Yorkshire Water ties with farmers for ‘pop up rain forests’

The programme will see farmers grow cover crops to improve soil and water quality and cut emissions

Yorkshire Water has announced it will engage with farmers in a five-year project to improve water and soil quality in the region.

During the collaboration, 17 farm businesses in East Yorkshire will grow a minimum of ten hectares of cover crops, known as ‘pop up rain forests’.

The plantation is believed to play a significant role in water quality as it holds nitrates in the soil and prevents them from leaching into watercourses.

The pop up rain forests are also expected to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, increase soil organic matter and improve land’s capacity to hold water.

Funded by Yorkshire Water the project has been organised by the sustainable food supply chain consultancy Future Food Solutions.

Andrew Walker, Asset Strategy Manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “By moving away from farming with chemicals and horsepower and embracing techniques that improve the biological functionality of soils, we can deliver more resilient, nutritious and sustainable food, improved biodiversity and pollinators, flood mitigation as well as improved water quality.”

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