Sustainable farming organisation LEAF – Linking Environment And Farming – is to strengthen its strategic partnership with Rothamsted Research towards promoting regenerative farming systems.

Rothamsted, situated on a 400-hectare site in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, thus becomes the latest site to join LEAF’s growing network of Innovation Centres and Demonstration Farms, providing scientific evidence around the impact of Integrated Farm Management and ensuring it works at farm level.

Chairman of LEAF, Philip Wynn, said: “Rothamsted is a vibrant hub for global science, underpinned by history, innovation, and fresh thinking, working across different scales and disciplines to improve crop and livestock performance, resilience, and value. We are honoured to be forging even closer links with them at this crucial time for agriculture and hugely excited about the opportunities this partnership will offer our members and the wider farming community to access the latest research, ideas, and innovations to advance more resilient global farming and food systems.

"Science holds the key to confront the big farming challenges of today – both nationally and internationally. As we look to build more robust, regenerative, and resilient farming approaches, based on sound science and practical application, a problem-orientated, outcome driven science approach, firmly rooted to the needs of farmers is critical.

Mr Wynn continued: "The role of the LEAF Network could not be more important at this time. We look forward to building on our partnership with Rothamsted to help inform, inspire and equip farmers with the tools, know-how and confidence to realise their sustainable farming ambitions.”

Director and CEO of Rothamsted Research, Professor Angela Karp, added: “Partnerships, innovation, public engagement, and knowledge exchange are woven into our new science strategy. By working with both public and private sector partners our aim is to turn excellent research into impactful outcomes with sustainable impacts. Extending our collaboration with LEAF signals a major step in driving forward the uptake of more integrated, holistic approaches to crop and livestock farming.

“It will better enable our wide-ranging research to reach farmers on the ground – from gene to field. It is partnerships such as this that will help accelerate the capabilities of farmers to raise the productivity of their crop and livestock systems, tackle weed, disease and insect resistance, improve soil health, enhance natural capital, and reduce their carbon and nutrient footprint. Developing closer ties between researchers and practitioners will refine and improve performances for both."