Overview
Facilitator
The Scotland Farmer Cluster is in Aberdeenshire which is one of the most mixed farming areas in the UK. The farms within the cluster are typically arable with livestock being mainly cows and sheep. The cluster members are farmers who have got together to promote several aims such as providing resources for pollinators that are present that will also encourage farmland birds, as well as improving the health of their soil.
The cluster have sown areas of wildflowers during spring 2022 to benefit both pollinators and birds, and some have incorporated direct drilling, under sowing and the planting of cover crops to improve soil health.
Biodiversity Focus
Native plants (weed species/interactions)
Farmers' Key Issues
Soil health,
Carbon content,
Cover crops,
Structure pollination,
Improving pollination for crops,
Arable weeds and interactions (host plants for beneficial
insects)
Details
Farms
4
Landscape Type
Arable and Livestock
Average Farm Size
300 ha
Total Cluster Size
3700 ha
Established
2020
Region
Stuartfield, Peterhead, UK
Dr Gill Banks