Proof is in the Pasture! Our latest research and insights on the benefits of pasture-based systems
Pasture boosts biodiversity
The decline in UK biodiversity has been observed even within protected areas, indicating that land-sparing approaches on their own may not be enough to halt this trend. Pasture fed farming systems have been proven to enhance biodiversity. A recent study conducted across 56 Pasture for Life member farms, revealed a greater number of species in grasslands, with many areas also exhibiting increased soil carbon levels.
The Pasture for Life approach is resilient
The Pasture for Life approach to livestock production is not only resilient and viable but also contributes significantly to the delivery of broader public goods. This research paper questions if ruminant farming can be at the leading edge of transformational change in our food systems? Highlighting the urgent need for transformational change in agriculture to address current and future issues caused by climate change, biodiversity loss and socio-ecological disruption, the study objectively evidenced pasture based practices and found them to be resilient and viable.
Financially viable and deliver wide ranging public goods
We are partnering with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology on the SEEGSLIP project that seeks to evidence the practices of our member farmers using holistic, pasture based approaches. Our findings show that while such systems in the UK are highly variable according to practitioner, location and practice, they are financially viable and deliver wide ranging public goods. Citizens ‘choose PfL products for the ecosystem, animal and their own health.’ They also highlight the importance of considering individual practitioners, groups of practitioners and different practices when evaluating beef production systems and their environmental impacts.
Integrating pasture-fed livestock and arable for a more sustainable approach to food production
Pasture and greenhouse gas emissions
The Pasture for Life approach can be beneficial for grassland, wider ecosystems, and carbon sequestration. There is a growing body of research suggesting that the nutritional value of meat should be considered when calculating the carbon footprint of sheep and cattle produced on different finishing diets.
Pasture outperforms in emissions efficiency – Typically, intensive, concentrate-fed lamb is considered to have lower carbon emissions per kg than extensively reared lamb, partly as a result of the fact that they get to kill weight earlier and so emit fewer emissions over their lifespan. In contrast, recent research determined that if we were looking at nutritional density rather than mass, grass fed lamb outperformed concentrate-fed lamb in terms of emissions efficiency. Read more about the benefits of pasture based systems from this flyer by our Research Team.
(Photo: PfL certified Peelham Farm, Berwickshire)
Mob grazing research
Rothamsted Research, a world-leading, non-profit research centre that focuses on strategic agricultural science to the benefit of farmers and society worldwide, have released a report on their ‘Techno Grazing’ research that reveals:
Higher pasture growth – “The cell grazing (mob grazing/adaptive management) method achieved substantially higher pasture growth, with dry matter production nearly 40% higher than set stocking. By the third year, cell grazed areas supported double the livestock per hectare compared to set stocking – and produced 140% more liveweight per hectare.”
Increased soil carbon – “Despite more intensive grazing and higher stocking densities, soil carbon content increased in cell grazing enclosures while it decreased in set stocking, indicating higher levels of carbon sequestration.”
Dr Jordana Rivero who led the study, says, “These results give the best evidence yet that ‘It’s not the cow, it’s the how.” In other words, the way you manage your grazing system is important and can deliver beneficial outcomes.
How can we measure on-farm sustainability?
Dr Laurence Smith from our Research Group and Lecturer in Agricultural Business Management at the University of Reading, makes the case for a more comprehensive assessment of agroecological systems to fully capture the multi-functional benefits of agricultural landscapes.
“Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) helps to understand which parts of the food system have the greatest impacts, and how they could become more sustainable, but it cannot determine sustainable agriculture alone. The addition of rapid farm-level multi-criteria sustainability assessment tools can complement LCA results, help reveal ‘blind spots’, and encourage adoption by farmers.”
Read the report here.
(Photo: PfL certified Hollis Mead Dairy, Dorset)
