Nature-friendly agriculture increases biodiversity and crop yields – 10-year study shows

According to a 10-year study by the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology, rewilding or nature-friendly management can increase crop yields and biodiversity.

At Hillesden, scientists spent a decade carefully observing the effects of a large-scale government-funded experiment.

Hillesden is a 1000 hectare commercial arable farm in Buckinghamshire.

As of 2005, this included the establishment of several wildlife habitats, including tufted grass borders to support a variety of birds, insects and small mammals, wildflowers for pollinators, and seed-bearing plants for birds.

10 year study

In the longest-running study of its kind, scientists have been able to increase populations of wild animals needed for agricultural production, including pollinators and predators of crop pests.

Some butterfly species, such as the gatekeeper and green-veined butterfly, doubled in population, and normally insect-eating birds such as the great tit and blue tit benefited greatly from the shelter provided by the grass edges and hedgerows.

They also discovered that even after losing agricultural land for habitat creation, overall yields at Hillesden were maintained and even improved for some crops.

The areas taken out of production were difficult to manage and unproductive, while the other areas benefited from an increase in pollinators and pest-eating insects and birds.

also read: Study defines the impact of organic farming on the environment

An expected result

Jake Fiennes, the author of the green farming book, Land Healer, said he was not at all surprised by the report’s findings.

He outlined how historic English politics sought to increase food production worldwide.

However, it is now clear that it is possible to improve average yields by stopping growing food on unproductive land and converting that land into natural habitats.

More natural elements in the yard have advantages. Agricultural biodiversity can be increased without reducing yields.

Fiennes went on to say that if there is forest at the southern edge of a field, for example, the first 15 to 20 meters from that edge almost always yields less than the average yield, up to 50% of the average.

Giving it to nature by including all the species that could benefit from this edge of the forest is obvious.

The land here is the least productive for growing food. So if farmers don’t concentrate there, their average yield will increase on the rest of the field.

Both a biodiversity crisis and a climate crisis exist, he continued. Because the two are related, there’s an opportunity to both improve yields and help the environment.

dr John Redhead, from the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology, said agri-environmental options can help both bird and butterfly populations in the long term by studying population changes over a long period of time and comparing them to other sites.

Redhead is the lead author of the published study.

Redhead explained that Hillesden is a typical large arable farm using traditional farming methods in a typical setting without much natural habitat.

As a result, the long-term study results likely show what can be achieved on all other commercial farms with good agri-environmental planning, implementation and management, The Guardian reported.

Related article: The rise of free-range farming may increase the chances of more animal-caused pandemics

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