Ecosystem Functions [SS.EF]
Planning for Spring Cultivations and the Whole Farm Plan
As autumn cultivations are completed, a quieter period over winter provides the perfect opportunity to think forward to spring. Take the chance to plan for nutrient management to optimise crop…
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Enhanced Greening for Corn Buntings
Since 2015, farmers in Scotland have had to put a proportion of their arable land into Ecological Focus Areas (or EFAs) as part of the greening requirements of the Basic…
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Beavers and Water Resilience: A Natural Ally for Arable Systems?
Heatwaves, drought and water scarcity are no longer occasional challenges for arable farmers: they are becoming defining features of the growing season. The UK has already experienced multiple heatwaves in 2026, with drought…
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Managing Arable Crops for Soil Carbon
This article draws on insights from the LUNZ Hub “Talking Heads” series, based on an interview with independent soil and plant health educator Joel Williams, alongside contributions from Ellen Fay…
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Basic Farm Water Resilience Audit (Summer 2026)
A practical guide to building resilience to water scarcity and drought This document is a water resilience audit for Scottish farms – you can complete it online or it is available to download. It draws on regulatory guidance and other adaptation checklists…
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Biodiversity Audits for Whole Farm Plan
A biodiversity audit is applicable to all businesses under the Whole Farm Plan. For 2026, 2 out of the 5 Whole Farm plan items are required. If you are looking…
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Natural Capital – Reflections from the Nature Friendly Farming Summit
In this episode of Natural Capital, Harry Fisher and Alex Pirie reflect on their time at Scotland’s first Nature Friendly Farming Summit. The summit explored how to scale nature-friendly farming…
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Water Security in Scottish Dairying
In recent years, Scotland’s weather has grown more unpredictable, and even the famously wet Scottish climate is beginning to show signs of strain with shifting weather patterns. For farmers, one…
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Bio-acoustic Monitoring Solutions for Land Managers
Bio-acoustic monitoring is the recording and automated identification of animal calls (most commonly birds or bats but can also include insects and frogs) to provide information on the species using…
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Can we store more carbon in our soils?
There is a lot of discussion around how we ‘lock up’ more carbon in our soils, however due to natural processes, this is more challenging than just applying more organic…
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