LEAF – sustainable food and farming

LEAF attempts to build public understanding of food and farming in a number of ways, including; Open Farm Sunday, Let Nature Feed Your Senses and year-round farm visits to our national network of Demonstration Farms.

LEAF is also an industry partner in the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE), which is an opportunity for their members to demonstrate their commitment to protecting and enhancing the farmed environment.

As part of the Campaign, farmers are asked to ensure that a third of their ELS points come from a list of key target options. These include options which result in cleaner water and healthier soil, protect farmland birds and encourage wildlife and biodiversity.

LEAF also provide a wide array of educational and best practice guidance resources on their website, including their Water Management Tool, which offers farmers a complete health check for water use on their farms, and the Simply Sustainable Water Guidance booklet and film.

The Simply Sustainable Water booklet has been produced to help farmers develop an effective on-farm management strategy for efficient water use and to improve their farm’s contribution to protecting water in the environment. It allows farmers to get the best from this valuable resource, improve awareness of the importance of water and track changes in water use and quality over time.

Based on Six Simple Steps to help improve the performance, health and long term sustainability of their land, farmers are encouraged to set a baseline by assessing their water use and their water sources. The six key measures are: (1) water saving measures, (2) protecting water sources, (3) soil management, (4) managing drainage, (5) tracking water use, and (6) water availability and sunshine hours.