About AgZero+

Towards sustainable, climate-neutral farming systems.

AgZero+ is an ambitious five-year research programme supporting the UK’s transition towards domestic food production that is sustainable, carbon-neutral and has a positive effect on nature. The programme is bringing together a community of researchers and farmers to evaluate innovative farming methods and to define practical pathways to achieving “net zero plus” arable and livestock farm systems.

Achieving net zero plus agriculture requires cross-disciplinary research and cross-sector collaboration. AgZero+ is being delivered by experts from leading research institutes in partnership with industry, governments, and charities.

Through this approach AgZero+ is aiming to:

  • Define pathways to achieving net zero plus arable and livestock farm systems, which minimize negative trade-offs between agricultural productivity and the environment.
  • Create a network of study farms and field-scale to national data, models and tools which will enable the transition to net zero plus agriculture.
  • Provide the science community with an advanced modelling framework to define pathways to achieving net zero, plus arable and livestock farm systems that minimize trade-offs with production and the environment.
  • Utilize innovative data science to supply real-time, high-quality data, models, and tools to enable the transition to net zero plus agriculture.
  • Involve agri-environmental research to address the major societal challenges of net-zero food production and reversing biodiversity declines.

Working in Partnership

The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) will lead implementation and support its operation working in partnership with NERC, BBSRC, Rothamsted Research Institute, British Geological Survey, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and the National Centre for Earth Observation.

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Farmland

Supporting sustainable farming

UKCEH is providing a free suite of tools and apps which help farmers and land managers ensure the planning and delivery of environmental management on their land is supported by the latest scientific data. Our E-Planner (developed through the Assist programme and now through AgZero+) is a free, web-based tool which helps identify the most suitable places for different environmental management options via easy to use, interactive maps.

Funding

AgZero+ is funded with £7.8 million from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and £5 million from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

UKRI-BBSRC-NERC


Discover more

Visit the dedicated website for AgZero+ where you will be able to find out more about the project.