Written by Paulette Burns
A new web-based tool will support policymakers and farmers to improve the environment and increase rural employment.
People working with land in England and Wales can now use different types of data to work out how to better take account of local priorities and needs when making farming decisions. The Landscape Typology Tool, launched 2 November 2017, contains information about science, people and economics, bringing together more than 100 different national datasets in an innovative web platform. It also classifies landscapes based on physical and environmental and social-economic characteristics such as soil type, water quality and crop yield.
This information will help users identify opportunities and risks for food production and the environment. People can use the data to plan how to increase crop yields, biodiversity or rural employment through sustainable intensification, an approach that aims to increase farm production while simultaneously protecting the countryside and enhancing environmental and social benefits. It involves the adoption of new practices, including technical innovations, as well as measures to protect land of high nature value.
People can use the data to plan how to increase crop yields, biodiversity or rural employment through sustainable intensification, an approach that aims to increase farm production while simultaneously protecting the countryside and enhancing environmental and social benefits
The tool allows the data to be blended in different combinations and adapted as priorities change, for example, post-Brexit. Users can select their preferred economic, environmental and social priorities and the tool will give guidance tailored to their geographical location.
Read more on the CET Website..
Additional information
Sustainable Intensification Programme
Staff page of Prof Jack Cosby, CEH
Staff page of Prof Bridget Emmett, CEH
The webinar presentation can be viewed here.