Philip King
Jolyon King
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Who are Base UK and why are they important?

 

Firstly, Base stands for:

  • Biodiversity
  • Agriculture
  • Soil
  • & Environment

The organisation has been formed to run in parallel with the innovative and influential group started in Brittany, France, 10 years ago by Frederic Thomas. That group now has over 1,000 members. Base UK is for farmers and individuals who are interested about conservation and regenerative agriculture.

There are 3 core principles:

  1. Minimum soil disturbance
  2. Residue cover on the soil
  3. Rotations

Conservation agriculture is fundamentally about carbon management in soil. You can learn more about this, specifically regenerative agriculture in our blog post. 

The purpose of Base UK is to provide a platform for their members to share experiences and learn from other farmers. This involves presenting, doing speeches and hosting farm visits.

Monies raised from membership subscriptions go towards funding speakers at meetings and in the long term will provide funding for trial work in conservation agriculture.

Why is this important?

Soil health is incredibly important to our environment. The aim of organisations like Base UK and its members (King Agriculture) is to build soil carbon, improve soil structure and enhance soil life.

Soil health is important for producing health crops that nourish people and animals. It’s directly linked to food quality and quantity.

There are various threats to soil health including:

  • Compaction – when soil has no air space in which to absorb water and air.
  • Agrochemicals – these disrupt microorganisms in the soil.
  • Erosion – this washes away key nutrients that are never replaced.

We can combat these. The solution lies in better agricultural education and sustainable land use. That is why organisations like Base UK are so important for the future of sustainable farming and regenerative agriculture.

For details of future meetings and news of the group, including how to join, take a look at their website:

http://base-uk.co.uk/about/