Reduce emissions from farming and land use

Contents

1. Plant trees
2. Restore peatlands
3. Adopt low-emission farming practices
4. Produce energy crops
5. Generate renewable energy
6. Get finance and support

Plant trees

Planting trees increases the amount of carbon that is ‘captured’ or ‘sequestered’ on your property.

There are two main ways to do this:

• ‘agro-forestry’ – planting trees and shrubs among agricultural land
• tree planting and woodland creation – creating more new woodlands and landscapes with many trees, and encouraging management of existing woodland

Visit Forest Research’s Climate Change Hub for:

• information and practical support about climate change risks to UK woodlands
• guidance for practitioners to adapt their woodlands

Trees can earn extra income for your business if you use the right lands and plant appropriate species.

You are eligible to sell carbon ‘credits’ if you create woodlands certified by the Woodland Carbon Code. These can be sold to the government or private companies looking to offset their carbon emissions.

You can also earn money from the sale of timber, as woodland can be ‘thinned’ using forestry management techniques.

Restore peatlands

Restoring or ‘re-wetting’ peatlands has the ability to capture and store large amounts of carbon.

Historic land-use change such as ‘drained’ peatland contributes to emissions in the present. However, much of the UK’s ‘drained’ peatland is now used for farming, so converting it all back would negatively impact food production.

Similar to woodlands, it makes sense to look into peatland restoration for less productive agricultural lands. Much of this is known as ‘upland’ peat which is used for grazing as opposed to crop production.

According to the Country Land and Business Association this type of peatland is less expensive to restore.

There are also certification schemes that allow you to sell carbon credits from peatland restoration projects, and government grants that help you get started.

The Peatland Code is a voluntary certification standard for UK peatland projects wishing to market the climate benefits of peatland restoration.

Adopt low-emission farming practices

According to GOV.UK, farming is the source of 11% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.

The Committee on Climate Change estimates that the majority of these emissions can be cut by 2050 without impacting UK food production.

Emissions from farming and land use come from:

• fossil fuel-powered equipment
• nitrous oxide from fertiliser
• methane released directly from ‘ruminant’ livestock (sheep and cattle) and their manure

Techniques that can reduce these emissions include:

• energy-efficient vehicles
• precision application of fertilisers and precision farming techniques (GPS, etc)
• integration of cover crops in rotation or herbal leys ((temporary grasslands made up of legume, herb and grass species)
• improving herd health

Visit these websites for more information:

• Nature Friendly Farming Network: ‘Net Zero Carbon in the UK Farming Sector: A practical guide’
• Country Land and Business Association (CLA): ‘What is carbon and how does it impact the environment?’
• National Farmers’ Union (NFU): ‘Achieving net zero’

Produce energy crops

Currently only a small fraction of UK farmland is used to grow crops that can produce ‘bioenergy’.

Crops grown for bioenergy are typically low-cost and low-maintenance varieties that can be used for energy production in biomass energy schemes.

This helps reduce overall emissions as biomass can replace fossil fuels as source fuel for energy generation.

Common bioenergy crops include:

• food crops such as wheat, maize and sugarbeet
• dedicated energy crops including perennial grasses such as silvergrass (miscanthus), and short rotation species like the coppice willow

It is important to recognise the risks linked to energy crops, as planting the same crops across a large amount of land can lead to biodiversity loss.

You need to take into account:

• species-appropriate planning
• the local geography

Download ‘Land Use Policies for a Net Zero UK’ from the Climate Change Committee for more detailed guidance on bioenergy crops.

Generate renewable energy

Rural locations can be ideal for solar panels and wind turbines.

It can make financial sense if you have land that isn’t suitable for food production.

You can earn extra income or defer the cost of energy bills by generating your own energy.

Check our solar panels and wind turbines pages for more guidance.

Get finance and support

The UK Government has a number of ‘Environmental Land Management’ schemes to help convert land into uses that improve the environment and reduce carbon in the atmosphere.

Schemes include:

• Sustainable Farming Incentive
• Countryside Stewardship
• Landscape Recovery – subscribe to the DEFRA Farming blog for updates on this scheme

These schemes fund a range of different land use improvements across the UK. Other schemes are the responsibility of devolved governments.

In England

• the Woodland Creation Planning Grant covers projects 5 ha and larger up to £30,000 in total costs
• the England Woodland Creation Offer funds up to £10,000 per hectare for improving land through tree planting
• the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme funds up to 85% of project costs for peatland

In Wales

• the Small Grants Woodland Creation scheme covers projects as small as 0.1 ha up to £4,500 in total costs
• the Woodland Creation Planning scheme funds projects starting at 0.25 ha and gives up to £5,000 in total costs
• the Peatland grant covers up to £30,000

In Scotland

• the Forestry Grants Scheme funds existing and new woodlands
• the Peatland ACTION scheme covers projects larger than 10 ha with up to £10,000 in cost

In Northern Ireland

• DAERA grants cover woodland planting of 0.20 ha and larger
• the Peatland Strategy Consultation was launched in 2021 but there are no funding schemes as of yet