Thousands of pounds for project to help county farmers cut carbon

“The Agri Carbon Kernow project wouldn’t be possible without the support of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth programme.” – Dr Robin Jackson, Director at Duchy College.

Agri Carbon Kernow, which offers free support to farms in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, has been awarded £365,257 funding from the Good Growth Programme.

The project works to support farmers in reducing their carbon footprint, improving water resilience and impact on the quality and quantity of water in their catchments, and assessing the natural environment of their farms to be part of the nature recovery solution.

Part-funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Agri Carbon Kernow is a collaboration between Duchy College, Westcountry Rivers Trust, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the Farm Carbon Toolkit and the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Growth Hub.

Dr Robin Jackson, Director at Duchy College, says: “We’re proud to be part of the Agri Carbon Kernow project.”

He adds that the primary objective is to help farm enterprises in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to decarbonise: “We try to get them to think about their ability to sequester carbon, to pull carbon out of the atmosphere into vegetation, be it trees or hedgerows, but in particular into the soil, because healthy soil, can sequester more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined.

“The Agri Carbon Kernow project wouldn’t be possible without the support of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme …”

Farmer Richard Trevethan, of Mingoose Farm – an organic beef farm, says the project has supported him with carbon-reducing ideas: “We’re going to try some agro-forestry – that’s growing trees in your pastureland.”

He says the trees will help to absorb carbon at the farm and will also provide shelter for the cows.

“It’s a different way forward,” he says, “…it’s given me a bit more positive outlook on the farm’s future.”

Dr Robin Jackson says: “I would heartily recommend the Good Growth Programme. If it wasn’t for the support that was available to us to deliver this project, farmers wouldn’t have the direct support from our project partners to give them the confidence to start undertaking these actions. It’s not just about being told to do something, it’s discovering from like-minded people the opportunities already out there, doing it, and turning it into a success for their businesses.”

Agri Carbon Kernow is an extension of the Farm Net Zero project that already supports farms in Cornwall.

Agri Carbon Kernow is made possible thanks to investment from the Good Growth Programme, funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.