A consortium of over 20 industry and research partners have formed a four-year, £5.9 million project to help farmers diversify their arable and forage cropping.
The project, entitled the Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping (CHCx3), will enable new revenue sources for farmers through a carbon marketplace.
Led by crop science organisation National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), it will also support enhanced value chains for industries such as textiles and construction.
The project, which runs from spring 2023 until 2027, has been awarded funding by Defra under the Farming Futures R&D Fund: Climate Smart Farming.
Research will focus on four cropping options, including rotational cover crops and annual fibre crops, such as industrial hemp and flax.
It will also focus on perennial food, forage, and feed crops - including cereals and herbal leys - and perennial biomass crops, such as miscanthus, willow and poplar.
In addition to evaluating their potential to enhance atmospheric carbon capture and sequestration, in the soil and crop-based products, the project will examine the effects of cultivation system and agronomy on economic returns and other environmental outcomes.
Further work will optimise the production and use of renewable biomaterials for fibre, textiles, and construction and develop carbon insetting/offsetting platforms.
NFU chief science advisor, Dr Helen Ferrier welcomed the project: “One source of opportunity for farms to build resilience, and get a return on investment from diversification – is emerging carbon markets.
“This project contributes to a route for farmers in supplying fibres and feedstocks from high carbon capture crops.
“There's broad relevance here for different sectors and locations; so, in areas of uncontrollable flea beetle pressure, cereal growers are looking for a profitable alternative to oil seed rape as a break crop.
"And livestock farms, at particular risk as BPS is removed, could build resilience by growing these crops on grazing and forage land.”
The centre’s ‘Knowledge Hub’ will provide resources to support the uptake and utilisation of crops with high carbon-capture potential, with outputs such as crop guides, web tools and apps available to farmers.
Opportunities for farmers to be involved will be shared in due course.
