Improving the Environmental
Benefits of the Farm
This unit of work is a practical introduction to environmental
management and has been written as a
decision-making activity incorporating fieldwork.
The unit incorporates:
• Role play, discussion
and interview
teaching methods
• Subject knowledge
• Fieldwork techniques
For this activity, students adopt the
role of the farm manager
Pre-field work preparation:
For the student, background information
about:
• Entry Level Stewardship
• The farm
For the teacher, background information
about:
• Entry Level Stewardship
• Pre-visit to the farm
Entry Level Stewardship (ELS)
Aims:
• Secure widespread
environmental benefits
• Whole farm scheme
• Large numbers
encouraged (simple
application process)
• Beyond Single Payment
Scheme (SPS) and Good
Agricultural
Environmental Condition
(GAEC)
Subsidies & Agri-Environment Schemes
SSSI
Higher Level
Stewardship
Entry Level Stewardship
(Organic ELS /Uplands ELS)
Single Payment Scheme
• 5 year agreement
• Land must be on Rural
Land Registry
• Points target to be
calculated
• 30 points per hectare
• Complete an Farm
Environmental Record
(FER)
• Choose Options
Using the Joint Character Areas
• Natural England has
outlined the key
characteristics of the
different parts of the
English countryside, by
defining over 150 Joint
Character Areas.
• The descriptions, key
issues & suggested
ELS options can be
used to analyse the
geography of a small
region
• “Nature on the map”
Land Use Mapping
Farm Environmental
Record
• Farm walk
• Selected area or field
parcels
• Opportunities to see
and identify features
Soil Analysis
Interview with the Farmer
Interview
Land Judging
Consider possible ELS
options…
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Boundary
Trees and woodland
Historic/landscape
Buffer strip/field margins
Arable
Encourage range of crop
types
For lowland grassland
For Uplands
The JCA has guidance about
which options are most
appropriate for your farm
Students will have the following
information about the farm:
• Land use maps
showing present land
use, environmental
features, erosion
features and a map of
possible management
option choices
• Option Choice Table
with points scored
• Farm information, and
information from
interview with farmer.
Back in the classroom students will
•Produce FER map
•Review the information gathered from the interview with the farmer
•Make decisions about their choice of ELS options, add them to their map
and complete points calculations
Conclusion
• Students report their findings to the farmer
• Students write up their findings using the
maps and graphs drawn
• Fieldwork is developed to form the basis
for Key Stage 4 coursework for Geography
and/or Land Based courses
Mark Taylor
Natural England, Lead Farm Advisor ELS
“What is stewardship?”
Why am I here?
Land in Agri - Environment schemes as a % of
available agricultural area, June 2009
80
70
60
50
Classics
HLS
40
ELS
Total
30
20
10
0
Derbys
Leics
Lincs
Northants
Notts
Region
Boundaries
Archeology
Images removed for
copyright reasons
Buffer strips
Arable Options
Wildlife options
Wild bird seed mixes
Sow mix of barley,
triticale, kale, f.radish,
quinoa, linseed, millet,
mustard, sunflower.
Nectar flower mixes
Sow mix of red or
alsike clover, bird’s
foot trefoil, sanfoin,
musk mallow,
common knapweed
Grassland Options
Mixed stocking
Choose your options!
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“Edford Farm” is a small family farm, the farmers son is now taking over and
wants to look at ELS.
What options should he choose?
Ones that will be of the most benefit financially with least impact on farming
practices? ones that will be of the most benefit from a conservation point of
view, or a mixture?
First calculate the area of the farm and multiply by 30 to give you your
points target.
Now study the “Features" map and use the ELS handbook to help you
choose your options.
Don’t forget:
You get 3 points per hectare for the FER
To allow 5-10% error margin in your points calculation.