Tackling climate change
Uncover how we’re responding to the changing climate at places in our care.
Regenerative farming at Hinton Ampner
As part of the Reimagining a Hampshire Estate project at Hinton Ampner, we’re switching to regenerative farming methods. This will improve soil quality, reduce the impact on nature and the environment and increase wildlife habitats. We’re working with a farming partner to manage these changes, focusing on environmental rather than commercial targets.
Bringing the soil back to life
Modern commercial farming practices can strip the soil of life, destroy its structure and leave it more prone to erosion and to run off of toxic chemicals into the land and rivers.
We'll be restricting the use of chemical fertilisers and using regenerative farming practices to improve and protect the soil and the wider environment.
Planting the seeds
We’ve started by planting fields with a range of species designed to put nutrients back into the soil and to help improve its structure. These fields will be grazed by cattle, providing them with healthy food and the soil with natural fertiliser.
When we plant crops, the soil will be disturbed as little as possible, with minimal tillage.
This will improve soil quality, reduce the impact on nature and the environment and increase wildlife habitats. We’re working with a farming partner to manage these changes, focusing on farming sustainably, rather than commercial targets.
Growing a wider variety of plants increases the diversity of microbes in the soil and allows the soil to lock away carbon that would otherwise contribute to global warming.
Farming with nature
By drastically reducing the level of toxic chemicals that enter the soil and water systems, we’ll help protect plants and wildlife. But we’ll be taking more active steps to increase biodiversity, too.
Around each of the fields we farm, we'll leave wide borders where important wild plants, flowers and fungi can grow, creating habitats and food for key species of birds, bats, butterflies and small mammals like harvest mice and dormice.
There will also be areas within the fields specially planted with winter food for birds.
The cattle we raise will help us maintain important habitats like chalk grasslands by grazing in specific places around the estate.
Sustainable local produce
Our farming partner will produce grass-fed, native-breed beef, sustainable crops like wheat, oats and barley.
More on the Reimagining a Hampshire Estate project
Hinton Ampner: Reimagining a Hampshire Estate
Everything you need to know about this project to transform the estate into a more vibrant, accessible and sustainable place where people and nature can thrive.
Nature recovery and conservation at Hinton Ampner
Discover how our Reimagining a Hampshire Estate project will increase the diversity of wildlife here by creating and reclaiming natural habitats.
