Project Dates: 01.12.2024 to 01.12.2025

Farmers in the Kenn Valley are developing a farmer-led biodiversity monitoring model to enhance environmental stewardship and engagement across their landscape. Spanning 3,000 hectares over 14 farms, this year-long project helps farmers track biodiversity and adopt sustainable farming practices to improve ecosystem health.

By using apps like Soil Mentor and Merlin Bird ID, farmers will monitor soil health and bird diversity. The project also includes events to share knowledge and explore additional funding, with a focus on landscape environmental enhancement and data-driven strategies. This year-long project aspires to engage farmers in monitoring biodiversity, to understand more about the ecosystems on their farm and how they can improve them. A better understanding will help farmers to identify changes in farm practices that can improve habitats, water quality and soil health.

Key Deliverables:

• Farmer-led monitoring of soil health and bird species diversity using apps.
• Group events to share knowledge and maintain project momentum.
• Educational outreach through training on monitoring tools and sustainable practices.
• Data analysis with recommendations for future farming initiatives.

 

The Kenn Valley Farmers Group’s initiative supports ecological conservation and highlights the crucial role farmers play in long-term environmental sustainability.

image credits: KVC

IMPACT SUMMARY JANUARY 2026

Project Activities:

• The project held seven meetings throughout the year including:
  – Soilmentor demo on farm
  – Water catchment talk for the Kenn by the Westcountry Rivers Trust
  – Soil carbon with Terra farmer
  – Composting with Rothamsted
  – Grazing management and out wintering
• An introductory session on how to measure soil function was delivered by Soilmentor, including worm and dung beetle counts. It had the group of farmers digging holes and finding out how important life in the soil is to things such as water infiltration.
• Each member of the farm cluster group is now using Merlin as a method to identify birds on their farms.
• Bird and dung beetle on farm monitoring protocols and trial of Chirple recording devices have been developed and implemented. “

 

Project Impact:

• Through joining workshops, the farmers have gained better understand in some key principles about how land management can impact the soil and the health of the farm.
• Engaging the farm cluster members in conservation themed workshops and app use has started conversations about specific birds. The cluster have identified 66 species on their farms. Using this kind of data collection, although not creating farm wide biodiversity surveys, is a really important step in engaging farmers and encouraging them to stop and listen and identify with biodiversity on their farms.