The Allerton Project: Research and Demonstration of Practical Environmental Management on Farmland.

Abstract

The environmental problems associated with modern farming systems are numerous and widespread through Europe, and are reviewed by Stoate et al., (2001a). The number of people employed in agriculture has declined dramatically in recent decades, reducing the income and social cohesion of rural communities. Environmental implications have been substantial. Intensification and simplification of farming systems have resulted in homogenisation of lowland agricultural landscapes, with the loss of traditional features such as hedges, field ponds and marshland and other riparian habitats. Increased autumn cropping has resulted in higher levels of soil erosion and subsequent eutrophication and siltation of watercourses, and consequently in loss of aquatic wildlife. This loss of wildlife has been reflected in farmland ecosystems themselves. For example, across Europe, farmland birds have declined in response to agricultural intensification more than those of any other habitat (Donald et al., 2000). Because they reflect a wide range of environmental, economic and social changes in the rural environment, the UK government has identified farmland birds as a 'Quality of Life' indicator (Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, 1999). The Allerton Project is a partnership between the Allerton Research and Educational Trust and the Game Conservancy Trust and is based on a 333 hectare mixed arable and livestock farm in Leicestershire (England). The project started in 1992 with the aims of researching and demonstrating environmental management on farmland within the context of a viable farm business. The project has published more than sixty scientific papers on its research work on the farm, and hosts visits from several hundred agricultural professionals each year. This paper describes the initial achievements of the project over the past decade.