Cover crops to increase carbon capture in Humber project

🔎  What’s going on?

Cover crops will be grown by over 40 farmers to increase carbon capture in the ‘Sustainable Landscapes Humber Project’. The project is a collaboration between Yorkshire Water, Birds Eye, consultancy Future Food Solutions, University of Hull, Teesside University and of course the farmers. 

🌳  What does this mean?

There are usually two types of crops grown - cash and cover crops: 

1. Cash crops are usually food (coffee, cocoa, tea, sugarcane, rice, wheat, corn, etc...) and non-food crops (such as rubber and cotton) grown for direct sale in a market. 
2. Cover crops, on the other hand, are grown for the benefits they bring to the soil, to control weeds, pests and to promote biodiversity. Examples include cereal crops (rye, barley, wheat, oats), legumes (soybeans, peas, and beans) and perennial grasses (ryegrass). 

The farmers will now work to grow cover crops (such as wheat, barley and oilseed rape) between harvesting and sowing their cash crops. The cover crops referred to as ‘pop-up rainforests’ by Future Food Solutions will include a diverse range of plant species that also capture huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. The University of Hull will monitor key metrics such as Soil Organic Matter (SOM) and water content among other metrics.

This project is an excellent demonstration of brands and suppliers working with multiple stakeholders including researchers, utilities and local councils to achieve environmental targets. 

❓ Why should I care?

This project address two specific problems: 

1. Soil Organic Matter (SOM) has fallen by 50% over the past 60 years in the UK
2. The city of Hull and the surrounding areas are built on a flood plain, meaning it’s prone to flooding.   

Early pre-trials have already shown that growing cover crops can increase soil health and organic matter by up to 40 tonnes per hectare. This, in turn, sequesters (stores) more than four tonnes of atmospheric carbon each year. Furthermore, research also suggests that improving SOM by just 1% means that agricultural land can then store an extra 200,000 litres of water per hectare. 

🚦 Where do we need to be?

This is the first project of its kind in the UK, collaborative in nature with co-benefits for every partner involved. Ideally, more food brands start participating in similar projects, working with their supply chains to not just capture carbon from the atmosphere but improve soil health which has so many benefits. 

👤 What can I do about it?

1. Let your grass grow longer in your garden before you mow them. Even better, don’t mow your lawn! This means that the roots grow longer, capturing plenty of carbon. 
2. Plant perennials! Any plants that live longer, store more carbon. 
3. Cover your soil with lots of plants or mulch. Bare soil leads to soil erosion. 
4. Reduce or stop tilling in your garden.
5. Minimise the use of fertilisers in your garden.

Related: Soil Carbon startup using fungi raises USD 6.9 million