App designed to improve farmers’ soil management set for trial

Farmers and growers will soon have access to an app that can help them record their soil analysis and then better manage the health and productivity of their fields.

The so-called Soil Health Scorecard is to be trialled on farms supplying supermarkets Asda and Tesco, and potato processor McCain, having been developed by agri-tech company Abaco Group and Niab.

See also: McCain commits to 100% regenerative agriculture by 2030

The digital database will enable users to record and analyse soil sample results, and then offer advice to farmers on how to improve the quality of their soil.

The aim is to help farmers improve the targeted and efficient use of nutrients, increase yield resilience, reduce the need for fertilisers and provide better support for biodiversity.

“Soils play a critical role in our natural environment, not just for food production, but for protecting and promoting biodiversity, improving resilience to flood and drought, and reducing our impact on water sources,” said Tesco head of agriculture Natalie Smith.

“Through existing initiatives, such as the planting of cover crops and herbal leys, we and our supplier partners have made progress in improving soil health, but we need to do more.

“This innovative new platform will help farmers and the wider food industry monitor and improve the health of our soils, and we’re looking forward to trialling it in our supply chain.”

James Young, vice-president of agriculture at McCain GB&I, said minimising soil disturbance was one of the core principles of its regenerative agriculture framework, which aims to see regenerative agriculture practices implemented across 100% of its potato acreage by 2030.

“We’re delighted to be trialling the ground-breaking Soil Health Scorecard app, which we believe will be an important tool to aid progression in this area and support the adoption of more sustainable practices,” he said.