innovation and management practices, LEAF delivers Climate Positive Farming. LEAF Farmers are well positioned to be part of the solution to drive Climate Positive action through activities, events, and on-line engagement. We invite you to join us on our journey towards Climate Positive Farming.

Our strategy can be accessed here

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LEAF ELM Update - Key Findings Lucy Bates LEAF Technical Manager lucy.bates@leafuk.org

A

s has been increasingly publicised over the past few years, the agricultural payments system is moving fast away from area based direct payments.

With reassurance that the same overall annual amount of money, approximately 3 billion pounds, will be available to support farm businesses at least until 2025, a set of new schemes including animal and tree health pathways, and productivity grants newly titled ‘Farming Investment Fund’ are under design for this to be accessed through. The intention is that the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme acts as a mechanism for delivering ‘public money for public goods’ within the ‘Future Farming and Countryside Programme’. The stated six public goods intended to be paid for the provision of are, in line with the 25 Year Environment Plan:

•

Clean and plentiful water

•

Clean air

•

Protection from and mitigation of environmental hazards

•

Mitigation of and adaptation to climate change

•

Thriving plants and wildlife

•

Beauty, heritage and engagement

LEAF has been involved in the ‘co-design’ of the ELM scheme since 2019, alongside a wide range of other organisations including the Wildlife Trusts, NFU, TFA, CLA, RSPB, Heritage Alliance, National Trust, Local Government Association, Commons & Uplands Alliance, AIC and Soil Association to name but a few. As part of this process, we have consistently highlighted that the actions and outcomes that are represented through LEAF Marque certification are synonymous with the delivery of these public goods.

Our input to Defra through the Tests & Trials Programme, within which we have been running four projects over the past 18 months, has included findings that: •

LEAF Marque Standard v.15.0 contains mandatory Control Points pertaining to the delivery of all 6 public goods intended for payment through the ELM scheme

•

Actions represented in the LEAF Marque Standard have proven environmental performance impact, including conservation and biodiversity, Integrated Pest Management, soil quality, animal welfare, nonrenewable resource use efficiency, community relations and water resource management

•

The LEAF Sustainable Farming Review is a tried and tested tool to plan and record environmental actions and practical decisions within a whole farm system. It has potential to be adopted as a Land Management Plan for ELM

•

The process of progression towards LEAF Marque certification brought additional benefits to participating farm businesses including carbon footprinting and cost savings through energy, water and nutrient use efficiency

“

LEAF has been involved in the ‘co-design’ of the ELM scheme since 2019.”

“

The intention is that the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme acts as a mechanism for delivering ‘public money for public goods’ within the ‘Future Farming and Countryside Programme’.”

The full reports and findings to date from LEAF’s T&Ts can be read on the next page - they include an investigation into the use of apps for self-assessment of public goods delivery, and LEAF Demonstration Farmers’ experience of whole farm planning. A fourth trial, looking at how the training that LEAF provides to farmers to facilitate farm visits by schools and other community groups can help in the provision of public engagement funded through ELM is due for completion in early summer. A summary of findings from the wider T&T programme up to July 2020 can be found here.

An important difference between old and new schemes is that as payments are not linked to acreage, sectors delivering public goods on smaller scales should be increasingly eligible for significant payment. In no sector could this be more relevant than in horticulture, which has benefitted less than arable from the BPS scheme due to smaller areas of intensive production.

Three component levels of ELM are on the cards:

1. Sustainable Farming Incentive Simple actions that achieve environmental outcomes - a foundation

2. Local Nature Recovery Locally-targeted environmental goals - encourages collaboration

3. Landscape Recovery Landscape and ecosystem recovery through long-term, land use change projects

The Agricultural Transition Plan revealed at the end of last year lays out a timescale for rollout of this with Phase 1 of a National Pilot starting later this year, core elements of the Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI) being introduced in 2022 (alongside Countryside Stewardship applications staying open to applications until 2023), and full scheme availability from 2024.

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“LEAF Marque Certification as indicator of public goods delivery through E.L.M.” (P2 Interim Report, September 2020) •

•

•

•

•

Earned Recognition of outcomes delivered by the LEAF Marque assurance system has precedent in the UK agrienvironmental context through reduced inspection burden for cross-compliance under CAP. LEAF Marque assurance is a recognised, respected and robust assurance system that has independently scrutinised processes of governance.

LEAF Marque Standard v.15.0 contains mandatory Control Points pertaining to the delivery of all 6 public goods intended for payment through the E.L.M. scheme.

Actions represented in the LEAF Marque Standard have proven environmental performance impact, including conservation and biodiversity, Integrated Pest Management, soil quality, animal welfare, non-renewable resource use efficiency, community relations and water resource management.

The LEAF Marque assurance system has a whole farm approach, with Control Points that align with delivery of public goods as in the case of ‘Clean and Plentiful Water’.

“Bringing LEAF Demonstration Farmers’ experience of whole farm planning to inform Land Management Plan (LMP) design for E.L.M.” (P1 Final Report, September 2020) •

•

•

•

•

Whatever the agreement length, there should be scope for annual review within the LMP. It is a plan and plans change.

Full publication of LMPs in the public domain will preclude some land managers from inputting business, habitat, agronomic and mapping data due to security and market concerns.

Care must be taken not to exclude smaller farms or tenants from access to E.L.M. through long agreements or complex plan requirements.

The LEAF Sustainable Farming Review is a tried and tested tool to plan and record environmental actions and practical decisions within a whole farm system. It has potential to be adopted as a LMP for E.L.M. There is significant opportunity to utilise the LEAF Demonstration Farm Network’s experience of working as a non-contiguous, sectorally diverse cluster to advance environmental land management practices, supporting farmers through peer to peer learning, demonstration and knowledge exchange during the roll out of E.L.M.

“Are mobile apps an effective and appropriate tool for on-farm self-assessment of the delivery of public goods including biodiversity?”

(P4 Final Report, February 2020) •

•

•

•

•

Apps such as the one under development during this trial could play a role in on-farm self-assessment of public goods including biodiversity.

Offering apps as an optional tool complementary to existing advice services and monitoring networks could avoid discrepancies between diverse farm circumstances and build on existing skills, knowledge and experience.

To provide information of an adequately reliable and consistent quality for government use, any app-based tool will require training, support and verification.

Uptake of app-based tools will be dependent on user confidence in protocols regarding gathering, transfer, storage and end-use of data.

Integration with existing software, hardware and network capabilities is critical.

“Advice and training to support transition to Environmental Land Management through LEAF Marque Certification” (P2 Final Report, February 2021) •

•

•

•

•

Progression towards Environmental Land Management evidenced through LEAF Marque certification is most successfully supported by one to one advice from an IFM trained adviser.

Online resources including videos and group training can successfully support progression towards E.L.M. evidenced through LEAF Marque certification for some farmers.

Remote digital monitoring of LEAF Sustainable Farming Review online completion gives routinely measurable sub-annual progression towards LEAF Marque certification.

Time taken to complete paperwork was the single biggest barrier for participants: a scheme needs to present clear benefits to justify time spent on administration or engagement will be lost regardless of training and advice provision.

The process of progression towards LEAF Marque certification brought additional benefits to participating farm businesses including carbon footprinting and cost savings through energy, water and nutrient use efficiency.

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LEAF Demonstration Farm Feature Rainwater Harvesting at Church Farm

with Jeremy Padfield What are you doing

We have fitted rainwater harvesters to some of our buildings that collect

at Church Farm?

and clean the rainwater, that we then primarily use to fill the sprayers.

Why are you doing

We wanted to reduce our dependence on local water supplies and

it?

resources and therefore reduce our environmental impact. The location of the storage tanks means that in the event of a fire, we have immediate access to a surplus of water. An additional benefit is of course it saves us money. The tanks provide an easy and quick way to fill the sprayer, and as it is soft water, it is better on the sprayer and we can reduce the amount of chemical conditioners used. They also supply the equine yard and calf unit with drinking water.

When did you start

We had a new building put up around 4 years ago and had solar panels

and how simple was put on, and we thought we may as well add the rainwater harvesting kit the process?

as well whilst it was all being built.

What advice would

Our system became quite expensive due to the initial cost of the pump

you give to other

and having to replace it over time. If you can, ideally you would capture

farmers?

the water and then gravity feed it to avoid these costs.

Watch Church Farm’s Catchment Sensitive farming video here For more information and to find out how you can set something similar up, please see the Environment Agency guide, the Rain Water Harvesting website, or the Catchment Sensitive Farming guidance.

LEAF Open Farm Sunday

27th June 2021

L

EAF Open Farm Sunday (LOFS) is taking place on 27th June 2021 to connect the public with farming and the countryside. To allow for social distancing, the emphasis is on smaller, simple farm walks and talks, and LEAF is encouraging more members to take part.

With increasing numbers of people interested in sourcing sustainable produce, cooking from scratch, and exercising in the countryside, there is a genuine interest across society to learn about where food comes from, the work farmers do and how the countryside is managed. In this COP26 year, never has it been more important to talk about sustainable, regenerative farming practices, IFM, LEAF Marque and the passion you have for farming with care for the environment.

LOFS Top Tips May meetings: Whether you’ve taken part in LOFS before or you are considering hosting your first LOFS event this year, we have a new team of LOFS Ambassadors on-hand to answer questions and discuss how an event could work on your farm. You are invited to meet the new LOFS Ambassador team at one of our Top Tips online meetings on:

Monday 10th May at 7.30pm Wednesday 12th May at 12.30pm Friday 14th May at 8.00am These one hour Zoom meetings are a ‘no obligation’ opportunity to talk about LEAF Open Farm Sunday and find out more.

A socially distanced farm walk is relatively simple to organise and the team have plenty of ideas to help you share your farming story.

You can find more information or book a place here, or email openfarmsunday@leafuk.org

Whether you welcome 40 people for a farm walk or 200, taking part is really rewarding and a great way to connect with your local community. Everyday farming activities are fascinating to visitors and the experience of being on-farm has a lasting positive impact helping people to understand what is great about British food and farming. It is all positive PR for our industry.

The farmer Information Pack, will help with getting started. When you’re ready, register your event on www.farmsunday.org, and you will receive a handbook with guidance on how to organise a safe and engaging event.

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Projject Up pdates

LEAF is involved in a range of projects with our farmers, industry partners, and researchers across Europe. This work adds further depth and understanding to our core activities as we continue to drive more sustainable farming. We will be providing regular updates on our projects in the IFM Quarterly, members E-news and at our events, if you would like to know more or would like to be involved in our work please contact rebecca.davis@leafuk.org who can put you in touch with the relevant person.

Horizon 2020: DIVERSify Led by the James Hutton Institute (a LEAF Innovation Centre in Scotland) is in its final stages of its 4-year journey which has seen the design of innovative plant teams for ecosystem resilience and agricultural sustainability across Europe, by identifying the mechanisms and traits for optimised plant teams. The project has seen many successes and legacies includingan intercropping decision aid tool and further development of the LEAFSpeak Out Tool Kit.

SolACE DiverIMPACTS Led by INRAE is a sister project to DIVERSify assessing diversification through rotation, intercropping, multiple cropping promoted by actors and value chain sustainability. Crop diversification has the potential to produce many benefits, such as improved soil nutrient concentrations and soil fertility, however it comes with several challenges. LEAF alongside FiBL has led the task of reporting on the success stories of crop diversification across Europe featuring LEAF Demonstration farmer Duncan Farrington and his success of combined rotation, cover crops and companion cropping. Check out Duncan’s and other European farmers success stories in crop diversification here.

Led by INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment)is in its final year journey of finding solutions for improved agroecosystem and crop efficiency for water and nutrient use. The project is designing solutions that combine novel genotypes and crop innovations on a range of crops including durum wheat and potatoes across climatic regions of Europe.

LEAF alongside the University of Newcastle is leading the UK farmer network trialling the use of microbial inoculants on their effectiveness to water and nutrient stress.

Showcase This 5-year H2020 project looks at integrating biodiversity with farming practices to establish working demonstrations of quantifiable practices that reconcile production and conservation. LEAF and the University of Reading are working with a group of around 15 arable farmers to co-develop novel ideas that benefit both farmers and wildlife. These ideas will be implemented on farms late 2021/early 2022 and performance monitored in terms of supporting beneficial insects, wider biodiversity benefits and compatibility with modern farming methods. Two successful workshops were hosted at the beginning of March that brought a number of farmers together who were interested in the project including LEAF members, LEAF Marque growers, LEAF Demonstration Farmers and LEAF Innovation Centres. There are various levels of farmer involvement possible in this project, from the core working group of intervention farms who will be part of the co-design process, to ad-hoc participation in questionnaires and on-farm biodiversity monitoring.

The project is also engaging with other stakeholders to align with and input into future agri-environment schemes across Europe.

SEAMS Is an Esmée Fairbairn Foundation funded projected coordinated by the James Hutton Institute. The project focusses on crop mixtures and aims to develop, promote and implement crop species mixtures as a sustainable crop production system for Scotland, and as a resource for knowledge exchange on food production, agricultural ecology and environmental sustainability.

Barriers and enablers on the uptake of crop mixtures were investigated as part of workshop LEAF hosted in 2019 with farmers and advisors in Fife, sharing ideas about crop mixtures, and farmer’s experiences of establishing, growing and harvesting them. Growing two crops simultaneously offers a range of potential benefits from soil conditioning to pest control, but mixtures must be well-designed and closely managed. At this workshop we discussed what works, what doesn’t, what the opportunities are as well as barriers which included the lack of end use opportunities.

Look out for an extended LEAF Surgery this autumn where we will be discussing the potential end use opportunities for crop mixtures, from home grown proteins to distilling.

Agri Capture is focused on promoting regenerative agriculture and developing markets for carbon credits. It will offer four services; quantification, explore, support, and verification, all of which will involve key stakeholders including farmers, businesses, agri-food coops and many more.

LEAF Demonstration Farmer Duncan Farrington and LEAF Innovation Centre, The Allerton Project are also partnering in this project alongside LEAF. We will all be involved in developing an engagement strategy for farmers and businesses, offering training opportunities within regenerative agriculture, and assessing the potential of a carbon standard for assurance schemes. If you would like to get involved, please see our website for more details.

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Nature Based Solutions to Climate Change The ’Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change’ project has hit the ground running since its inception in February. Funded by The Linder Foundation, the project will provide support and practical on-farm advice for 10 farms throughout the year, to design solutions that mitigate climate change through harnessing nature. The experiences of and nature-based strategies used by participating farmers will be communicated and presented through demonstration case studies, which will be released early next year. For thirty years, LEAF has built on its experience in exchanging peer-to-peer knowledge between farmers, experts, science and the industry, with the ultimate goal in creating more sustainable and resilient farming. This project will make a valuable contribution to this goal, for both the participants and beyond. Over the coming months, participating farmers will complete a carbon foot-printing tool that will act as a benchmark to build from. Agricultural experts suited to each case study will then advise farmers on how to effectively establish naturebased solutions that can help mitigate climate change hotspots and offer practical strategies on the best way to do this.

Resilient & Ready Resilient and Ready – a joint initiative between LEAF and Corteva Agriscience continues apace.

Working with four farmers we are short-cutting their route to sustainable, regenerative farming though on-farm advice, training, trials and support. Working with two farmers in England and two in Scotland all farmers are working on the objectives they set last year. From carbon auditing, to agroforestry to new tillage practices, these farmers are driving themselves to the next level to ensure their businesses are resilient and ready for the future.

Sus-Ag LEAF is working with the Sustainable Food Trust (SFT) and Hummingbird Technologies on a 9-month project funded by UKRI, to design a tool that is based on a harmonised framework for metrics, to automate data collection and create an output dashboard. We are currently finalising the design for the web-based platform, alongside developing the content of the tool and the scoring system.

There are also conversations with existing tools/platforms to investigate integration ongoing October

November

December

January

Discussions Decisions on User Development around contents of feedback of wire frames purpose first iteration on content and user of tool and of tool and relevant stories value to users edits

February

March

April

Integration with other platforms and proposal for future funding

Finalisation of wireframes and metrics.

Development of scoring and outputs

User experience research…

If you would like to know more about a project, or to be involved in our work, please contact rebecca.davis@leafuk.org who can put you in touch with the relevant person!

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SolACE project update Emily Trivett

Will Sibly

LEAF Technical Coordinator

LEAF Technical Assistant

emily.trivett@leafuk.org

will.sibly@leafuk.org

L

EAF has been a proud partner of the collaborative pan-European SolACE project, funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme since its inception in 2017. Coordinated by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE), 24 partners across science and industry are exploring and testing solutions for agroecosystems and crop efficiency for water and nutrient use. Potato and wheat (bread and Durham) crops are the project’s focus.

As with all crops, potatoes and wheat are vulnerable to drought, high temperatures, and nutrient stress, all of which we are increasingly seeing. In turn, this can be damaging for yields, crop health and protection, and nutritional quality. SolACE aims to address and prepare for the higher frequency of droughts and higher temperatures predicted to occur in the future due to climate change. The project is contributing to a more sustainable future for farming, by confronting resource limitations in crop production under more difficult climates and volatile weather patterns. Over the past 3 years, the project has been designing solutions that combine crop genotypes and practical innovations for potato and wheat production.

SolACE’s aims are to identify: •

Optimum combinations of ‘above’ and ‘below’ ground traits for improving resource use efficiency;

•

Best-performing genotypes under combined water and Nitrogen (N)/Phosphorus (P) stresses;

•

Novel practices that make better use of ‘plant-plant’ and ‘plant-microbe’ interactions to access water, N and P resources in conventional, organic and conservation agriculture.

SolACE in the UK LEAF has been working closely with fellow partners, the University of Newcastle. For the past few years, supported by LEAF’s network across the UK, and the enthusiasm of UK potato growers to be involved, researchers have been able to plan, implement and analyse growing trials in the East and North-East of England, two important UK potato-growing regions susceptible to drought.

For this reason, water stress is the focal point in the UK activities for SolACE. In particular the focus has been on optimal water management as an integral component of Integrated Farm Management (IFM) and sustainable farming practices that maximise productivity and yields through efficient water use and minimal additional resource inputs.

Project work has also concentrated on plantmicrobe interactions. Trials have incorporated the application of biological microbial inoculants, also referred to as soil, or bioinoculants. Marketed as microbial amendments that benefit crop health and performance, microbial inoculants introduce microorganisms intended to promote root growth, improve rootsoil interactions, and deter disease. These can create a healthier soil microbiome (the collective ecosystem of microorganisms that interact in soils) for enhanced crop growth and resource use efficiency.

Our trials have been designed to assess the effect of a commercially available microbial inoculant product on crop productivity in either irrigated, or non-irrigated conditions, on two commercial farms. The chosen product contains biological mycorrhizal fungi, that can form a symbiotic and beneficial relationship with plants by interacting with their roots. Essentially, the fungi live on, and extend, plant root systems to provide a greater capacity for nutrient and water uptake from soils, whilst acquiring energy and nutrients from its host plant.

Trialling potatoes under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions mimics drought and normal situations. Our trails are controlled experiments measuring performance under drought (non-irrigated) and require a controlled variable (irrigated) to compare results. Furthermore, measuring the effect of these variables in conjunction with application of microbial inoculants allow analysis of their effects on ‘drought vs. normal’ conditions. Trailing a range of varieties grown on different soils provide additional variables to consider in our work.”

The principal questions we are asking are: •

Does the application of the microbial inoculant effect crop water and nutrient use efficiency under irrigated or non-irrigated systems?

•

Is any effect consistent across locations, soil types and variety?

•

Are there any other factors, such as method of application or canopy cover that may influence an effect?

2020 Trials The plans for 2020 growing trials at Thoresby Farms in North Nottinghamshire and Lodge Farm in Norfolk are shown in the diagram below (Fig 1).

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For each variety, four conditions were tested: 1. inoculant+/irrigation+, 2. inoculant-/irrigation+, 3. inoculant+/irrigation- and 4. inoculant-/irrigationThe chosen varieties grown across trials are representative of commonly varieties grown in the UK by farmers and are sold to various markets. For example, the Manhattan variety is sold for baking, whilst the Saxon and Lanorma varieties are all-round varieties (e.g., chipping, mashing, fresh packed).

Results from last year’s trials at Thoresby Farm (Fig 2 and Fig 3), growing Lanorma, Saxon and Manhattan varieties, presented a consistent pattern with increased yields in all three varieties under irrigation with the inoculant applied, as opposed to non-irrigated or without the inoculant application.

This is an important result that may indicate benefits for productivity when applying the microbial inoculant in conjunction with appropriately controlled water management, since Thoresby Farm is located on very sandy soils and relies heavily on efficient water management for its crop production.

2020 trials that took place at Lodge Farm in North-East Norfolk (Fig 4 and Fig 5), growing chipping varieties Rooster and Premier on sandy loam/loamy sand soils, showed differing results. Whilst there was much similarity between conditions in the Rooster trials, the application of the microbial inoculant had a negative effect on Premier yields under water stress, as opposed to irrigated.

Trials on both farms are not conclusive at the moment, therefore they will be carried out for a second year to draw reliable conclusions.

2021 Trials 2021 trials will replicate 2020 trials, to increase reliability of the project results and provide further insight into patterns observed in 2020.

2021 trials begin in the coming months and plans remain consistent, with an additional variety, Galante, being grown and tested. Our trial farmers, LEAF team and researchers at Newcastle University did a highly effective job in planning trials, planting and collecting data for the project under difficult and uncertain circumstances over the course of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For 2021, it is hopeful that we will have the opportunity to see trials taking place and collect data in person, and to finally meet with project partners on trial farms. Additionally, as done previously, all involved with the project will attend an end-of-project ‘UK Potato Famer Network Meeting’ towards the end of 2021, to share outcomes and experiences.

Further details can be found on here and on the SolACE website. 31

News

& Events

LEAF Surgeries Taking place every fortnight, LEAF Surgeries bring together members to discuss topical issues, and ask questions of key industry figures.

Contact enquiries@leafuk.org for more information.

LEAF Open Farm Sunday 2021 27th June Find out more here or visit www.farmsunday.org

Managing Pesticides in Fresh Produce A two-day training course aimed at Technical Managers.

AgriCaptureCO₂ Launch Event

6th - 7th May 8.30am - 12.30pm

Join the launch of AgriCaptureCO2, hear from participants about the project and how to get involved.

More Details & Book Here

7th May 11am - 12.15pm

The course will also run 2nd - 3rd September 2021

View Here

Register Here

Shows: Cereals 30th June - 1st July

Groundswell 23rd - 24th June

Pathways to Net-Zero Cold Chains An industry webinar discussing academic, industry and policy-maker collaborations to steer the future of cold-chains in the UK and globally.

14th May 2pm - 4pm Register Here

Past Events Catch Up: ZOOM into LEAF Marque Missed our LEAF Marque Spotlight Week & the launch of LEAF’s latest Global Impacts Report?

Read the full report here Catch up on the highlights from the week here Listen to Caroline Drummond reflect on the outcomes of the discussions in our latest podcast Watch the launch video below:

Carbon Webinar Catch up on our recent carbon webinar we held in partnership with Corteva and AgricaptureCO2. We discussed the practicalities, challenges and routes forward to meeting Net-Zero targets and heard from some of our Resilient And Ready farmers.

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If you are interested in any of the projects, or have any feedback on IFM Quarterly, then please get in touch with rebecca.davis@leafuk.org

www. l ea fu k .o rg LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) Stoneleigh Park Warwickshire CV8 2LG United Kingdom 02476 413 911 C harity N umber : 104578 1

@LEAF_Farming

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