Soil Archives - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Czech Republic | “No Forests, No Water, No Future” – Part I: Bugs in the Ecosystem

1 July, 2019 Louise Kelleher

Record droughts across Europe have been compounded in the Czech Republic by a plague of bark beetle that has jeopardized the nation’s forests. In a country where forestry and farming go hand in hand, every tree lost is a blow to the land, scuppering the soil’s capacity to store water and leaving it more vulnerable to erosion. To make matters worse, the vast fields of rapeseed that have become ubiquitous to Czech agriculture in recent years thanks to generous EU subsidies for biofuels have left the topsoil in a sorry state. […]

20 Essential Earth Day Reads from ARC2020

21 April, 2019 ARC

Its Earth Day Monday 22nd and to celebrate we’ve selected our twenty favourite, most appropriate, most thought-provoking and compelling reads to get in the mood. From rewilding to climate change, pesticides bans to the role of livestock in climate-friendly farming, and a gripping personal account of front line action in the Paris COP 21 climate change talks….it’s all here! […]

Letter from a Farm | Starting the Soil Health Journey in Ireland

7 March, 2019 Kieran Sullivan

Kieran Sullivan, our Man in Muddy Boots, is keen to regenerate the soil on his sheep farm in Ireland. Here he reports on his journey to understanding the soil and implementing some measures to improve soil health. This is no small feat, he finds out. […]

Letter From The Farm | Mimicking Natural Processes in Greece

19 December, 2018 Natasha Foote

We are back in Greece on Mazi Farm with Tash Foote who talks us through the thinking behind the farm design. […]

What Do You Read? Our Top 30 Stories of 2018

18 December, 2018 ARC

What were the most popular stories we published in 2018? While we tend to specialise in CAP and agri-food policy matters in the EU institutions – someone has to, right? – soil, agtech, agroecology, food sovereignty, milk and letters from the farm have proven to be popular. […]

Palm oil – A Global Obsession With Consequences

28 November, 2018 Stuart Meikle

A UK supermarket chain’s anti-palm oil advert has been banned, it’s focus habitat destruction caused by deforestation deemed too political for public television. Stuart Meikle reports on the past and present global obsession with palm oil and whether a plea to changing Western food habits is really the way forward. […]

If Not Meat Then What? Climate Change, Regenerative Ag and Viable Rural Areas

4 November, 2018 Oliver Moore

The starkness of the IPCC’s most recent climate change warnings – of 12 year window before runaway impacts – has focused the minds of many. What role – if any – for livestock in this brave new herd? […]

‘Agroforestry’ may be new weapon in climate change fight

26 August, 2018 ARC

Agroforestry could play an important role in mitigating climate change because it sequesters more atmospheric carbon in plant parts and soil than conventional farming, report researchers. […]

Letter From the Farm | Work for the soil and the soul

13 August, 2018 Chiara Garini

We return to Chiara Garini’s agroecological farm in Italy’s Trento Province to see how she has been getting on. In this letter, she tells us of the importance of paying attention to the soil and the soul. […]

#SoilMatters – So How Did Our Authors Treat It?

2 July, 2018 ARC

Here we summarise and provide links to all eight contributions to the soil matters article series. From soil and the city to no till, humus and technical articles from soil scientists, there is much in here to cause wonder, controversy and, it is hoped, greater understanding. […]

Stuart Miekle | Soil-Focused Farming Benefits Society

8 June, 2018 Stuart Meikle

Interested in reducing the GHG emissions from producing our food? Better nutrition and health and lower healthcare costs? Reducing the pollution from our food production systems? Then read what Stuart Miekle has to say about how a soil focused farming benefits these and other aspects of society. […]

#SoilMatters part 7 | Soil, Farming and Society: support mechanisms for the necessary transition

28 May, 2018 Stuart Meikle

Stuart Meikle focuses on three main areas: society, farming and transitioning – all to soil-focused farming. The transition section includes seven suggestions for new farm support mechanisms. These suggestions focus on both payments and practices. […]

#SoilMatters part 6 | What do we want of our soil? And how do we get it?

16 May, 2018 Roy Neilson

Roy Neilson and Blair McKenzie of the James Hutton Institute start with the consideration – what do we want from our soil? They move from here on a fascinating journey into the difference between soil texture and structure, into soil management, organic matter, and the impact of different practices on soil. […]

#SoilMatters Part 5 | Stuart Meikle on Soil, Ruminants & Sustainable Food

7 May, 2018 Stuart Meikle

“A sustainable food system is not about reducing animal-product consumption so to ‘free-up’ land for direct-for-human-food plants: rather, it is about using the land now used for feeds for shipping to animals confined elsewhere, for grazing livestock – be they ruminants, pigs or poultry.” Stuart Meikle outlines his position. […]

#SoilMatters part 4 | What do we really loose, when we change how land is used?

29 March, 2018 Mario Catizzone

When we change how land is used, it doesn’t just impact on this one area. Italian trio Riccardo Scalenghe, Francesco Malucelli and Mario Catizzone examine soil matters in the Emilia-Romagna Plain, Italy, and help us understand what is truly lost when we loose soil without thinking about all the impacts. […]