Pay farmers to save our soil, say ecology experts

Paying farmers to look after their soils could curb flooding, boost crop production and wildlife, and help tackle climate change, according to a report from the Royal Society.

Experts behind the report point out soil can act as natural flood management by increasing the amount of water seeping into the ground and storing water through its uptake into root systems, and good soil structure can improve yields by providing a habitat for earthworms and other organisms which recycle nutrients and prevent erosion.

The report also highlights how huge amounts of carbon from plants and other organic matter is trapped and stored in soils, so managing them well makes them more productive and helps in the climate fight.

Professor Alastair Fitter, emeritus professor of ecology at York University and a lead Royal Society fellow on the report, said: “Our soils lock away more carbon than the vegetation on them, they provide 95% of our food, and when managed well they limit the risk of flooding, while supporting a vast array of life. Too often, though, they are ‘out of sight, out of mind’.”

He added: “The government is at a critical moment in setting the course for British farming outside the EU and this evidence synthesis shows how important it is that soils take centre stage in land management policy.”

The experts said a menu of evidence-based options will be needed for payments so land managers can pick the methods that suit their land.

They also say any system for improving soil management is likely to require more training and support for farmers to limit soil compaction.