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 JULY 2025

Project Activities:

• Carried out Soilmentor introductory session and training, on how to measure soil function, including worm and dung beetle counts. Through the workshop, the farmers were shown how to use this platform, complete a series of key soil tests which act as regenerative indicators.
• Training in the use of the Merlin bird identification and data collection app to collect data on multiple farms, as a simple self-assessment model.
• The most recent training session was on compost and importance of organic matter in soil with Prof Andy Neal from Rothamsted, where worms were identified as a key indicator species for life in the soil.
• Two of the farms have been selected for the AGZERO+ project with Rothamsted – a 5 year biodiversity monitoring comparison, the progress and results of which will be shared with the group.
• The cluster’s consultant ecologist has designed a dung beetle and bird identification and measurement protocol for the group.

 

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.