Frequently asked questions
Why should I sign up to Soil Association Exchange?
Soil Association Exchange is a powerful tool for your farm, and there are a number of reasons to sign up. Here are three key reasons:
-
Firstly, Soil Association Exchange provides high-quality data on a farm’s sustainability impact. Understanding this is a great step to making help farm business decision making whilst also providing a place to store the data required by the supply chain or other schemes (e.g SFI).
-
Secondly, we provide world-class agricultural advice on sustainable farming through our expert team of agricultural advisors.
-
Thirdly, we help farmers take advantage of the financial opportunities available to farms which are farming more sustainably (including public subsidies and private markets, such as Exchange Market- our own funding scheme).
What happens to the data that is gathered on my farm?
At the heart of Exchange is a principle that will never change: your data belongs to you. It is only ever shared with third parties where you explicitly give permission. We’re accredited under the Farm Data Principles scheme to guarantee fairness, transparency and farmer control. Data is there to strengthen your business - not to judge it.
Your data is stored under the strictest protections to ensure it is safe.
What are the financial benefits for me to signing up?
Every farm is different, so it's hard to determine exactly how much your farm could make through taking part with Exchange. However, our agricultural advisors will be on-hand to help you unlock the maximum amount of value possible.
​
Through providing important information on accessing subsidies, natural capital payments, price premiums and cost saving opportunities,
How much will Soil Association Exchange cost?
There are two ways that a farmer can access Exchange. There is Exchange Explore which is free to use for farmers to calculate a partial farm sustainability score on the Exchange digital platform and receive some online advice. Under this free model, you have to undertake all the data collection yourself and there is no bespoke advice.
​
The second option is Exchange Excel whereby our team help capture all the data required to calculate an accurate farm sustainability report. Most farmers are currently accessing Exchange Excel for free because they are being funded via one of our partner businesses (see here).
​
If you would like to pay for the service directly, please get in touch and we will send you information on price as it relates to your farm size, complexity and what you want the data for.
What is included in my farm’s Soil Association Exchange score?
Your farm’s Soil Association Exchange score looks at the following six impact areas: soils, carbon, biodiversity, water, animal welfare and society. In each of those impact areas, there are 3-5 indicators that tell us the most about the state of that impact area on your farm. You can view the full methodology of how we calculate your farm’s sustainability score here.
How accurate is my farm’s sustainability score?
We have worked with the UK’s leading scientists, farmers and food businesses to create the Soil Association Exchange sustainability score methodology. It is based on the best possible science available. We are constantly evolving how we calculate your farm’s score to account for new science and measurement methodologies.
How long does it take to calculate my farm’s Exchange score?
To get an accurate ecological score of your farm across the 6 impact areas (soils, biodiversity, climate change, water, animal welfare, and society) it takes about 4 hours answering some office based questions and 1 full day on your farm. This may sound like a lot, but it helps us guarantee the accuracy of the data and get you the best possible baseline for your farm. Our agricultural advisors are on-hand to help you through the process.
How does Soil Association Exchange interact with the Global Farm Metric?
Soil Association Exchange works closely with the team behind the Global Farm Metric (GFM). Soil Association Exchange is built off the high-level framework of the GFM.
How will you protect my data?
We take the role of looking after your data very seriously. We will never share your farm data with anyone unless you explicitly give us permission. We will store your data under the strictest protections to ensure it is safe. You can read more about how we look after your data here.
Why has the Soil Association launched Exchange?
Soil Association Exchange was spun out of the Charity in 2022, and is an operationally separate business owned by the Soil Association charity.
The Soil Association has been supporting farmers to farm more profitably and sustainably for 80 years.
 
Launching Exchange was a logical next step, providing a new platform dedicated to sharing the knowledge amassed between farmers across the industry, and to help all UK farmers and land managers reap the rewards of sustainable practices. 
Soil Association has offended non-organic farmers in the past. Why should I trust them now?
The Soil Association is a charity with a mission to make the food system fairer for farmers and consumers, and for the planet and nature. The charity owns Soil Association Certification, which is the largest certifying body of Organic produce in the UK.
At the heart of the charitable mission for the Soil Association is the fundamental belief that all farmers can farm in a way that’s productive, profitable and good for the climate and nature.
 
Since 2012, the Soil Association charity have been working hard through their Innovative Farmers programme to engage 15,000 farmers from all different farming backgrounds, listening to their knowledge and experiences as they trial new techniques.
Soil Association Exchange is for all farmers regardless of what practices they follow. Every farm is different, and we want to support farmers to connect and share their insight so all farmers can benefit from the environmental and financial rewards of regenerative farming.