Why do we need to protect our environment?
We share our planet with over 8 million different species of life, to which every last handful of soil, drop of water or breath of air is home. It is important that we can find a way to share the planet and the resources that it has so we can all live. For farmers this can be a bit of a challenge, as we need to find a way to not only have enough space for our crops and animals but also preserve enough habitat for the local species to thrive!
What do we do to protect our environment?
We are proud to say that we work hard to conserve the natural habitats of our local wildlife. We participate in a Higher-Level Stewardship agricultural-environmental management scheme, which involves protecting and conserving natural resources and historical landscape. One of our primary focuses is to protect and feed the local wild birds including lapwing, corn bunting and grey partridge. We also plant pollen and nectar rich flowers to create a habitable environment for bees, butterflies and hoverflies. Sadly, the population of bumblebees has declined over the past century. Two species of bumblebee became extinct in the UK during the 20th century. Bumblebees only feed on flowers, and as they have a colony-based lifestyle they need to collect enough for themselves and the sterile worker bees. It is well-known that bumblebees are great pollinators and are responsible for the pollination of much of the food we eat including tomatoes, apples, strawberries and peas. It is important that we protect not only bumblebees but all of our local wildlife.
To date we have planted nearly 2 hectares of trees across the farm with the belief that we are cutting down our carbon footprint. Trees provide shelter, cut down pollution, manage soil and reduce erosion. Precision technologies such as GPS and auto steer on tractors allow us to farm the same amount of land whilst using less fuel and fertilizer, which also lowers our carbon footprint.
Here at Jurassic Coast Farm Shop, we are passionate about giving back to the countryside.