Over March and April 2026, the project made its first scoping visits to integrated farming systems across the South-East — the groundwork for mapping how livestock, crops, soils and water interact on working farms.
Three contrasting sites
The team visited three farms chosen to span a range of types, scales and management approaches. Rather than a single model system, they give us a cross-section of real agricultural contexts to work against as the study takes shape.
A head start with the University of Kent
One of the sites is a collaborative farm shared with the University of Kent, where extensive historical soil data already exist. That record lets us read new field observations and laboratory findings against years of prior measurement, rather than starting from a blank baseline.
What happens next
Preliminary field sampling begins in May 2026. These first samples feed early-stage analysis aimed at identifying environmental pathways, and will shape the more detailed studies that follow.
Between them, the scoping visits are sharpening the research approach, building working relationships with the participating farms, and keeping the work grounded in everyday agricultural practice.