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Blog
Welcome to the Soil Association Exchange blog. Here, we share news, research and insights from farmers, scientists and partners who are shaping a more resilient food and farming system.
Explore the latest thinking on soil health, biodiversity, carbon, and business sustainability.
Gone in 308 minutes: What SFI26 allocation tells us about funding for farmers
The funding pot for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) was allocated in a matter of hours earlier this week, leaving farmers across England questioning a system that feels like a lottery. Our CEO, Joseph Gridley, comments: "There will be a lot said over the coming days about the SFI window that was opened and then quickly closed this week for farmers, with 100% of the £233m pot allocated in just a few hours. What it demonstrates is the huge appetite farmers have for acti
Sep 242 min read
Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 - how can it support drought tolerance?
Options for SFI26 that can help you build drought resistance on your farm
Sep 225 min read
How partnerships can allow farmers to find resilience
British farming is under real pressure. Commodity prices are weak, input costs (fuel and fertiliser especially) remain punishing, and margins are thinner than they've been in years.
Apr 152 min read
Why the SFI26 May Be a Bigger Opportunity Than Farmers Think
The 2026 updates to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI26) announced at this year's NFU conference represent a major reset for the scheme. SFI agreements will now be capped at £100,000 per farm, the number of actions reduced from 102 to 71, and shortened to three years. In this piece Soil Association Exchange’s Director of Farming Services Geoff Burke highlights some of the opportunities that the scheme offers to farmers. You will no doubt have read many articles/blogs/c
Feb 263 min read
“Carbon insetting not offsetting”: new £1m Exchange Market fund to reward farmers for reducing emissions
New£1m fund rewarding farmers for emissions reductions
Jan 7, 20254 min read
New SFI announcements - May 2024
As you may well have seen, recent updates and details regarding new options for farm funding through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) have been announced. We are pleased to see more detail being published which adds clarity to the actions aims and the restrictions, allowing farmers to properly plan for what to apply for and the impact on rotations and land management going forward. Here are some details of note: Some Flexibility has been lost Farmers have lost some o
May 22, 20243 min read
Getting to grips with SFI
Soil Association Exchange Head of Farming Advice Beth Metson shares her thoughts on SFI, and highlights what to look out for when getting involved. There are so many positives about the new options in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) plus some areas you need to think carefully about when applying. Flexibility in the new SFI is a welcome change and one we as an industry are not used to, but something we do need. Farmers are subject to many variables that are out of the
Nov 3, 20233 min read
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