The Organic Research Centre (ORC) is the UK's leading independent organic research organisation. Changing the future of food and farming.

Website
https://www.organicresearchcentre.com/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/OrgResCent

From climate emergency to food security, the way we farm is key to solving some of the biggest issues facing us today. Changes in our agricultural practices have never been more needed. If we continue intensive farming, we will be responsible for the continued decline of many species, including pollinators, soil organisms and the natural enemies of pests. Habitats will continue to be degraded, and pollution levels will rise.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Our in-the-field research and knowledge exchange activity enables the transition to naturally healthy and resilient farming systems. We build evidence and understanding of the positive impact of organic and agroecological farming, and practical information to help farmers and growers do it better.

Related Organisations

Connected Content

Knowledge

Farm-PEP aims to bring together all the sources of useful knowledge for Agriculture, whether from academic science, applied research projects, industry trials, farmers own trials or simple on-farm experience. Listed below are useful websites, organisations and websites that we know of.  Add any we've missed in the comments box or by adding as new content, or better still, as a new Group.  

Farm centric research

Farm-centric research generally involves On-Farm Experimentation and may be better described as 'Farm Action Research', i.e. research conducted at least in part by and for beneficiaries who also farm. 

Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative farming looks to optimise the use of the ecological system and environment, in order to benefit from the natural ecosystem services that they provide.

OPER8

An EU-wide network to support and promote solutions for alternative weed control.  

Enhancing Soil

Tell us how you are improving your soils. Share useful resources, organisations and initiatives.

Sustainable Farm Networks

To build a socially and environmentally resilient and regenerative food system in a net zero landscape, the Sustainable Farm Networks initiative connects diverse demonstration farm networks across the UK to share experiences, findings and best practice.

Organic Farming

Organic is a system of farming and food production. Organic farmers aim to produce high-quality food, using methods that benefit our whole food system, from people to planet, plant health to animal welfare.

Research

Agricultural research is conducted by a range of organisations, from individual farmers, through advisors, distributors, manufacturers, charities, societies, supply chain companies, levy bodies, universities and research institutes.  This page aims to connect across these often disparate sources.

Knowledge Exchange

Knowledge Exchange in Agriculture in the UK is diverse, with many organisations involved. That is part of the reason for creating Farm-PEP, to help provide connections to what many percieve as a fragmented landscape.

Food & Farming Systems

This topic refers to the whole food supply chain, from farm fork, and all the products and services that contribute to food production.

Managing Nutrients Better

Share your ideas and experience of how to improve nutrient efficiency and reduce dependence on artificial fertilisers

Organic Research Centre (ORC)

The Organic Research Centre (ORC) is the UK's leading independent organic research organisation. Changing the future of food and farming.

Which tree species can provide nutritional value to my livestock?

Tree forage has many nutritional benefits for livestock as it diversifies their diet, provides additional nutrients and contains tannins that reduce methane production. Dr Lindsay Whistance from Organic Research Centre offers her advice on the best trees for silvopasture in a recent Innovative Farmers blog. 

Public Goods Tool

  The Public Goods Tool (PG Tool) has been in constant use since its creation in 2011 (https://www.organicresearchcentre.com/our-research/research-project-library/public-goods-tool/)

Action plan to deliver impact from UK agricultural R&D

There has been plenty of good analysis of why agri-food innovation is slow to make progress and often great science is not adopted. Rather than ‘more research’ we need better targeted research. We also need to spend existing money more efficiently and that is the focus of the actions outlined. My plan is informed by over 45 years of being fully immersed in our agricultural community and working at the interface of practical farming, research and government. Rather than another analysis of what is wrong it deliberately aims to focus on actions that I believe will move a great industry full of committed people forward to create a resilient industry that efficiently feeds the growing population and enhances the environment.   This content was originally published on LinkedIn at Action plan to deliver impact from UK agricultural R&D. Please add any comment to that post.

Enhanced Environment

Help us collate the knowledge sources, organisations and initiatives out there that are seeking to improve the farmed environment

Organic Research Centre Presentation – AUC Retreat 2023

Organic Research Centre slides developed to share with educators who lead agriculture degree courses at the AUC Educators Retreat 2023.

Non-Inversion Organic Arable Cropping

The phrase “Non-Inversion Tillage” (NI) as used in this review first requires definition. Any system which does not seek to substantially invert the soil profile is regarded as NI.

The Basics of Soil Fertility

Shaping our relationship to the soil.

The Agroforestry Handbook

Written for farmers and advisors this book will help you assess the potential business benefits of agroforestry for your farm or client and to understand the possible benefits to the wider environment.

Productive hedges

Guidance on bringing Britain’s hedges back into the farm business.

Creeping Thistle - Successful control in organic farming

Creeping thistle has become an increasing problem especially for organic arable farms with soils of higher organic matter content.

How can agroforestry contribute towards biodiversity conservation?

The Policy Brief, written by Colin Tosh, is based on evidence presented in, and feedback to the online workshop held 20/10/2021.

Living mulches: The holy grail of no till?

Through Innovative Farmers, a group of organic and conventional farmers have teamed up with the Organic Research Centre and AHDB to investigate how to grow living mulches.

Organic Potatoes: Cultivating quality - step by step

This guide provides a good basis for achieving high-quality products.

Building successful value chains for diversified cropping systems, using Hodmedods as an example

Value chains with close collaboration between actors, both from the supply chain and wider society, enable direct, dynamic and innovative, relationships that better facilitate management and sales of smaller volumes of diverse products.

GreenGrass:Strategies to reduce N fertiliser use in dairy farming

The GreenGrass project will work with conventional dairy farmers who are striving to minimise their carbon footprint and improve efficiency through reduced use of N fertilisers. We will collaborate directly with dairy farmers to co-create solutions and trial innovations on their farms. And we are looking for farmers to take part; for more information, please fill in the form and get in touch!!!   

AgroBox: an Agroecosystem Dynamics Sandbox

ORC Researcher Dr. Colin Tosh recently developed a new framework for modelling the dynamics of agroecosystems, and here you are given full interactive access to these models. One thing that ORC prides itself on is making its research available to farmers, growers, and the public. This is usually in the form of online or in-person webinars, on-farm events, or articles, but on this occasion, we tried our hand at a bit of coding and software development. Dr. Colin Tosh, ORC Senior Agroforestry Researcher, recently published a new model of how the living things in arable agroecosystems interact, both in the presence and absence of in-field trees. This model was used to investigate how trees might buffer crop yield stress events such as crop pest or disease outbreaks, and in a forthcoming paper, it investigates how pesticides impact the ecosystem services that trees provide for arable farmers.